Songs of the Devil

[Eli]

Story Title: Songs of the Devil

Type of story: Oneshot

Main Characters: Geoff and Lucas

BTTB rating: G/A

Genre: Romance/Angst

Does story include spoilers: Very slightly

Any warnings: No

Summary: The soundtrack of your life can be the songs of the Devil

Notes:

- This story is in no way meant to offend anyone religious, the title is based on one opinion of popular music (not my personal opinion) as the song in fact is by a Christian band.

- Song lyrics in italics are from "Awakening" by Switchfoot.

Songs of the Devil

These dreams started singing to me out of nowhere

And in all my life I don't know that I ever felt so alive,

Alive

---

On the shelf under the kitchen window there had been an old radio. It was black, boxy and made of plastic, and it had been there for as long as he could remember.

That radio was for farm reports and weather forecasts, and Pop would turn it off as soon as that was over and they started to play music again.

Popular music was music of the Devil, he said, and no one but him was allowed to touch that radio.

Once, when he was ten, Geoff had switched it on when Pop was out. It had been the most exciting thing ever, all kinds of different people singing all kinds of different songs. There had been fast songs, slow songs, happy songs and sad songs. Some even sang with an accent.

But he had been caught, that was only fair when he disobeyed his grandfather like that.

For two long hours he had been forced to pray, asking the Lord for forgiveness. It had scared him a little.

Not Pop’s reaction; it was the feeling the music had given him; the urge and temptation to keep listening, even though he knew it was wrong.

This popular music truly was evil.

Strangely the church seemed to disagree.

Every Thursday Geoff had gone to Bible-study with the church youthgroup. They were the closest to friends he had ever had, even though not even they had seemed to think he was one of them.

He remembered one time, about a year ago, this girl, Hannah, had brought a computer to the study.

At first Geoff had thought she would be banned from the group for bringing such works of the Devil to church, but actually the group supervisor had seemed okay with it.

Ms. Jenkins had allowed Hannah to show them a slideshow she had made of pictures from their trip up to the lake last fall.

Geoff had never seen anything like it; bright pictures moving around on the screen, and music playing. It reminded him of the time their teacher had shown them a movie about being friends when he was still in school.

He had thought for sure Ms. Jenkins wouldn’t like the music, but after the slideshow she had actually told the class how good it was that some popular bands and musicians out there didn’t forget about the important message from God.

Maybe not all music was evil after all?

---

Last week found me living for nothing but deadlines,

With my dead beat sky but, this town doesn't look the same tonight

Everything had changed so fast. Only two weeks ago he had been out there at the farm, unable to see any way out of it all, one week later he had been out here, still unable to see any way out.

This was God's punishment; that’s what Pop would have said if he had seen him. He should have known better than to throw away all he had, especially when he knew he was too different to be welcomed into their world.

But it was all in the past now. His tears had been real, and so had Lucas’ offer to help him.

Apparently it was called ”caring”.

These dreams started singing to me out of nowhere

And in all my life I don't know that I ever felt so alive,

Alive

He looked at the sleeping boy on the couch. He was breathing slowly, sleeping peacefully, not even noticing the TV programme he had fallen asleep watching, nor the person on the floor, silently watching his every breath, his every move...

Lucas took a deep breath and made a sound, almost like a sigh. Like all the air went out of him.

If Geoff concentrated hard enough and added a little of his own imagination, it almost sounded like he was whispering his name.

Geoff couldn’t help smiling as he got up, picked up the remote control Lucas had dropped on the floor and switched off the TV.

Now he could really listen.

Here we are now with the falling sky and the rain,

We're awakening

The movement was sudden, almost like someone had poked him with a needle, and suddenly he was awake.

”Are you watching me sleep?”

It was almost a whisper, talking loudly was almost impossible with the dimmed evening light and the peaceful atmosphere.

Geoff shrugged, but for some reason he didn’t look away.

Here we are now with our desperate youth and the pain,

We're awakening

”Why?”

It was still just a whisper, and again Geoff shrugged.

”No reason,” he whispered, ”I hope you don’t mind.”

Lucas sat up and looked at his mate without answering at first. The he shook his head slowly.

”No,” he whispered back, ”It’s okay.”

---

The sun was almost gone, and the bright colours that had been gleaming and sparkling just a few minutes ago were quickly fading, and the orange sky was quickly turning heavier and darker, like lead.

”Are you cold?”

Geoff turned to Lucas, the last shades of orange and yellow made it look like he was glowing, and it made Geoff shiver, almost like someone had just sent a small jolt of electricity down his spine.

”A little,” he said, ”But it’s okay.”

Lucas took off his sweater, and carefully he wrapped it around his mate’s shoulders.

”Better?”

Geoff nodded.

”Much better.”

They smiled at each other before going back to looking at the sunset. Geoff couldn’t help but noticing they were sitting closer to each other now.

Suddenly, out of nowhere he started thinking about that song he had heard more than a year ago; back when everything was in the same greyscale, when popular music still belonged to the Devil;

Maybe it's called ambition, but you've been talking in your sleep

About a dream, we're awakening

The feeling was back; the urge, the temptation... Was it the song, the sunset, or maybe... Lucas?

These dreams started singing to me out of nowhere

And in all my life I don't know that I ever felt so alive,

Alive

The sky was now the same colour as lead, Lucas’ sweater was keeping him warm, and the few last gleams of orange sunlight still made Lucas glow.

Was it the song, the sunset, or maybe Lucas?

It didn’t matter.

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