Short Stories

The Piano

" life is like a piano. What you get out of it, depends on how you play it"
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The hallway was dark, lit only by the moon that peeked ever so gently over the grimed colored windows. Across from them were portrait paintings, which too had a thick layer of dust clinging to every surface which heavily desaturated the otherwise vibrant colors underneath. The corridor was silent, save the padded footsteps Edgar made as he walked the red carpet winding down the hallway. His glasses seemed to fog every time he exhaled, which wouldn't normally be that often, although seeing that he had been walking down countless numbers of hallways and rooms, each slightly darker than the one before it, he had begun to breath deeper and faster as he had lost direction of he had came from. His memory of each room was fond, unlike his recollection of where it was.

The library he had just just passed through moments ago was home to hundreds if not thousands of books, each containing stories that had no resting place other than the places within those very shelves. The roof was so high, Edgar's neck felt sore after a mere second, which seemed like a minute, of craning his head back to gaze up at it. Though that didn't stop him as his eyes have been glued to the magnificent mural that had spread itself across the ceiling.

The ceiling above him now paled in comparison to the one in the library as it displayed no more than planks of wood holding up the roof above. The hallway ended with a small staircase that tightly spiraled upwards. Edgar grabbed hold of the skinny railing that lined the outskirts of the steps. The black metal was cold and rough, rusted from years without polish. As Edgar's boots climbed up the narrow steps, the sound they made resonated through the hallway, cutting through the silence like an owls hoot in the night. The stairway was short, as Edgar's head poked out from the cutaway in the room above, he felt a chilly breeze that sent a shiver part way up his spine.

The room he entered was a large domed shape, coupled in gold and embroidered engravings and beautiful marble patterns below. Half of the rooms walls were large windows presenting a stellar view of the Parisian skyline. Many of the windows had been shattered, the cause of the breeze, giving the indication of vandalism in their past. Due to the spacious windows, the elegant shine of the moon have a heavier presence than in the hallway below, lighting up what stood in the middle of the floor.

A piano, ebony in color, lay there invitingly so. Edgar approached it to get a better look. The piano was radiant and reflected in the moonlight with a relative ease. The lid was propped open, allowing for the strings and cast iron plate to glisten in the light. The keys were a perfect contrast without any discoloration whatsoever. The black keys were topped with a leather while the white ones shined in an ivory glow.

Edgar was in awe at the instrument before him. Never had he heard of a boy his age seeing a piano this large. While admiring the dark wood of the frame, he became to grow curious. He then noticed that unlike the other objects in the mansion, the piano presented not a spec of dust. It was as if the piano had been placed there only moments ago, ridding itself into the anguish of time the rest of the building had endured.

Edgar pulled out the large bench that had hidden beneath the large keys and poked the large cushion before sitting down. His hovered just off the floor and the seat have enough room for him to seeing his feet back and forth just slightly. Edgar held out his index finger just above a white key that lay between a set of black keys. He stared at it for a moment, keeping still. Edgar lowered his finger and just before he made any contact with the creamy white key, a note much higher in pitch sounded quietly. Edgar was spooked off the bench and fell backwards onto the ground, his legs now residing where his bum had before.

Edgar rose and looked for the key that sounded. It couldn't have been the one he was looking at, for he hadn't touched it. The sound he'd remembered was too feint to remember clearly and was rapidly escaping his memory. Edgar once again sat on the bench, held his finger above the very same key, and locked his eyes to it. He sat there for a moment, half expecting to hear another pitch uncalled for. He started to move his finger ever so slightly towards the key and before he made it to the same place he had before, he quickly looked to the right to see a stray key, a sound came again, this time much lower, and scared him once more. Edgar jumped off the bench and stood from the piano, staring at it in fear.

He stood there for a moment, not knowing what to think. Then he spotted a corner of sheet paper, reaching out from under the lid of the bench. Edgar look from the piano and to the bench again before approaching it once more. He lifted the seat and pulled out the single sheet of paper that resided inside. Inscribed on the top of the page was the title, Fantasie-impromptu. The notes below it were very plentiful, rising and falling multiple times throughout the piece. Edgar had read music before, but nothing as intricate as this. Edgar had forgotten about the interruptive pitches that scared him previously, and sat down upon the bench once more in front of the keys. He lay the sheet of music on the rack and peered at the keys once more.

Edgar sat still, almost watching the piano for a movement. Oddly, he felt the piano had been doing the same. He looked up at the sheet of music and figured out the first note. A strong octave played by the first hand. Edgsr scanned the piano, found the two black keys, and moved his hand closer. His pinky and thumb slightly approached the pair.

Hand outstretched and fingers tight, he trusted his hands down and made contact with the leather. The keys pounded the bottom of the keyboard so fiercely that Edgar could hear the sound of the two hammers, deep within the cavernous inside of the piano, colliding with the thick strings with great force. The notes sounded strong and resonated through the dome. Seconds later, the piano began to play. Notes flew out the frame of the piano as the keys were able to pull themselves down. Hammers were hitting strings before the keys even hinted at a command and the pedals below seemed to cringe at the mercy if the written song. Edgar jumped back and stood a few feet away while he watched in fear. The piano continued. Gradu crescendos and deep tuenos, scoring melodies that hugged a structural bass. The piano kept going, playing and playing through the song until all at once....it stopped.

The final notes bounced off the walls before ingering in a elongated reverberation. Edgar stood there trembling with such a lack of breath his glasses finally had a chance to defog. Without an inclination of what to do next, Edgar began to shuffle towards the stairs, keeping his body facing the instrument. Its not as if the instrument was if danger to him, but he wasn't prepared to leave it out of his sight in his presence. Once he reached the staircase, he quickly turned and puttered down the thin metal spiral until he was gone. The sound of Edgar's footsteps could be heard for a few moments until they dissapeared with him. The piano lay there alone, giving a few moments to rest before the sheet if music slid back into the stool before it slid under the keyboard once more. The dust was absent previously accumulated almost instantly as the piano deteriorated to its common stage for its age. The wood withered, the leather tore, and the bright ebony keys grew dull of their once radiant glow. All alone , the piano lay. Waiting for another opportunity to be played.

~~~~~~~~~~~the end~~~~~~~~~~~~
How was it? Im not very good and skilled at judging my own writing..so I'd like to hear you out!
I hope you enjoyed though!