▹ video title ⨾ sobbing alone in front of a haunted piano
▹ playlist by ⨾ oliviaalee
▹ story title ⨾ chained to the melody
▹ date finished ⨾ 08/02/21
▹ date commented「yt」⨾ 08/04/21
▹ date posted「wp」⨾ 08/06/21
▹ language ⨾ english
▹ wordcount ⨾ 1712

feel free to play the ambiance music in the multimedia to set the mood of the story :)

🏻🏼🏽🏾🏿

          "Cover thy ears once the traveling lamp hast setteth, for the weeping tune might taketh thy breath."

          The sign hung steadily on the tallest post in the heart of the village. It had been their cardinal rule ever since the elders settled in, and it had been that long since everyone followed it.

          But why?

          The girl stood unmoving below the sign written in a bloody script, brows furrowed, lips pouted. No one questioned the rule more than her. Even the most rebellious people she knew followed it. People remarked that she was foolish to query something absolute. But for her, the real foolish ones were those who follow such rules blindly.

          Why must they cover their ears once the sun had set? Why must they follow a rule without reason? She was no sheep, and she did not want to be herded as one. She had lived her seventeen years being in a flock she considered her village, but tonight she would escape from it. She would seek the truth behind the rule.

          As the sun hung low in the sky and the light once cerulean turned ocher, she figured it was time to head home and prepare for her research. She had already collected enough ink and parchments to conduct her study, and whatever she unfold tonight would be a great discovery.

          Sitting from her balcony, she watched the sun already nearing the horizon. Down below, she could see the villagers hurriedly retreating to their huts, some already wearing their earmuffs made of quilt and mineral wool. She shook her head in disapproval. She was once like them, but it would change tonight.

          Three knocks on her door diverted her attention from the bustling villagers. It was her mother, who was also wearing her earmuffs.

          'Supper's almost ready. Wear your earmuffs when you go down, dear, the night is nearing,' her mother signed using her hands.

          'Certainly, Mother. I'll be there momentarily,' she signed back.

          Her mother smiled sweetly before leaving her quarter. She sighed and frowned at her earmuffs, feeling conflicted that she needed to wear them one last time.

          As seconds turned to minutes and minutes eventually turned to hours, it was time. The sun had almost disappeared from the horizon but a tiny arc. Most of the village folks were already asleep at this hour as no one would want to witness what awaits in the night.

          The girl sighed and waited nervously for the last light of dusk to disappear. She was still wearing her earmuffs as she had just finished supper, but she could hear her heart pulsating deafeningly in her ears. She would uncover something once she removed her earmuffs. Be it good or not, it would still be a discovery.

          As the shadows became longer and the village grew darker, her hands clasped her earmuffs. She swallowed to calm her rattling nerves, all the while her heart was in her ears, beating incessantly. As the final light had disappeared, she mustered all the courage that she could, closed her eyes, swallowed, then removed her earmuffs. She waited for something to happen.

          Nothing.

          Silence.

          The whole village was silent. Not a sigh nor a rustle.

          She slowly opened her eyes and gaped in disbelief. For years, people in their village had been following the rule for their safety. Safety from what? Silence!

          Her shoulders fell in disappointment. It was not the discovery she was expecting. She groaned and whimpered, feeling embarrassed at herself and the village folks who followed the rule for nothing.

          Saddened by the failure, she decided to gather her inks and parchments and store them again ... then stopped when she heard something from a distance.

          The girl raced to the railings of her balcony and sought the source of the sound. The sound was foreign and sweet. It was similar to the sound of raindrops falling onto glass, but more melodic and more mellow. The tune was alluring and calling to her. Then she heard a loud thud.

          She looked behind and froze when she saw herself lying lifeless-- no, unconscious beneath her. She released a sigh of relief, watching her chest going up and down with the rhythm of her breaths.

          Her brows furrowed in confusion, then she looked at herself when questions slithered in her mind.

          What is happening? Am I dreaming? Is this what they call lucid dreaming?

          She was left with no answer, only confusion, amazement, and wonder at her experience. She tried to jot down her discovery on her parchments but realized that she could not as she was only a soul with no shell.

          The tune in the distance continued. It made her wonder why the people would shun such a lovely tune. It should be heard by all, worshipped even, instead of the absurd rule of the village.

          She pressed her lips together, determined to find the origin of the tune and prove the idiocy of the rule for good. With her profound resoluteness, she jumped from her balcony and floated down till she reached the ground.

          She followed the foreign tune, marching along with its fast tempo. She jumped and pranced around the empty village until the tune led her to a clearing where she saw a mansion she was sure was not there during the day.

          Vines of ivy draped the brick exterior of the mansion. A few ocher lights twinkled from its several windows and the little lamps on the spiked fence guarding the abode. The mansion was huge, intimidating, and inviting.

          The tune modulated to a higher key, almost suggesting she go inside, and so she did. The path seemed to light up with her every step as she strutted together with the allegro tune. Yet, the moment she stepped inside the mansion, the tune turned into a somber one. The melody became slow, almost haunting and depressing.

          She clutched her chest as she felt it tighten. It was as if the lingering sadness of the tune clung onto her, filling her with sorrow.

          It was all so strange, and her senses screamed danger, but she gave it no mind. Instead, she followed the melancholic tune as she felt the need to comfort something ... or rather, someone.

          Her slow steps echoed within the hall of the mansion, making the perfect tempo for the melody. She hugged herself as fog started forming, and the lights dimmed to a mere spark.

          Her chest tightened even more as she approached a wooden double door where the tune was coming. It was unbearable. It was as if she was struck by the loneliness that was repressed for centuries. It consumed her until she found herself sobbing.

          The double door opened, and a dark, spacious room of dust and cobwebs welcomed her. In the middle of the room sat a mysterious box with black and white rectangular keys. An instrument that she only saw from her books—a piano.

          The fog thickened around her as she stepped closer to the instrument. Her brows furrowed, seeing the keys move on their own without a musician on sight.

          A soft wind blew, lifting and moving the fog until it materialized into a boy playing. His eyes were void of any emotion, and that made her sob even louder.

          The boy played the piano as if it was the only way to communicate with her, and she understood him. She understood his pain, his longing, his laments, his desires.

          She walked closer and sat beside him. The boy looked at her with his sunken eyes, and she only smiled. She put her hands on the piano, pressed a few keys until she found herself playing a countermelody.

          Her brows knitted in confusion. It was her first time seeing a real-life piano, much less playing one, but her hands seemed to know what they were doing.

          She looked at the boy when he stopped playing. He was looking at her with wide eyes. For once, his eyes reflected emotions; confusion, amazement, disbelief, and joy.

          "Thank you," he said almost in a whisper. His voice was low and hoarse, perhaps from disuse.

          She was confused but smiled nonetheless. She continued playing until golden streaks tore the light indigo sky. The morning was approaching.

          Shock was the only thing she felt. She played all night but did not even feel tired nor sleepy.

          Panic rose in her chest. Her mother would not like it if she found out that she went out at night. She turned to her right to say goodbye to her new friend, only to find him dissolving to mist.

          Her eyes widened, her mouth gaped, her heart raced, while her fingers continued playing.

          "Thank you for setting me free," the boy uttered before disappearing as the first light of dawn hit him.

          The mansion started disappearing as well. The walls turned translucent until she could see the sky and the mountains.

          She stood, deciding that it was time to head home. It would be best if she would not publish her study as she found it unbelievable, and people would ridicule her even more for it.

          She pulled away from the piano, only to find that she could not. It was as if her fingers had minds of their own and refused to go along with her. They were still pressing different keys, making a beautiful melody, and she could not do anything to control them.

          Tears once again filled her eyes as different emotions filled her system. Amongst them, fear and regret engulfed her the most.

          She finally understood. She finally found the reason behind the rule. She slumped back on the piano bench, feeling helpless. Her fingers pressed the keys until it created a melancholic melody. One that best represented her sadness while sobbing alone in front of the haunted piano.

          She drew a breath and accepted her fate, all the while the mansion continued disappearing, taking her and the piano with it.

          In the morning, the village was in shambles. Crying and church bells filled the streets. Once again, the rule failed to save an innocent citizen from the haunted piano's curse. The curse that leads to the death of the body, and the entrapment of the soul in a never-ending melody.

-fin-