7

I continued looking for a job as a professional musician. I considered teaching people to play the guitar, but I didn’t’ like the idea. I knew a ton about music because I had been learning and playing and practicing like crazy for fifteen years. I had wanted to be a professional musician for years, but I didn’t think I would be able to teach it. So I thought it would be nice if I participated in concerts. I pictured it for a minute and I loved the idea. I thought it would be amazing if I could perform and be great at a concert. If I could do that for the rest of my life, it would make me stop feeling like I didn’t measure up. And I wanted to be great at something I loved.

    Dad was a doctor so he was the best at science and math in the family. Mom was a martial arts instructor who was good at painting, pottery and sewing. She wasn’t good at music like me. Mom had to learn music at school like everybody else, but she had never been good. She barely managed to pass music classes.

    My parents were good at a lot of things. Better than I was. My friends were great students in a way I wasn’t, so I felt like I was surrounded by people who were talented while I wasn’t. It made my heart go a little heavy.

    But then, I thought if I had a career in music, that would make me stop feeling that way. I would be great at something. Hopefully, the best. But even if I wasn’t the best musician where I worked, I would be the best one in the family. And none of my friends performed in concerts, despite being good at playing some musical instruments. I didn’t want to feel superior to anyone else. I just wanted to feel like I was as talented as they were.

    I sat in my room and thought of where to apply for work. I had already applied in several places. 

    I heard my parents yelling and fighting in their room. Usually, they didn’t yell because they got along great. They fought like everybody else, but not to this extreme. But I didn’t think it was a big deal the first time. Because Mom and Dad usually got along, I thought this was just a one-time thing, despite how much I didn’t like it.Then, they fought like this more times over the next two weeks. I started to be concerned and wished they would stop because it was upsetting everyone. Mom and Dad always got along. They didn’t fight like that or that often. I wondered if their marriage was in danger. I hoped it was just a rough patch they would get through.

    Would they continue fighting?

    I was confused that they started fighting out of the blue.

    There was another battle when the ghouls attacked the entire kingdom. They tried to kill humans by burying everyone and everything in snow. When Mom and I got out of the house, they had already buried a lot of things and a lot of people to the waist or the stomach. I felt bad for everyone who was buried and everyone whose houses were buried.

    I saw Christian again.

    He fought with magic.

    Mom and I fought as a team.

    I snapped the necks of two ghouls.

    Mom snapped the neck of one ghoul.

    Another man in the neighborhood who also knew martial arts, killed one ghoul.

    The ghoul leader was there and he gave instructions.

    He was there in every fight and knew what the other ghouls were capable of.

    He never seemed like he was afraid, so he must be confident in his abilities too.

    He was even better than any of the other ghouls.

    Some people fought.Some people protected others.

    Mom and I protected people together.

    Christian saved several people and animals.

    The three of us killed a few ghouls.

    Another man and a woman killed a ghoul each.

    Some people died.

    A building was destroyed.

    A few houses were buried in snow.

    After an hour, the ghouls retreated.

    Mom, Christian and I checked on everyone. My heart melted every time someone was hurting. I wanted to help them. Dad had already called an ambulance, but some people who were injured, could still drive themselves to the hospital.

    I helped a man feed his dog so the dog was no longer shaking. She seemed to feel better. I talked to a woman until she felt better too. Some other people were helping others too. Christian used his magic to get rid of some of the snow. Other people helped.

    A man walked up to Mom aggressively and was about to punch her.

    I saw his aggression, got between them and kicked him.

    He stumbled.

    Other people walked up to Mom and started yelling at her as if she was responsible. Part of it was what they went through because of the attack and how they handled it badly. Part of it was the superstition that brainwashed them.Mom just went back into the house because she knew, just like I did, that common sense wasn’t going to convince them. Especially, not while they were still dealing with the attack.

    “You still think snow is special to you?” I asked Mom.

    “Snow is harmless and I had fun playing in it when I was a kid. The more someone tells me there is something wrong with snow or me, the more I want to prove them wrong.”

    Mom and I had to go to the hospital for our injuries. Dad went with us. He discussed things with the doctors more than we did because he was a doctor and he understood more than we did. He put his arm around me. Dad was also concerned about Mom. She asked his opinion on what the doctors said. But they seemed slightly uncomfortable around each other.

    My heart sank a little.

    I was hoping they would be able to resolve whatever they were fighting about. Clearly, they hadn’t. I had hope they would.

    We only spent a few hours at the hospital, then we went home. Most of the time, when we protected an innocent person in battle, we got hurt. I thought I would have to go through that during every battle because I didn’t want anybody else to get hurt or killed.

    I really wanted to end the war, but I didn’t know how. I thought about it, but how could one person end the war?

    I didn’t know that at one point I would figure out something that would help.