The Game [OLD VERSION] | OUAT

Melodies

A hollow sound woke me up. I opened my eyes sluggishly and saw a tall figure in front of my bed. I focused on the boy; it was Jack, who had got up.

      "Jack, what's going on?" I whispered yawning. He didn't hear me. "Jack!" I repeated. I sat bolt upright on the bed and looked at his eyes. He wasn't there; he had a lost gaze and walked across the room heavily.

     Two more boys got up from their beds and started following him. They were Albert and Wayne, who were nine and eight years old respectively.

     "Guys!" I tried to stop them, but they were hypnotized. "Stop, please!" I cried out for Jack to stay there, but he didn't listen to me.

     Then, I noticed something different. A magical and enchanted melody could be heard, but I could not recognize where it came from. I sensed how that melody cloaked the air I was breathing, and I started feeling calmed and relaxed. I inhaled deeply and was carried along by the beautiful music.

     Albert, Wayne, Jack and I went outside the orphanage unconsciously, leaving the quiet building behind us. No one of us knew where we were going; we just walked down the street, following the charmed melody.

     Suddenly, I stumbled over a small rock and fell down. The crash didn't knock me down, but helped me come round. I shook my head and looked around me, stunned; Jack, Al and Wayne were not the only ones following that music. Six more boys were walking by our side.

     I tried to ignore the enchanted sound of the melody. "If you cannot beat them," I thought, "Join them." so I went after the group and to find out who was the musician.

     As the boys approached a nearby forest, I started to feel really uneasy, and my courage completely faded. The woods looked absolutely terrifying... but I needed answers. We went deep into the forest until we reached a huge clearing.

     "No way" I thought looking around me.

     In the middle of the clearing, an enormous campfire burned powerfully while a group of boys, who were wearing weird masks, danced around it.

     "Yaaay!" Wayne shouted, and they joined the dance with the other guys. I tried to resist the desire to follow them and scrutinized the scene, looking for the musician.

     But there was no need to make a big effort; behind the blazing flames, a mysterious figure stood in front of the hypnotized boys, playing a strange instrument.

     "A pan flute" I said to myself, afraid of that thought. "No way..."

     I approached the figure, which was hidden by a brownish, hooded cloak. It looked like it was a boy. His dirty hands played the flute nimbly, and it was really hard not to dance.

     "You!" I yelled, but he did not move, nor stopped himself. "Quit playing that damn flute!"

     Amazingly, he obeyed. He left the instrument on a nearby log and withdrew his hood, latching his green eyes on mine. I felt like aching and burning when I finally found out who he was.

     "Well, what do we have here?" he asked with a devious smirk, and I completely froze.