Short Story Collection

Trebled Ghost

I walked by a dusty ol' piano and grazed my fingers along its keys. Smiling, I let out a little puff of air in amusement. I accidentally let the muscle in my arm loose, and one of the keys rang its tune loudly beneath my finger, which echoed through the tall room.

I removed my hand rather quickly, before looking at my now dust covered fingers. I rubbed them together and wiped them off with my jeans.

The ceiling was tall and round in the room I was in. It was white, with gold lining and interior. The stained windows were dulled in their color and cobwebs filled the room, as well as various flying bugs. Nothing sounded through the room anymore, just the quiet and my empty thoughts.

Looking down at the piano, I felt a twinge in my stomach. Why was it abandoned? I looked around and began to play a tune. 

I was rather alarmed by how resonant the old piano was. I looked up as if I could see the sound waves bouncing off the ceiling and back at me.

I played it again, and when the sound ceased, I smiled and scooted out the weak piano chair. I played for what felt like mere seconds, only when my song was over, had I known it had to have been longer.

"You play very beautifully," a gentle and fairly elegant voice spoke.

"Thank you. I've been playing since I was a kid," I spoke in my heavy British accent. "Mum taught me," I let out slowly as I began to focus on my playing again. My eyes suddenly went wide before I looked around and was on my feet, all in less than a second.

There wasn't a being in sight.

"Hello?" I let out. "Anyone there?" I walked to where I heard the sound.

My footsteps were light and silent, but stopped when out stepped a woman. She was rather pale, with a long white dress. Her white, silvery hair was laid across her chest. When she looked up at me, her eyes were much like the sky. They were a soft and gentle blue tone.

"I haven't heard that piano be played in so long," her hushed voice spoke again. "Sorry if I startled you," she quietly laughed. She stepped to the piano and sat on the dusty bench.

"You're fine Ma'am," I let out. I sat next to her and watched as her hands calmly hovered over the keys. Her fingers slowly curled into her hand before she set them in her lap.

"Can you play more?"

"Sure," I smiled. My mind raced, thinking of any song I could begin to play. I begun to play one my mother used to duet with me.

I had gotten caught up in the sound of the piano and hadn't noticed when she joined in. Each keys sound seemed to dance as they left the piano. The sound climbed higher and higher and joined with the other notes before finally, it came back more beautiful than how it left.

With each chord, the building seemed to get brighter as the cobwebs seemed to disappear. The cracks in the walls merged together while the bugs all flew out. The pianos dust seemed wiped clean while the stained windows shown their bright colors once more.

I looked around and took in a deep breath, noticing how the air felt fresher. I smiled widely while I put my hands in my lap.

"Thank you," the wind seemed to hush. I looked over, and saw the woman had left.