Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Unleashed ❯ A piano ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

some people say that a piano is a key to one's heart. Would this work to a dog too? and will Hotaru finally realize what kindness feels like?

Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 10.30.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 206 | Status: Work In Progress

Unleashed

Chapter 4: A piano

Bryce, along with his men and Hotaru went into the car and stopped outside a warehouse. The warehouse was a huge place and so it was divided to two separate places. One place was like a storage unit for large instruments and chairs. The other place was more like an office. It was a place where another group of mobs are and it is also their next destination. However, Bryce was pissed and was ranting about Hotaru.

“What kind of an idiot would stand there while their master is getting beaten up!” he shouted “Even the stupidest dog would do something when they see their master getting creamed!” Bryce wiped some of the blood off his face.

“Gee boss, you don't look too good!” said one of his men.

Bryce looked up in annoyance, “I'm glad you figured that out!” he snapped. He pointed to Hotaru, “You're useless!” He began walking as everyone else followed. He grabbed what sort of like a cube with a red light on it from the boot of the car. “But I'm going to give you another chance.”

They headed to the part of the warehouse where the instruments was. Bryce stood in front of Hotaru holding the cube up in front of Hotaru's face.

“Look at this. When the red light blinks you go through that door where it leads to the office.” He said pointing at the door. However Hotaru was distracted. She was looking at the cube, but she can see from behind it that there was a piano there, and she recognize it from her book previously. So she stared at that instead of the cube. Bryce could tell that she was distracted, “hey! Focus! Remember, red light blinks, you go through that door.” But Hotaru kept on losing her focus to the piano. But Bryce continued to tell her. “Red light blinks, go through that door, so remember light blinks, door.” He said telling her again. He pulled her hand a directed her to a corner where he hung the cube and made Hotaru stare at it directly. “Don't keep your eyes off it, and don't let me down!” he finished angrily. He went through the door with the two other men leaving Hotaru.

Hotaru stared at the cube in boredom for about 15 seconds before her eyes trailed off back to the piano. It was to her left side. She took small steps to her left, but still looking at the cube, until her left hand touched the piano. She turned around to face it and placed her finger over the keys and accidentally hit a note. It made a loud sound, but it was broken, so the sound was terrible. Hotaru jumped slightly as this was her first encounter with a piano and she doesn't know what to do with it. She pressed it again, but this time after the sound, a voice was heard.

“Ay, ay, ay!” said the voice. “Looks like someone here could use my help!” It was an elderly woman. She wore a long coat and a sweater and she had sunglasses on. She was carrying what looked like a toolbox.

Hotaru was frightened and began to go back to the cube.

The lady walked using her hands to touch her surroundings and sat on the seat of the broken piano.

“You like pianos?” she called out while taking her coat off. Hotaru didn't answer. “Yeah, me too.” She said still replying. “I'm just going to tune this piano, probably be a couple of hours.” She said. “I used to be able to work faster but my back isn't like what it used to be.” She continued. “Truth be told, I could use a hand so how about it?”

Hotaru turned her face to the lady but didn't say a word.

The lady turned around, her sunglasses were still on her. “Are you still there?” she called out.

Hotaru was confused; the lady was facing her but was wondering if she was there. Hotaru waved her hand in over the lady's eyes from the distance. She figured out that the lady must be blind. She sighed in relief.

The lady heard her. “You are aren't you?”

“…Yes…” Hotaru finally replied.

“Good.” The lady smiled warmly. “Take a seat, you can help me.” She said again using her hand to gesture the empty space next to her on the seat of the piano.

Hotaru sat next to her on the seat.

The lady smiled warmly and explained to her. “People think that because a piano is very big, that it is very strong. And that you can just pounce of them any way you want, but that's not true at all.” She explained. “Pianos are a lot like people. If you pounce on them, they'll get out of tune.”

“Listen to this.” She placed her fingers on the piano and pressed down, but a sound of a cross between a dryer and a broken trumpet was heard instead. “Hear that? Sad as a baby crying.” She commented. “Now I want you to place your fingers here.” She pointed out taking Hotaru's hand but feeling how tense it.

“Oh my goodness, loosen up.” She said chuckling as she began to rub Hotaru's hand to loosen it. “The music have to flow from within, it can't flow if you're all tense.” She said.

Hotaru smiled this time. Her facial expression was different to what it usually is. She looked like a kid, keen to learn something new. The lady placed directed Hotaru's fingers to where the keys are.

“Now, when I say press, you press down your fingers. Do you think you can do that for me?” the elderly lady asked.

“Yes.” Hotaru said again smiling.

“Good.” The lady got up and went to the other side of the piano and took out a hammer from her toolbox and placed the hammer to the back of the piano. `One, two, three, press!” she said. Hotaru pressed it lightly. No sound was heard. “A little harder.” Said the lady again, “Press!” Hotaru pressed it harder and it made the proper sound.

They kept doing this until they finished. “Very good!” said the lady. “Now one more time.” She said then Hotaru pressed and it was completely fixed.

“Excellent.” The lady said. She sat in the seat of the piano next to Hotaru. “Now, you wanna hear what you did?”

“Yes!” said Hotaru a bit more confident this time. The lady placed Hotaru's fingers on certain keys and tells her to press. The piano sounded good as new. “Wonderful.” She complimented. “You could one day play at Rapture Hall. It's a place where all the greatest musicians go to perform. When I was younger, that was my dream. But I was never that good.” She chuckled again. “Oh, how rude of me, what's your name?”

Hotaru froze; she doesn't want to say her name.

“That's all right, you don't have to tell me your name. Well… my name is Cammy.” She held out her hand.

Hotaru shook it warmly.

“Nice to meet you.” Cammy smiled. “Now I need to ask you something, I've been hearing this sort of blinking sound. Do you hear it too?”

Hotaru quickly turned around and see the cube. It's light was flashing brightly. She had forgotten all about it. She immediately ran to the other side of the warehouse where Bryce was. Bryce and his men were all beaten up.

“I've had enough of you!” Bryce yells at Hotaru. His face was covered in blood.