Wilbur Green

01.

Once the room fell to a placid silence, every inhabitant's eyes glued promptly onto the young, sandy-haired boy that sat at the grand, white piano, he began to play. A graceful melody spilled from the piano whenever his fingers nimbly strummed across each precise chord, when and where to exactly play coming to him like second nature.

The crowd in front of him watched in awe as he played, baffled how such a young man could bear such graceful talent. The bewilderment only broadened when the music got more intricate, his gaze pierced calmly onto the piano keys below him as he clicked each one, not daring to show any of the tension that crept up his back from fear he'd mess up the piece in front of all of these individuals. Although it wasn't like Wilbur Green to befoul, the vast amounts of piano lessons his father instilled into him ensuring it stayed that way.

And there Byron Green stood, watching his son arrogantly, his lips turned into a subtle, proud grin as he watched the prodigy he created impress such a modest crowd. Wilbur's mother stood next to her husband, her strawberry-colored hair pinned neatly into an updo as she watched her son as well, not nearly showing as much enthusiasm as the fellows around her or her husband did. She was more so busy critiquing her son rather than basking in the talent he created for himself. She had an eye for Wilbur's mistakes, scolding him harshly whenever she picked one up. Tough love, she called it.

Wilbur fit perfectly into the luxurious environment before him; the extravagant, ivory piano coordinating well with the pearly suit his father got specially tailored for him, the large chandelier hanging stilly above him emitting a golden aura onto the boy. The Greens only believed in lavish, investing most of their compensation into the glorious mansion they resided in and even managed to have enough in their bank account for whatever unimportant possessions the family wanted afterward. Byron was an aloof aristocrat, investing in many businesses that kept the family in their prosperous position whereas his wife, Annabelle Green, did very little to advance the family's wealth, only staying home and enjoying all of the funds she had sat at her fingertips.

Wilbur, on the other hand, brought in quite the sum of wealth using his adept piano skill. Hundreds of locals, who had the money to pay for it, hired him to produce the graceful music for whatever celebration they had scheduled. Byron didn't consider his son's talent as cheap, charging folks hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of dollars in order to have Wilbur's services. He was at one of those occasions now, playing in Doctor Gregory's cliffside estate for the skilled physician's daughter's eighteenth birthday.

The crowd was frozen in admiration as they cherished Wilbur's music, but it was soon coming to an end, Wilbur playing the last few notes of the piece. It only lasted for no longer than three or so minutes but it felt like an eternity for Wilbur. When he would play, he would get so immersed into the music that he'd lose track of the time around him, each note that he produced flooding him with an array of emotions. The piano was Wilbur's passion, fr0m when he first started his lessons at the mere age of five to now, at age sixteen, his talent almost identical to Beethoven's.

And at last, he played the final note to La Campanella, letting the concluding melody fade out into the room until it ripened into silence once again. He finally lifted his eyesight from the keys below him, his chest feeling airy from the thrill performing gave him, and he met with the astonished gazes from the viewers before him; some dismayed from the show ending and others filled with so much veneration it left them speechless. Doctor Gregory stood amongst the crowd, specifically in the front row, his face dipped with satisfaction behind the large, round glasses and gray caterpillar mustache. The sight flushed Wilbur with confidence, a proud grin, one that matched his father's, turning up his lips as he slowly pulled himself from his seat on the bench behind the piano. Byron's voice was the first one to break the hush,