I walk towards the Harp, enamored by its beauty but stumble back as it says;
"Play me sweet child, play me and all of your worries will be gone"
" You can speak to me?" I say, still startled by its horrifying voice.
I no longer feel the kind and welcoming power that called me from the staircase. It is now dark and forceful, as if demanding me to stay in its presence.
"Yes my dear, I have been calling you. Do not be startled, everything will be okay once you play".
I obey and pick up the Harp but feel a white haze start to cloud my mind.
"Play and you will never have to be as alone as I have been all these years under your family's palace. Play. Play. Play"
So I did. I plucked the first string on the Harp and then lost control of myself as I played tunes of lonelines and sorrow. Of loss and betrayal. I played until my fingers ached and I realized what the Harp's power has done to me.
"Let me go!" I shriek, struggling to free myself.
"Leaving so soon, girl?" The Harp drawled, voice cruler than before.
"Stay with me and I will give you a life that even the Gods dream of having,"
" No, I-" Words fail me as I gape towards the moving artifacts behind the Harp.
" What is wrong, girl-"
The Harp won't expect what I have coming for it next.
YOU ARE READING
A Tale of Golden Deceit
Short StoryIn the kingdom of Estrela, an immortal princess named Lara faces a dark and ancient force as she tries to fight for her freedom. A short story based on "The Harp of Erin" by Thomas Buchanan Read. I wrote this for my English class, so it doesn't hav...
