Inkvite - My Collaborations

Piano Man

Note: Originally written on Inkvite by 'Ryan', 'Als757' & 'undormant'. The cover picture here is what a standard 'western' story looks like with usernames on the front.

It wasn't the most glorious job, but it definitely beat gunslinging out there. Well, that's what I told myself as I made a jolly tune. The truth was that I was nothing but the piano man of The Golden Saloon.

There were many bar fights in that old saloon, but really stood out. One night there was a few men just messing around with some of the bar maidens, nothing new, but then he walked in. That strange man just but right in and yelled "You gentleman should get out of here, better I put you out." They laughed, hard. Both of the men stopped, then said
"You must be crazy to come in here talking like that"
"Either that or we got a new town drunk"
"Yeah a drunk or a fool" the two men laughed again but the stranger just starred them out confidently.
"I told you" he repeated calmly "you should get out of here"
In my time at the piano of the saloon I had seen some crazy stuff, but this man was quite possibly the wildest, cruelest man in the West.
I can hardly put into words what happened next. I will leave it at a pack of dynamite, everyone but us two dead, and some terrifying screams coming from various people. I was scared, the man before me was a lunatic we were both covered in ash and there was nothing left of my little saloon that I knew so well. I didn't want to believe it, everything was gone. But me, I'm still here, with the man who took it all away.
"Now" said the stranger "I want to talk to you". He then frantically mumbled to himself before wandering away from the wreck of the building.
The only remains of the building were some planks, ashes, and the untouched piano. I no longer had a home. I sat on the old piano and decided I needed to know why he did this. I had to go after him, so I got up and left it all behind me. My lungs ached from running after him when I finally caught my breath I said "You said you wanted to talk? Well I want to talk too." "Yeah, we will talk soon enough let's go."