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Eternity didn't eat breakfast out because she planned on a big lunch and she had to leave the house in a hurry. Droopy, the dog her friend had left with her for a few days, had recently been acting strangely. Her friend had left her with fairly simple instructions. Just feed him the food that’d been left and make sure to let him walk around a couple times a day. He appeared hesitant to comply with her orders, and even when he did, it was difficult to keep him by her side when she needed him. While he wasn't always as hostile at home, he was withdrawing and trying to avoid her whenever possible. She decided to go out and grab him a few goodies before dropping by this shop. It smelled like delectable fresh bread because she had the strong sensation that whatever was hurting him was making him sad about it, possibly even depressed.
Given her current situation, hanging out at the market was a fortunate choice for her. Often, if she got lost, which happened rather frequently in those first days in her new home, it didn't take much more than a straightforward question and a nice remark from a stranger to get her back on track. She was very unaccustomed to going without an escort, so she traveled slowly and patiently with her walking staff as she made the most use of her other senses to get herself situated in the square.
The bakery was by far the simplest journey to make because she went there almost every day and because it was close to her home. Even though she had the steps nearly memorized by this time, she would pause outside the door to smell and hear the familiar sounds and odors. However, finding places like this bakery was always a fresh and surprising experience. Choices she made on the spur of the moment, a welcome break from the routine of the previous few days. She also needed to temporarily remove Droopy's condition from her thoughts. She could only hope that her friend had this issue under control and were diligently striving to find a solution.
Suddenly, Eternity heard someone approach her seat and place down a saucer, cup, and plate before backing away as she felt for the plate with her fingers and hesitated when she felt the ceramic.
"I'm grateful," Eternity spoke softly.
“Don’t mention it dear. Do you require anything else?” The woman softly touched the back of Eternity's hand as she inquired in a friendly manner. Eternity shook her head and grinned.
"No, everything smells great, thanks." Eternity said. she felt the contour of the small saucer on her cup of tea and ran her fingers around the scalding beverage that had been given to her table. She lifted it up from the saucer, holding it lightly in her hand, and brought it slowly to her lips, blowing softly across the surface of the cup as she heard someone humming. She felt the song was alright, taking a leisurely sip before putting it down again.
She discovered her dish, after which she went to the tart she had asked for. She gave it a time because it was still hot and new before settling back in her chair and taking a few moments to listen to the song the other woman was humming. When she finally had enough bravery, she swiveled around in her seat and looked in the direction of the noise.
"I apologize if I disturbed you, but what are you humming? It has a wonderful sound.” Eternity questioned as she ruffled a strand of hair behind her ear and felt a warm sensation creep across her cheeks.
“Oh, I'm working on a song. Have you ever performed?” The lady enquired.
"No, I haven't, but I might try someday. When are you performing?” Eternity queried.
"Well, I won't make any guarantees about the quality, but I will open the show in three days. Then, you can hear it with the musical accompaniment.” The lady responded.
"Sign me up. I greatly appreciate your time; the song is beautiful.” Eternity said as she began to spin around to face her table while grinning.
“I'll see you then. Thank you.” Eternity finished turning back as the woman spoke, followed by a sound from the back of her throat. That remark had always struck her as nearly comical, but she refrained from laughing out loud for the time being out of respect for the person who had graciously answered her. It wasn't always like that. Some people, though not all, preferred to pretend that she was speaking to someone else in order to avoid engaging in conversation with her. She made an effort to avoid wondering why it was excessive, but lately it had become more and more difficult to do so, especially because Droopy was no longer able to soothe her.
She caught herself humming that tune later as she was leaving the store, albeit it wasn't exactly the same as what she had heard coming from the woman's lips. She had never before gone to hear someone sing. When she was a little child and singing was the only way to soothe her down, her mom would sing for her quite frequently. Perhaps that is why it was able to connect with her so deeply, providing a small measure of solace during her difficult time.
Eternity found her new home to be unsettlingly silent when she opened the door, but this only lasted for a brief period of time before a low growl filled the space. Eternity hesitated, almost going back inside the apartment, and hesitatingly crossed the threshold as she searched for Droopy.
"Don't worry, Droopy. It's just me. I have a treat for you.” She remarked quietly as she fished out a bone that still had some pieces attached and tossed it gingerly into the space. She didn't hear Droopy saunter over to it as it bounced. He simply kept snarling, his rage filling the space.
"Look, Droopy, everything is OK.” Eternity said before beginning to mutter that earlier song beneath her breath. She hummed loudly, filling the empty flat, until the growls eventually stopped. Eternity carefully shut the door before making her way to her bed across the room. She immediately sat down on the bed and remained still for several long minutes, humming to herself as she watched Droopy slowly rise up to check on the bone.
She sat back on her bed and pondered whether there was any truth to the adages that music has the power to tame animals as she listened to Droopy grind away on his bone. After a while, she even managed to get over his peculiar behavior and began to wonder what this song would sound like before recalling something her mother used to sing to her. She could remember a few distinct lines and she tried to remember the rest as she was jolted out of the trance by the jarring sound of pans dropping somewhere outside. She recalled it being a really nice tune, but it had been a while since she had, and hearing the clumsy rendition was enough to make her forget the rest. She tried to sing, but she had difficulties remembering all the words.
Her voice was kind of pleasant and it didn’t take much to fill the tiny home. Even Droopy didn't seem to care because he was now intently chewing on his bone as if nothing were wrong at all. The sound of him eating was only now being joined by distant cracks and a soft patter of rain that she knew would soon intensify. Given the weather, it's possible that this was the cause of all the animals' anxiety. Since several years had passed, it really hadn't been the same, and this year was no exception with regular, powerful storms pouring over the peaks and keeping her mostly indoors. Well, perhaps Droopy would enjoy it if she continued singing.
“Do you want that, Droopy? If I continued to sing?” Eternity questioned the dog, and when she didn't receive a negative response, she grinned to herself as she settled on top of her bed. “Okay, let's get started.” She started off quietly and picked up the pace as she felt more at ease with the lyrics, which came to her from a variety of songs she heard over the years. Her performance left much to be desired, but when she was by herself with just Droopy present to hear her, she felt comfortable enough to sing to herself if only to keep them both calm during the impending storm. She twisted her hands in a faux dance while sitting up in her bed and singing. She wanted to dance at that very moment, but she wasn't ready to give up the fragile peace she had managed to establish with Droopy just yet, so she remained on her bed.
She repeated those phrases several more times, occasionally swapping them out for others that seemed more seamless in her ears, but occasionally coming back to them only to compare them while her thoughts tried to figure out what to say next. She came to the realization that this was actually sort of enjoyable, which was fortunate because her hands were sore from spending the early morning hours lockpicking; they sorely needed a rest. She also wanted a person present, which was difficult now that Droopy had become so obnoxious, unless she was playing with her locks, which got monotonous after a while.
She began to sing, working her way through the lyrics and experimenting with her syllable enunciation without feeling self-conscious, possibly due to how loud the downpour was. She decided to step outside into the rain. Eternity felt the need to do a little twirling as she angled her face towards the downpour, grinning against it and taking in the cleanliness of it all as the rain started soaking through her garments and sticking her hair on her body.
As she basked in the utmost freedom of it, she felt more alive than she had in days—perhaps even the entire season. She sung the words out loud to herself, listening to her voice as she did so. Unfortunately, she had nothing to go on when it came to improving the quality of her voice. For the time being, she was content to rely on her mother's memory. She was transported back in time to a much happier period of her life, giving her something warm to cling to as the rain wiped away the bad feelings she was feeling at the moment.
[Template credit to Pyrre]
So in lieu of this, I will give you my unending gratitude for such a lovely read and the open offer of a GST or Colab with Winston 