26
I looked out the window, staring at my own house from the different view.
“What’s wrong, Dream?” A voice of the boy was from beside me. “Why do you sit here absentminded?”
“I fought with Dad.” My voice shook.
“You fought with Uncle?” Max raised his brow.
“Yes. Dad is unreasonable and selfish.” I rubbed my eyes before hugged my legs again.
“He isn’t like that.” Max smiled. “He means good and just a bit too strict with you.”
“That’s not true.” I shook my head. “He was angry and just vented his anger on me.”
“Come on.” Max sat down next to me. “No parent thinks like that.”
“There is. That’s my Dad.”
Max smiled. He looked at me before lifted his face up to the sky.
“What are you smiling for?”
“I’m thinking how to make you feel better.” Max turned to smile at me. “I know! Why don’t you come to sit in my house? It’s really hot outside. Let’s go in together.”
“Umm… Okay.” I whispered.
Max stood up, brushing the dust off his pants before ran into his house. I stood up slowly and followed him.
In the living room, a brown piano stood there. On the opposite of the sofa was a black television. Next to the television was a large aquarium, a starfish lied still at the bottom with the fish swam around the water.
The living room had many decorations. The armless sculpture, a fruit oil painting, and Max’s crayon drawings were hung on the wall. However, what interested me most was the brown piano on the right of the television.
“You play piano, too?” My eyes sparked.
“Umm, yes.” Max scratched his face.
“I play it, too,” I said. “But I’m not good at it.”
“Oh, well, is that so?” Max smiled. “Then, shall we play together?”
“We can? Really?”
“Of course.”
Max walked to the piano, brushing the dust off the keys before pressed down to invite me. I ran to him excitedly, jumping up the chair to ready myself.
He moved closer to me, pressed a few notes to test the sound.
“I’ll play the cords. You play the melody. If you want to play any song, just play it.”
I nodded, took a deep breath, and placed my fingers on the keys. Max knocked four times for the start before pressed a cord.
Even though I played that song with inharmoniously but it was the most beautiful song I’d ever heard. Max turned to smile at me before playing backup. I laughed innocently and played along with his notes.
That was the best time I ever had when playing the piano.
After we had finished the song, he left the chair and walked to a door.
“Where are you going? Why don’t we play some more?” I asked.
“I want to play more songs with you.” Max smiled. “But, Dream, my time is up.”
I jumped off the chair, staring at Max in confusion.
“Why is your time up?” I tilted my head innocently.
Suddenly, the whole house crumbled away. The tiled floor was replaced with a vast meadow. Fragrant and petals floated in the cool wind.
“Max, look. There’s a meadow. Let’s play house.”
“I want to.” Max shook his head. “but the time is up.”
Suddenly, flowers in the meadow withered. The floating petals turned dark before dropped to the ground.
“What you’re seeing is me in the past.” Max forced a smile. “But now… I’m no longer exist.”
“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
Max walked to me. He held my hand with a sad smile.
“I’m glad that I can talk with you like this again.” His tear started to drop. “But this is the last time.”
I lifted my head to look at him. No tear on my face. There were only confusion and deep sorrow in my heart.
“I like you.” Max smiled. “From that time until now, this feeling has never changed.”
Our linked hands started to loosen up. Max waved goodbye when the dark around him began to crumble away.
“Goodbye, Dream.”
I waved him goodbye, watching him faded away.
“Goodbye… Max.”