Using a guitar as a trigger

 

Beginning

The photo of a girl holding on her lap a little one wearing a bonnet and his mouth open almost out of breath was intriguing Violet (a teenager damaged in surgery and with a more than vague idea of what a family is about) and some people around her.

Not a small thing, Violet had repeatedly heard whispers as "He's your brother" or "She's your sister" and she once again and again : "You're joking"!

Her birth mother was giving life to a number of siblings. It seemed like a huge thing to all. Meeting, in case it happened, made everybody anxious and confused. Everyone was stranger to each other.

Note : small sewing jobs were carefully kept.

Some girl's physical traits betrayed a distant kinship with members of Violet's family. Her name was of French origin.

France had something to do with: Débarquement des Alliés, Normandy landings. [Allied landings also in Italian ports].

A certain "romance" was fueled, a fantastic repertoire of love stories that had never taken place.

Surrogacy, fake birth certificates, and immigration were the order of the day.

[The birth in question would have instead taken place overseas where the boy joined his family]. 

Indian Village

The atmosphere at Violet's home was far from comforting, no particular inclination toward hospitality; indeed, the multitude of people with whom one had to come into contact contributed to souring spirits.

It was summer and in the countryside near where they lived someone was setting up tents to stay outdoors. Violet saw a rather dark-skinned guy walking hastily in the greenery with a zip tie on his forehead. 

At home she told her mother to have glimpsed a "cheyenne" in the surroundigs who looked like the ones you see in the movies .

Mother pretended not to know much about him, but Violet continuing to insist, replied in the end, "You should know." Violet was a dozen years younger than him.

Smart sailing 

In the meantime, someone had guaranteed contacts with overseas. There had even been a house fire in the background of the story!

James grew up as a musical genius. He played electric guitars very well.

Violet had happened to strum at least one of those guitars (the older).

She loved music and travel. At the same time, she was as committed as possible (in terms of economic capacity and health conditions) to school activities.

Full time 

The family men, burdened by heavy situations, were practically absent.

Where only women stayed, finding a young couple in your bed or seeing someone jump out from under the bed" in the middle of the night had become almost a "must", a custom that had taken hold for some time.

Violet's biological mother's partner (“the businessman”) and a few others HAD GIVEN A LOT OF EFFORT IN THIS SENSE.

One day while she was in bed feeling unwell, a dirty trick was played on her (“Room full of mirrors”).

An old camera had also been dusted off and secretly used for indiscreet shots in another room . 

Violet had then met the mysterious person whom she had crossed and bumped into in the dark a couple of times. The guy (James) suffered from a physical impediment, which he wanted to make known.

The “businessman” was active in the entertainment world and talkative English speaker. He was insidiously influencing behaviors, attitudes, compositions and lyrics.

Violet was considered an awkward unattractive talentless gender-uncertain individual raised by a worthless and good for nothing woman also (unfortunately, the worst of his girlfriend's daughters)...

Unexpected

Managing the activities had perhaps become strenous due to economic difficulties.

The variety of topics of the new texts ranged from the apparitions of angels to wudu practices and omens of death.

At some point before James's disappearance, something unpleasant had occurred. In a luggage storage, a package containing narcotics that no one had declared ownership of, had been attributed to him. He could have been blocked from doing anything.

The two photos ( profile / bust ) required for each arrest were prepared and bandied about in the press as an incident happened abroad. He looked exasperated.

There was altered domestic atmosphere those days as ever. 

Considering the chatter heard, he may have already been present in the house. It was supposed to be for the announced visit. 

Violet had already decided to leave before his arrival and to get moving. She would have preferred not to meet him. She was considered the cause of some of his troubles. She was unable to avoid it.

He had been driven by someone (female voice heard in the distance) and got off at a road intersection and  moved forwards in the opposite direction, they were walking on the same side of the road. 

As soon as he was in front of Violet she raised her right hand (Indian greeting). He pulled straight while she heard a click (lighter ?)

He was wearing a loose hat, a dark suit, had the fierce look and a between sad and angry expression immortalized in one of his a photos.

They were already far enough apart from each other when Violet heard him yelling what she considered an insult "You are ugly !" and later on shouting loudly something in regard to her mother (which one ?)

A trouble was in the air. In a flash she changed her mind, stepped back and ran backwards and further on screaming "If you go, they kill you". I think he couldn't hear.

The house appeared deserted, in the entrance a white electric guitar in plain sight. Signs of someone in the garage next to the house. Finally Violet's mother appeared at the door and pointed out the entrance to the garage. Both garage entrances were blocked. Violet started to feel feverish.

Another situation arose : a boy had been ordered to urgently deliver a package home. An unspecified sum had vanished as an acquaintance withdrew it because of the men of the family's pressing requirements. The money had been used to pay for the goods received (likely chopped cocaine).

It was at this point that everybody began considering "men of the family" unknowingly dependent on the use of narcotic substances.

Demise

The guy (James) had never been seen again. It was unclear whether he had left the property or not.

Almost everyone had taken off. A while had passed. One of the rooms upstairs had been left vacated for some time. It seemed inappropriate to enter.

Violet began to feel her temperature rising increasingly. Luckily it wasn't school time.

Finally the door upstairs was opened. Someone decided to partially lift the sheet that covered one of the two beds together with some blankets, discovering a man's head and torso lying on his side, with his mouth open, a late-summer tan, and undoubtedly no longer alive.

Violet, frightened, glimpsed the silhouette of the person lying and took the first photo a bit too far away, another one was taken from the opposite, brighter side, near the window.

No one had commented on the cause of death; as a matter of fact, there was a dead body in the house.

That same evening Violet was hit by a blackout while going upstairs. Mom's bed was busy, in the room an oddly shaped bundle lying on a flat surface.

Violet's mother had been held for checks. Violet spent the night outdoors. While she was figuring out what happened, she had the feeling of a weird presence behind.

They all managed to do very little that made sense.

Someone took Violet away for the purpose of procuring a coffin. One of white color, ornamented but not sufficiently roomy, was chosen and was sent overseas with a varied content.

A mental health worker (which would unfortunately not have avoided various claims later) had, during the handling/moving process, pointed out the presence of the bundle and his size.

Something had rolled down a slope near where people used to look for snowdrops in late winter. The house was in an uproar, a bunch of "stuff" was carried out piled up, and a fire was lit next to the garage.

Someone experienced outlined the fire as "controlled fire" recalling Native American tradition.

It was almost a funeral ritual. The smoke cleared out only after a few days.

The area remained leveled lawn with in the middle a big stone that someone had failed to carve.

A few wooden sticks for fire rituals were burned and it was over.

The "businessman" came up showing once again a copy of the photo of the girl with the toddler, then he snatched it from Violet's hand, set fire with a lighter, saying " Everything is fine now ". Even after that he would have set fire to some photos (bad habit).

Violet had shortly after left the house which was not their property.