Original Short Story - DROWNED

No one even noticed as she drowned.

Flipping the pages ruthlessly as her eyes read through the countless charcoal fish swimming on the page. They, all very similar, a few distinct, tied together by ripples. Those azure beads ran back and forth, comprehending the pattern.

Edge of the bench. Back straight. Long fingers rested beautifully on the white keys. Yet, clearly hers weren’t. Discolouration set upon her finger tips, blisters hidden between her fingers. Hidden, but painful. She had for years been practising at home, in the dusty old basement. Stuck on the wall with packing tape, a once white, now gold, sheet of music paper, ripped from her book. I will work harder than anyone else. I will play until my fingers break. Her dreams of becoming the greatest piano player written all over it. She saw it everyday as she played endlessly the same fine classical tune until it was perfect. Clarity, tone, form.

Now in the grand hall, on the brightened stage, she sat tiny, beside the grand piano. Nervous. Her heart throbbed as she tried to relax herself. Every sinew in her body tensed; she began to beat the keys. The masculinity of the piece resonated through the room. Vibrations of octaves and the harsh caressing creating a raucous yet beautiful sound foreign to female players. Her fingers raced from one end of the piano to the other in a blink.

Already, her pain poured into this piece. All those countless hours sacrificed to murder the music and receive admiration. The agony and fear of losing rushed through her blood stream. Reminded of her father’s calming words, “ It’s okay. You don’t have to be the greatest. As long as you do what you love”, she became more desperate. Conflicted with her father’s views, she craved praise and victory more and more. Silence enveloped her mind. Her breath was inconsistent and heavy. The unimaginable entrance to the realm where nightmares of being tortured, trapped in that room again frightened her. The dusty grey walls of her basements surround the constant thumping and little laughs from above as she struggled alone all these years. These thoughts crowded her mind as her fingers continued to move swiftly onto the black keys. Her rough finger smashed onto the white key, one left of the supposed one. Off key. The strange and sudden breakage in the flow, only she seemed to noticed as panic arose in her mind and she pushed further to finish. When she ended with a sudden beat, all rose to applaud her. Their smiles and loud claps appreciating her excellent talent echoed through the grand hall. She stared into the audience. The eagles, viciously fixed on her actions with their evil grins and sharp claws clasped together, ready to prey. The air was thick. Immediately, she sprinted off stage, returning to a seat next to her father. It was hard to breathe. Suffocating, she tried to push it away. Her lungs burned as darkness engulfed her.

A small light from above. A hand reached out to grab hers. Her fingers stretched to their fullest extent, an octave and 5 keys. Desperate to leave, knowing that someone is there, their fingers, almost touched. Her father big stretch still could not find his daughter’s rough fingertips.

Losing air. Losing air. Lost.
She gave up.
She drowned.

No one even noticed.

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