Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Luckily I didn’t have to work that night, because I was not in the mood. I mean, I am never in the mood, but I was really not in the mood. After trading quick ‘What’s up?’s with my roommate, I went right to my room. I emptied the entire contents of my bag onto my bed. My notebooks, my Latin note cards, my Latin text book and workbook, my music manuscript paper, my composition notes, my scores that I was studying. Looking at the pile, I decided it was time to make a choice: do what I hate, or do what I love. This may seem obvious when just presented with the choice itself, however, it is not always easy when you consider the terms of the choice, or the possible consequences. Nevertheless, in light of recent events, I made my choice. I sifted through the pile and pulled out anything composition related and placed it on my desk chair. This was my choice: to do what I love. With a sigh of relief, I began to work.

For a couple of years, I had wanted to compose music based on different parts of the Bible, specifically, Genesis, The Passion and Revelation. As the idea gestated, (as all my ideas do before being born) different ideas came to me about slight changes that could be made to the way the stories were told. For example, in Genesis, instead of an apple, Eve was tempted with sex (what else do you know of that looks like a snake holding an apple?). Instead of The First Horseman of the Apocalypse riding on a white horse, maybe it’s a ‘White House’ (see what I did there?). Here’s where it gets a little crazy: I decided to add vampires. Actually, no. I didn’t decide to add vampires, it just happened that way. Everything just fit so well, I couldn’t not mix them in. It’s like they were originally there, and were taken out of the stories to make the versions we know today. Vampires do play a much bigger part than I imagined at the beginning, but I won’t tell you how. You’ll just have to buy the books. Anyway, this epic is what I decided to work on that night (and pretty much every chance that I have, since then).

After working for a while, I saw movement at my bedroom door, out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look, but nothing was there. I turned back to my music and a couple of seconds later, it was there again. I turned once more to the door, but again - nothing. This time, instead of turning back to my music, I kept looking at the doorway, to see if whatever it was would show itself again…and it did. A little orange and grey orangutan face peeked sideways around the door, followed by my roommates head. He does this all the time, walking sideways silently by my door to subtlety get my attention. (Oh, and the orangutan is a stuffed animal that he makes dance and sing and hump people…hilarious.) We both laugh (I needed it) as he straightens up and comes in.

“What’re you doin’?” he asks.
“What’s up,” I reply.
“Aren’t you supposed to be doin’ homework?” he asks, looking at my bed and seeing the pile of Latin paraphernalia I am ignoring.
“Yeah,” I say defiantly (not defiant to him, defiant to ‘The Man’).
“Well why aren’t you doin’ it?” doing a mock impersonation of my father.
“Cuz I don’t wanna. Haha. I’m working on my music.”
“All right,” he says kind of disappointed. I think he wanted to play. He makes his orangutan wave goodbye as he walks backward out of my room, doing this high pitch whistle that we’ve been doing since Marching Band Camp, Sophomore year. I laugh and wave good bye and then settle back in to write.

I actually get a lot of work done. At this point, there was nothing really solidified, mostly just themes. I had music for the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Knowledge, an overall Good vs. Evil theme, as well as some instrument and rhythm associations to certain characters. For example, Adam is the French Horn, Eve is the flute and the Devil is the bassoon or oboe, depending on... well, you’ll find out later. I also have some nature sounds related to the overtone series, but now I’m getting too ‘music nerd’. Mostly what I did that night was play around with some of those ideas at my keyboard. There was one new idea that came to me that night though: music for someone being turned into a vampire. If vampires are going to be a part of this story, then at some point, someone is going to get turned. It was interesting because it combined a few of the other themes that I had been working with, in addition to some new ones.

It was only when my roommate came in, wrapped in a blanket and sleepy eyed, that I realized how much time had passed.

“What are you still doin’ up, dude, are you still workin’ on that?”
“Yup.”
“You’re fuckin’ nuts dude you need to go to bed. I’m goin’ to bed. Night.”
“I’ll see ya tomorrow some time.”

I didn’t stop to see exactly what time it was, but if my roommate was that tired, then it was late. I was still so pumped about composing again that I didn’t care. I kept going, and only stopped when I felt like I was going to pass out. I did even nod off a few times. And even though, for the last hour or so, I didn’t do anything but play the same stuff over and over again, I still loved every minute of it. I can’t remember a time when I was happier.