Chapter 1:Strings of Fate

Author's POV:

Andy sighed as he set the camera down. He lay on the bed, lazy as usual . Outside, the rain drizzled relentlessly.A normal day like any other.His stomach rumbled. Annoyed, Andy dragged himself out of bed and shuffled to the kitchen. He opened the cupboard and grabbed the first thing he found—Cheerioats. Pouring cereal and milk into a bowl, he plopped onto the couch to eat in silence. The rain continued to pound against the windows.Once he finished, the rain finally stopped. "The rain's stopped," Andy noted. He washed his bowl, wandered down the hallway past several closed doors, and reached the last one. Unlocking it revealed a dusty room, looked like it was untouched for years. White tarps covered everything underneath. In the center stood a guitar, now a bitter reminder of past memories.Despite it all, every few months, Andy brought it to a luthier to keep it in good shape. Today was one of those days. He slung the guitar bag over his shoulder and locked the door behind him.Noticing new neighbors moving in next door, he thought, New neighbors, I guess...Dismissing it, he continued on, muttering, "It's unusually sunny all of a sudden... I wonder if that means something good is going to happen today."As he walked through the park, he heard a sob. Spotting a young girl crying, he approached her gently. "Hey, kid. Why are you crying?"She sniffled and looked up. "M-my schoolbag got stuck in that tree..."Andy looked up. The bag was high in the branches. "How did it even get up there?""No problem, kid. I'll get it for you," he said, patting her shoulder."R-really?" she asked, her eyes wide."Yeah, wait here. I'll bring your bag down," he smiled."T-thanks, mister!" she said, wiping her tears.Andy leaned his guitar against the tree and began climbing. "It's been a while since I've done this," he thought. Climbing branch by branch, he reached the bag and carefully retrieved it."Yay!" the girl cheered below.Andy smiled, but his expression changed when he saw a masked figure sneaking away with his guitar."HEY!" Andy shouted and quickly scrambled down the tree. The thief looked back, their eyes locking for a tense moment before the thief ran off."Get back here!" Andy shouted as he handed the bag to the girl, who beamed at him."Thank you so much, mister!""You're welcome!" Andy replied, then sprinted after the thief.He raced through the park, dodging people, barking dogs, and parked cars. The thief was fast, glancing back occasionally. Andy, not being athletic, struggled to keep up, but he pushed on. "Not yet!" he urged himself. The guitar meant too much.The thief turned sharply, and Andy followed, only to find himself back in the park where the chase began. He skidded to a stop, panting heavily.The thief was nowhere to be seen.The wind was the only sound. Andy trudged to a bench, collapsing onto it and wiping his sweat. A sinking feeling settled in. How did I lose him so easily? Anger and frustration replaced the adrenaline. "Something good's going to happen today, my ass!"The image of three people flashed in his mind. "I guess I don't deserve to keep anything...""Hey, you okay?" a voice broke his thoughts.Andy looked up to see a girl leaning forward, her expression full of concern. "You look kinda freaked out. What's wrong?"Andy hesitated, catching his breath. "I was chasing this guy—he stole something important to me. But he just... vanished."The girl's empathy was clear. "Want some help? He might still be around."Andy shook his head. "I appreciate it, but I don't even know where he went. You probably have better things to do.""Where are you headed?" she asked."Going home. No point staying here," he mumbled."What about your stuff?""I...""I don't know what to do... Part of me wants to give up, but another part won't let me. What should I do?" Andy sat back down, running his hands through his hair in frustration."It might be worth a second shot, y'know?" she said with a hopeful smile.Andy looked up at her. Her eyes, full of determination, made him feel hopeful. "Maybe it is worth a shot..."The girl grinned. "Great! By the way, I'm Rachel Faith. Nice to meet you!""Uh, nice to meet you too. I'm Andy Stone," he replied."So where should we start?" Rachel asked."We can start there if you want..." Andy pointed to the empty playground.Andy and Rachel split up, each searching different parts of the park. Andy checked behind playground equipment and under benches, growing increasingly frustrated with each empty spot. His heart raced as he scoured every corner, the image of his guitar slipping further away.Meanwhile, Rachel searched the other end of the park, methodically checking bushes and asking bystanders if they'd seen anything unusual. Her determination never wavered.Unfortunately, their search yielded no results. Returning to the tree where it all began, Andy felt defeated.Rachel, realizing a random search wouldn't help, rejoined Andy, who looked increasingly disheartened. "No luck, then?" she asked.Andy nodded. He scanned the park until something caught his eye. "Hey! That guy over there has the same jacket as the thief!"Rachel followed his gaze. "Let's go ask him."Andy hesitated. "But what if I'm wrong? I don't want to accuse someone unfairly."Rachel smiled reassuringly. "We won't know until we try. We'll be fine... probably."Andy nodded. "Alright."They approached the homeless man sitting on the ground. Rachel spoke gently, "Excuse me, sir, but could you tell us where you got that jacket?"The man looked at them warily. "Why do you want to know? Is it yours?"Rachel shook her head. "It's not ours, but we think it might be linked to someone who stole something from him." She gestured to Andy. "We were hoping you could help us."The man remained cautious. Before he could respond, Andy burst out, "Please! The thing he stole is really important to me."The homeless man sighed and pointed towards a nearby tree. "I found it under that tree. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work."Rachel, grateful, handed him a five-dollar bill. "Thank you. Maybe get something to eat."The man looked at the money, surprised. "Thanks. Good luck finding your thief."With renewed hope, Rachel and Andy moved to the tree. "Let's see if we can find any more clues here," Rachel suggested.They searched around the tree but found nothing. Andy's gaze drifted upward. "It might sound crazy, but maybe that's why we couldn't find him..."He looked up and spotted the thief, struggling to climb higher. "There!" Andy pointed.Rachel squinted and saw the thief holding the guitar. "Is that...?"The thief, realizing he was caught, tried to escape. But as he jumped, the branch broke, sending him crashing down. Rachel caught the guitar while the thief landed on the ground, unconscious.Andy was taken aback. "Uh..."Rachel glanced at the unconscious thief and then at Andy. "We got your lost thing back! Didn't expect it to be a guitar though! Also, the thief looks unconscious and I think he's sbleeding...? Rachel poked the thief to try and see if there was any reaction but no such thing happened.'Lets pray he's not dead... Wouldn't want his soul to be haunting us...'Andy blinked, still processing. "Wait—"Rachel grinned. "Just kidding. Let's call for help."After a quick call, an ambulance arrived. Rachel handed the guitar back to Andy. "Here's your guitar."Andy accepted it with a sigh of relief. "Thanks. I really thought I'd lost it... I don't know what I would have done without you."Rachel smiled warmly. "No problem! Though, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask a favor."Andy, sensing her request, stammered, "Y-yeah?"Rachel's eyes brightened. "Could you play something for me? It doesn't matter if you're new—I just want to hear you play! I don't think I have ever seen someone play the guitar right infront of me!"Andy hesitated, pressured by Rachel's bright and hopeful look. "Uh, um..."Rachel checked her watch and groaned. "Oh no, I'm going to be late! Maybe next time, if we meet again?"Andy's tension eased. "S-sure!"Rachel waved goodbye as she hurried off, her smile bright. Andy watched her leave, a small, grateful smile on his face.end.