Tales of the Arcane - 0715

The Arcane Light’s

  TALES OF THE ARCANE

  Cover art by: LC Schwartz

  The Arcane Light’s

  TALES OF THE ARCANE

  Copyright © 2015 by LC Schwartz

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  This book is a work of fiction. The characters are productions of the

  authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Untitled - by Teeko

  Casefile: The Butterfly (Chapter 1) - by LC Schwartz

  Mr. Tydings’ Casefile - by Zoomey

  UNTITLED

  by Teeko

  He sat down at the piano, as he had done millions of times before. But this time was different. It was months since he last had done it.

  He looked at the keys in front of him. A thin layer of dust covered them, giving the distinct black and white a shade of grey.

  "It's been that long, huh" he thought to himself.

  He raised his arms and held out his hands over the piano keys. Slowly he lowered his fingers until they touched them. There he stopped. He couldn't bring himself to press them down, make them produce the tones he had played so many times.

  The memories rushed through his head and soon a tear found its way down his cheek. It was quickly followed by others. He withdrew his hands from the piano to wipe the tears away.

  With a deep breath he steeled himself.

  Again he looked down at the dusty piano keys. He didn't do anything else for a good ten minutes. Just staring blankly at the ivory and ebony before him.

  After another deep breath, that he exhaled slowly, he lifted his arms again to place his hands over the piano keys.

  Surprised he looked at his hands. They were shaking.

  He slammed his hands down hard on the keys. The resulting sound from the piano ripped through the silence and the dust flew up around his fingers.

  He watched the dust settle as the sound from the piano faded.

  Then he started moving his fingers over the piano keys. Playing that melody.

  Her melody.

  Their melody.

  Tears started streaming down his cheeks again but he kept on playing. The same song over and over again. More and more intense every time he started over. His playing went into a frenzy and the tears on his cheeks got replaced by pearls of sweat. Hour upon hour he kept playing without pause.

  Then suddenly he heard it. It almost made him stop playing but he forced himself to continue. He couldn't stop now!

  Her voice.

  At first it was only vague, off in the distance, softly humming along to the music. As he continued to play, it came closer and closer. The humming became words. The words he had heard so many times, singing along to his piano.

  He kept playing and once again tears found their way down his cheeks. But this time it was tears of joy. Her voice was right behind him now. She was so close he could feel her presence.

  Then he felt her hand on his head. Gently she ran her fingers through his hair to the back of his head before turning the hand up and forward to rest on his cheek.

  He kept playing. She continued to sing.

  Her hand eventually moved from his cheek down to his shoulder. He felt her sitting down next to him. Holding her arm around him.

  He finally dared to look at her. Afraid that his eyes would tell him that she wasn't there. But he saw her. Beautiful as ever. Her long black hair kept in a braid down her back. Dressed in a thin white dress that in the darkness of the room seemed to give her a faint glow.

  She looked back at him and smiled with her whole face, but her red lips kept singing.

  And he kept playing.

  She was back with him and he didn't want to risk losing her. Not again. Not now.

  They kept looking at each other while still singing and playing without pause and they kept on doing so until dawn started to fight the darkness of the night outside the windows. Then she put her hands on his. Stopped him from playing as she stopped singing. She looked into his eyes.

  "I have been waiting for you" she whispered to him.

  "I have missed you so much" he replied, barely able to speak.

  Still holding his hands, she stood up and pulled at him to make him do the same.

  "Now let us never be apart ever again" she smiled at him as he stood up next to her. He completely agreed and embraced her, held her tight to him and their lips met in a passionate kiss. As they continued to kiss, she whispered against his lips: "Now come with me my love."

  He followed without hesitation and still holding each other close, the couple walked away from the piano and out of the room, just as the first ray of sunlight broke the horizon and announced the arrival of morning.

  The sounds of the piano and the song could still be heard in the now abandoned room.

  As the dead body fell from the piano stool down onto the floor it made a soft thump sound.

  Then there was only silence.

  Silken Whispers

  CASEFILE: THE BUTTERFLY

  by LC Schwartz