The mystery piano

[source material]

***

It was a cold, dry morning. Mrs. S. poured herself some coffee and wrapped her hands around the mug. She put the cereal and milk out on the kitchen table for her son, who was in the shower.

She saw something in the woods and squinted. It was a red shape, zigging and zagging back and forth through the trees, towards the house. The shape became a jacket, and the jacket became a woman. She was screaming or sobbing or something.

She ran up the back deck and threw herself into the glass sliding door, pounding on it with her open palm. Mrs. S. ran to the door and put her hand on the handle, to slide it open, but hesitated.

"OPEN UP! OPEN UP!"

"What? What is it? What is it?"

"OPEN UP! PLEASE, PLEASE, OPEN THE DOOR!"

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"PIANO!"

"What?"

"IT'S A PIANO!"

***

"There it is. There's the piano."

"Yup."

"All right, call it in."

***

Mrs. S. stepped back from the door. Mr. S., hearing the commotion, came running down the stairs in his bathrobe. The woman had streaked the door with phlegm and spit and sweat and ssteam and all manner of other clear and translucent bodily discharges the body releases in a state of panic.

***

"What've we got here boys?"

"Woman called about a piano in the woods."

"This the one?"

***

The woman carried her sketch book. She often found things in the woods that were worth sketching, or things that inspired her to write a line of verse.

She saw something a little further up on the trail. A wooden rectangular something.

What is that?

***

"Does it work?"

[One of the policemen begins playing The Entertainer.]

***

The woman got a little closer. Next to the big wooden rectangular thing was a small wooden rectangular thing.

She circled around to the other side, walking around it carefully. She saw the long, slender legs and the white and black blocks, like alternating teeth and non-teeth.

What is that?

***

"How do you think it got here?"

"Someone moved it, I imagine."

"Moved it?"

"Someone probably put it here."

***

The woman collapsed on the back deck, in front of the door. She was still shaking. Mr. S. directed his wife into the kitchen. He slowly opened the sliding glass door. The woman didn't move.

He put his hand on her back. There was another deep shiver. She turned up to face him.

"Piano."

***

She knew what it was, but couldn't believe it. Refused to believe it. She found middle-C and pressed it. The note echoed off the trees.

***

"You guys find this piano?"

"I did."

"What's that he's playing?"

"Linus and Lucy."

"Who do you think moved it here."

"Must've taken a couple guys. Maybe three."

"Who's to say it was moved here?"

"How's that?"

"Who's to say it was moved here? Maybe it just always was here?"

"The piano?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe the piano was here in a house and someone moved the house."

"And left the piano?"

***

The note rang in her ears. No matter how fast and how far she ran, she couldn't run away from it. It was there.

***

[There were fifteen-twenty police officers on the scene.]

"What I say what is the meaning of this?"

"It's a piano, chief."

"I can see it's a piano!"

"So why'd you ask?"

***

Mr. S. stepped into his yard. He was only wearing his slippers. The woman was still on the deck. Mrs. S. had brought her the phone and was trying to get her to drink a glass of water.

Mr. S. approached the woods slowly. The woman had cut a path through the bushes. Mr. S. followed it over the creek in his backyard and up a path he hadn't known was there.

He saw the piano, which frightened him, but it was the middle-C ringing off the trees that made him fall to his knees and grab his ears and roll around in the leaves for a little while, until he collected himself and headed back to the house to get ready for work.