Pianos

I got the story idea for Pianos based on a picture prompt from Pinterest. It's this army guy in the forest playing a piano.

Kind of strange, right? Well it was creative enough to get my brain juices flowing and here is the result!

My heart was lead.

My hands firmly gripped the rifle in front of me as I stalked through the forest. My feet moved mechanically while my brain pulsed a thousand memories a minute.

Her hands flew across the keyboard with effortless grace. Eyes sparkled with passion. Passion that vibrated through the walls, intertwined with the sound of the piano.

My eyes prickled in warning. Do not go down that path.

But her face was everywhere. Every darkened shadow seemed to contain her face, with irony. She should not be the darkness. She belonged in the light.

Eyes narrowed, I continued to follow my target. The man who committed her to that darkness.

He needed to die.

I steadied myself and lowered the rifle, readying myself for the recoil. My finger tickled the trigger.

I had every ability physically. But this was murder. I wasn’t sure if I could pull that trigger.

I have to. For her.

I looked down the scope of the rifle, looking for the man’s head.

But he wasn’t there.

Where he had stood seconds before, was simply a piano. It was scuffed and old with paint peeling at the edges. To my eyes, it was beautiful.

Droplets of happiness fell down my face.

I hardly felt my feet touch the ground. I somehow found myself by the piano.

I put my worn old hands on the keys. My rifle swung, forgotten, from its strap.

I could feel her hands underneath mine, as she guided me in what she referred to as the simplest piece.

Tears fell without thoughts now, because I wasn’t thinking –I was feeling.

I no longer cared about killing that man. She did not want me to. She wanted me to share my gift –our gift with the world. I understood now.

Thank you for opening my eyes.