White Violin

19. Experiment

Playing the white violin at night proved to help me a lot on the violin. Even Marie and Lucy could tell I had improved a lot when we practiced together in the day. Every night I would go through every corner to check that no one was around when I played, and place the violin meticulously back to its original position so that no one would be suspicious. 

One night, I headed to the music room for my routine practice on the white violin. Nothing seemed off. It was the usual quiet night time with the occasional wind pampering the curtains. I picked up the white violin and was about to struck the bow.

"So it really was you." 

A calm voice articulated behind me.

I swiftly turned around and found the teacher behind me. 

"Teacher..."

"I would put down the violin if I were you."

I remained silent and put the violin quietly on the table.

"Teacher, is..."

"You may have a lot of questions, but listen to what I have to say," Lucy stopped me from continuing and approached me a few steps and stopped with a certain distance from me.

"You remember the violin rest I gave you?"

I nodded and said nothing.

"My brother made it."

She looked out the window and continued, "My brother was born a prodigy in music. Ever since he was able to crawl on the piano, he had been performing in the grand hall in front of hundreds of people."

"It was all over the news back then."

"I always sat at the audience seat and looked up to my brother. The lights casting over him made him very bright, so bright I can't see his face and tell whether it was the same brother whom I lived with at home."

"I picked up the violin, aspiring that one day I could stand on the same stage and perform with him."

"But I never was as accomplished as he was. I didn't inherit the talent he had."

"Sometimes I would hide in a corner and tear up, or sometimes I would throw a tantrum and get a beating from my parents."

"Once I was so angry at my inability I threw the violin across the room. My brother came to me and said, 'Here, I made it for you'."

"He handed me a violin rest and simply smiled. He didn't attempt any words of comfort or courage. It wasn't necessary. It must have sounded superficial if it came from his mouth."

"With the rest on my neck, I could feel my brother was with me. I did the best I could to get into the academy. Then I worked to become the top of my class and graduate with the highest merit ever."

"But when I finally had the opportunity to perform with my brother, he suffered from a stroke. It happened so suddenly no one knew what to do at the time. My brother was sent to hospital."

"We thought he would be nursed back to health quickly and we simply waited for days to pass. One week, two weeks, one month. He never woke up. Even till now, he is in his own dream, sleeping."

I stopped her and said, "I'm sorry to hear about your brother. But how is your brother relevant to the white violin?"

She turned to me with a bit of surprise and then returned to her usual state, "I kind of lost myself there. You see, I heard a legend about the white violin in this castle. It can revive the dead."

"How do you know it can?" I asked, still holding my doubts.

"I didn't believe it at first, but when I picked up and played with the violin, I had a weird feeling that the energy in me was going out. My mind was in the violin, but physically it was tiring me out. I know this was not a normal violin."

"So you want to wake your brother up with the violin?" I asked, straightforwardly.

"In theory, yes, but at the same time something was off. I'm sorry I don't want to talk..."

"Have you seen the dolls in the basement?" I asked her.

"The what?!" She responded in shock, "dolls!?"

"Yes, I saw them one night. Their eyes were glowing."

"Hmm..." Lucy held her chin and thought for a while.

"Do you remember where you found them?"