There, in the forest lies the piano. The cast iron frame inside, now rusted. The hammers, rotten. The keys still gleam with the brightest ivory and the darkest ebony, although slightly chipped.
It was a mere 70 years ago that there was a town here. Long since forgotten, now no longer printed on maps. Only vague outlines of where the houses once stood. Now overgrown and filled with vegitation it is indistinguishable from it’s surroundings.
Long before the trees were there the small village hummed with the quiet business that only a small village can. Each person, dressed for the beautiful French summer. It was easy to forget there was a war on.
The large manor home in which the piano sat, was long since taken over as a command centre by the axis forces. Papers flew, coffee was spilled and soon the piano blended into the bureaucracy and machinations of the axis war machine.
One soldier however, when relieved of his duties, would come in to the study and play the piano. He would play from the moment he got relieved of his post, long into the night. When his commandant would ask him, very quietly to cease playing for the night. At which point he would gently close the piano and return to his quarters, still playing Chopin and Beethoven in his mind. The beautiful sounds of the piano still ringing in his ears.
Of course, with time, the war caught up to the village. The people had long since fled. The occasional shot rang out, the dull thud of artillery on the horizon.
The allies were soon upon the town.
They had known of the command centre and brought their guns to bear upon it. The soldiers, were told to hold the line while command had fled.
Very soon, the town had been shelled. The axis, routed. All that remained was the dust covered piano, a giant crack in it’s lid. And a wounded soldier, slumped over the keys.
The village became as the countryside around it.
A stray chestnut fell from the trees, striking the piano, with a resounding baritone note. A deep C note.
Alas, it fell silent. Unplayed and forgotten.
The lonely piano.
