“Oh, come on, Rishu! We both know you’re not going to do it.” Anima scoffed, leaning on the railing and looking up at him.
“If you th-think that you kn-know that, then y-you’re wrong!” Rishu stuttered as he stood on the railing of his terrace, trembling.
Anima sighed. “Okay, fine, I’m wrong. But what good will it do? Nothing of significance will happen if you leap from this railing right now.”
Shocked, Rishu looked at her. “I knew you were heartless, but this is just taking it to the next level!”
Anima giggled. “I love how your shock trumps your fear and how high-pitched your voice goes when you’re in shock.”
Still staring at her, Rishu demanded, “Anima! How can you possibly giggle when I’m about to jump from my terrace?”
“Because this is a two-story building, you dramatic idiot.” Anima rolled her eyes. “Now, are you done overreacting?”
“No, I’m not coming down. You can’t make me.” Rishu turned his face away from her and closed his eyes as he got ready to jump. Shaking her head, Anima grabbed the back of his t-shirt, yanked him off the railing, and threw him down on his back inside his terrace. He started coughing and squirming because of the impact as she walked over and sat beside him.
“Dude, you didn’t need to throw me that hard. That really hurt.” Rishu coughed some more, writhing in pain.
“You didn’t need to be so dramatic about getting ghosted one night by a girl you’ve been talking to for a year,” she chuckled.
“Our band got such a big gig—of course I would want to tell you right away!” He got up with fervor and faced Anima. “I searched and called for you all night yesterday, as I wanted you to be the first person to know. I waited and waited. You were just gone, man.”
Anima tilted her head and scanned Rishu. She noticed the newly formed dark circles under his hazel eyes, and her gaze danced across his slightly messy jet-black hair. Knowing how he was, she guessed he had stayed awake on the terrace all night and waited for her all morning.
“Alright, I’m sorry. Let’s hear about our big gig. Where’s it going to be held?” Anima took his left hand in her right, giving it a little wiggle.
Rishu’s face lit up, and he held her hand close to his chest. “At the Army Stadium! Can you believe it? I mean, it’s only been two years since we formed our band, Purple Domain. Now, we’re getting to sing at the FandomFusion Live concert this 20th!”
Anima pinched his cheek with her free hand. “Of course, I believe it, Rish. You tend to not acknowledge how talented you really are. From the moment I heard you play and sing, I knew you’d rise high.”
Rishu shook his head, smiling. “Anima, your voice is out of this world. All I do is strum the guitar and add backing vocals. Anybody can do that.”
“Not just anyone, only you can do it.” Anima pulled his head closer and leaned in. Their foreheads met and their breaths synced, as their minds took them a year back.
~*~
The day was 18th October, 2038; Rishu, Arham, and Mashkur were sprawled across Rishu’s terrace. It was a late autumn afternoon in Bashundhara R/A—the sky bore a calming hue of blue, the humid air lay heavy against the boys’ skin, and beads of sweat ran across their brows. Rishu sat on an old beige bamboo bed, playing a few distant chords on his white guitar. Lying on the same bed was Arham, who matched Rishu’s chords on his black bass guitar. On the right side of the bed, facing the terrace door, Mashkur was dozing off with his head on the high-tom of his brown drum kit. Out of the blue, Rishu grunted and strummed his guitar loud enough to cause a domino effect: Mashkur woke up with a jolt, hitting his head on the crash cymbal, and that sharp sound caused Arham to jump up from the bed.
“How is it this hot so late in the year? It’s October, for god’s sake!” Rishu complained, taking off his guitar strap to set it aside.
“And how is global warming my fault?” Mashkur frowned at Rishu, rubbing the red bump on his pale forehead. “Pay up; that hit might have caused me damage.”
“Your brain was damaged from birth. Why would Rishu pay for that? Tell your mom to pay up.” Arham yawned and ducked his head to dodge the sandal Mashkur threw at him.
“I wasn’t talking about my brain, you dipshit. I was talking about Drummy. My precious might have gotten a dent.” Mashkur crooned as he softly stroked the stand of the crash cymbal.
Arham cracked up. “Oh yeah, by the way, the Avengers had called. I’ll let them know Hulk is right here, romancing a drum kit.”
Rishu slunk his head in disbelief and covered his face with his hands. “I swear, I must have been one dumbass kid to have befriended both of you in elementary school. One loves an unoriginally named drum kit while the other cannot talk without roasting someone.”
Arham put his tanned hand around Rishu’s shoulders, giving him a firm shake. “Did you forget that we saved you from getting bullied by the other kids? You got wedgies and pushed off the swings every day because they were jealous of your singing voice.”
Mashkur rested his hands over his high and medium toms, grinning at the two boys. “It is only out of the pureness of our hearts that we liked your talent and gave the bullies a taste of their own medicine.”
“And you gotta admit,” Arham said, taking his bass guitar in his hands, “we make an awesome trio. Hit it, Mashkur!”
Mashkur started playing the drums to Free, a song Rishu loved dearly. He smiled as Arham quickly followed with the bass, gesturing at Rishu to play his part. Rishu let out a laugh, took his guitar, and matched their flow. Soon afterward, his soothing voice broke out in song and gently pushed the heavy air further away. The humidity seemed to vanish in a split second as the harmony of the trio traversed across the wind. The once-stagnant atmosphere turned melodious as they reached the chorus and sang altogether. As the chorus ended, Rishu sang the solo while the other two fluidly played their instruments. Near the outro of the song, right as the three boys were about to harmonize together, a fourth voice joined in. No one noticed the subtle addition, as it synced with everyone’s notes seamlessly, and the trio was lost in the vibe. After the song ended, everyone involuntarily turned towards the door and gasped collectively. Several sparks of light manifested out of thin air and clustered together to form a shape. The brightness of the gleaming figure decreased to reveal a girl in her mid-twenties, leaning against the terrace doorway. Midnight-blue streaks peeked through her mid-length hair, her green eyes were lined with blue eyeliner, and she was clad in black clothing. Looking at the boys with a big smile on her face, she asked, “So, y’all are weebs too?”
Wide-eyed and out of breath, Arham exclaimed, “What the f…??! What just happened.. who are you??”
“I’m Anima,” the girl answered, still smiling. “Let me tell you something—y’all are good. Especially you, with the white guitar.”
“You… you… What are you??” Rishu stuttered. “W-what is going on?! What did we just s-see?? What happened?? HOW did that happen?!”
Anima’s smile faded as she stood upright from her leaning position. Her crossed arms separated and clasped with each other behind her as she walked over to face Rishu, who leant back as far as he could on the bed. She lowered her face to level with Rishu’s and said, “You sing with belief—that’s what brought me here.”
~*~
“Ain’t you two the cutest?”
Gasping, Rishu and Anima pulled away as their reminiscent trance was broken and they were brought back to the present day by the sudden interjection. They looked up to see Mashkur’s beaming face by the terrace door, and Anima groaned, “Ugh, Mashkur. You scared the shit out of me.”
“A little ironic, isn’t it? Coming from you?” Mashkur guffawed and sat down beside them. “Did Rishu tell you about the gig yet? He was absolutely adamant about you being the first person in our band to know about it. Arham and I were this close to beating Rishu up before he gave in and told us the news. Of course, we wanted to wait for you, but when you didn’t show up for so long, we got impatient.”
“I still cannot believe you two did that to me last night.” Rishu frowned at Mashkur. “I wanted it to be special, man.”
“For the last time, Rishu, us threatening to peg you last night doesn’t count. You’re still a virgin, relax,” Arham’s voice chimed in from the stairs leading up to the terrace. Carrying a big green polythene bag, he entered the terrace and closed the door on his way in.
Anima and Mashkur laughed out loud as Rishu rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the clarification, Arham. But, why are you closing the door?”
Grinning, Arham walked over to them and sat down. “To celebrate properly, of course!”
He got some packets of chips and cigarettes out of the bag, chuckling mischievously. Finally, he pulled out the last item from the bag: a large bottle of Smirnoff Red. Rishu, Mashkur, and Arham cheered at the top of their lungs while Anima groaned, “Really, guys? You want to drink now? It’s only 5 in the afternoon.”
“What does it matter?” Rishu laughed, pulling Anima to lean on him. “The whole gang’s here and we need to celebrate! Tonight, we party hard with spirits—vodka and you!”
“You’re a spirit?”
Mashkur stared as he asked Anima that question on that fateful day. Completely spooked, Arham got up from the bamboo bed, when she had sat down on it beside Rishu, and stood behind Mashkur. Anima supported her elbows on her thighs and held her hands together, smiling at the two boys standing across from her.
“As I just said, yes. I am a spirit. I know it sounds completely unbelievable. You must be thinking: since when are spirits able to manifest themselves in their physical form in front of humans and communicate with them? Well, I wouldn’t know; I don’t control the underworld. All I know is I was lost in some purgatory shit somewhere. Suddenly, I heard your friend singing, and I felt an energy surge inside me. I was pulled from the void I was in and brought back to this world. I’m sorry for jumping in on the outro there; you guys sounded so good and that was one of my most favorite songs of all time.”
Rishu, who had been in a trance as he was so enamored by Anima up until this point, sat back up. “It’s one of my faves as well! The composition of the song gives you the feel of summer and youth, while the lyrics—”
“Reveal the yearning and inner turmoil of all the characters in the anime!” Anima finished Rishu’s sentence, matching his excitement completely. “I absolutely agree with you!”
“Rishu, do you realize that you’re fangirling about a song with a SPIRIT?” Arham exclaimed at him. “How are you so chill with what we witnessed and what she just said?”
“Yeah, man. This is getting too freaky for me to handle. Are you sure we’re not still drunk from last night?” Mashkur shook his head and slapped himself with both hands.
Anima laughed. “Unless you’re tripping from acid, no amount of alcohol is going to make y’all hallucinate a full-grown girl appearing out of nowhere.”
Mashkur looked at Arham. “Dude, you sure our bottle wasn’t spiked with something?”
“Alright.” Letting out a sigh, Anima began. “Let me give y’all a little bit more context, then you might feel at ease a bit. From 1988 to 2013, I lived in this house with my father. When I was a teenager and I got my very first PC, I was immediately drawn to the world of games and anime—especially their music. I started singing covers of many famous anime and game songs from our time and uploaded them to my YouTube channel. Once I announced to my father that I wanted to study music in university, he was furious. Now, Dad was in the army, and he never liked my passion for music. Being the pragmatic man that he was, he used to treat it as my hobby and constantly told me to never pursue it seriously. But when he learned that I was fully planning on doing the exact opposite of what he used to tell me, he erupted in anger. I still remember him calling me delusional and saying that music will never help me survive in this materialistic world. I kept trying to make him see that I might actually have a knack for this, but he would not listen to a word I said. When I talked to my friends about my plans with music, they laughed in my face. They let me know that my ‘cartoonish’ music would never pay my bills. On top of all that, my videos never did well. My songs were limited to just a specific genre: gaming and anime music. If you had this taste in music two decades back, you weren’t too welcome on the internet. I used to get comments like, ‘Your songs are weird, sing more mainstream stuff,’ ‘You’re a weeb, we get it,’ ‘I mean, you sound decent, but you’d never make it in the big leagues,’ and much worse.”
Rishu noticed that Anima’s eyes started watering. She sniffed and got up from the bed to go stand by the railing, with her back towards the boys. “None of them really heard me: I lived and breathed music. That was the only thing that ruled my heart and soul. My dream was to perform live at least once in my life. But just because of my music tastes, no one believed in me. I saw no point in living anymore.”
Anima turned around, revealing her twitching smile accompanied by her wet cheeks, and pointed to where she was standing. “And I took the plunge from this exact spot. Yeah, this is now a two-storied building. But back then, it was an apartment complex of ten floors. I’ve been in a void ever since; didn’t go up to heaven, didn’t go down to hell. The only thing I know is your voice brought me back, Rishu. Maybe this could mean that I’m getting a second chance to fulfill my dream. But I don’t know how much time I have left in this world, what to do, or where to go from here.”
The three boys looked at each other, and their eyes shared a long conversation. All three of them had been through similar struggles because of their choice to pursue music. They had lost family, friends, money, health, and more because they were devoted to music more than anything else. But every time they got a chance to perform on stage, each and every hurdle was worth it. Nothing was remotely equal to the feeling of singing and playing their hearts out to a crowd that shared their love for music.
Taking his guitar, Rishu walked toward Anima and handed it to her. “Do you know how to play?”
Taken aback by the sudden gesture, Anima rubbed her wet cheeks and took the guitar in her hands. “Oh, yeah, but I can only play the songs I listened to back then.”
“So, you can interact and hold stuff. We can see and hear you, and you have a physical body. Alright, that settles it!” Rishu clapped his hands together. “You’re going to perform live with our band on our very first big gig!”
Arham laughed. “Knew this softie was going to say something outrageous.”
Mashkur grinned, hitting the crash cymbal. “And we will support it, one hundred percent!”
Anima looked at the three boys in awe as the orange sun started to set behind them. Arham came over and gave Rishu a noogie as Mashkur embraced both of them from the back. They started laughing and passing words that Anima was too overwhelmed to hear. As her soul swole up with emotions, causing happy tears to flow down her face, she glomped all three of them, crying. The boys smiled and engulfed her in their warm embrace.
~*~
“Lightweights.” Rishu hiccuped from the railing and brought Anima back from her reminiscent trance. The sun had set, the moon was out, and stars were gleaming on the canvas of the night sky. She looked in front of her to see Mashkur and Arham passed out and sprawled across the floor, snoring away. Amused by this sight, she giggled. “You’ll be joining them soon enough.”
“Anima, I downed four shots of vodka and I’m not even tipsy,” Rishu scoffed.
Laughing heartily, Anima’s eyes drifted toward the moon, and Rishu noticed her dazed gaze. He got off the railing and sat next to her on the floor. “Alright, out with it. What’s on your mind?”
Anima turned toward him with her wide eyes. “How’d you know..?”
Rishu squinted at her, tilting his head. Anima knew that “Are you serious?” look, so she just let out a small chuckle. “Why did you agree to help me?”
“You are one year too late to be asking that question.” Relaxing his body, Rishu put his hands behind him on the floor and hung his head back.
“No, for real though.” Anima shifted toward him. “You were awfully quick in wanting to help me out. And, not to mention, me being a spirit didn’t seem to bother you that much. Do you often have pretty ghost girls come up to you for help or something?”
“Trust me, I wish my life was as exciting.” Rishu chuckled. “To be honest, yeah, of course I was spooked by your sudden appearance. Who wouldn’t be after seeing a spirit pop out of nowhere? But what broke my astonishment at first was that you liked the same song as me. Free isn’t that well-liked by our weeb community because everyone thinks the song is about pretty boys having fun. However, you and I shared the same view regarding Free. After that, once you told your story, I knew it. I knew I had to help you.”
“But, why?” Anima searched Rishu’s eyes for the answer.
Rishu sighed, smiling. “Musicians have a tough life. They are scoffed at, made fun of, and not supported by their family many times. When I was a kid, I loved singing the Pokémon theme song during recess in school, and I often got bullied for it. The other kids used to call me weird, push me around, and hit me. Luckily, Arham and Mashkur shared my love for anime and saved me from those bullies by fighting back. We’ve bonded over anime music ever since. The roads were pretty rocky. Mashkur’s mom often grounded him for always sneaking out at night and coming to my place to play karaoke. Arham’s dad beat him when he discovered that his son had bought a bass guitar by saving up lunch money. All of this was just the tip of the iceberg of problems that we three encountered. But it was all worth it, because we made it. Our band, Purple Domain, had gotten pretty good recognition once we released our first album two years ago. We will never forget that feeling—getting up on stage for the very first time to perform in front of a massive crowd, cheering us on. And knowing that you never got to feel that for yourself, we had to help you.”
Anima’s eyes glistened. “Rishu, I never got to thank you properly for all that you have done for me.”
“Thank me once we are done with the concert. First, let us sing with spirit.” Rishu beamed.
Anima rolled her eyes. “Oh my goodness. You just had to. You just had to ruin the moment. How long have you been cooking up that pun?”
The air vibrated with Rishu’s uproarious laughter. “Not telling!”
~*~
“Give another big hand to our vocalist for the night, Anima!”
Anima broke out of her reminiscent trance as she heard Rishu’s cheer, followed by the cascading applause around her that reverberated across the Army Stadium. The energy of the cheering crowd, the lingering vibrations of the instruments, her bandmates panting in sync—Anima closed her eyes for a moment to fully experience all of it. She was here, she was present, and this is what she was meant to do. It was 20th October, 2039, and she had just finished singing Ao No Sumika as their first set at the FandomFusion Live concert.
She looked back to see the three boys who helped make her dream come true. Her eyes first met Mashkur’s, and he waved his drumstick at her. She let out a little laugh as she saw Arham to her left, flinging back his sweaty hair and giving her a little nod.
Finally, she turned to her right to find Rishu, just to see him looking right at her with a soft grin. Smiling with tears in her eyes, Anima held her hand out to him. Just as he was about to hold it, his hand passed by hers. Rishu’s eyes widened as Anima’s arm started turning into tiny sparks of light.
He looked up to see her increasingly gleaming face and caught a glimpse of her still corporeal lips, mouthing the words, “Thank you,” before she faded away into the night.
