Limelight Melody

(X) Laurel

Felix shivered against the cold air that was infesting his home. He grabbed a blanket from beside him, wrapping around himself. He buried himself in it, continuing to shiver violently. The blanket began to warm up slowly, starting to trap the heat radiating off of him.

His house was on the older side, and larger than he should have been able to afford on his own. It had several large rooms, most of which had become storage for Felix when he didn't feel like putting things away. To heat the whole house would cost Felix every penny he had saved away to pay for the taxes on the house.

Therefore, most days were spent in several layers or nestled under a blanket. Felix didn't usually mind, since it was well into May, but the occasional cold day swept in, chilling the building. It wasn't good at keeping heat, but made sure to defy thermodynamics laws to keep the building freezing cold only during the winter and early spring.

The moment Felix got comfortable, he was bored. His mind, which was usually dampened and quieted down, was starting to run wild, invigorated by the freedom. It wanted to do anything and everything all at once. It annoyed Felix, but there wasn't much he could do but try to entertain the toddler that he called his brain.

"What do you want to do?" Felix asked the empty room. Nothing popped into the front of his mind, which he took as a lack of decision.

He sighed, rubbing his face. Cold air took the opportunity to rush into his sealed bubble of warmth, spiking goosebumps along his arm. With a groan, he threw the blanket off himself, standing up. He would just have to brave the cold.

"Let's see, what is there to do," Felix paced around the living room, muttering to himself. "We could watch some TV, we could cook something, we could play violin..."

He stopped, nodding to himself. "Why not? Let's play some violin."

Felix shuffled to his music room, where his violin rested, waiting to get used once again. He gently scooped it up, carrying it to the couch. He set it down on the couch and popped the lid open, carefully lifting the violin and bow from the case. He quickly made sure it was tuned before standing in the center of the cramped living room, giving himself as much space as possible.

"What to play, what to play," Felix tapped the bow against his leg.

An inkling came to him. It wasn't the name of a song, nor was it a melody. Rather, it was just a single note. He was curious, but not entirely surprised by the surfaced thought. In the past, his brain had thought of a song and hid it from him, only giving it to him note by note. Wondering what the piece was, he put the bow to the strings and let his hands take control.

The moment he heard a few notes, he knew what it was. Part of him wanted to stop immediately, but he couldn't. Suddenly, memories started flashing through his vision, beckoning him to relive them. He didn't want to, but found his eyes closing. He knew that no matter what he did, they would show what they wanted.

Reluctantly, he gave in.

***

Felix sat on the floor of the living room, staring into the crackling fireplace. The rug beneath his legs was fluffy, small strands of the fur tickling his skin. He ran a hand over it, admiring how soft it was. He hadn't seen anything even close to as nice as the rug he was sitting on. It made him wonder if he would get in trouble for sitting on it.

He heard the front door click shut, then soft footsteps making their way through the house. Felix quickly got off the rug, in case she would get mad at him for sitting on it. He gingerly sat on the edge of a chair, folding his hands in his lap like he'd been taught in the past. He sat up straighter as Mrs. Parsons rounded the corner, a box in her hand.