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I was walking quickly through the colorful streets of Cyber City, a wad of bills in my hands, the successful result of one of my pick-pocket attempts.. I had stolen the wallet of someone stupid enough to carry 1000 Kromer in cash !
I smelled the scent of petrichor filling my nostrils; it was going to rain soon. I felt a few raindrops fall on me. Looking up, I saw the few people around me running to shelter to stay dry.
Not me.
I’ve been living in the dump for years; I’m used to being wet when sleeping. I’ll survive a little rain.
My fingers tightened around the wad of bills as I stopped in front of a bar. It had been a long time since I’d had a drink… Maybe it would be good to drown my misery in alcohol…
I pushed open the bar doors, stepping inside without looking around. The smell of alcohol hit me right away, but I kept walking toward the bar. I sat down on a stool, motioning to the bartender, who approached.
Spamton: I’LL HAVE THE [[Stronger]] THING YOU GOT !
He shrugged, pouring an almost transparent liquid into a shot glass. He brought it over to me. I took it, swirling the liquid in the glass, watching the little waves.
Finally, I raised it to my lips and drank it in one gulp.
It was strong. Perfect!
I had two more of that same drink. I had no idea what it was called. I’ve always been able to hold alcohol pretty well, but I felt like my life on the streets had really lowered my tolerance…
I heard the bar door open, but I was too lost in my thoughts to turn around. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a man wearing a cape and a hat walk in. I couldn’t see his face.
It didn’t matter anyway; I was only there to clear my head.
My tail, ending in a mouse cursor, that thing that had caused me trouble my whole life, was wiggling behind my back. It wrapped itself around the leg of my stool.
I noticed the look the man sitting next to me was giving me. I was used to getting weird looks whenever I forgot to hide it. I looked up, already slightly out of it from the alcohol.
Spamton: GOT A [[Problem]], [[Dude]]?
I stared at him sideways. I didn’t have time to debate my usefulness with these freaks who took the prophecy literally.
The man: You’re Spamton G. Tenna, aren’t you?
I froze, clutching the glass with my fingers, feeling a little uncomfortable. I wasn’t used to being recognized like that anymore, let alone being called by that name I’d changed and tried to forget ten years ago.
Spamton: IT’S [[Spamton G. Spamton]] NOW.
I hoped he’d leave me alone. I had no desire to talk about my past, let alone with a stranger. He twirled his glass between his fingers, head down.
The man: I didn’t think you were still alive.
I rolled my eyes, already annoyed by this conversation, looking for any way to get out of it.
Spamton: YEAH, WELL [[Bad news]] FOR YOU. I DON’T [[sign]] [[Autographs]] SINCE [[10$]] YEARS !
The man: Oh, I don’t want an autograph. I’m just surprised you haven’t gone back to him after all this time.
I grunted slightly. If only he knew. If only everyone knew!
I remained silent, the bar’s neon lights reflecting in the clear liquid of my glass. Realizing I stayed silent, he decided to continue, turning his head toward the small CRT TV in the bar that was showing some nonsense.
The man: TVs have always been fragile when it comes to that.
Spamton: [[Fragile]] WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT?
He turned to me, surprised, as if I should have understood what he was trying to say.
The man: With their frequency, of course.
Spamton: OHHHHHH, THAT [[romantic]] NONSENSE?
I remember those evenings with him very well.
Those slightly odd phrases he would sometimes repeat to me: “I’ll stay tuned to you wherever you are,” “You’re my frequency”...
A long silence followed. The man kept looking at me.
The man: He never explained it to you?
Spamton: EXPLAINED WHAT?
He took a sip of his beer. The noise of the bar seemed to fade away. I was completely transfixed by this person’s mysterious words. He set the beer mug down on the bar.
The man: TVs fall in love only once in their lives. What we would call a “soul mate” is called a “Frequency.” When they lose it, many hold on for months or even weeks afterward, before shutting down from grief.
I froze, every word coming out of the stranger’s mouth striking me like a thousand knives piercing my skin. It was probably a joke… A very bad one, but a joke… Tenna was still alive… I saw him on TV just two days ago…
Before I had time to answer, the man said one last thing.
The man: The fact that he’s still alive right now is already considered a miracle.
The world around me came to a standstill. I was holding a glass in my hands, which I dropped in shock. The glass broke on the floor, spilling its contents as it shattered into a thousand tiny pieces, just like the state of my heart right now.
Now, all eyes were fixed on me. My hands were shaking, my eyes were filling with tears, and my tail wrapped itself around my leg, like a futile attempt to comfort me.
Ten years ago, when I left, it wasn’t to abandon him… On the contrary, I wanted him to live… I thought he would have understood… That he would move on, find a man much better than me to continue his life…
A frequency comes only once in a lifetime… And I was his frequency…
The man probably noticed the horrified look on my face.
The man: You still love him, don’t you?
I looked up at him, nodding slowly. All those times I thought he was just being dramatic as usual. All those years, I thought he’d be better off without me… That by staying by my side, the sword of Damocles hanging over his life would come crashing down on him, cleaving him.
But I only realize now that by leaving, I also ruined his life… I ruined his only chance to ever love again…
I placed a few bills on the counter and rushed outside.
What had I done…?!
He believed in me, he never judged me, he always loved me… And I left without saying a word, just because of a prophecy that might be false.
I abandoned the love of my life for a supposition.
I ran through the city’s colorful streets, stepping in puddles, blending into the crowd, pushing people aside without even looking back.
My tears mixed with the rain, but I didn’t care.
All I wanted was to get back to TV World, find him, and finally let him choose between love and life.