//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - What is life? // Story: The Rise of Metal // by PanzerBrony Metallicom //------------------------------// The Rise of Metal There he was, standing on the edge of the pier, ready to end his lousy life. Alex was a normal, german guy in his mid-twenties. At least for the first impression he was normal. But that was currently not the case. Within a month, his whole life turned into the living hell. He just couldn’t take anymore, that’s why he just wanted to disappear from this miserable world. He looked down into his own reflection, in the cold water below him, ready to jump and just drown. --- One month prior --- Alexander Windhund, a 25 year old guy, with slim but still athletic build, brown short hair and brown eyes that where covered by some sport glasses, was as happy as he could be. Everything worked out for him, even with his psychic illness ADHD. He had a nice girlfriend, since one year, his job was good paid and he liked it there and everything was fine with his friends and family. That should change over a weekend. They received a phone call from the neighbors of grandfather, that they heard a very painful scream coming from his house on Friday evening. The ambulance was informed immediately afterwards and he was transported into the next hospital. Alex mother wasted no time to get ready, packed up a few things and stormed out of the house to get to her injured dad, by car across Germany. Sunday afternoon the bad news reached the rest of Alex family at home. His much loved grandpa passed sadly away. He fell from the stairs and ended up a broken hip and an open wound. Unfortunately the wound infected itself and he died 2 days later of blood poisoning. For Alex a part of his world just braked away, he loved his mother sided grandpa, more than his other grandparents. He always made him smile, had interesting stories to tell and was always up for some card or board games. But the best thing was his house and the nature around it. It was an old house build in the fifties of the old German Democratic Republic surrounded by the beautiful nature of the Erzgebirge at 800m height. He just couldn’t believe it was all over now. But that is life for you, nothing remains forever. --- Two weeks prior --- The whole family as well as good friends gathered together to give the passed one his last honor. For Alex it was a bit harder than for others. Not only he and his family had to bury his beloved now, no, he also lost his job on top of this. The funeral itself was one, heroes like Alex’ grandpa deserved. He was for over 60 years in the firefighters in his village and was even ‘commander’ of his group during his career there. After all people made their farewells and the pastor started to carry his urn to his grave, his firefighters brought out their instruments and started to play a low and sad tune that gave that funeral a completely new setting. It was a funeral of a local hero and everybody should know about that. Many sad tears where shred that day. --- Earlier Today --- It was just too much to berry. After the funeral Alex tried to get his life back on track and tried to get a new job as fast as possible. But nobody needed his skills right now. Refusal after refusal came back and it drifted Alex even deeper into loneliness, sorrow and isolation. His parents and friends he known since childhood tried their best to lighten up Alex’s mood, but they didn’t succeed very much. He needed only one person at this time: his girlfriend. But she had no time; to wrapped up in her own personal problems with her family and even harder trouble at her workplace, took her pretty much out of free time. Today Alex received a phone call that just crushed his last hopes to get at least halfway back on track. Under the pressure of her parents, his girlfriend canceled the relationship with him. Alex knew from the first day he visited her, that her parents didn’t like him very much. He was good from the outside, but through his psychic disease, he sometimes was more like an 8 year old child; something her parents just couldn’t stand. But this sealed a quite drastic decision Alex made. He didn’t want to take and live this miserable life anymore. So he just went outside, without telling his parents, raced with tears in his eyes past old military buildings and bunkers downhill to the new build pier for a small ship to carry tourists across the lake. --- Now --- There he was standing on the end of the pier, ready to end his life. He looked down into his reflection and saw the miserable person he currently was. Alex closed his eyes and took in one last deep breath before jumping with his eyes still closed. Because of that he didn’t see that his reflection was suddenly replaced with an image of a small town. It looked animated and had a lot of white houses with yellow hey as roofs. As Alex touched the cold water below, his world swirled away into complete darkness.