literature

The Artist's Insomnia pt 8

Deviation Actions

The9Club's avatar
By
The9Club
Published:
326 Views

Literature Text

The Artist's Insomnia pt 8 by ~merrypsimon



6 was dying. He was dying inside and out. He’d lost almost all sense of reality. The sleep deprivation had gotten to him. Gotten to him and destroyed him. A week. It had been a week since he’d last slept. A week since he’d last shut his optics and floated away from the horrors of reality. As he promised, he hadn’t left his room since 5 had last saw him. That was two days ago. Oh he tried to sleep, hoping 5 would come back faster, but it was hopeless. He’d tossed and he’d turned. It was torture. Like he’d forgotten how to sleep.
“Ugh!” 6 groaned frustrated, crumpling up his current drawing into a ball and throwing it across the room. It landed in a pile of other crumpled up drawings. He was so tired. He was irritable, and everything seemed forced. Even drawing seemed forced.
“I can’t take it anymore! Why did you take my music?” 6 asked angrily, crumpling up another drawing.
You wouldn’t listen to me.
“You know I can’t sleep without my music!” 6 exclaimed.
Oh please… You haven’t heard the real thing in so long you’ve probably forgotten how it sounds anyway.
“No. I could never forget my song” 6 stated.
Then why are you complaining?
“Because you took it! I didn’t forget it, you took it!” 6 yelled.
Is there a difference?
“There’s a huge difference” 6 pouted, crossing his arms angrily.
And here I was trying to leave you alone…
“How is it leaving me alone when you take my things?” 6 asked irritably.
I didn’t take your things. You probably forgot. Least we forget you’re the one bothering me this time.
“I didn’t forget it. You took it” 6 said again.
Okay… if you say so….cranky.
“Gee…thanks” 6 rolled his optics, crumpling up yet another drawing.
Why do you do that?
“Do what?” 6 asked, still fairly angry.
Crumple up your drawings. If you don’t like them, then why keep drawing them?
“I just do” 6 said flatly.
Clearly I’m not wanted here.
“No….You think?” 6 asked sarcastically.
Your rude.
“Am not” 6 said flatly.
You know if you spent more time listing to me, you’d spend less time being a grouch and hating yourself.
“Oh yes. Because I’d much rather listen to someone who wants to kill me rather then listen to my best friend. And for the record, I don’t hate myself” 6 stated.
You keep telling yourself that.
“I will” 6 shot back.
Fine.
“Fine!” 6 shouted. It was silent. No voices, just himself. He’d fought the voices and won. Even irritability had it’s perks. 6 rolled his optics and went back to drawing hopelessly.
“6?” a voiced called sometime later.
“5?” 6 asked, his mood changing instantly. 5 slowly opened the door and 6 bolted toward him.
“6. I’ve got something for-” 6 jumped into 5’s unexpecting arms, causing them to fall into a heap on the floor.
“Somebody’s happy to see me” 5 laughed. 6 nodded happily, pulling 5 and himself into a sitting position.
“I missed you a lot” 6 told him, wrapping his arm’s around 5’s waist.
“I know you did” 5 said, returning the hug.
“So did you find what you were looking for?” 6 asked curiously.
“I hope so” 5 answered. Then he pulled 6 away from him.
“Wait right here” he told him.
“Why?” 6 asked, tilting his head to the side.
“I’ve got something for you” 5 said. With those words, 6 sat perfectly still.
“I like presents” 6 said happily.
“I know you do” 5 said as he left the room. A few minutes later 5 came back in, this time carrying a large black item. He sat it down in front of 6.
“Ooh! What is it?” 6 asked excitedly.
“This. Is a music player” 5 said proudly.
“But where are the listening phones?” 6 asked curiously, unable to find a source for sound.
“This one is different. It has the listening phones inside it” 5 said, flipping the black music player over.
“Are they trapped in there?” 6 asked worriedly.  
“No” 5 laughed.
“The humans made a thing called speakers. They project the sound so you don’t have to use the ‘listening phones’” 5 explained.
“Turn it on! Turn it on!” 6 exclaimed, poking at the black and white buttons. 5 flipped the device to it’s side, revealing a small black button. 5 held the button down until the screen lit up. In shiny silver letters the word “Zen” flashed across the screen followed by “Hello Ariel!*”
“What’s an Ariel?” 6 asked confused. 5 laughed a bit.
“It must be the person who owned this” 5 guessed.
“Maybe my song is in there!” 6 exclaimed happily.  5 smiled at him, hoping that his song would be on this player.
“Do you know how to work it?” 6 asked him
“I think so” 5 said
“Here. You can help me look through the songs” 6 told him, sitting on 5’s lap and placing the player in his own. 5 went down the list of songs as 6 watched with curious optics
“What’s an Elysium?” 6 asked
“I don’t know” 5 said
“Pick that one!” 6 exclaimed. 5 pressed the while button in the middle of the player. The song started up, fast and bouncy. Then A woman’s voice sung.
We’ve had our past, I hope, it lasts. Don’t leave me hanging cause you know what I’m feeling. I go crazy, I go crazy. And if I asked you would you stop me from falling? Would you save me? Would you save me?  6 liked the sound of this song. It was bouncy. It was happy. It was sound.
“Soooound”  6 hummed happily.
“Is this it?” 5 asked him.
“Is this what?” 6 asked confused
“Is this your song?” 5 asked hopefully. 6 nodded negatively.
“How about you pick one.” 6 suggested.
“Okay” 5 nodded, he went down the list. Finally deciding on a song, he pushed the play button. A guitar began to play quietly.
As soon as your born, they make you feel small. By giving you no time instead of it all. Until the pain is so big you feel nothing at all…working class hero is something to be* A man’s voice sung gently.
“I think this song is about you” 6 said, as the lyrics continued. He rocked himself slowly to the tune.
When you can’t really function, you’re so full of fear. 5 listened to the words, trying to understand them carefully. If you want to be a hero well just follow me…. a different mans voice sung, finishing the song with a strum of a guitar. “Hey guys!” 9 exclaimed, walking through the door. 6 jumped nervously at the sound of 9’s voice.
“Hi 9” 5 said. Realizing who it was, 6 settled back down into 5’s lap once more.
“What are you guys doing up here?” 9 asked, looking for the source of the sounds.
“We are playing with my new toy!” 6 exclaimed happily. 9 sat down next to the two of them.
“Can I see?” 9 asked. 6 nodded and passed 9 the black device. He scrolled through the songs, then pushed the white button. A young man’s voice began to sing *Sick and tired of this world, there’s no more air. Tripping over myself. Going nowhere. Waiting, suffocating, no direction, I took a dive down. On the way down, I saw you, and you saved me from myself.
“Wait, wait, hang on a second” 9 said, standing up and leaving the room. Five minutes later he came back, dragging 7 behind him.
“7!” 5 and 6 said together.
“Hey guys” she smiled back.
“What’s this I hear about 6 having a music player?” she asked
“Want to pick a song?” 6 asked, offering his toy to 7.  
“Sure!” she exclaimed, sitting down next to 5 and 6.
“What is ‘Hindi Sad Diamonds’?” she asked. Everybody shrugged and 5 pushed the play button.
“SHE IS MINE!” a man’s voice bellowed, followed by a loud explosion. 6 cried out in fear, putting his hands over his ear sensors and hid his face in the crook of 5’s neck.
“Make it stop…Make it stop” 6 cried. 5 pushed the first button he saw, the player’s background changed and another song begun to play. The door opened once more
“What is everybody doing?” 2 asked cheerfully.
“We are playing music!” 6 smiled at the kind inventor.
“Music? So that thing really does work 5?” 2 asked. 5 nodded happily.
“Want to pick a song?” 6 asked. 2 walked over to 6, taking the player in his hands.
“What harm could it do?” 2 asked, looking through the list of songs. Then he pushed the play button. You could hardly tell there was sound. Then a calm voice sung *Night. And the spirit of life, calling. And the voice, with the fear of a child, answers. Wait! There’s no mountain too great. Here the words and have faith. Oh… Have faith. He lives in you…
2 leaned down to push the shuffle button when 5 called out to him
“Wait” he said, looking at 6.
“Mmm…mm…not tired” 6 mumbled. His head was bowed down again. As he struggled to keep his optics open, 5 put his hand on 6’s back and rubbed it soothingly.
“Can’t….sleep…” 6 trailed off. They were all silent as the calming song continued to play, forcing 6 into a sleepy daze. 5 pulled 6 closer to him, resting 6’s head on his shoulder.
“No…have to stay…awake…” 6 fought in a light tone. 6 closed his optics and gave in. 6 was going to sleep! 6 was almost asleep! almost. The door swung open
“Aha! Here’s the source of that insufferable racket!” 1 bellowed, 6 sat bolt upright, now more awake then he‘d been. Curse 1’s inability to care about anybody but himself. 6 was almost asleep. almost. 5 thought to himself.
“Why? Why must you insist upon driving me insane!?” 1 asked harshly. 2 walked over to the oldest stitchpunk.
“Oh, Your just jealous because nobody invited you” 2 laughed, patting 1 on the shoulder. 1 rolled his optics sarcastically and walked over to the music device.
“What’s this?” he asked,
“It’s called a Moe-Zay-Ick!” 6 exclaimed, proudly reading the back of the player.
“Hmm” 1 said, picking up the player.
“No that’s mine!” 6 exclaimed, jumping out of 5’s lap and clinging onto the music player.
“Ha! It’s of no use to me anyway” 1 laughed tossing the player to the ground.  6 sighed hopelessly, and picked up the player. 1 laughed as 6 walked back over to 5, cradling the player in his arms and inspecting it for damage. No sound was coming out.
“Is it broken?” 6 asked worriedly. 5 inspected the player.
“No. it’s just on pause” 5 explained.
“Fix it” 6 said, placing the player in 5’s hands. 5 rolled his optic, then pushed the play button. 6 sat with the player in his arms, not letting it out of his sight.
1 walked past the rest of the stitchpunk, stopping at the door where 8 stood.
“Oh you mine as well join them you illiterate traitor!” 1 said angrily. 8 smiled at 1, and ran to where 6 was. 6 passed him the player, and 8 settled on a song. Living dead girl… an evil voice spoke as loud guitars and drums began to play. 6 didn’t like this song either. Soon, 3 and 4 made their way into 6’s room. Once they saw the strange device, they took it from 6, fighting with each other to catalogue it.
“Give it back! Give it back!” 6 hollered, chasing the twins around the room. It was chaos, but they were all together for once. Even 1 seemed to be enjoying himself, even if he didn’t show it. It was after a while that 5 noticed 6. The striped stitchpunk was sitting in a corner, legs drawn up to his chin, and his arms around them. He was rocking himself slowly. 5 walked over to him.
“What’s wrong 6?” he asked, putting a hand on 6’s shoulder
“Make them leave…it’s too noisy. It’s too loud! Make them leave!” 6 exclaimed.  
“Okay” 5 said rubbing 6’s back soothingly. Eventually 5 was able to get everybody to leave 6’s room. The hardest was getting 3 and 4 to leave without taking the player with them.
“Is this better?” 5 asked. 6 nodded and crawled into 5’s lap.
“I’m so tired…” 6 trailed off.
“I know you are” 5 said, letting 6 rest his head on his shoulder.
“Can’t…sleep” 6 whispered.
“Why not?” 5 asked
“I just…can’t” 6 told him,
“You have to sleep sometime” 5 said. 6 looked at him with sleepy optics.
“No I don’t” 6 shook  his head.
“Please…for me?” 5 begged. Deciding to let 5 win the fight, even if it wasn’t as simple as 5 tried to make it. He rested himself on 5’s shoulder and closed his optics, pretending to sleep.
“6?” 5 asked, when he got no response from the stitchpunk, he carried 6 to his bed and placed him under the covers. Then he quietly left 6 alone in his room. After a few minutes, 6 opened his optics again, tossing the blankets aside, and stared at the music player. He knew the music player didn’t have his song. He knew that 5 was only trying to help him. But it was hopeless, and the only way he was going to get his song is if he found it himself.
The original: [link]

By: :iconmerrypsimon:

Artist Comments: BTW! The preview picture is drawn by "Snowiweather" on the 9 forum. Snowi drew the preview picture for this story, and is letting me use it for the preview picture. it depicts a very sleepy 6 leaning aginst 5, trying despreatly to keep himself awake while lisiting to the song "He Lives In You" from "The Lion King 2"

Okay, so it's my very first "9" fic, even if it's about 5 and 6 mostly. I'll eventually write more, and this story is currently posted on [link] (The "9" Forum) You can find me there under the username "6" Anyway first off summary.

When 6's, (Voiced by Crispin Glover) voices come to him and make him hurt 5 (Voiced by John C Reilly) while sleeping, 6 begins to fear 5, thinking that his best friend hates him and wants him to be punished. Knowing that his best friend is getting worse with each day, 5 is unsure of 6's strange behavior and how he can help it. Then, when 6's song is taken from him by the voices he hears, 6 stops sleeping, unable to calm himself enough to let sleep take over. While 5 watches his best friend slowly succumb to sleep deprivation, 6 starts to take matters into his own hands, even if it will kill him.

This story got AMAZING! feedback on the 9 forum, won't you do the same for me on here?


Chapter One: Nightmare & Voices
Chapter Two: About 6
Chapter Three: Blessed Curse
Chapter Four: Problems
Chapter Five: Fixing His Hands
Chapter Six: Split 6
Chapter Seven: Of Mood Swings & Confusion

Oh and BTW, My name is Ariel if you guys didn't know that. I really do have an Mosaic Mp3 player

Songs:
"Elysium (I Go Crazy)" Scott Brown Vs Ultrabeat
"Working Class Hero" Green Day
"On The Way Down" Ryan Cabera
"Hindi Sad Diamonds" from "Moulin Rouge!"
"He Lives In You" from "Lion King 2"
"Living Dead Girl" Rob Zombie
© 2009 - 2024 The9Club
Comments0
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In