SYNCHRONICITY (The Lone Wolf)

31

"Frosted window panes
Candles gleaming inside
Painted candy canes on the tree
Santa's on his way
He's filled his sleigh with things
Things for you and for me
It's that time of year when the world falls in love
Every song you hear seems to say
Merry Christmas, may your New Year dreams come true
And this song of mine
In three-quarter time
Wishes you and yours
The same thing too"

Alison's voice raised in song to the record playing in the background was literally music to Sebastian's ears and he felt his face might freeze in the big smile that he couldn't help but have plastered all over his face.

"You know what we need someday," she asked him as she took his hand in hers.

He looked at her from the corner of his eyes with a hint of suspicion. "What?"

"A piano."

"Oooo yes!" Topher exclaimed. "A piano! I'm quite surprised that you don't have one!"

Alison leaned back in her chair and looked to her young man. "You play?"

He shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head from side to side. "A little bit. Topher's better."

"Oh yeah right. Says the bloke who figured out the Snoopy-dance song..."

"Snoopy dance song," Lynn asked as she sipped on her coffee. "I swear, I am fuller than a tick...that was a great dinner honey!"

Alison smiled as she looked across the table toward Sonny who was smiling at her. "Well, you made most of it!"

"Well, I think y'all need to transfigure a piano right now, because I think I wanna hear this!"

Sebastian glanced toward Topher who was already testing flatware for tone. He breathed in deeply. Finally he breathed in deeply and nodded. "Alright...I'll be right back."

"Ooo! I know what he's gettin'" Beth exclaimed.

Alison hunkered toward her sister. "What!"

Beth motioned her fingers like she was buttoning her lips together. When Alison pressed further, Beth then zipped her fingers across her lips.

Sebastian returned with a box that was about three feet wide. He set it on the table and motioned that she should look inside. Alison stood to her feet and opened the unassuming cardboard box to find a red, well loved child's play-piano and she gasped as she reached into the box and pulled it out with Sebastian's help. "Mum sent it last week. Wasn't easy keeping it from you. Said she thought it could go into the nursery."

"Oh my god," she gushed and fingered the little black and white keys. "Was this yours when you were little?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"I always wanted a piano," she said dreamily.

He chuckled. "Well, this was the only one we had, and it's been transfigured so many times..." He shook his head wistfully, remembering many memories in the blink of an eye as he smiled.

"Well, pull that puppy out and lets get to it," Topher whined as he flexed his fingers and stood.

Sebastian chuckled as he withdrew the tiny piano from the box and placed it in the middle of the table. "Where would you like it, Maestro?"

"Lets move the table and put it here?"

He nodded and everyone stood from the table and Sebastian moved the table toward the middle of the room and retrieved the piano and placed it near the tree. He waved his wand again and the piano grew in size slowly. He could hear the wood creak and he winced. "Sorry," he whispered. When he was finished with it, a highly polished ebony-colored grand piano sat in it's place. He transfigured one of the dining chairs into a proper bench seat and sat down to tune it with his wand and Alison gasped; she didn't know that they young man possessed perfect pitch.