u/SterlingVNorth-Smith

Music emanated from the piano Silas played, and on this occasion he found his mind drifting back to a time when he had, in his childhood, not always appreciated the oppressive feeling of being pushed into a talent he now cherished. Lost in his thoughts, Silas let the melody of his performance flourish through the flow of his fingers along the keys, and it was in this moment he found a feeling of escape. Though he frequently practiced, it was this particular occasion each week that he truly let the music from the instrument he had such a happy passion for play out freely, both improvising and jazzing up parts of the pieces he rigidly learned when at home.

As his hands slowed down on the keys, the ambient noise of the bar began to trickle back in. Through the window Silas was sitting next to, the lights of the city expanded out from underneath him. A few of the other buildings reached up to a similar height, but not many.

A clear, warm night had brought out many of the city's residents; a number of them sat in conversation with friends and loved ones, whilst Silas performed, and although no one was paying much attention to the music that filled the venue, it brought an appreciated contrast to the bar's expansive views, smells of various perfumes and liquors, and the mixed sounds of conversations that came from having a small crowd of people enjoying their evening. The brief pause between Silas finishing his set and the queued playlist of tracks the bar's sound system had ready to play was noticeable, and as usual, a number of people gave a brief round of applause.

Silas took a seat, and the server behind the bar poured a drink for him.

"I noticed you were in the wrong key for a moment after about 20 minutes," he pointed out. Silas chuckled.

"Good spot, Sully, but you keep playing the way you do and you'll be far better than I am very quickly."

The server shook his head and replied, "I don't know about that, Silas; I hope I can recover my mistakes the way you do; I'm not confident enough to just carry on playing as though nothing happened. I don't think anyone else here noticed..."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't just heard you say that," came a voice with a laugh from behind Silas.

Silas grinned again and spun the highchair he was perched on around. Ezra Mandlebrot, Silas' brother, had walked over.

"Making mistakes, are we?" Ezra asked.

"Nothing I can't get out of, apparently," Silas replied. They laughed, shook hands, and hugged, Ezra giving Silas a knowing look as he sat down on the stool next to him.

Sullivan brought them both a drink over, and Ezra looked at him.

"Want to play for a bit while it's quiet, Sully?" he asked.

An eager glow appeared on the young man's face. "Thanks, boss," he answered before making his way over to the piano where Silas had previously been sitting.

Ezra took a few sips of his drink as Sullivan started playing whilst Silas stared into his glass.

"You know I've been wanting to say how proud I am of you..." he began, his voice dropping below the sound of the piano. "When everything happened last year... I was really worried about you."

Silas stopped staring into his drink. He didn't look up straight away, but when he did, he looked at Ezra and said, "Well, it's thanks to you, Nora and the family that I managed to get over everything. I owe you a lot more than just playing piano on a Friday night..."

"And I owe you more pay for that than the drinks I give you, and you basically give an extra salary in tips to my staff," Ezra retorted.

"As painful as last year was, I still have a lot to be thankful for," Silas remarked as he finished his drink.

Ezra got up and started pouring a couple of drinks for an order that came in. As he did so, Silas also stood, picked up his jacket, and told Ezra that he was going to have an early one.

"Okay, you know where we are if you need anything. Good night, Silas," Ezra said, as Silas grabbed his jacket and made his way out of the bar.

After saying good night to a couple of the regular patrons to the bar and a few of the staff, Silas stepped into the elevator and began making his way to his apartment.

The air hit Silas with the pleasant sensation of a cooling breeze on a warm night, and it was far busier outside than the relaxed atmosphere the bar Silas had just departed would have indicated. He loved being so close to his family after having been absent for so long, but he did feel a yearning to live somewhere quieter and away from the city.

No sooner had Silas walked around the corner from the entrance than a woman, who seemingly came out of nowhere, began admonishing him.

Silas, surprised by this, began to step backwards whilst trying to hear what the woman was shouting over the sound of a busy city street. The only snippet he heard was: "...And if you think for even a moment..."

Her voice began to drown beneath an unusual, low-frequency hum that had begun resonating through the street; Silas tried to identify the note but could not quite place the dissonant sound growing in volume, which was seemingly absorbing all the ambient noise of the busy street around him.

Whilst he had been distracted with Jude's tirade, and now this strange noise, a silvery, undulating sphere, with the look of liquid mercury and an almost imperceptible chill to the touch, had been expanding around him, and at the same moment Silas became aware of what was happening, it was too late, and he fell backwards through the portal.

Music emanated from the piano Silas played, and on this occasion he found his mind drifting back to a time when he had, in his childhood, not always appreciated the oppressive feeling of being pushed into a talent he now cherished. Lost in his thoughts, Silas let the melody of his performance flourish through the flow of his fingers along the keys, and it was in this moment he found a feeling of escape. Though he frequently practiced, it was this particular occasion each week that he truly let the music from the instrument he had such a happy passion for play out freely, both improvising and jazzing up parts of the pieces he rigidly learned when at home.

As his hands slowed down on the keys, the ambient noise of the bar began to trickle back in. Through the window Silas was sitting next to, the lights of the city expanded out from underneath him. A few of the other buildings reached up to a similar height, but not many.

A clear, warm night had brought out many of the city's residents; a number of them sat in conversation with friends and loved ones, whilst Silas performed, and although no one was paying much attention to the music that filled the venue, it brought an appreciated contrast to the bar's expansive views, smells of various perfumes and liquors, and the mixed sounds of conversations that came from having a small crowd of people enjoying their evening. The brief pause between Silas finishing his set and the queued playlist of tracks the bar's sound system had ready to play was noticeable, and as usual, a number of people gave a brief round of applause.

Silas took a seat, and the server behind the bar poured a drink for him.

"I noticed you were in the wrong key for a moment after about 20 minutes," he pointed out. Silas chuckled.

"Good spot, Sully, but you keep playing the way you do and you'll be far better than I am very quickly."

The server shook his head and replied, "I don't know about that, Silas; I hope I can recover my mistakes the way you do; I'm not confident enough to just carry on playing as though nothing happened. I don't think anyone else here noticed..."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't just heard you say that," came a voice with a laugh from behind Silas.

Silas grinned again and spun the highchair he was perched on around. Ezra Mandlebrot, Silas' brother, had walked over.

"Making mistakes, are we?" Ezra asked.

"Nothing I can't get out of, apparently," Silas replied. They laughed, shook hands, and hugged, Ezra giving Silas a knowing look as he sat down on the stool next to him.

Sullivan brought them both a drink over, and Ezra looked at him.

"Want to play for a bit while it's quiet, Sully?" he asked.

An eager glow appeared on the young man's face. "Thanks, boss," he answered before making his way over to the piano where Silas had previously been sitting.

Ezra took a few sips of his drink as Sullivan started playing whilst Silas stared into his glass.

"You know I've been wanting to say how proud I am of you..." he began, his voice dropping below the sound of the piano. "When everything happened last year... I was really worried about you."

Silas stopped staring into his drink. He didn't look up straight away, but when he did, he looked at Ezra and said, "Well, it's thanks to you, Nora and the family that I managed to get over everything. I owe you a lot more than just playing piano on a Friday night..."

"And I owe you more pay for that than the drinks I give you, and you basically give an extra salary in tips to my staff," Ezra retorted.

"As painful as last year was, I still have a lot to be thankful for," Silas remarked as he finished his drink.

Ezra got up and started pouring a couple of drinks for an order that came in. As he did so, Silas also stood, picked up his jacket, and told Ezra that he was going to have an early one.

"Okay, you know where we are if you need anything. Good night, Silas," Ezra said, as Silas grabbed his jacket and made his way out of the bar.

After saying good night to a couple of the regular patrons to the bar and a few of the staff, Silas stepped into the elevator and began making his way to his apartment.

The air hit Silas with the pleasant sensation of a cooling breeze on a warm night, and it was far busier outside than the relaxed atmosphere the bar Silas had just departed would have indicated. He loved being so close to his family after having been absent for so long, but he did feel a yearning to live somewhere quieter and away from the city.

No sooner had Silas walked around the corner from the entrance than a woman, who seemingly came out of nowhere, began admonishing him.

Silas, surprised by this, began to step backwards whilst trying to hear what the woman was shouting over the sound of a busy city street. The only snippet he heard was: "...And if you think for even a moment..."

Her voice began to drown beneath an unusual, low-frequency hum that had begun resonating through the street; Silas tried to identify the note but could not quite place the dissonant sound growing in volume, which was seemingly absorbing all the ambient noise of the busy street around him.

Whilst he had been distracted with Jude's tirade, and now this strange noise, a silvery, undulating sphere, with the look of liquid mercury and an almost imperceptible chill to the touch, had been expanding around him, and at the same moment Silas became aware of what was happening, it was too late, and he fell backwards through the portal.

Chapter 1: A Minuet Moment

Music emanated from the piano Silas played, and on this occasion he found his mind drifting back to a time when he had, in his childhood, not always appreciated the oppressive feeling of being pushed into a talent he now cherished. Lost in his thoughts, Silas let the melody of his performance flourish through the flow of his fingers along the keys, and it was in this moment he found a feeling of escape. Though he frequently practiced, it was this particular occasion each week that he truly let the music from the instrument he had such a happy passion for play out freely, both improvising and jazzing up parts of the pieces he rigidly learned when at home.

As his hands slowed down on the keys, the ambient noise of the bar began to trickle back in. Through the window Silas was sitting next to, the lights of the city expanded out from underneath him. A few of the other buildings reached up to a similar height, but not many.

A clear, warm night had brought out many of the city's residents; a number of them sat in conversation with friends and loved ones, whilst Silas performed, and although no one was paying much attention to the music that filled the venue, it brought an appreciated contrast to the bar's expansive views, smells of various perfumes and liquors, and the mixed sounds of conversations that came from having a small crowd of people enjoying their evening. The brief pause between Silas finishing his set and the queued playlist of tracks the bar's sound system had ready to play was noticeable, and as usual, a number of people gave a brief round of applause.

Silas took a seat, and the server behind the bar poured a drink for him.

"I noticed you were in the wrong key for a moment after about 20 minutes," he pointed out. Silas chuckled.

"Good spot, Sully, but you keep playing the way you do and you'll be far better than I am very quickly."

The server shook his head and replied, "I don't know about that, Silas; I hope I can recover my mistakes the way you do; I'm not confident enough to just carry on playing as though nothing happened. I don't think anyone else here noticed..."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't just heard you say that," came a voice with a laugh from behind Silas.

Silas grinned again and spun the highchair he was perched on around. Ezra Mandlebrot, Silas' brother, had walked over.

"Making mistakes, are we?" Ezra asked.

"Nothing I can't get out of, apparently," Silas replied. They laughed, shook hands, and hugged, Ezra giving Silas a knowing look as he sat down on the stool next to him.

Sullivan brought them both a drink over, and Ezra looked at him.

"Want to play for a bit while it's quiet, Sully?" he asked.

An eager glow appeared on the young man's face. "Thanks, boss," he answered before making his way over to the piano where Silas had previously been sitting.

Ezra took a few sips of his drink as Sullivan started playing whilst Silas stared into his glass.

"You know I've been wanting to say how proud I am of you..." he began, his voice dropping below the sound of the piano. "When everything happened last year... I was really worried about you."

Silas stopped staring into his drink. He didn't look up straight away, but when he did, he looked at Ezra and said, "Well, it's thanks to you, Nora and the family that I managed to get over everything. I owe you a lot more than just playing piano on a Friday night..."

"And I owe you more pay for that than the drinks I give you, and you basically give an extra salary in tips to my staff," Ezra retorted.

"As painful as last year was, I still have a lot to be thankful for," Silas remarked as he finished his drink.

Ezra got up and started pouring a couple of drinks for an order that came in. As he did so, Silas also stood, picked up his jacket, and told Ezra that he was going to have an early one.

"Okay, you know where we are if you need anything. Good night, Silas," Ezra said, as Silas grabbed his jacket and made his way out of the bar.

After saying good night to a couple of the regular patrons to the bar and a few of the staff, Silas stepped into the elevator and began making his way to his apartment.

The air hit Silas with the pleasant sensation of a cooling breeze on a warm night, and it was far busier outside than the relaxed atmosphere the bar Silas had just departed would have indicated. He loved being so close to his family after having been absent for so long, but he did feel a yearning to live somewhere quieter and away from the city.

No sooner had Silas walked around the corner from the entrance than a woman, who seemingly came out of nowhere, began admonishing him.

Silas, surprised by this, began to step backwards whilst trying to hear what the woman was shouting over the sound of a busy city street. The only snippet he heard was: "...And if you think for even a moment..."

Her voice began to drown beneath an unusual, low-frequency hum that had begun resonating through the street; Silas tried to identify the note but could not quite place the dissonant sound growing in volume, which was seemingly absorbing all the ambient noise of the busy street around him.

Whilst he had been distracted with Jude's tirade, and now this strange noise, a silvery, undulating sphere, with the look of liquid mercury and an almost imperceptible chill to the touch, had been expanding around him, and at the same moment Silas became aware of what was happening, it was too late, and he fell backwards through the portal.

Music emanated from the piano Silas played, and on this occasion he found his mind drifting back to a time when he had, in his childhood, not always appreciated the oppressive feeling of being pushed into a talent he now cherished. Lost in his thoughts, Silas let the melody of his performance flourish through the flow of his fingers along the keys, and it was in this moment he found a feeling of escape. Though he frequently practiced, it was this particular occasion each week that he truly let the music from the instrument he had such a happy passion for play out freely, both improvising and jazzing up parts of the pieces he rigidly learned when at home.

As his hands slowed down on the keys, the ambient noise of the bar began to trickle back in. Through the window Silas was sitting next to, the lights of the city expanded out from underneath him. A few of the other buildings reached up to a similar height, but not many.

A clear, warm night had brought out many of the city's residents; a number of them sat in conversation with friends and loved ones, whilst Silas performed, and although no one was paying much attention to the music that filled the venue, it brought an appreciated contrast to the bar's expansive views, smells of various perfumes and liquors, and the mixed sounds of conversations that came from having a small crowd of people enjoying their evening. The brief pause between Silas finishing his set and the queued playlist of tracks the bar's sound system had ready to play was noticeable, and as usual, a number of people gave a brief round of applause.

Silas took a seat, and the server behind the bar poured a drink for him.

"I noticed you were in the wrong key for a moment after about 20 minutes," he pointed out. Silas chuckled.

"Good spot, Sully, but you keep playing the way you do and you'll be far better than I am very quickly."

The server shook his head and replied, "I don't know about that, Silas; I hope I'm able recover my mistakes the way you do; I'm not confident enough to just carry on playing as though nothing happened. I don't think anyone else here noticed..."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't just heard you say that," came a voice with a laugh from behind Silas.

Silas grinned again and spun the barstool he was perched on around. Ezra Mandlebrot, Silas' brother, had walked over.

"Making mistakes, are we?" Ezra asked.

"Nothing I can't get out of, apparently," Silas replied. They laughed, shook hands, and hugged, Ezra giving Silas a knowing look as he sat down on the stool next to him.

Sullivan brought them both a drink over, and Ezra looked at him.

"Want to play for a bit while it's quiet, Sully?" he asked.

An eager glow appeared on the young man's face. "Thanks, boss," he answered before making his way over to the piano where Silas had previously been sitting.

Ezra took a few sips of his drink as Sullivan started playing whilst Silas stared into his glass.

"You know I've been wanting to say how proud I am of you..." he began, his voice dropping below the sound of the piano. "When everything happened last year... I was really worried about you."

Silas stopped staring into his drink. He didn't look up straight away, but when he did, he looked at Ezra and said, "Well, it's thanks to you, Nora and the family that I managed to get over everything. I owe you a lot more than just playing piano on a Friday night..."

"And I owe you more pay for that than the drinks I give you, and you basically give an extra salary in tips to my staff," Ezra retorted.

"As painful as last year was, I still have a lot to be thankful for," Silas remarked as he finished his drink.

Ezra got up and started pouring a couple of drinks for an order that came in. As he did so, Silas also stood, picked up his jacket, and told Ezra that he was going to have an 'early one'.

"Okay, you know where we are if you need anything. Good night, Silas," Ezra said, as Silas grabbed his jacket and made his way out of the bar.

After saying good night to a couple of the regular patrons to the bar and a few of the staff, Silas stepped into the elevator and began making his way to his apartment.

The air hit Silas with the pleasant sensation of a cooling breeze on a warm night, and it was far busier outside than the relaxed atmosphere the bar Silas had just departed would have indicated. He loved being so close to his family after having been absent for so long, but he did feel a yearning to live somewhere quieter and away from the city.

No sooner had Silas walked around the corner from the entrance than a woman, who seemingly came out of nowhere, began admonishing him.

Silas, surprised by this, began to step backwards whilst trying to hear what the woman was shouting over the sound of a busy city street. The only snippet he heard was: "...And if you think for even a moment..."

Her voice began to drown beneath an unusual, low-frequency hum that had begun resonating through the street; Silas tried to identify the note but could not quite place the dissonant sound growing in volume, which was seemingly absorbing all the ambient noise of the busy street around him.

Whilst he had been distracted with Jude's tirade, and now this strange noise, a silvery, undulating sphere, with the look of liquid mercury and an almost imperceptible chill to the touch, had been expanding around him, and at the same moment Silas became aware of what was happening, it was too late, and he fell backwards through the portal.

It's been a few years since I really sat down and wrote for a significant length of time. Here is an excerpt of something I've been working on and I would be keen to know any thoughts about it.

...An unusual, low-frequency hum began resonating through the street; Silas tried to identify the note but could not quite place the dissonant sound growing in volume. Whilst he had been distracted with Jude, and now this strange noise, a silvery, undulating sphere, with the look of liquid mercury and an almost imperceptible chill to the touch, had been expanding around him, and at the same moment Silas became aware of what was happening, it was too late, and he fell backwards through the portal.

Across the veil-room, a dissonant sound announced the undulating shroud of a portal bursting open; the light radiating out rippled over Medeis' as he stood facing the distortion. His cat, a void named Tachyon, nonchalantly wandered in and took a seat, his eyes fixating on the spectacle. Despite the distortion Lethea caused to the surface horizon of a portal, the Traveler, attired in opulent robes, strode through with the expected elegance of an invited guest. At that precise instant, and with an 'aim' remarkably fortunate for the Traveler's demure composure, Silas was violently ejected from the rippling presence, which hurled him to a spot directly in between Medeis and the Traveler.

Although there was no change in the composure of Medeis or the Traveler, and no apparent threat existed from any of the three, Silas was unknowingly a mere moment away from ceasing to exist. Before anyone said a word, Tachyon strolled over to inspect the unexpected visitor.

Seeing the surprised look on Silas' face, and noting that the man was now scratching Tachyon behind the cat's ear, just as the void enjoyed, Medeis had judged Silas to be no threat and relaxed his stance slightly. With what Medeis had deduced to be the most likely explanation for what he was seeing being, in fact, what had happened, Medeis gave out a gruff laugh, and he welcomed the Traveler; it had been an epoch, but they had met many times before, and Medeis considered the Traveler to be one of his friends...

...An unusual, low-frequency hum began resonating through the street; Silas tried to identify the note but could not quite place the dissonant sound growing in volume. Whilst he had been distracted with Jude, and now this strange noise, a silvery, undulating sphere, with the look of liquid mercury and an almost imperceptible chill to the touch, had been expanding around him, and at the same moment Silas became aware of what was happening, it was too late, and he fell backwards through the portal.

Across the veil-room, a dissonant sound announced the undulating shroud of a portal bursting open; the light radiating out rippled over Medeis' face as he stood facing the distortion. His cat, a void named Tachyon, nonchalantly wandered in and took a seat, his eyes fixating on the spectacle. Despite the distortion Lethea caused to the surface horizon of a portal, the Traveler, attired in opulent robes, strode through with the expected elegance of an invited guest. At that precise instant, and with an 'aim' remarkably fortunate for the Traveler's demure composure, Silas was violently ejected from the rippling presence, which hurled him to a spot directly in between Medeis and the Traveler.

Although there was no change in the composure of Medeis or the Traveler, and no apparent threat existed from any of the three, Silas was unknowingly a mere moment away from ceasing to exist. Before anyone said a word, Tachyon strolled over to inspect the unexpected visitor.

Seeing the surprised look on Silas' face, and noting that the man was now scratching Tachyon behind the cat's ear, just as the void enjoyed, Medeis had judged Silas to be no threat and relaxed his stance slightly. With what Medeis had deduced to be the most likely explanation for what he was seeing being, in fact, what had happened, Medeis gave out a gruff laugh, and he welcomed the Traveler; it had been an epoch, but they had met many times before, and Medeis considered the Traveler to be one of his friends...