Colourful Concert

The night is overcast with looming clouds, the weather gloomy and exhausting. The wind howling across the city through every alleyway and road. While the rain drizzles heavily down from the clouds, soaking the very denizens of this metropolis. The very city itself shivers from this dull and loathsome weather that plagues it.

Yet the city shines and sparkles under this dreary mood. The lanes beautifully lit by the neon lights and street lamps, causing the veins of this city to glow. Numerous umbrellas flick open as they protect their holders from the rain, each varying with colourful patterns. Even as this dreary weather tries to beat down this city, but it won’t drown out the colours.

In the crowd, an umbrella the colour of sunshine hops merrily along. The wielder under this umbrella is wearing a thick leather hooded black jacket, with numerous glimmering patches and a radiant design on the back. On their back is of a Jaguar’s skull engraved with tribal etchings surrounded with a bouquet of flowers. They walk onward through the rain with dark brown hiking boots and black ripped jeans with silver stitching and golden markings sewed on it. They march across the road, passing gracefully through the crowds, like a snake through wild grass.

Through their careful stroll across the busying crowds of the city, they arrive at their destination. They look up to see a large hologram of a luminous Calavera skeleton swaying above a sign, ‘Soulful Rhythms’. Even outside the entrance, they can feel the thrums of music just vibrating out. Just to their right is a queue of people under these sleek grey covers to enter in, all dressed to sway just like the skeleton above them.

They pass the queue of party-goers, gives a nod to the bouncer at the door. The bouncer is a buff and well-dressed woman as she gives a nod back to them. She opens the door for them, where a wave of heat, sound and light washes over into the wet streets. They close their umbrella, gives it a little shake and enters the club scene.

They pull down their hood, revealing short curly golden brown hair and unveiling a handsome face. As if moulded from brass, with a radiating shine to them and a fiery set of amber eyes. They toss their umbrella up high, where it is snatched by a crimson monkey. Taking the umbrella away for safekeeping, at the roof is covered by a beautiful garden of vines and flowers held aloft by metal rafters and ceiling beams. There are several of these red howling monkeys, along with other wildlife that swing, slither and crawl.

They march through the club, getting through the mass of dancing crowds. In the rhythm of the music and moves of the people, dancing as they get through. They head through the crowd, then to a door guarded by a burly set of guards, who open up for them. They don’t slow down their pace, as they pass through busy halls of frantic employees that keep this clean running behind the scenes. However, these passages aren’t barren of design and colour, as the walls are covered in numerous paintings that are in constant motion of dancers, adventurous scoundrels, festive spirits and prowling animals of land, sky and sea.

They dodge through the chaos, to finally to arrive at the door of this club’s green room. They give the door a rhythmic knock, after a moment the door opens. A young woman with neon red dreadlocks, eyes like rubies and a fiendish smile. She is dressed in a red matching crop-top and booty shorts, accompanied by a cropped chrome silver jacket.

“Ey! You’re back!” she squeals as she jumps into their arms in a big hug.

“Like I would be late for tonight,” they smirk giving a tight squeeze back.

“Bring Onofre in Celerina, so they can get set up,” says a voice from behind.

Celerina lets Onofre go and brings them into the room. What they see is a large room with sofas, velvet armchairs, two vanities and a medium circular glass coffee table. If there are four others who are getting themselves ready with an assortment of people around them.

One is a woman sitting at the vanity applying her make up. She is wearing a fitting black dress with silver hoop earrings, golden bracelets and gemstone rings. Short black hair, thick maroon lips and eyes like onyx. She smiles, stands and walks to Onofre, their black stilettos clicking and hugs them.

“Now get in the seat, we only got a bit till we hit the stage,” she pinches their cheeks and drags them where she was sitting.

“Ow ow ow! Careful with the cheeks Amaya, I’m here nothing more to worry!” they laugh as they are pulled to the vanity.

Amaya gets to work on Onofre in getting them ready, a man strolls up to them dragging one of the armchairs to them. A black man with an open buttoned flowery shirt and shorts revealing a muscular form and numerous neon-bright Mayan tattoos.

“Come on Quiqui, I made it with good time right?” Onofre asks as they try to turn their head but Amaya keeps his head still as she does his hair.

“We still got time. But for next time, please arrive early with the rest of us,” Quiqui smiles, relaxed but with a stern look from his jade green eyes.

“Fair enough I guess,” sighs Onofre, but they quickly perk up, “So what will we be playing tonight?”

“Yo! Dulcina, Tulio! Show them what we got cooking!” Quiqui cheers out to the sofa.

On the sofa are two people, who were dancing and swaying on the sofas, they stop and jump off the sofas. Dulcina a petite woman, with dirty blonde hair in a messy bun, wearing a violet flow dress with a red sash tied around her hips. She puts these little pods into Onofre’s ears and looks into the vanity mirror, her golden eyes shine from the lights.

“Tell us what ya think of this?” she whispers and gives a big joyful smile. “Play it, Tulio!”

Tulio is a tall man, wearing a billowy white shirt and red coloured jeans with a golden sash. His hair in the colour of violet is long and straight reaching to the small of his back. He clicks a little device and sound blasts into Onofre’s ears.

Onofre is still for a moment but a smile creeps out from his face, as he sways and bobs his head to the tune.

“Now this,” he speaks aloud over the music, “This is the sound I’m excited to play with!”

Amaya finishes up the last touches and steps away from her masterwork.

“Well now that we are all set and ready, shall we get ourselves out there?” Amaya smirks as she looks to her band.

Celerina whoops excitedly jumping up and down excitedly.

“Alright everyone, get your things! It’s time we rouse this crowd up!”

The group cheers as they grab the tools of their trade. Celerina grabs these shiny crystal rods, flips them in the air, taps them and does a little drum solo. Quiqui puts on these shining green gloves where he clicks his fingers and electric sparks fly out. Onofre fishes out a guitar made of the crystal material as Celerina’s rods. Dulcina, Amaya and Tulio get in harmony as they hum and let loose their vocal range.

After a few moments, a knock at the door is heard, and a small attendant walks in wearing a little headset on.

“The stage is set and ready for your gig, is there anything you’ll need?” they ask, looking towards the whole band expectantly.

“Just have the crowd riled up and ready for us,” Onofre smirks.

The attendant nods and whispers it to the microphone.

“All is set, follow me.”

They all follow them through the halls and as they head towards the backstage. A black shining screen separates them from the crowd. They are just a couple of feet away from centre stage and spotlight.

The attendant gives them a smile, a thumbs up and heads away.

“Now my dear club growers, we’ve teased you long enough!” a voice booms out, the crowd cheers.

“Tonight, we will love to introduce you to the greatest act of our underground scene. A group that will shatter your expectations! Raise you up to the greatest heights of ecstasy! Tonight we beckon you to witness the greatest, the wonderful and truly magnificent group of this brilliant night!”

“Celerina you ready?” Quiqui turns to her, who is now shaking with excitement, tapping at her crystal rods together that grows brighter and brighter.

“I’m fired up!” Celerina cheers out.

“Then be prepared, for it’s time to let in the… ROARING SMILES!” the voice bellows out and the crowd roars excitedly.

The lights go dark, the black screen shifts and melt to a swirling bright mess of hypnotic rainbow colours. The screen no longer there, but this beautiful mist is all the separates the crowd and the band. Celerina rushes and blasts through the colourful mist, jump and almost land on the crowd. But a clear screen separates them and shimmers when she lands. She smacks her rods on the screen not wildly but to a rhythm. And a rhythm follows. The screen vibrates and colourful circular ripples wave out.

Amaya, Dulcina and Tulio stroll out and begins to sing. Their voices follow to the sound of Celerina’s beats, their voices smooth, silky and melodious. The crowds sing with them, swaying to the sound. Quiqui clicks his fingers and with sudden hand motions, a band of jade green skeletons each carrying an instrument of their own appears. He winks and walks in with the band, as these musical skeletons play to the song as he orchestrates them to the song. The crowd cheers for his entry, as the concert goes wild, the sea of people are swaying and dancing to their sound.

Onofre puts their hand to their chest and slowly pulls out from them a strange golden shimmering guitar. With their crystal guitar pick, they walk through the rainbow mist and begins playing it. The guitar sing as each chord ripples out, the sound as it mixes and coils with the skeletal band, Celerina’s beating and the beautiful trio’s singing. The music is beyond heavenly, as the crowd danced and sing with them.

Celerina goes wild running over the crowds floating over them as she drums the rods to the silver screen. The trio sings together with a chorus that just hypnotises the crowd as they sing with them. Quiqui’s band plays never a single misstep as they play to their songs. While Onofre goes wild with their guitar, playing with the strings furiously and fast through like lightning.

Now on their final song, Onofre and Celerina play together with the skeletal band. Amaya, Dulcina and Tulio dance and sing together. All of them together at one spot they stop playing and sing together, their voices mixing together in a beautiful remedy. And the crowd joins in, all of them singing together in one great giant voice. And as the final word rings out, the audience roars and the band smiles, taking a bow.

#fiction #flashfiction #inspiration #scifi #MagicalRealism #creativity