Tuning fork

Morgana woke up on a sofa at the back of her favourite bar, head pounding from someone yelling at her. She felt like absolute shit, hungover from the previous days partying. Todd the bar's owner towered above her. "Fuck's sake Morgana. This is the last time. I'm done. You can't crash here anymore. You are not welcome back until you pay your tab." Morgana scrambled as she rubbed her temples, she only wanted Todd to stop yelling. Her head was hurting so bad. Her usual fiery persona unable to truly surface thanks to the pain. "Ugh....fine..just please stop talking...." Todd grabbed Morgana by her choker and started dragging her. "Oh come on Todd...I promise you'll have the money by next week...I'm just really tight right now...uhh...maybe we can find a different solution-...." Todd just sighed and kept dragging her, opening the backdoor and pushing her outside into the rain. "Morgana, it's about time you grow up and take some responsibility, and that means a lot coming from an owner of an underground **** metal bar. Goodbye." Todd slams the door shut whilst Morgana yells at the top of her lungs. "You fucking poser cunt bitch fuck!" She stops hastily as her head throbbed in pain from the exertion, reminding her that she is still hungover as shit. "Ahh...fuck..." Morgana clutched her head and rubbed her temples again. What was she to do now...she dreaded the fact there really only was one option left. The one she had used several times before but hated to use. She had to head home to her parents.

A long miserable walk through the freezing rain later that gave her plenty of time to rethink her life choices she arrives outside of her childhood home. She rings the doorbell and her mother opens. She must look absolutely pathetic and miserable. She was cold, hungry, had a splitting headache and felt like she was on the verge of tears. "H-hey mom...c-can I come in?" Deliah stared at her failure of a daughter, rage filling her like it usually did. "Oh no...there is no way. You can't simply come back here and beg your way inside of our home after dropping everything and leaving. You never call, you never tell us anything. Every time you've come back it's to beg us for money. We are done Emily. Until you find a way to shape up your life we will not be victims to your behaviour anymore!"

Morgana sighed...her father who had heard the commotion came around the corner and pushed Deliah aside. "Oh! Honey!" He grabbed Emily and gave her a nice long hug. Patting her drenched hair. "Oh little darling...come in. You must be freezing!" Deliah groaned audibly. "Oh come on Patrick...you can't keep coddling her like this every time! When will it end?" Patrick glared at his wife as she guided Emily straight towards the shower to warm her up. "Deliah. I did not want this either. But she is still our daughter and we take care of our own. Maybe that makes me a fool, but that is a price I will gladly pay." Deliah didn't respond and simply stomped away, furious. Morgana felt a stream of tears running down her cheeks. She felt lucky that she was so drenched that her father hopefully didn't notice. "Here is a towel...put your clothes in the basket here and I'll wash them for you. I think we still have some of your old clothing in your room, i'll grab some for you." Her father closed the door to the bathroom with a slightly painful smile. Emily stood there and stared at herself in the mirror right after. She started sobbing, this was just too much. What the fuck has she done with her life. After a minute or two of letting it all out she undressed, putting her soaking clothes into the basket and got herself a nice, hot and steamy shower. Right after getting in the door opened slightly ajar and Patrick tossed in a pair of my little pony pajamas, something Emily would clearly rather be caught dead than wearing...everyone has a bit of a princess phase when they're young, right? The question was now whether or not her current lifestyle was also a phase on it's last legs, crumbling to pieces.

After showering and drying herself she picked up the pyjamas. She put them on without even complaining. They were clearly too small as they constricted her chest, showing off her midriff as well. The sleeves barely making it a couple inches past her elbows. At least it was comfy...it felt like home. She went back to the mirror and stared at her face, her copious amounts of black make-up partly washed off by the shower. She opens the bathroom cabinet and finds some **** and a cotton pad. She removes the rest of the make-up. Looking upon her naked face for the first time in forever. This is who she used to be. She sighed deeply...and opened the door, heading out into the kitchen. "Hey...dad...I'm kind of hu-..." She cut herself short. Patrick was already making a pair of sandwiches and had already made her a cup of hot chocolate. He turned around and grabbed the glass, holding it out for her to grab. "Here. Drink. The sandwiches will be ready shortly." Emily grabbed the cup with a faint smile and blowed on it a couple times before taking a careful sip. It burned a little as it went down her throat but it tasted divine. "So uhm...dad? Do you think uncle Joey will be around anytime soon?" Emily had always been close with Joey. Somehow she felt like he was the only one who could truly understand her. Patrick paused in the middle of cutting some tomatoes. Back turned towards Emily as he took a few seconds to answer. "Joeys dead Emily. Cancer took him two months ago, you missed his funeral last week."

Like a punch straight to the gut Emily doubled over and started shaking. She didn't want to believe him. This really was gods cruel punishment, right? She didn't want to believe it. She knew that Joey had been diagnosed a couple years back, but his prognosis was that he'd probably die of old age before the cancer got him, what the fuck had gone wrong? Why did everything go wrong in her life. Nothing worked out. Nothing! Patrick continued after a couple of seconds of letting the news sink in. "He left some stuff in his will for you. They should all be in your room." Emily carefully placed the cup of hot chocolate onto the counter and walked away. Tears streaming down her face as she walked up the stairs to her room. Entering it and closing the door. Everything was wrong, everything was in shambles. She walked up to a small chest that had been placed in the middle of the room with an envelope laying on top that read. "To my dearest god-daughter." In tears she opened the envelope and pulled out a note. "Emily, life is full of mysteries and I know you've always been the curious one wanting to explore. I've collected a lot of strange objects in my travels over the years and I always wanted you to have this when I die. Let it make that fiery blaze inside of you burn twice as bright. Keep rocking on and never give up. The world is your stage."

A couple of tears dropped onto the note, smudging the writing. Emily put the now stained note down and opened the chest, revealing a scrapbook filled with photos. She picks it up and flips through pages and pages of memories from her childhood. Pictures of her with family, friends and with Joey through the years. In the middle of looking through it Patrick opens the door to Emily's room and puts a plate of sandwiches onto the floor right by the door together with the cup of barely drunk hot chocolate. "I'll just leave this here hunnie. Take your time." He closed the door again as Emily crawled over and grabbed a sandwich. Happily eating as she looked through all of the various memories, both happy and sad. After finishing her meal she flipped through the final pages. Right as she turned the last one a note as well something metallic fell out and hit the floor with a thud. She picked it up and held it out, examining it. A metallic tuning fork. Strange...maybe Joey figured it was related to her love of music. Emily read the accompanying note. "In times of need strike the fork and say aloud a wish you want to come true. You should find that your wish strikes as true as the tune of the fork." Silly...joey always was a fan of his magic tricks and gadgets. She felt like it didn't hurt to try though, if only to honor his memory. Emily stood up and walked over to her bed and struck it against the metallic frame, causing it to vibrate and hum. Her mouth opened as she formed the words...