The Piano Played

Introduction

This is a tale inspired by 'Spirit' by George Roux that I found in The Enchanted Booklet on Facebook here:

The music is "The Heart Asks Pleasure First / The Promise" from "The Piano" soundtrack by Michael Nyman.

The Piano Played

He lived alone in his huge mansion. He had staff to look after the place during the day, but at night he was alone.

He had been disturbed by a raven, tap, tap, tapping at his window, which annoyed him, and he chased it off by unleashing his shotgun. The raven left.

The house was quiet.

Then he heard the piano playing. It was not a player piano, and he could not play it, but it had always been there since long before he inherited the house.

He walked into the piano room and saw her. She was the player, a diaphanous spirit at the keyboard, lighting up the room.

The music was both impressive and joyful. He looked at the spirit in shock; she reminded him of his lost love but her features were not clear.

"Who are you?" he asked.

But she played on.

He did not know what to do.

The music was beautiful, and he did not want it to stop.

He began to feel euphoric, as though he had been drugged or hypnotised. Was it the music? Was it her?

Then he began to fade; his time on earth had come to an end.

She had come to take him on the next stage in his journey.

He was now a creature of light like her.

In the morning, the staff would find his body, resting in peace on the floor of the piano room.

His spirit moving on, holding the hand of his new love and guide, into a new existence of light and love.