The delicate chime of the harp echoed softly throughout the house, its soothing notes an invitation that filled the air with expectation. She descended the staircase, her heart quickening in anticipation, and opened the door wide to welcome the visitor who had come not for what was anticipated, but for something altogether unexpected.
"Where is he?" she inquired, her voice a blend of urgency and confusion.
She held the door frame firmly, gesturing toward the staircase bathed in warm, golden light. Her gaze followed him as he shook his head slowly, a silent rejection of her unspoken hopes. With each step he took upward, he seemed to blend into the shadows until he vanished entirely, leaving behind an echo of indistinct murmurs that lingered in the air, heavy with unspoken truths.
