literature

Echo of the past 01 [ENG]

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Published: Apr 10, 2012

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Literature Text

_{All chapters are under correction

Chapter with better formatting, in PDF file: xkyoux.wordpress.com/2012/05/0…

The chapter below has come into being spontaneously, for fun, without the bigger concept of writing any more chapters. It wasn’t supposed to have any form of continuity, and the thread of Marcin & Nivan - the two heroes in this story - was meant as a note of spice in their created lives. Both characters were created for the purpose of a role playing game, both of them had partners in their lives as well as separate histories. And so it was meant to stay... in the beginning that is. But "Karma" wanted it different
After the unexpected warm reception of the first chapter the author decided to continue the story. She wrote the second and the third chapter intertwining the boys paths, added a few others and so the story took shape.

The author intertwines the lives of two men, best friends in the past. After almost eight years apart they are very different people now. They both have a secret and a complicated past, colors of which are alternately: extraordinarily colorful or shades of gray.

Both characters, besides their relationship, have separate threads.
Marcin’s world - where he is a vocalist in a punk-screamer - garage band - enters a famous, psychedelic vocalist, Winter.
Nivan’s world - where he is an ex - hacker wanting to solve the echoes of his own past, cooperates with Rav, a man working for the drug cartel.

The threads intertwine, and the characters live their own separate lives as well, so to speak. Currently, their history is far more advanced than in the chapters available. The author often writes with a large delay between chapters, as their stories take shape under her capable hand.

Every chapter starts with a title - this is who is the main character in said chapter. If the chapter begins with "The Blonde" it’s Marcin who is the main character in that chapter and if it starts with "The Redhead" the main character is Nivan, and his story is the main thread in that chapter. The titles stem from the hair colors of the characters, which change with time. What you need to remember is that the characters of this story like changes and that both of their natural hair colors is black.

With the evolvement of their relationship, the way they treat each other changes. They refer differently to each other. They cease to be nameless: "Blonde" and "Redhead" to one another. And their names are used more frequently.

The author would like to add that most of what takes place is in Poland, in an alternative city, created for the same role playing game. It’s an immigrant city, housing people of different nationalities and beliefs. This city, if real, would be in the east of the Warminsko-Mazuskie Province and has been named “NoNameCity”

Note from the translator:
This is not a word for word translation. So there will be words missing, or words added when comparing with the original. I gave my best not to change the contents, BUT sometimes I just had to. Of course you'll find mistakes in the text, so please instead of mocking my language skills, just sit back and enjoy a beautiful love story. I decided to try to translate it because I adore their story so much. It would be a pity for others not to be able to read it, especially since the artwork that goes with it is so beautiful. This piece took 2.5 hours to translate, so if you don't like the way it's done, please at least respect the work I've put into this. But, I really hope you'll like it as much as I do.

Note from the editor:
Thanks to the hard work of the lovely Anna, who translated this from Polish to English, all of us English speaking fans can enjoy this truly beautiful piece. I have simply gone in and done some formatting and tweaking (English and all it's damn rules!) to make it even easier to immerse yourself in the story. However, I would like to note that it is a conscious decision by the author to mix past and present tense and to use spacing for emphasis. These things are stylistic choices, not errors, so please don't leave comments about them.
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01.
The Blonde

Dark and quiet. Peaceful.
The tiny flat is immersed in deep sleep; just like the people that live in it.
Well... it would be, if not for the Blonde that's tossing and turning on his mattress.

How long has he been lying like that? An hour? Two?
He doesn't know. He is mad at himself that he's not coping. Again. And with something that is such a triviality. This is another night like that. Well, he got some sleep today... it doesn't matter though, since he's been dreaming about things that he doesn't want to admit, even to himself. Thoughts that are only pissing him off are walking around his head, in his boots.

He closes his eyes.
But he can't fall asleep.
It doesn't work.

Grinding his molars he sits up on the edge of his mattress. He scratches at the nape of his neck.
He's thinking for a bit.

Door.
He's arguing with himself.
He's getting up.

His feet carry him of their own volition, to a room he should not enter.
Standing in the doorway with his fingers clenched on the jamb, he looks in.
What the hell is he doing here anyway?
Subconsciously he knows why all too well.
In this room there is some sort of calm and something he can't put in words. Well... except for the smell of the guy, the rabbit and the stale air. In short - it stank.

And in his room? There's just chaos and overwhelming thoughts. And a lot of boxes. And it probably stank a little as well.

He feels stupid.
He shouldn't be here. It fucks it all up even more.
Yes. It fucks it up.
He should be leaving. He should go back to his room. He just should... go.
He doesn't want to.
Because there is no one in his room that he could cuddle up against.

He doesn't get the time to work through the thought, because the figure moves in the bed.
There is no going back now.
Fucking redheaded ninja senses everything.

____________________

"What are you doing here?" 'Fucking redheaded ninja' demanded angrily, looking at the Blonde with sleepy eyes and a bit of a confused look on his face. Then he pulled his brows tight together and tousled his already shaggy bed head. He hoped this wasn't another stupid joke.
"I... well... I mean..." He felt of like snot; caught red-handed.
The Redhead's brows lifted slightly.
"I just sort of had..." continued the Blonde, massaging his neck, his eyes directed to the floor. "I had a bad dream... and thought..."
"You thought what?"
"That I..."
The Redhead was looking at him as if he was an idiot.
"I had a bad dream, and I started to ponder, and because of that I couldn't fall asleep again. So I thought I could maybe sleep with you? I mean next to you? It would make me feel better." Marcin said it all quickly on one exhale. Straight after it all was spoken aloud he had this fleeting thought that he really, truly, was an idiot.
The Redhead was silent for a moment staring at this lost intruder.
"Are you making fun of me?"
The fact is that since Marcin moved in with the Redhead, practically every day he irked him and now he wants to sleep next to him? Because 'Mr. Tough Guy' is scared? That's a good one.
Nivan thought, taking it as a not very funny joke.

But the Blonde didn't feel like laughing. After what he said his face fell and grew sad.
"Yeah, okay, whatever... it doesn't matter." He turned around and just as he was about to leave, the Redhead voice rang in his ears.
"Take your pillow." Immediately after the words left his lips, the Redhead thought he should switch off his inner Mother Teresa. It always ended badly for him.

The Blonde stopped. Smiled a little smile and went to his room to bring what he was asked to.

After a short while he stood in the doorway again with a mischievous smile on his face.
The Redhead looked at him with one eye and moved over to the wall to make some space.
"Thanks," the Blonde said, lying down back to back, cuddling his face into the pillow.
"Now sleep," the Redhead bit out.

The Blonde definitely had that intention. He really did.
He felt curiously safe and thought it will be easy to fall asleep now. Piece of cake.

But... ehm.
He was lying next to the Redhead. The half-naked Redhead. Very close to the Redhead.

Think about sleep. Think about sleep. SLEEP.

His head was on about one thing; his hands were about something totally different.
His long fingers found their way to the Redhead's shoulder.
And he really didn't want that... he really didn't... But his hand... did it... of its own volition.
The Redhead didn't turn around, didn't look. He might have been scared though, because he was lying so rigidly.

The long fingers of a would-be pianist played a melody on his skin.
He wasn't aware yet how much he would regret it all in the morning.

A strong hand got hold of those long fingers.
The Blonde took a sharp inhale. Holding his breath back, his eyes went wide.
Maybe he went too far... or maybe...
He would regret this thought in the morning as well.

The Redhead squeezed the Blonde's hand tightly and moved it away... putting it well away from him.
The Blonde frowned. Something hurt inside badly. Very badly.
He fisted the pillow in his hands. He felt how the Redhead inched closer, posing himself over his ear. Redhead's long hair cascaded over the Blonde's face.
"You really are making fun of me," he whispered.

The words despite their meaning, were pleasantly tickling his ear. He felt even worse. Why the hell did he come to him? Why was he doing it to himself? He had already started to call himself names with each alphabet letter, when he heard a soft sigh.

The Redhead embraced him. Tightly.
He was surprised.
"Now sleep."
The Redhead knew that when someones shouting and pissing you off, they simply need a hug. Because sometimes, everyone does. Or it might be that his inner Mother Teresa is telling him things.

The Blonde didn't care. He smiled. Everything dispersed, at least for that short while.}

_{PAGE WITH THIS STORY [with PDF 's file]

Author: *Kyoux
Translator: ~schiotka
Editor: ~JacquelineMonaie

Polish version: [link]

---
ALL TRANSLATED CHAPTERS: [link]

Chapter 01
Chapter 02 - [link]
Chapter 03 - [link]
Chapter 04 - [link]
Chapter 05 - [link]
Chapter 06 - [link]
Chapter 07 - [link]
Chapter 08 - [link]
Chapter 09 - [link]
Chapter 10 - [link]
Chapter 11 - [link]
Chapter 12 - [link]
Chapter 13 - [link]
Chapter 14 - [link]
Chapter 15 - [link]
Chapter 16 - [link]
Chapter 17 - [link]
Chapter 18 - [link]

Bonus chapters:
Marcin's adventure - [link]
Nivan's dream - [link]

Descriptions of characters: [link]

The Blonde - Marcin

The Redhead - Nivan

Together

Please leave comment if you read : )}