Mr. Lizard Outside the Window - Chapter 25
Chapter 25: Song of the Mermaid
Morning arrived, and the sun had been up for a while. Xiao Lian, awake in his terrarium, noticed that Banxia, usually an early riser, was still in bed.
He crawled up the bedsheets and saw her curled up, her face pale, her brow furrowed.
Hearing him, she opened her eyes, saw him, and reached out to stroke his head. "My stomach hurts. I'm going to lie down for a bit longer."
"Stomach ache? Do you have any medicine?" Xiao Lian asked from his perch on her pillow.
"In the drawer," Banxia mumbled through gritted teeth.
Xiao Lian turned, slid down the bedsheets, scurried across the floor, and climbed up the table leg. He used all his might to push open the slightly ajar drawer, tumbling inside.
A moment later, he emerged, a blister pack of pills clutched in his mouth.
It was a common stomach medicine, available from many brands at varying prices. The expensive kind cost 140 yuan for a pack of seven pills. The cheaper version was only about 20 yuan for a large box, but much less effective.
The pills in Banxia's drawer were clearly the cheap kind.
Xiao Lian struggled to climb out of the drawer with the blister pack, dropping it several times before retrieving it.
When he finally reached the bed, he realized he couldn't get her a glass of water in his current form.
Banxia, despite her pale face and pained expression, smiled. "You're so sweet, Xiao Lian, bringing me medicine."
She took the pills from him, clutched her stomach, and sat up with effort, her face pale. She stumbled to the stove, poured herself a glass of warm water, and swallowed the pills.
Then, she went to the table and poured herself half a bowl of porridge.
"It's so nice to have something warm to drink," she murmured.
She forced herself to eat a few spoonfuls, then put the bowl down, unable to eat any more. She sat at the table for a while, sweating, then slowly made her way back to the bed and picked up her violin.
Xiao Lian had been following her around the small apartment, staying close.
Seeing her pick up her violin, he couldn't help but say, "You should rest."
"This is an old problem, from when I was in middle school," Banxia explained. "Resting just makes it worse. Playing the violin helps me forget the pain."
She drew the bow across the strings, and the melody filled the room.
Banxia's chin, resting on the chinrest, was pale, her brow furrowed, sweat beading on her forehead. Despite her obvious pain, her music was even more passionate and moving than usual.
The physical pain seemed to fuel her determination, allowing her to transcend her discomfort. Though her body ached, her spirit soared, her soul pouring into the music, creating a delicate and intricate tapestry of sound.
The sun climbed higher, its bright rays streaming through the window, illuminating her violin strings.
Xiao Lian sat beside her, watching her play, mesmerized, as the sweat glistened on her skin.
He had known for a long time that his gaze was drawn to this radiant, sun-like person.
He had been captivated by her strength and resilience, her warmth and kindness. And now, he realized that even her vulnerability, her pain, every aspect of her being, held a fatal attraction for him.
It drew him to her, despite his monstrous form, his insignificance. It made him long to stay by her side, always.
He felt so helpless, so powerless. He couldn't even get her medicine or a glass of water when she was sick.
After finishing the piece, Banxia collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. She reached out weakly and stroked Xiao Lian's cool skin.
"It's nice to have you here, Xiao Lian. When I was sick before, this room was always so quiet, so empty," she murmured.
The little gecko was trying to pull the blanket over her with his tiny claws, but he was too small.
"Don't bother. I might look pathetic now, but I'll be fine soon. Just…talk to me. Or sing me a song."
"Sing?"
"Yes. When I'm sick, I like to hear someone sing. It helps me sleep."
Xiao Lian thought for a moment, then nestled beside her pillow and began to sing. His voice was low and strange, but not unpleasant. It had a unique, haunting quality.
The song was like a fairy tale, romantic and cheerful at first, soothing her heart. But towards the end, it shifted, taking on a melancholic tone.
"What song is that? Where did you learn it?"
"It's from a fairy tale."
"It does sound like a fairy tale. The sun's dress, the moon's dress, the stars' dress… it's beautiful."
By sunset, Banxia was feeling better. She got out of bed, put on her coat, and went out to buy some medicine.
As she stepped out of her apartment, the door next door opened, and Senior Ling Dong emerged, looking slightly disheveled and in a hurry.
But seeing her pale face, he paused and asked, "Are you alright?"
Banxia nodded politely. "Hello, Senior. I have a bit of a stomach ache. I'm going to buy some medicine."
"I have some stomach medicine. Here, take this," Ling Dong said, handing her a plastic bag and quickly disappearing back into his apartment.
Banxia stared at the bag in her hand, then opened it. Inside was the expensive stomach medicine she usually couldn't afford, the 140-yuan kind.
A small delivery slip was tucked inside. She picked it up and saw that the medicine had been delivered just a short while ago.
"What a coincidence! Does Senior Ling Dong have stomach problems too?" she wondered.
In a girls' dormitory, a phone notification woke one of the students. She squinted at the screen, then sat up abruptly, her eyes wide. "He's live! Red Lotus is live!" she exclaimed, shaking her roommate awake.
In the RES office building, someone walked past Xiao Xiao, holding a laptop. The overworked music producer waved him away. "Not now, I'm busy."
"Suit yourself. It's Red Lotus's first livestream. I thought you'd be interested."
"Wait… what? Who did you say?" Xiao Xiao grabbed his arm.
It was late at night, the moon bright and clear.
In different parts of the world, people sat in front of their screens, watching Red Lotus's first livestream, a performance that would later become legendary.
The camera was pointed at a window. Moonlight streamed in, illuminating an old electric piano.
A faint light shone on the keys. A figure sat with their back to the camera, their face obscured by the shadows. Only their pale hands on the keys were visible.
The long, slender fingers played a chord, and a soft chuckle echoed in the darkness, like a sigh in the winter night, a snowflake falling from the sky, a ripple in a frozen stream, ethereal and mysterious.
"Alright," the voice said, "the first song: 'Monster in the Rain'."
The room was dim and mysterious, the closed window reflecting the city lights, the old electric piano, the shadowy figure at the keyboard.
Under the faint glow of a lamp, the pale hands moved across the keys, the voice singing softly in the darkness.
The moon outside seemed distant, the figure at the piano like a mysterious creature in its own private world.
A girl watching the livestream clutched her friend's hand. "He's so handsome!"
"You can't even see his face! You're basing this on his hands? Are you a hand fetishist?"
"No, no!" the girl protested. "As piano students, we can tell just by looking at how someone's hands move on the keys. Those are the hands of an angel! He's incredibly skilled!"
Another friend chimed in, "I like him too! He's much better than I imagined. At least he's not a fatso!"
"He seems a bit thin, but his frame and posture are… elegant. Not showing his face makes him even more mysterious. He's just… so pale."
"Don't care! His voice is amazing! I'm in love! Fruit Baskets, let's go!"
In the RES office, Xiao Xiao's colleague exclaimed, "I was so impressed by his arranging skills that I completely overlooked his voice! He's a fantastic singer! And he's great live! Why doesn't he want to work for us?"
Xiao Xiao bit his finger, his voice filled with self-pity. "He'd rather earn money from livestreaming than accept my offer!"
Red Lotus's audience was small, but enthusiastic. The livestream chat was lively, a constant stream of virtual fruits raining down on the screen.
But the musician seemed oblivious to the chat, lost in his own world, playing one song after another, his voice a constant presence in the darkness.
The seductive "Monster in the Rain," the yearning "Through the Wall," the dark and brooding "Misty Forest."
After the three songs, the "Buy Out Your Orchard" animation filled the screen, a shower of fruit emojis.
The pale hands on the keyboard paused, and the cool voice spoke again. "I have a new song, not quite finished yet. But I wanted to share it with you tonight."
His fingers touched the keys, and a gentle, fairy tale-like melody filled the air.
"The title is…'Mermaid'."
The chat exploded with excitement.
【New song! \(＾∇＾)/】
【This one sounds different. The intro is so light and cheerful, like a fairy tale.】
【"Mermaid"? A fairy tale? Can't wait!】
【Don't be fooled by the title. "Monster in the Rain" wasn't about a monster. It was about… desire.】
【Haha, quiet down everyone! Let's listen! He's about to sing!】
A mermaid in the swamp, in love with a beautiful princess.
He would give anything to make three beautiful dresses for her.
The first, woven from sunlight, shimmering with golden light.
The second, cut from moonlight, flowing like water.
The third, adorned with stars, fit for a celestial being.
He dressed her in these beautiful gowns, sent her to the grand stage, watched her shine like the morning sun, watched her wear her crown.
Watched her meet a handsome prince, watched them dance in the moonlight.
Until the sun rose, and the mermaid turned to foam, his soul returning to the depths, a single shard of his heart clinging to hers.
As he sang the line about dancing in the moonlight, his pale hands suddenly stopped, and he disappeared from view.
After a moment of silence, a distorted, otherworldly voice, filtered through a voice changer, brought the gentle melody to a dramatic climax.
A raspy voice, as if torn from his very soul, echoed in the empty room. "Until the sun rose, and the mermaid turned to foam."
"His soul returning to the depths, a single shard of his heart clinging to hers."
The last song sounded so sad but so full of loveee
ReplyDeleteI always get immersed into the story's music and poeticness ahhhhhhh