OPHELIA

Chapter 18: Lacrimosa!

It rained cats and dogs. My conscience was like sour icing on sour cake. I couldn’t sleep. The tantrum I threw earlier that morning must have given everyone cold feet and their blankets would never be warm enough.

I knew morning would run in through the front door anytime but I hadn’t the guts to face it. One never knows perhaps I became allergic to sunlight—vampiric was the definition of what I was; my home was surely in the caves. It was 3am and raining—perfect cover!

I stood before the metal door. I better leave now… sneak out and never come back. I muttered. My mind flashed back to what happened the last time I tried to run—it made the door knob look like soldier ants on guard to bite me. But what was I to fear? I had nothing to lose. I bet to my mother and brother, I was dead but what was I? Was I not as good as dead? My healing was impossible. I was too broken.
It was time to spare everyone the stress of having me. I reached for the door and opened it.

As the breeze of the rain and stray droplets hit my skin, I knew I had taken the right decision.

“What in God’s name are you doing?” Oops! Pastor Man’s voice split the storm in my head. “Come inside at once.” He added. But something kept me glued I knew not what. “Are you listening? Come inside.”

I turned around. “Please let me go…I am not worth the stress.”
“Ophelia just come inside, let’s talk about it; it’s cold outside.”
“I wasn’t polite this morning. I’m sorry.” I sniffled.
“That’s not a problem, I understand.”
“Should I still come inside?”
“Sure, come inside…"  As the door clicked, there was an awkward silence between us.

“I remember you said you are an instrumentalist. What instrument do you play?”
“The piano.” I fidgeted with the stray tears that escaped my lids.
“Show me what you can do?”
“I haven’t played for long; I’m not sure I remember.”
“That’s why we are starting now. Thrill me.” He sat on the couch.

I flexed my finger joints and began playing the ‘Lacrimosa’ by Mozart. Beginning the piece, I made a couple of mistakes but soon got in touch with the sleeping giant in me.
The notes flowed through my hands and eased some of my frustration. Lacrimosa meaning tears—this Mozart guy must have seen something similar to how I felt. The piece of music was an exact picture of my soul.

As I played, I travelled back in time to when my father taught me to play. Those were beautiful days, days when my family was together. There were difficulties but we pushed through like any normal family. I went everywhere with my Dad. We did everything together. It felt like he was next to me saying… “Don’t be so hard on that note, that chord comes after the beat, relax your fingers and let the music flow from your heart.”

“Relax your fingers.” I almost skipped from the seat; I was so engrossed that I forgot Pastor Man was seated. “Don’t stop, continue.” He added and sat beside me playing on the other end of the piano.
“Where did you learn to play like this? It sounds familiar.”
“My father; he was my teacher.”
“He must have been an amazing instrumentalist and Father.”
“He was.”
As we played, it was like we had done it together before; the sync was almost perfect.

“Sir, do you know any musical quotes. My father used to test me about the authors of different quotes while I played…if you don’t mind…”
“Music should strike fire from the heart of man and tears from the eyes of woman. Who said this?”
“Ummm… I know this one…Beethoven?”
“Yes…To play a wrong note is insignificant. To play without passion is inexcusable.”
“Beethoven again.”
“I cannot write poetically for I am no poet. I cannot make fine artistic phrases that cast light and shadow, for I am no painter. I can neither by signs nor by pantomime express my thoughts and feelings for I am no dancer; but I can by tones, for I am a musician.”
“Mozart.”
“You did your homework.” Pastor Man chuckled. I must confess; he had an adorable laugh; it always made me smile.

“Can you strike fire from my heart with Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata?”
“Yes. It’s one of my favorites.”
“Beautiful, thrill me.”

I took a deep breath examined the keys again and began. When I was done, I heard applauds from the other side of the room; Ma’am Veronica and Rachael were smiling from ear to ear… I didn’t think I was that good nevertheless, it felt awesome to see everyone smiling at me. Definitely, the sunlight won’t burn my skin. Running away would have been the biggest mistake of my life.

“This is great! I have my own pianist…I can sing whenever I want.” Rachael squealed. But did she just claim me? What an ambitious girl. I would have shot her a glare if not for Ma’am Veronica who stood next to her. It seemed like a trait of hers to claim everything in her path—first she claimed the church, then God, then Pastor Man and now me. I was ready for her—my gun was loaded.

In a nutshell, this new world wasn’t bad. It was peaceful and loving unlike my old world where it was always survival of the fittest—where I was fit, I barely survived and now I am not fit yet I thrive.  What a world!

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Hello wonderful readers😊 Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and are blessed by the story. Stay tuned for the next chapter ❤️🤗.