Writer and Madness:
Have you ever felt that overwhelming urge to jump up and down like a child who's finally seen the ice cream truck after a week-long absence?
Yes, that's exactly how we feel now after two years of waiting—two years that felt like centuries!
Finally... our "foolish" writer remembered he has a novel and fans buzzing around him like flies!
We're nicknamed the "Buzzer Flies" because we didn't leave a single social media platform without flooding it with daily messages, asking him about the continuation.
When I saw a notification on my phone that said:
"New Post from the Author!"
I nearly flew for joy!
This means the fifth and final part has been released.
I felt like dancing like someone who's had too much sugar and is trying to burn it off.
But when I finished reading... my face changed 180 degrees.
Six o'clock... SIX O'CLOCK! We're Buzzer Flies, yes, but we're not chickens... or even roosters!
"This is ridiculous... If we factor in travel time, we'd have to wake up at five... No, no, why is our luck so bad? Does our writer think his readers are early birds or something? Is he testing our loyalty?"
My sarcastic voice filled the house.
Then, I heard footsteps coming from the kitchen, getting closer and closer until the sound stopped right beside the sofa I was sitting on.
I turned and found someone wearing blue pajamas decorated with a train, a comical teddy bear hugging the train, and stars scattered here and there. In his hand was a mug of hot coffee whose aroma filled the house... a deep, earthy, roasted scent, with a light touch of mellow vanilla.
Really? Coffee in the middle of the night? And then he wakes up saying:
"I didn't sleep well."
I sighed, knowing he'd never break this habit.
I looked up and saw he was wearing a face mask... Wait, isn't that Yuna's? Hmm... I'll just ignore it.
I don't see, I don't hear, I don't breathe. Deleting now... Successfully deleted, forgotten.
His scattered golden hair was blinding his poor eyes, and his dark blue eyes looked like a calm pond... but I know that pond is sometimes threatened by a flood, maybe when we cause trouble. Hmm... Let's forget that too.
"Luyan, what is it? You sound like someone whose boss just dumped extra work on them."
He said it calmly, as if nothing could shake him, but with his pajamas and mask, he looked like a serious child.
"Forget my voice, what's with the face mask? You look like you're getting ready for a party and... did you steal it from Yuna?"
I said the last part under my breath, my expression a mixture of sarcasm and slight fear.
"Steal it? I'm not ready to die yet, and it's not worth stealing or offering my soul as a sacrifice. Hmm...
Her face mask? No.
Money? Maybe.
Ancient manuscripts and relics? Definitely.
Also..."
I felt the sofa gently dip as he sat down, as if he weighed nothing, then he continued:
"Yuna is the one who forced me to wear it."
I ignored what he said and continued my internal monologue:
Well, I'm a little jealous; he can eat large amounts of sugar without worrying about weight gain! That's not fair!
Amidst my grumbling, I calmed down for a moment as I processed what he'd said, and then my face went pale.
"Yuna! Yuna gave it to you? That's impossible! She bit Evan's hand just because he picked one up! She was placing them so carefully, I thought she was going to adopt them for a minute! And now you say she just handed it to you? Phone! Phone! We need to call the police, the ambulance, the pizza place, anything!"
I yelled in panic as I stood up, moving my hands left and right, up and down, as if practicing to fly like a newborn bird unsure what to do with its wings.
Luca watched me despairingly, as if doubting all his life choices. Then he said quietly, as if wanting to end my chaotic theories:
"They expire in four days, so she has to make us wear them."
Then he sipped his coffee as if he'd just solved the greatest mystery.
I calmed down a bit. Yes, so that was it... I laughed.
"You should've said that from the start! I thought an alien had taken her place or that she was possessed by ghosts! Oh, I forgot to tell you: tomorrow morning, more precisely at 6 AM, the fifth part of the novel will be released!"
I said this while jumping like a rabbit who's found a carrot patch and knows the owner is asleep, but what greeted me was silence... deadly silence.
I turned to Luca to find him expressionless, as if in shock, staring into his mug.
In that moment, I realized I might have said something that shouldn't be revealed all at once...
"HAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
He screamed at the top of his lungs, so loud I felt the glass of the pictures hanging on the wall was about to shatter.
Hmm, I guess my mistake was not easing him into it.
I heard footsteps approaching, then I felt a hand grasp my shoulder. I turned and saw he had placed the mug on the table—wait, wasn't that fast?—then... he shook me quickly, like he was mixing cake batter! I felt dizzy as he looked at me with a mix of excitement and disbelief.
Then voices rose from beside me:
"What? What is it? Don't tell me... did my stocks go up?" (Louis)
"Did I get a free sponsorship from a makeup company?" (Yuna)
"Did the school burn down so we have an endless vacation?" (Liam)
"Did you find the Arcus Stone so I can make my sword with it?" (Melis)
"There's a fifty percent discount at Ruby's Restaurant! Let's go there!" (Evan)
The voices overlapped in my ears. I turned to them, then... Pffffft, haha!
I burst out laughing; oh my god, their expressions were hilarious! Especially with the face mask and pajamas.
"Yuna, hahaha, Yuna, you're really something! It's a good thing I wasn't around earlier, you would have made even me put one on!"
I calmed down a bit, then said:
"To answer your questions in order:
No.
Impossible.
What on earth are you talking about? Do you think you can sleep? Must be Liam.
Unfortunately not, Melis.
Hmm... is that a question or news, Evan?"
I wondered, looking at the one closest to my age. He was wearing brown clothes with drawings of food and invention tools, his hair was black and messy, and his eyes sparkled with gold... and with his face mask on, he pointed his finger at a post on his phone:
"No, this is real. Let's go there tomorrow."
He said it with great enthusiasm, holding the phone.
"So, what's Luca screaming about if it's not about money?" Louis asked.
The other one turned to him. His clothes were green, full of all sorts of financial drawings, his eyes were red, stained with boredom, and his hair was dark brown... also with a mask.
My eyes searched for my phone to show them the post, but I found it in Luca's hand, who was reading it intently.
I sighed and looked back at them, saying dramatically:
"Finally, our dear writer woke up from his coma, then remembered: (Oh! I think I have a novel that rains thousands of dollars on me and I haven't finished it yet!) So, since our writer is a very active person, he decided the store opening will be at 6 AM tomorrow... Oh, and by the way, he published this post about five hours ago, but I just noticed it. One more thing: the writer will be changing his job to Traveler ."
I don't know why I said the last part, but oh well...
When I finished speaking, I saw their faces were full of shifting colors and shocked expressions.
Silence...
Deadly silence...
I felt like I could hear ants arguing over a tiny piece of pizza that had been lying on the floor for millions of years.
Oops... I think I made the same mistake twice.
Quickly, I put both hands over my ears, praying the house wouldn't explode from their screaming.
...
...
...
After the screaming session ended, which claimed the glass of two pictures and cracked another here and there, I heard Louis's sarcasm as he cleaned the glass:
"Oh, it's a good thing he's alive! I thought he was dead!"
"That's right, I thought the chance of us finding the Arcus Stone was higher than the chance of this old man waking up!"
Melis spoke, taking my phone from Luca, who handed it to her quietly while mumbling strange things, then ran off to the landline. I wanted to ask him what he was doing, but...
"Luyan, I understood everything, but... what do you mean the opening is at 6 AM?"
I looked back at Liam. His hair was blood red, and his eyes were light purple, like the rarest type of jewel. I found his emotions turbulent, as if he was in conflict between sleeping or going tomorrow.
"Well Liam, you don't wake up at this time for school, but fight, fight! It's a novel we've been reading for ten years, and we're eagerly waiting for the ending! Fight, fight!"
I said forcefully, as if encouraging an army armed with sticks to fight against dinosaurs ten times their size.
"Fine, that means 5 AM... but who will drive us there at that time? Especially since the nearest store is about half an hour away from here."
Yuna said, stepping closer to me with a strange smile. Her fiery red hair and gray eyes added a somewhat scary look. Then she stood in front of me, hiding her hand behind her back.
I felt for a moment that something was wrong, and then she pulled it out... Oh no!
"I couldn't find you earlier, so I excluded you, but I'm too kind to exclude one of my sweet brothers, so come here and let me put this on your face!"
I ran away.
I ran—to where? I don't know. But she was running after me, saying:
"Wear it! Wear it! Wear it!"
Why did that sound like a horror movie for a moment?
...
...
...
Well, after a round of running around the sofa, I accepted the reality and the authority of the strong over the weak... and I wore it.
It felt cold immediately, then slowly started drawing heat from my cheeks. A cotton fabric saturated with a sticky liquid that had a light scent of cucumber and mint.
This... is a dent to my dignity.
"We need a car," Melis said with a sigh.
I looked at her. She was wearing yellow clothes covered in drawings of swords and cats, her yellow eyes were similar to Evan's, and her long, light brown hair was swaying.
Then we heard Luca running back, saying:
"I called our uncle, and he agreed to give us the bus, so no staying up late! No energy drinks! No movie sessions! No sword training! And last but not least: No waking up in the middle of the night to cook!"
He spoke, turning to us one by one, as if reciting an imperial order, and gave Evan a pointed look with the last sentence.
"It's not my fault that my stomach and brain agree on midnight!" Evan complained with funny seriousness.
"Then ask your stomach and brain not to agree today, because I'll call you once, and if you don't wake up, you'll be dragged onto the bus!"
Luca's tone was ridiculously threatening, and I tried to stop myself from laughing.
Then suddenly, I saw him approach the light switches, then—
Dark.
Pitch black...
"Why did you turn off the lights now? How can we get back to our rooms? I don't even know where I am! Is my room to the left or to the right?"
Louis called out, and I felt him moving left and right.
"Louis, no need to worry. The way to your room is forward."
I joked, knowing there was nothing in front of us but the windows.
"Luyan! Are you mocking—"
His complaint was interrupted by Luca's serious shout:
"Go to sleep!"
"Heeey!" We all said as we scattered, and I heard the sound of someone hitting a table.
"Ugh... someone really needs to turn on the liiiights," Evan yelled in pain.
I laughed softly at him, then reached my room door.
I tried to suppress my joy...
Yes, I'm excited for tomorrow.
I didn't sleep that night out of sheer excitement.
Tomorrow... we'll know the ending we've waited ten years for.
Yes, I'm excited for tomorrow... I'm excited for the end.
...
...
...
...
...
That was my perfect refuge with the start of winter, when the cold arrives armed with snow cannons and harsh winds, roaring outside the windows, waiting to devour me, while the blanket looked at me sympathetically, whispering:
"Come... I'm here."
But of course, nothing lasts forever.
I had three enemies in this world: The Alarm Clock... The Morning... and Luca.
Suddenly, Luca's scream pierced my dream like lightning:
"Wake up, you IIIIIDIOTS!"
I didn't know the time, and I didn't even feel like I'd slept.
I reached for my pillow, put it over my head, and shut my ears off from the world, breathing inside the duvet as if I had found salvation.
A real holiday... real sleep.
The holiday rule is simple:
Holiday = Sleep.
I was sinking into a consciousness that was slowly dissolving when the sound of the door opening violently boomed:
"LUYAAAAAN!"
I jumped out of bed, stunned, staring at the door that was nearly ripped off its hinges, and there was Luca standing in front of me, fully dressed—he looked like a disco ball on his way to a party.
I blinked once... twice... then I realized.
Did he really get ready?! What time is it?
I looked at the clock and saw it was 4:55.
"I still have five minutes before wake-up time! Luca, you're too early..." I mumbled, grumbling, trying to get back into bed, searching for the warmth the noise had stolen.
But of course, he didn't give me a chance.
He yanked the duvet violently and threw it on the floor.
For a moment, I felt like the soldiers of the cold had blown the attack whistle, announcing that my last fortress had fallen, and thanking Luca for his great betrayal.
Shivers crawled over my body, and my fingers cried out for warmth.
"Luca! You traitor! Did you side with the cold soldiers against me?!"
I said, clutching the duvet as if it were my last life raft, while he forcefully pulled it, yelling at my face:
"Stop your foolishness! I knew waking you guys up would be harder than any mission!"
"Noooooo, my dear bed!" I cried out as if I were a hero in a romantic movie being pulled from his beloved.
But when I felt Luca's hands dragging me forcefully, I realized the third party sometimes wins.
Goodbye, my pillow... Goodbye, my bed... Sorry for being weak.
I whispered sadly as I wiped my tears.
(5:10)
I don't know how we finished breakfast; it was the fastest breakfast of my life... hmm, no, maybe the second fastest after the one when I was late for school, which I could finish in ten seconds.
I looked at them as they got ready. Each of them was wearing five or even ten socks, and Melis was screaming about wanting to wear two pairs of shoes, and Liam had literally brought his bedsheet. Suddenly, I felt something covering my head. I looked up to see Luca putting a hat on my head, then he quickly wrapped a scarf around it so fast that only my eyes were showing. For a moment, I felt like a snowman.
I wanted to take it off, but Luca gave me a look that said: "Don't you dare take it off."
I shook my head; I couldn't do anything about it.
We left the house.
Get ready, cold, we came prepared.
I was wrong. I take back what I said.
Cold.
Extremely cold.
We left the house, and the first shock was as if winter decided to take revenge on anyone who dared to venture out before the sun rose. The air stung my face mercilessly, every gust felt like a sharp edge of ice trying to tell me: "Welcome to the natural freezer!"
It felt like we were walking pieces of meat in a refrigerator.
It's a good thing Melis gave me ski goggles, or my eyes would have frozen.
We walked forward.
The path to Uncle's house was short, but with every step, I felt the cold and the darkness. The weather was foggy and misty in every sense of those descriptions.
We walked and walked until we finally arrived. The street was quiet, and the house was dark, as if its owners were asleep (which was the truth).
I turned to Luca, who was feeling the pebbles on the ground with Melis. I wondered what they were doing until Melis lifted a stone, and the key was underneath. She quickly grabbed it and said:
"I found it, I found it! I'll drive the bus, Luca!" She held it and jumped up and down.
"Fine, fine, just hope we don't end up in an accident," he said, following her to the bus while we trailed after them.
"Why don't I drive?" I shouted at them, hoping to get a chance.
"No," they both said at the same time in a stern tone. They looked like police officers talking as they opened the front door of the bus.
"But why?" I pleaded in a desperate tone with puppy eyes, hoping they'd let me drive.
"First, we don't have time. Second, you're not legally old enough to drive yet. Third, you don't have a license, but it's okay, I'll teach you later, Luyan," Melis said, patting my shoulder gently, trying to ease the shock of reality.
"But the three of you are only a year and a half older than us," Evan stated another fact, as if he were a lawyer.
"A year, two years, the point is we have a license... and besides, why do you guys want to drive? I'd prefer someone else drive for me," Louis said as he climbed onto the bus and sat between Melis (the driver) and Luca (the backup driver), and we climbed into the back.
"Are you saying that the older ones have an advantage over the younger ones?" I said in frustration, shaking my head, accepting my tragic reality that I wouldn't drive a car for at least another year.
"Absolutely! Accept reality, Luyan, accept it," Louis laughed while saying this to us.
"Don't laugh at our sorrows, Louis," Yuna said, and we agreed with her. Suddenly, Luca turned to us, looking at us one after the other, then let out a heavy sigh, got off the driver's seat, and came to our side and...
"Seat belts... seat belts! Liam, don't sleep like that, wake up before you fall! Also, seat belts! Don't stand on the bus, sit down! The driver here is Melis, Melis!" he said as he put our seat belts on and adjusted Liam's sleeping position, emphasizing his last word.
"Come on, Luca, I'm a competent driver," Melis said. She had put on black sunglasses, tied her brown hair up, and inserted the key. The car started, and she put one hand on the wheel as if she was ready for a car race.
Luca went back to his seat.
"Yes, make sure the belt doesn't open, or you'll fall to the floor, and I hope luck isn't against us and the car door opens. That would be funny."
Yuna said with a calm smile, as if she was talking about morning news and not something dark that sounded like a curse. I shivered, imagining it. I knew that was her way of wishing us good luck, but...
"Yuna, don't say scary things like that while you're smiling!"
I shouted at her, and she laughed as if she hadn't said anything. Suddenly, we felt the bus shake. It was the sound of its wheels hitting the main road. I was holding the seatbelt tightly, knowing that Melis's driving was unmatched. Suddenly, I felt the air hit my face strongly, and the bus was moving at incredible speed.
"Melis, slow down, slow down! We're not in a race! The weather is foggy!" Luca tightened his seatbelt as Melis sped off as if challenging the wind.
"No! I'm the driver! I'm in control! Woohoo!" Melis shouted enthusiastically. She opened the window, and a cold blast of air hit me like a hurricane. I didn't pay much attention to it as I stuck my head out the window. The weather was amazing.
Despite being a little foggy, the street was clear and almost empty of cars. The sky was dark, and the stars and moon were about to disappear. The cold was like a glitter, adding its flavor to this morning, and the smell of rain from last night had filled the streets. Suddenly, I felt someone pulling me away from the window and closing it. It was Evan, nearly frozen, shouting:
"Luyan! It's too cold, and you're opening the window!"
"It was fun! You should try it, Evan," I replied, encouraging him, but he shook his head, completely rejecting the idea.
Yuna took a deck of cards out of her pocket and said:
"Let's play while we get there."
"Sure! Liam, do you want to play with us?" I said, shaking him left and right while looking at Yuna, who signaled that she didn't want to play with him. I smiled, knowing why.
He opened his eyes lazily while saying with a yawn:
"Okay, why not?" I saw defeat on Yuna's and Evan's faces.
And after about fifteen minutes and five consecutive losses for us and a crushing victory for Liam, Yuna complained, shouting with a whine:
"Brother, this is unfair! You always win! Lose on purpose and let me win just once!" while leaning her head back.
"Sorry, Yuna. The winner is the winner. Do you want candy?" Liam said, apologizing to her, then took a bag of chocolates out of his pocket and gave it to us. Well, playing with him was fun. Whether we won (which never happened) or lost, we were the winners.
"Thanks, brother," we said as we ate it, and I watched him gradually fall back asleep.
"Hmm, I think we have a problem," Melis said calmly, looking ahead with serious features while Luca and Louis sighed, also looking ahead.
"What do you mean?" I asked her as I focused my gaze forward. We were at the drawbridge, and the light was yellow, meaning it would open in a few seconds.
"What are we going to do now? This is the closest way to the store. If we go back, it might take an hour at least," Evan shook his head nervously.
"And if we stay here, it will take at least fifteen minutes for the bridge to return to its place," I said, looking at the new problem we faced. Why did the bridge have to open now, of all times? Suddenly, I felt the car reversing. I sighed, knowing there was no other way. I hoped there was something else...
"Buckle up. Hold tight," Melis said with crazy seriousness, looking ahead with her yellow eyes and a terrifying look of determination.
"Melis, calm down! Take a deep breath! Drive us back," Luca said, trying to calm the charged atmosphere, while Louis took out a bag of popcorn, gave us some, and held tightly to his seatbelt. He looked excited, as if he was ready to watch something that doesn't happen in reality.
"Luca, I told you, I'm the driver! I'm in control of the wheel!" she said with a frightening tone of insistence.
"Hold on, kids!" she said with a mad tone as the bridge slowly opened. We tightened our belts excitedly.
"Why are you obeying her?" Luca looked at us with a look that said, You traitors!
"We apologize, brother. We respect you and love you, but the one we obey is Melis," I said, extremely excited. Melis rarely imposed her decisions on us, but if she ever decided on something, it applied to everyone. This was like an old, worn-out rule, but it was still strictly enforced.
"Melis! Wait!" Luca screamed, but his voice was a muffled cry in the cold wind that penetrated the glass.
Melis's yellow eyes shone with a wild sparkle I had never seen before. She had decided, and the bus was now under her absolute control. She pressed her foot on the accelerator with firm force, and the old bus engine roared silently, like a wounded animal attacking its last enemy.
The bridge was now slowly, heavily rising, opening a dark gap that would separate us from our destination. The distance between the edge of the road and the edge of the movable bridge increased with every second.
Time slowed down:
I saw pebbles flying out from under the wheels as the bus tilted slightly forward. I looked at Luca, and his face was pale; he was holding the belt tightly. Louis still had a smile on his face, clutching the bag of popcorn as if it were his shield. Evan closed his eyes and whispered some incomprehensible words.
As for me, my fist was clenched on the seatbelt. I felt my heart racing with the speed of the wheels' rotation. This wasn't just a bridge; it was a runway!
"Three..." Melis whispered softly, her eye fixed on the rising edge, as if counting down a daredevil jump.
"Melis, calm down! Calm down! We don't want to die here..." Luca started screaming at her.
"Whoa! It's high! If we fall, we're dead, and if we don't die from the fall, we'll die from drowning!" Yuna shouted with a smile and a laugh.
"Two..." Melis continued, ignoring everyone, focused on her goal.
"Come, Luyan, my excitement buddy! Look at Melis's madness!" Louis screamed, laughing hysterically.
I burst out laughing despite the shivers; this is what I was looking for! Pure excitement in the middle of this cold, snowy morning!
When the front of the bus reached the edge, the bridge had risen enough to create a sharp, small incline, like the jaw of a massive monster about to close. There was a black gap of asphalt, just a few feet, that separated us from the dark void beneath.
"ONE!" Melis screamed in a crazy triumph, and she pushed the front wheels to jump over the edge of the open gap!
Evan's and Yuna's screams echoed in the back, but I screamed with pure excitement: "WOOHOO!"
For one moment, I felt like we were flying. It was a free fall of at least five feet before the front wheels landed on the surface of the movable bridge with a violent impact that shook every inch of the bus.
Popcorn flew everywhere on the floor and the seats.
The bus was now violently shaking on the raised metal of the bridge. The sounds of metal under the wheels were harsh and shrieking, and red lights illuminated the scene like a science fiction movie.
The bus settled, and Melis suddenly stopped. She turned to us, her brown hair flying, the black sunglasses still on her eyes, and the smile of a victor drawn on her face.
"What?" she said with feigned innocence. "Didn't I tell you I'm a competent driver?"
Luca sighed deeply, as if all the air he had left was drained. "You are nothing but crazy! Crazy!"
His face was pale as if all the color had fled from it.
"Luca, without Melis's craziness, we'd be driving back now to go around for a whole hour. The hero saved us!" I said proudly, still feeling my heart beating wildly. It was scary, but amazing.
I looked back at the height of the bridge. It would have been madness if Melis had failed and we had fallen... No, no, get away, negative thoughts. It's Melis; of course, she would succeed.
"Absolutely!" Yuna said, picking up the scattered popcorn. "I wish I were in your place, Melis!"
"Enough!" Luca said, looking around worriedly. "We need to get out of here before the bridge returns to its position."
"Alright, guys! The exciting part is over. Let's complete the mission!"
She stepped on the accelerator again, and the bus sped off the edge of the raised bridge, back onto the cold asphalt. The sound of the tires gripping the road was different this time; quieter, more confident, but now carrying a tone of urgency. We were like a rocket that had just escaped a planet's gravity.
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The novel is still in the preliminary stage, which will have two to three chapters, so... I hope you'll give it a chance.
If you enjoyed this adventure, don't forget to support the story by following it and sharing your opinion!
Every read and comment from you gives us a boost to continue the journey together... and just, thank you. I truly hope my effort isn't wasted.
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English is not my native language, so please let me know if there are any mistakes.