Dark N Dead Drum Dreaming

Halloween ’18 entry from DRF

I offer the following dream. Dated on August 31, 2015, I note that this dream is one of many over the past three years that involve members of the band Helloween. Particularly Michael Weikath, guitarist and the sadly deceased Ingo Schwichtenberg, founding drummer.

Tonight gave me a brief something. I seemed to be alone within a darkened music studio, as if the place was closed up for the night. I moved like some ghost through the building, not stopping until I came across a drum kit tucked away in a relatively unused corner. The entire section of this room I now found myself in seemed dustier than the rest of the space. I observed that the drum kit had been haphazardly covered over with a sheet, so I pulled the thing off.

The sight I was met with sent a little chill down my back as I inspected the kit in front of me – It was a Sonor, yet the whole kit looked in horrible disrepair. It stood covered in greyish-black mire and it seemed many parts of the drums themselves had sustained some kind of damage that had gone far too long untended. I shook my head silently at the damaged set before me – the thing didn’t deserve to sit like that. No musical instrument should be in such a state, ever. I set out to do something about it despite the fact that I don’t really know how to care for a drum kit.

I began with the cymbals, carefully giving them the hard polish they needed. I felt a passage of time here, but I did eventually get these cymbals to shine again. At this point, I began to notice that day was breaking and the studio began to come to life with the sounds of a new day beginning. I frowned and managed to find a dark little spot in this corner of mine to hide in as voices approached. At this point, things seemed to flash by.

I heard men speak softly upon entering the room. One of them sounded surprised, walking toward the kit – Clearly, he hadn’t expected the sight before him at all. I heard low-toned German and watched as that sheet was thrown over the kit.

Time passed again and the studio was once more dark and quiet. I came out of my hiding place and began to work on repairing the kit once more. I started work on the Tom section now, working with nothing but a cloth, polish and a few meagre tools I had managed to find. Time passed again and the studio echoed for a while only with the sounds of my work. As dawn broke once more, I noted that the sounds of an opening studio came a little earlier than the last time. I frowned and fled to my hiding place again. However, I began to get the feeling that the men I now heard entering had caught sight of me – this moment was the first that I had begun to understand any dialogue.

“…been in here. Someone’s been here,” I actually couldn’t tell if it was Andi or Weiki speaking. The response was too low for me to hear, but eventually, the men left again. I was left alone to my work once more as darkness descended. I managed to repair the second Tom and began to work on the two kick-drums. I worked with the same diligence but these were the hardest for me to repair. The going was slow. Time passed once more.

This time, the studio came to life before dawn broke. Studio lights abruptly came on, momentarily taking what little sight I have from me. I froze like a deer in headlights as a voice greeted me. He sounded a little incredulous, beginning his words with a touch of sharpness. It faded quickly though, drifting into a softer tone.

“Who’s in here?! Who… What are you doing here?”

My world flickered away before I could compose myself to form a response.

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