The Glass Piano



I stood there mute by the shop, motionless next to the open entrance. The windows reflected the road lighted by the sun’s heavenly yellow rays. My hand rested on the door frame and I remained faced away from the door to avoid attention of the woman at the counter. My consciousness lingered over what was inside the shop – I glanced at it, felt the flowing chimera from what was behind the glass window, then thought of the letter in my pocket. Lifting my hand off the frame, I pulled out from my pocket the piece of paper I received from my friend, a week ago, that seemed like ages. Carefully unfolding it, I read his sentences – I was aware that I must have read them for the fifth time, but each time I crawled over the words, emotion overwhelmed me as I recalled the last moment I stood before my beloved companion, knowing the unknown distance between us, a curtain of dark mist drawn where we should be eternally connected.

I was almost unconscious of slipping the secret letter back into my pocket as I tore my eyes away from the paper to return my gaze to the grand piano. The unblemished instrument was a jewel in itself – rich, prized, more precious than anything I knew. My love for it was an enfolding affection, longing not to perform on it but with it, for the piano – this piano – was my eternal partner in the art of music. Moving forward, I quietly placed my hand on the window, the heat from it casting a light mist over the glass. It has been four days since something somewhere in my mind awakened a sense of urgency within me. Since then I have repeated this awkward routine. I clearly did not belong and this I knew, for the atmosphere remained silent and hostile, but I convinced myself that the piano wanted my . . . no, needed, my presence. But what was the use of me, if I could not take any step closer to the instrument from where I always stood? The piano needed me to play her. But I wasn’t worthy – I did not perform well and I grieved, remembering my classmates’ talents in mastering the instrument, playing with such skill and ease while their countenance held gentle expressions as if reading a beautiful novel.

To play the sacred piano confined within the shop was like the poor setting their hands on a holy thing only to feel the pitiful shame. The shop owner would never allow me to sit at it, unless I was a well-known pianist, and I couldn’t afford it either. ...What? I shook my head. Buy it? I smiled sadly at my own foolishness. It was beyond silly to even think of owning it, when it was there for a wealthy family, a five-star hotel or a professional player to purchase.

From the corner of my eye I saw the woman stand up from the counter and walk slowly towards me. I was expecting this to occur one day, and it did finally, after four days. Never were there any customers at the time I arrived there until I wandered off elsewhere. My heart raced while my thoughts rushed from the woman to the piano, the piano to my friend and his letter, and back to the woman again.

‘Young lady . . . would you like to come inside?’

I turned my head to stare at her. I had glimpsed her before but had only seen an ordinary 40 year-old woman doing her work in her corner of the shop. I had never suspected that she had distinct facial features emphasized by her glossed auburn curls with a white halo of light on her perfectly shaped head. All this time I hadn’t noticed her angelic tan eyes. I had never observed her among the conflict within me that kept me occupied, all awareness astray from whatever went on around me.

The woman stepped back and waited patiently for me, all the time her splendid eyes on mine. She seemed as if she knew something about me. She watched as I took hesitant little steps inside, then calmly walked over to the grand piano I admired.

‘Do you play the piano?’ she asked, her voice so soft I almost couldn’t hear. Dread filled me as words spilled

Life

At school, Carly Ray didn’t attract much attention. She didn’t treat school like a social environment like the others did, but she wasn’t a nerd either. Well not like Meena. The one sitting over there on the front row. Carly just saw schoolwork as something necessary to commit yourself to, just because her mother said that if she didn’t get good grades she would not be able to enter a good university and then she won’t get a good career and therefore she wouldn’t have a good life. But it wasn’t like she believed in all that her mother said.

Carly spoke little, was determined if she had a little goal to achieve and always waited for her turn. She wasn’t smart or clever or beautiful but everyone liked her because she smiled when ever someone talked to her and she always had decent answers when questioned. She always knew something about most things and never too much (like Meena and her textbook explanations). In a social situation at school Carly often kept everything to herself and listened to what her classmates had to say. There was always something about her humor that surprised the others – she seemed dull and solitary, but if she had to, she was capable of making others laugh. If she felt like it, she even joined a pandemonium of a class, especially at lunchtimes when they all gathered and ate and spoke of silly things, the boys being (more like trying to be) smartasses by making awfully retarded jokes. Some of those jokes were just sick ones.

‘. . . Carly!’ Karin Moon ran after her on her way home. She was most loyal to her and often talked about the beauty of various things. Carly thought life must be wonderful if you could find beauty even in something you had absolutely no interest in. Like how pretty and stylish a racing car is while watching an F1 race on tv . . . but mostly, Karin referred to nature. She spoke of how flowers were cute and colourful and how books were awesome and how the shape of the clouds inspired her artwork. Only one word perfectly described her – creative.

‘Hey. Sorry I didn’t wait, I think I was deep in thought.’ Carly apologized.

‘It’s okay.’ She answered. With a grin. Then she started laughing. She was happy about something. What was it?

‘I get to go to Hawaii for the holidays.’ She blurted.

Carly shot her a surprised look.

‘There’s so many things I wanna do. More than just shopping, you know, you can do that in Singapore. But actually I’d like to see the night markets, sounds fun from what Roy said. And Hanauma Bay, they say it’s great when the tide’s low.’

Karin’s family wasn’t rich but they traveled when they had the money and the chance.

‘Hanauma Bay? So you’re going to Oahu . . .’ Carly glanced at the ground to think.

‘Yeah.’ She beamed her friendly.

‘. . . Waikiki?’ Carly asked with an expectant grin.

‘Yup! I’m staying in a hotel there, I’ll call you or e-mail you what it’s like so that you be bored on the holidays.’ She chuckled.

Carly liked the idea. ‘Thanks. I’d like to know.’

Karin started making little skipping steps and Carly walked a little ahead to avoid the dust. She was content that her friend was very happy about going overseas.

‘See you next week!’ She said abruptly. Carly almost forgot it was Friday. Before she ran off Karin remembered something. ‘Oh, are you going to be busy this week? I’m not so confident about our homework so I might call you at some point on the weekend . . .’

‘That’s alright.’

‘Okay, thanks. Bye!’ She trotted off across the street as she waved.

Maybe Carly should start being happy about something too. But there wasn’t much change in her life and things were always the same. She liked to walk in the woods but she knew it very well, although it never bored her. She looked at her watch. 5:30 pm. She had a math lesson back at school until 4:00 pm, and then volleyball until 5 o�

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.Birdie♥...........birdie♥
Birdie♥.............Birdie♥
.Birdie♥...........Birdie♥
...Birdie♥.......Birdie♥
......Birdie♥.Birdie♥
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.Birdie♥...........birdie♥
Birdie♥______.Birdie♥
Birdie♥.............Birdie♥
Birdie♥______.Birdie♥
Birdie♥.............Birdie♥
.Birdie♥_____Birdie♥
....Birdie♥._. Birdie♥
..........Birdie. ♥


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..........>Birdie♥
..........>Birdie♥

..........>birdie♥
..........>Birdie♥
..........>Birdie♥
..........>Birdie♥
..........>Birdie♥
..........>Birdie♥
..........>Birdie♥

...........^^^^


>>> O.K.A.Z.A.K.I

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......NinJA.NinJA.JNR:.
....:NinJA.NinJA.NinJA:.
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~NinJA.NinJA.JNR
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>>> U.E.L.E.S.E

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Angel..........Angel♥
Angel.......Angel♥
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Angel........Angel♥
Angel...........Angel♥
Angel..............Angel♥


...........^Angel^
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Kim.Kim♥................/Kim
Angel.Kim♥............//Kim
Angel..Kim♥..........///Kim
Angel....Kim♥.......///.Kim
Angel.....Kim♥.....///..Kim
Angel.......Kim♥..///...Kim
Angel........Kim♥///....Kim
Angel.........Kim///......Kim
Angel..........Kim//.......Kim


>>> M.A.R.T.I.N

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>>> B.U.Z.A.C.O.T.T