Prologue
– First Meeting
A young poor boy climbs through the
glimmering city of Sinfonia to see how the rich live. He sees their flying
cars, tall buildings that appear to reach the highest part of the sky, and weird
varieties of smiley masks that they wear. While climbing around the city, he
spots a familiar face he’s seen on the large screens in the city’s square. He
makes his way to her window and knocks on it. Curious about the boy at the window,
she goes to open it.
“Hello? Do you need something, poor
boy?” she asks.
“You’re Sonata, right?”
“Yes, I am.”
“My name is Alto. I’m a fan of
yours. I watch your performances in the city square.”
“Thank you for coming to see me,
but I’m afraid I can’t talk or autograph anything. I have to prepare for
tomorrow’s performance.”
“You sure do work a lot, don’t you?
Shouldn’t you be resting? It is Sunday after all.”
“I can do necessary work on a
Sunday.”
“But you seem to be working all the
time. Doesn’t it take a toll on you?”
“No. Working to make people happy
fills me with energy.”
“But you must have your limits.”
“Heh, I don’t know of any. My
family has taught me how to have no limits.” Alto snatches Sonata’s mask off
her face. “Hey! Give that back!”
“I knew it! Your face tells me
exactly how you feel. You look so tired.”
“I’m not tired. I’m just restless.”
“That’s what I said.”
“Restless is not tired. Being restless
means I never get tired.”
“You’re kidding yourself. Tch, I thought
you were different from everyone else.”
“What do you mean? I stand out from
every other singer I’m competing with.”
“Your songs and singing may, but
you work the same way and have the same goals.”
“We all work to make our families
proud, make money, and help people above all.”
“It seems like you’re more worried
about making money and being successful rather than making people happy. I mean
even your churches here emphasize work and donations more than doing God’s will.”
“We are doing God’s will. Making
money is important for survival and helping each other. You can’t do anything
without it.”
“But do you really need so much? I
see a bunch of dresses in your closet that I’ve never seen you wear. All of
these trinkets and decorations don’t do anything for you.”
“Yes, I do need it. They’re rewards
for all the hard work I do. I also need money for funding. If I don’t make
enough money, I’ll lose relevancy, and people will see me less then my career
will be over.”
“I think you’re overreacting. Your singing
is so great that I doubt people will get tired of you. You’re always going to
be on the top.”
“That’s nice of you to say, but
other girls lost relevancy as they aged and…I haven’t heard from them since.”
“Oh yeah, I remember there being other
cool singers. What happened to them?”
“…I don’t know. It’s not important
to think about anyway. I just need to concentrate on my own work.”
“I think you have your priorities
mixed up. You’re focusing too much on the wrong things.”
“How do I have my priorities mixed
up? These are the things I should be focusing on. My parents and teachers have
taught me this and they are successful people.”
“You should be thinking about what
you were made to do. Do God’s will, love other people, and inspire them with
your singing.”
“I am doing that! Isn’t that why
you came to see me?”
“I wanted to see if you were
different from the others, but I’m starting to doubt it,” Alto says before he
starts to sing and dance.
“I see through this charade
You're lonely and afraid
Afraid of losing control
When you've already lost your soul
Forget what you've been told
Wreckage, tragedy
Lost in all this vanity
Worked to death, out of breath
Is it worth the wealth?
You've got a chance to be free
Will you stay a slave or take the
key?
All the riches and dresses
All of life's obsessions
It comes and passes
It drugs the masses
Forget what you've been told
Wreckage, tragedy
Lost in all this vanity
Worked to death, out of breath
Is it worth the wealth?
You've got a chance to be free
Will you stay a slave or take the
key?
I see through this charade
You're lonely and afraid
Forget what you've been told
Wreckage, tragedy
Lost in all this vanity
Worked to death, out of breath
Is it worth the wealth?
You've got a chance to be free
Will you stay a slave or take the
key?
Demons pulling at your heart
God's giving you a restart
Which path will you take
When all you've known is fake?
Your dreams have been nightmares
The tool of millionaires
That don't have no cares
Except for their shares
You've got a chance to be free
Will you stay a slave or take the
key?”
Taken aback by what Alto said,
Sonata says, “I’m not a slave! I can be whatever I want to be!”
“But you’re stuck in this golden
prison, aren’t you? You can’t do anything outside of it.”
“I…I can!”
“Then why don’t you leave it? It
drains everyone of their talents and throws away everyone else who doesn’t make
enough for them. Surely, there’s a better stage for your talents.”
“Where at?”
“You can follow me to where I live,”
Alto says with his hand out.
“In the poor area of Sinfonia? I
can’t. How will I get by? Every day could be such a struggle.”
“Life is that way by default. At
least you won’t have the same pressures you have here. Plus, you already have
fans like me down there, so you already have people eager to see you. What do
you think?”
“I…I don’t know.”
“Think about it. It’s not wrong to
run away when you feel like you’re being exploited. I’ll come back to see if
you’ve changed your mind. Oh! Before I go, can I have your autograph?”
“S-sure. Your name is Alto, right?”
“Yes, it was nice to meet you.”
“Yeah.”
Sonata signs the inside of Alto’s
hat.
“Keep up the great singing, Sonata,
and don’t forget to not worry about the wrong things.”
Alto exits out of Sonata’s window.
She picks up her mask that Alto left on the window then goes to look at her own
tired face in her mirror. While applying makeup to cover it up, she can’t help
but feel that there’s no point to it and puts away the makeup. Looking around
at all her possessions, she feels empty and thinks about who she should talk to.
Her coworkers and parents are busy rehearsing and other work-related
activities, so she goes to sleep on her bed full of plushies exhausted by the
thoughts in her head and all the work she does day and night.
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