The Musicality of Madness

 

No longer straight standing, the not-quite-upright piano slants forward. It’s old, out of tune; it no longer shows evidence of its pedigree brand; its wood is dull and split. 

     “It’s sad,” Emily says in a melancholy tone upon striking a chord—so unintentionally dissonant—the sound floats low to the ground, its sharps and flats like black talons scraping the floor boards. 

     Emily doesn’t quite know what draws her to the instrument. She verifies the price with the antique-store owner. 

     “I’ll take it,” she affirms. 

     Still, Emily remains unaware of the faint, chalked pentagram on its back.  

Keith Hoerner (BS, MFA) lives, teaches, and pushes words around in Southern Illinois. He is no stranger to literary publications, and his memoir, The Day The Sky Broke Open, just published with Adelaide Books, NY/ Lisbon. Look for it on Amazon.