Life is like a box of chocolates full of various tastes and shapes, the point here is, that you never know what are you going to get. At least that what I hear people say.

As the box of chocolates is unexpected, we cannot predict how our life is going to be. Sometimes it seems gentle and sweet, often it throws surprising, bitter punches right into the face. I guess that what it called ups and downs. However, life is nothing but an extraordinary, yet unexpected journey resembles an extraordinary box of chocolates in the element of surprise.

Through the rocky stages of our journey, the future is always unknown. We still lack the ability to 100% know with whom we meet in the crossed paths, who will stick with us along the way or who will leave us at first twist in the road and betray our trust.

Sometimes it sounds like a cliché from a movie or a book although we all strive to write our own unexpected story. But in time where almost every plot has been exploited, it doesn’t seem that way. Life is not a plot of a movie or literature work where everything is expected. Though, I always think the unexpected lies in the expected. Take my story for example.

I have never been to an auction before. I indeed, have seen them on TV and in movies, have read about them in books or as articles and announcements have been reported in newspaper and within the magazines’ pages. But I have never imagined myself sitting in one, let alone being the affected one! Having knowledge what an auction means is something, but experiencing one is another whole different thing, especially when you see your properties with all the bitter-sweet memories that etched on every item of it, is auctioned off.

Believe me, it’s like a brutal nightmare has been extracted off one of Stephen King’s books. At this particular thought, I wish I have the gift Carrie had , the capacity to move objects by her mental power like when she got angry and destroyed everything in her way. At least I could stop the auction and get back all our properties that have been sold, or have the power to back in time so I could stop the damage before it’s done. But I am just a clumsy being, have no super power and can do nothing but playing with the strings of my violin.

The auction is held at --  I can’t bring myself to say our ‘former’ house, but that is the fact. The house which we have lived in for twenty years is not ours anymore.

Weird and odd and kind of crazy, it’s like the history repeats itself with house, just like what had happened before 20 years.

Mom and I - till this moment - used to live in an old victorian type home that resembled a medieval castle in some of its architecture, where they used bricks and cut stones for the foundations and the basement walls. I guess that’s how I grew an enormous love for this period, mainly because it’s parallel to the place where most fairy tales princesses used to live in , add to it the betrothed story, that’s definitely makes me feel like one of them.

Around a year, we spent in moving in between the rented studio apartments since we came to Melbourne, until my mom has gotten the house by chance at bargain price at an estate auction. At the time there were only three bidders on and it went cheap because of its conditions as it started to lose its strength with the years and needed renovations. And mom as she is a history graduate, she’s got interested in the house since she is fascinated with that era architecture, so to feed her obsession with the Victorian castles she bought it.

The house has come with a large wood shop that has been transformed later to my mom’s atelier, where she draws her paintings when she feels the hit of inspiration or when she just want to isolate herself from the world for few time. And a three car carriage house, with a small apartment over it. We have lived in that until mom finished the repairs on the main house. The basement as well has an old English castle look, it remains cool even when the temperature outside goes over 100 degree Fahrenheit, mom has turned it too, into a wine cellar with the vintage barrels made from oak to fit with the medieval theme as she is quite an expert in tasting wines. Personally I never could really taste the difference in wine, I’m not a drinker.

Just the look at the place with its architecture style, the observer can get impressions as first thought crosses their mind that the house likely have secret doors and hallways designed by someone who has obvious passion for the old castles, which is kind of true; the house has three entrances, one through main entrance like any other house, one off the carriage house via a tunnel and the last one behind a hidden bookcase in the main hallway.

However, it took mom over two years to renovate and furbish the house to its original glory, and even has furnished it from the same era, mixing the medieval vintage furniture with the ones from the renaissance and baroque period after she found a dealer that imported stuff from Europe, one of her workmates introduced her to.

Now it’s just hard to take it backward as I see the - not our anymore- living room is packed with bidders in suits, sitting quietly ready to bid, all look like billionaires with the serious look on their faces and with no women in sight. I look at the crowd to find myself unintentionally and ironically murmuring ‘It’s a man, man world’ while the executor takes his place already behind the bar counter, deep in the corner of the room.

The auction has gone for an hour now but seems like forever. Every item is sold, a piece of me feels like ripped off. Every spot in this house has taken a part of me. All my success and my failure, all my laughter and all my tears are mixed with the colour layer of the walls. My memories , my mom memories are haunting the house. Sitting on the stairs and remember how many times I used to slip and fall out , maybe ten maybe twenty times a month, thanks to my clumsy ankles.

The same place where I used to sit when I feel bored, holding my violin and play with its strings until my arms gone numb and sore, is last time I sit on today.

Flashbacks of twenty years between the walls of the house are flashing before my mind’s eye, like a movie of few minutes length, flickers the twenty years I shared with mom.

The air is tensed and thick, makes feel a terrible headache like I’m running out of oxygen. I turn my face away , couldn’t see any longer at the crowd, tears in my eyes blurring my view, waiting to be shed.

‘Last but not least, is the beautiful violin that rumoured it was Paganini’s violin, the same that was auctioned off in the early thirties from the 18th century . The same instrument was roaming in different royal courts, survived the wars and fire. It still produces beautiful music. Now let’s start the bidding out at two thousand dollars ’

My tear finally rolls down my cheek the moment I hear the auctioneer’s announcement. But can’t make any comment about the history of the violin, it absolutely didn’t belong to Paganini, it has nothing to do with his history. The violin is our family’s legacy, it had belonged to my great great grandmother as she was violinist herself , it was made at first place and exclusively for her in her childhood. As it’s clear , not only the instrument, but also her talent had been inherited to her children and grandchildren , and has transferred to me in the process from my father. But the auctioneer wants only to get as much money as he could from the bidders. For my misery, I can’t save the only thing left from my father.

I still remember the day when my mother offered me the violin for first time, saying it was my dad’s, he often told mom to keep on his legacy by passing it to me. It was the best day of my life and also, the day where my future has been written. At age of six, I decided to study and get a degree in music. Mom has encouraged me growing the love of art in me, although she has a history degree that granted her to teach in highshool, she has always a thing for art and painting. It was her dream since forever, to be recognisable artist, but painting as career wouldn’t get us anywhere when we arrived Melbourne, and that’s how her teaching career began. But whenever she gets a bite of muse you can find her at her atelier losing herself.

As the years passed, the time came to pursue my dream of being in an internationally known orchestra, this might sound crazy but I have always believed that dreams do come true when you don’t lose your faith. The first step to accomplish my dream began when I have applied in the scholarship program, our conservatory organised with the Austrian one, thinking of it there is still a semester left to graduate as I am in the spring break.

The bids already passed five thousands Australian dollars. I close my eyes, feel myself physically jump at the bidders, maybe it is due to the build-up to being witness of my violin’s auctioning off rather than being startled. With ever bidder call my mind flashes to the songs I have performed since the first day I learned how to play, every bid price brings a buried song to my mind, how I was happy or how I managed to deal with my sadness. The violin was like that faithful friend who comes at two in the morning only to listen to all your crap without complaining and stay with you to console you. I have a very strong sentimental attachment to it. I can do anything, literally I can accept anything in order to not lose it. I don’t remember there was a time I have been without it. It has witnessed on every detail of my life , in all my happy moment and all my struggles it has been there with me.

This beautiful instrument that still produces music so beautifully along the years, it still makes you want to cry or sets you in a hyper mood that let you feel you own the entire world. The violin doesn’t only have an emotional value to me but its charm somehow allows me to travel in time to those who owned it before me. I feel like I’m talking through its strings with them, hear their stories, feel their emotions and understand their feelings. It is something magical, like if their souls has been engraved on it and talk to me only when my digits brush on the wooden surface.

My hands curl into two tight balls, not feeling the pain my nails leave on both of my palms. Clinching my jaws while biting hard on my teeth in attempt to hold back my tears. I wish I have the ability to escape this nightmare.

With all the happening and the huge amount of stress, I won’t deny I am still waiting like a fool for my knight with his shining armour to appear and save us from this misery. That’s the right time where he should show up because I desperately need him and his helping hand, or why should I keep on the promise that has been made many many years ago.

Checking the entrance, there is still no signs of Mr Nicholas O’Donnell, Olprick hell... I like shit cannot remember his full name. Mr Nicholas is my father’s best friend, the man who I’m betrothed to his son. He doesn’t appear neither his son did. Now all what I know about him, that he is a rich man so its logic to be here, at least as someone who is interested in the estate auction as the crowd here , bidding and buying our stuff with high prices. I hope he would come and be a true and real gentleman and stop the happening in our house. I’m not looking for his money, I’m not greedy or golddiger and money absolutely doesn’t interest me. Mom taught me there are things much precious and have high values than just bunch of papers, things like a good attitude, gratitude, love and helping those who are in need are priceless and no money in the world can buy it. But as he worth fortune and I’m so desperate having no one to go to and ask their help, so I thought he could at least loan us some sum that can cover on the mortgage debts. I don’t mind to work to pay his debts if required. I don’t want to lose my violin. That’s it.

A voice of what it sounds familiar, echoes in the room bidding with twenty thousands dollars! I lift my head to find it is Mrs Melissa Graham, my mom good friend and the mother of my best friend since childhood Jessy, accompanies with her daughter and Juan, Jessy’s boyfriend . Melissa was abroad in the past week due to her business work as she starts a small, newbie Beauty organic cosmetics corporation. She of course knows about the auction as I told Jessy about the happenings. My head is slightly spinning due to the stress , but in a moment I feel relieved, like the dawn finally comes to breaking out the darkness and my misery is coming to an end. Melissa knows how much the violin means to me and how much it is precious to my heart even when it costs only few thousand in the market.

‘I won’t let them take it from you’

She assures me smiling. I wipe the tears out of my eyes furiously. She is my saviour since her bid price goes high to twenty thousands breaking the records. But as I used to be before, the smile somehow doesn’t fit with my face, the short time of happiness vanishes into the air reminding me this is not a fairy tale where I will reunite with my violin and get one of my happy endings after every struggle of my life’s stages.

′ Twenty thousands going for once ... going for twice ..′

the executor is cut in mid-speech when we hear

′ Twenty one thousands’

a man of the crowd appears out of blue

‘Twenty five hundreds!’

That is Juan. He winks at me the moment he saw me kind of taken by surprise

The bid now is restricted between Melissa’s family and the look like billionaire bidder, till the later gone far and bids out with a hundred thousands dollars! I’m frozen at the moment and dumbfounded, feel the blood in my veins stops out of sudden flooding through my system. My breath becomes shallow. My eyes go wide while my mouth hangs open. It’s like my whole world is shaking and in the very next moment it bursts and shatters . I had a tiny hope that I could save it but alas, I lost it. For first time in the twenty one years I feel I am an orphan, today I feel like I lost my father again but this time for good. I have always felt dad was talking to me whenever I grab his violin and play, but not anymore. Irony of life , just like the first owners feelings engraved on it , my feelings now engraved on it as well. I turn from the owner to the previous owner and that was only in a matter of one day.

Call it selfishness, call it weakness, call it whatever you want , I only know my life is empty without my violin. I can do nothing and I’m not good at anything as I was focused only on music, and now since my violin gone I couldn’t stay with mom there, to stay by her side as she is as well getting heart breaks losing everything she has worked hard for. In a moment of weakness I couldn’t control my emotions so I run , I run and run and run till I felt my energy all drained. I couldn’t remember how I crossed the roads in rush hour traffic , or how I get soaked under the rain or even how I reach this place that I usually take much time walking to get through it.

′ DAIDÍ ! ′

Screaming my lungs out echoing the surroundings , falling on my knees with a heavy heart, heartbroken of my loss , of my despair , of my disability . How I even can survive without them?! My dreams , my hopes and all my great expectations have vanished into the air. It’s like a heavy iron gate has just closed on my future and I’m stuck in a dark, lifeless spot with no single light . I am lost. Literally.

‘I will never forgive you Edward’

that is the last thought that couldn’t walk out my mouth before everything fades to black.