The Tragic Organ Player (Short Story)

1

A melancholy organ melody had echoed through Broadway Avenue every Sunday night for more than one hundred years.

When the music had originally begun in 1823, the townsfolk were overcome with interest in the mysterious talent who played; how anyone could hit the keys with such tragic passion was truly remarkable. Seasoned musicians were the first to notice the darkness of the chords, the minor keys and chords that made up wordless tunes of death, sorrow, and misery. It was impossible to tell if the organ player was pouring his own torment into the keys, or if his goal was to bring the city into a state of endless sorrow.

But it was too breathtaking, too beautiful to stop. It was a pleasurable suffering, even to those who hated pleasure.

The skill of the player was so incredible, in fact, that some of the townsfolk were determined to find the player. They wanted to ask for his mentorship, or to offer him his own stage. Some thought he was a person in relentless and chronic pain, and wished to evangelize to him or offer him a warm meal at their table.

But anyone who searched for the player, vanished.