Play
I licked at the crimson stain around my lips and gently placed my wine glass next to the music stand. The young man at the piano bench said nothing as I moved my lips closer to his ear. “Play,” I whispered, nipping gently at the lobe and repositioning the knife I held on his neck.
He raised his arms mechanically and landed his fingers on the grand piano before us. His dazed eyes stared past the long untouched music score in front of him, but his fingers started to press the black and white keys. At first, they were clunky, angry movements, but soon, the first few notes of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 smoothly filled the room.
I leaned back and smiled, enjoying the music. Taking up my glass, I relaxed my hold on the blade and let the melancholic lassan take its hold on me. The dramatic introduction to this piece was pleasing to me, as its dark undertones danced well with its playful moments. I took a lingering sip and closed my eyes.
That was when the quiet lull of the F-sharp minor hit. I felt a rough hand on my side as the second section of the piece, the friska, started to build up in alternating harmonies. “We got you now” was the shout in my ear.
The progression of the melody continued as the door swung open, more hands grabbed at me, and shouts of “Vampire!” and “Kidnapper!” rang in the room. I was laughing as he got to the crescendo, my favorite part of the piece. The police were filing in and people were tearing at my clothes, but he never stopped playing.
Something hard hit me on the head, and the world went black just as he brought the rhapsody to a conclusion.
When I woke up, I felt someone caress my hair with their palm. “Play,” whispered a familiar voice in my ear, and I tried to smile, but the bruises around my lips had not yet healed, so I could only manage to bare my teeth. I looked up, past the grand piano, only to see in the mirror that he was staring blankly at me, his gun pointed directly at my back. I raised my arms mechanically and landed my fingers on the grand piano before us.
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For pepperjack3000.
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Image source: deviantart.com/annewipf/art/Piano-on-a-sunny-morning-744332974
First written November 10, 2017.
#136