《adVerse Wishes》


 Chapter One: The Death of the Grandpa

    The car rocked back and forth in the tightly cramped, humid van where my mom, Dad and I sat with the loads of items we would need in South Carolina.


    "It''s so hot!" my mom complained, sticking her arm out the window while dad drove.


    My grandpa died around a month ago, and in his will, he wrote that my mom would inherit his house since she was his only daughter. That''s where we were moving, to Grandpa''s house, at 4 Marigold Lane in South Carolina.


    Grandpa and I had been very close, and I felt like he was one of the only people who listened to me. My mom always bosses me around, and my dad is so cowardly he doesn''t stand up to her. My family used to visit him all the time. I missed our visits, but I had never been inside his house for my family had always stayed in a hotel. I always looked forward to visiting Grandpa each year, with his contagious laugh and positive personality. I gulped. I had convinced myself I was not upset about his death anymore; after all, there is no point to spend the rest of your life crying about something that you can''t undo. I pulled at the lining in my shirt.


    "Grandpa''s gone, and there is nothing you can do about it," I murmured.


    I sighed. I just wished he were still here.


    Grandpa was buried at the graveyard near the beach, only a few blocks away from his house. I remember passing by that same graveyard in the old van whenever we visited him.


    My family and I used to live in a one-room apartment up in Ohio near Cincinnati. It was a "nice" old apartment; I had a cot near one of the windows. With a sink as a kitchen, and booger colored walls the condo wasn''t my idea of luxury. The one good thing was there was a nice garage at the bottom for the van. I shared the one-room apartment with my mom and Dad, so now I was eager to have my own bedroom at Grandpa''s.


    I used to be in seventh grade at Ridgefield Middle School. Ridgefield was only a few blocks down the road from my apartment. I will be going into eighth grade at the age of 13 at Seaside Middle School now that I live in South Carolina. Conveniently the school is only a couple of minutes away from Grandpa''s house, and I will be starting after summer ends. Ridgefield had gotten out of school for summer break about five weeks ago (it is late summer now), so it was the perfect time to move, not missing any school. Ridgefield was a great school. The teachers would always wave in the mornings; I was grateful I had a lot of friends. All my friends back in Ohio were so lovely, and it was still so fun to hang out with them. I was sad to leave all my friends and that school, but I''m going to make the best of it. I would miss the hangouts, but as I said earlier, there is no point in spending the rest of your life crying about something you can''t undo, or in this case something your parents won''t let you undo.Stolen story; please report.


    "Live your life to the best of your abilities," Grandpa had once said. "Never give up, never give in, and live every day of your life like it''s your last one."


    After a long, boring, eight hour drive in the packed van, we arrived at Grandpa''s. South Carolina was hot, and the sun was shining brightly that day. The house was not tiny, but tall and thin, slightly toppling over at the top.


    "Ugh!" my mom rudely remarked, "it is horrider than I remember!"


    Not many windows lined the walls of the house, but a few lamps hung off the sides of each story in the house. The house was four stories high; however, the house looked as if it was about to fall down out of misery. The roof sagged sadly; thus, the shingles leaned with an exhausted sort of look to them. The grass was not well kept; moreover, the "garden" in the front yard was filled with nothing but weeds. At the very top, as if it was almost the only reason the house was still standing there was a beautiful piano, the one that I inherited when Grandpa died.


    "That piano is an old one," my grandpa told me once. "I got it from an antique shop. It must be at least three generations old."


    My grandpa also died on the piano. He was found, lifeless on the stool in front of that piano. I shook my head trying to imagine Grandpa dead on that stool. The piano was a majestic sort of looking thing, right in front of the biggest window in the house. Like a king on his throne or a joystick that controlled the whole house. Although the house wasn''t the best thing ever, I didn''t complain to my parents as they walked out of the van. There was no point anyway. My mom would tell me to shut up, and my dad would follow along like he always does. I had heard stories from my grandpa that my mom was very happy before my grandma died, but I think it''s because my grandma died when my mom was very little. All I have ever known is my mom being that bossy, cranky person, and my dad has always listened to her. My mom and dad both are sellers on Facebook. They got two computers out of the money they got from selling some stuff from our old apartment (Mom''s idea), and ever since they have been addicted to their computers, selling stuff on their Facebook accounts. My mom has always been in charge of the little money we have. Before they both worked at the local grocery store, so we have never been the wealthiest. So, instead of complaining I graciously picked up one of the suitcases holding my stuff and walked inside.


    The inside of the house wasn''t much better than the outside. It was full of desks and tables in random places. I walked up the stairs to where I decided my room would be, an old bedroom with a queen-size bed frame, but a cot-size mattress. Right then, a feeling of warmth and eagerness flew through me.

 Chapter Two: The Dreaded Force

    This force made me drop my suitcase and pushed me up the stairs to the fourth floor. Amazed and confused, I smiled, until I realized where this force was taking me, to the antique piano. I found myself face to face with the thing, trying to push the force from sitting me down on the stool my grandpa died on. I shuddered at the thought of sitting where my grandpa had been last. The thing was evil or haunted for all I knew. Then, his voice filled my ears.


    ¡°Go,¡± he said calmly. ¡°Go, go to the piano.¡±


    I stiffened up as a shadow of his face glided across the piano''s keys. I pushed myself backward. The more I strolled backward, the brighter the shiny, beautiful keys would glow. A shiver ran down my neck. The pulling force was coming back. It grew stronger as I pushed myself backward, trying to avoid sitting down.


    ¡°NO!¡± I screamed, and suddenly all I heard was grandpa¡¯s humming to one of the old songs he used to write.


    ¡°Come on Rose,...¡± his voice soothed me.


    I sat down, and memories of Grandpa and me flashed before my eyes. I heard a baby¡¯s laugh that couldn¡¯t be anyone else''s but mine and watched as baby me and Grandpa made a sandcastle at the beach in South Carolina. I watched us grow older together, every time my family and I visited him flashed before my eyes. But, I noticed, as time passed by, he looked more worried and drearier. I felt a pit in my stomach that started at the size of a marble grow into a boulder. I have never experienced the feeling of watching yourself grow up and watch the person you love more than anyone else age. If only I could capture those moments and go back in time.


    Then, I heard my little 6-year-old self, ¡°What¡¯s wrong Grandpa?¡± I asked as my grandpa, and I ate lunch at our favorite restaurant in South Carolina when I revisited him. He looked depressed and petrified, with big, dark circles under his eyes, swallowing the happiness out of them.


    ¡°Nothing honey,¡± he answered quickly and gently. ¡°I love you,¡± he croaked sadly.


    ¡°I love you too Grandpa,¡± I said happily, for my 6-year-old self knew nothing but the world how I saw it, and that was wonderful. So much has changed.


    His face faded before my eyes when I noticed a tear slip down my cheek (get back in there I thought), but a warmth like never before filled my heart with those last words I had just heard from him. So, I daringly put my hands on the keys. Grandpa gave me the attention I never got from my parents, and that¡¯s why it was hard for me to believe he was gone.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The keys felt cool under my hot sweating hands, and I played a note. It was high and mighty, and the old, rusty key seemed to rejoice. I noticed the stand attached to the piano was holding music pieces, handwritten it looked like.


    ¡°These music pieces must be the ones Grandpa told me about,¡± I whispered. My heart soared looking at my grandpa¡¯s old studio.


    ¡°Rose! Did you put your things away?¡± my mom whined.


    ¡°Yes, mom!¡± I  yelled with an annoyed tone in my voice thinking about the suitcase lying in my new bedroom. I rolled my eyes, my parents are just a pain in the butt.


    ¡°Come on Robert,¡± I heard her mutter to my dad.


    Grandpa used to obsess over music; all he would talk about was the next piece of music he would write. Sometimes he would hum to me what he thought the harmony should be in his next song, always a wonderful group of notes, powerful almost like words.  I picked up a music piece called ¡°Castle In My Dreams.¡± I remembered Grandpa telling me about this song, humming the tune. I played what I guessed was the first note. It didn¡¯t sound right. I tried every other note until the note on the music page lit up a beautiful gold. I gasped as the note faded out to the pitch black ink color it was before when I tried to play the next note but failed. A rush of excitement flooded through my body like venom spreads after a rattlesnake bites you.


    ¡°Rose! Come to clean up down here,¡± my mom yelled from downstairs.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you do it?!¡± I yelled back, knowing my two parents were probably just on their computers with some weird, random objects in front of them, ¡°I am doing something!¡±


    ¡°Ok, but if you have not cleaned up by nightfall you are in big trouble.¡±


    I sighed as I returned to the piano.


    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding!¡± my mom screamed as I shut the attic door.


    ¡°Keep going,¡± I heard a scruffy, gruff voice in my head whisper. ¡°Continue on.¡±


    I nodded in return, and for the rest of the day, I tried to learn the notes of the song till every note on the paper had turned that beautiful gold, separately.


    I picked myself up from the stool of the piano and dragged myself down the stairs to make myself dinner. I just wanted to go to bed.  I picked up an old box of Trix my parents bought for the ride here and grabbed a plastic spoon from a cabinet. I sat myself down at one of the desks in the middle of the kitchen and ate my dry cereal. I went up the stairs and toppled onto my new bed, falling asleep right there, with no pillow, pajamas or good dinner.

 Chapter Three: Nightmares and Big Breakfasts

    That night I had a terrible dream. I was with my grandpa, and I was showing him what I could do on the old piano. Then, he was teaching me a new song when he stopped moving. My family called an ambulance, but by the time we got to the doctor, they reported it was too late, for he was dead. I woke up, shaking and sweating, but then those last words I heard from Grandpa filled me up with the feeling you get when you heat up your feet after ice skating. ¡°I love you,¡± I heard again. ¡°I love you.¡±


    I woke up that morning, hungry and tired, hair crazy, and crust on my eyes. I looked down in the kitchen for the leftovers of the Trix. It looked like my parents had had some of it last night too. As I poured the leftovers into a bowl the cereal barely filled to the top of the bowl. I ate the cereal, grateful I had it, but I knew I was still craving food.


    I ignored the empty feeling in my stomach as I set off up the stairs, passing my parents with their computers in their hands.


    ¡°When are you going to be ready to clean the house Rose?¡± my mom sneered.


    I responded with a glare, wishing my eyes could freeze her in place from bossing me around. I do love my parents as most kids do, I wish they weren¡¯t who they are. I went to the piano determined to finish ¡°Castle In My Dreams.¡± I was a little uneasy at first about playing the piano again, especially because of the dream I had had last night. However, the comforting feeling brought me to sit down on the stool again. I played the notes to ¡°Castle In My Dreams¡± until I finished the song flawlessly. I figured out that all the notes light up that gold color at the same time only when you play the song right. I smiled when I finished when my reward was presented to me. The whole page of notes was lit up beautifully at the same time, but my stomach interrupted my celebration, rumbling like thunder in the South.


    ¡°Ugh,¡± I groaned.


    I was starving. Wishing I had food to eat, I watched the satisfying fading of the glimmering notes. Then, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I jumped. Whom could it be? Not Mom or Dad, why would they care? Plus aren¡¯t they on their computers? I opened my mouth wide in surprise. Through the door frame stood Mom, holding a platter of the biggest breakfast imaginable. She came over and sat the platter of fabulous bacon, eggs, toast, sausage, pancakes, waffles, fruits, truffles, pastries and orange juice on my lap. A liberal amount of each breakfast food on the platter, I laughed with joy, but why was she giving me this? Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Mom!¡± I screamed while she started to walk out the door. ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± I asked; no reply. ¡°Mom?¡± She kept walking down the stairs, but I followed her, yelling and asking questions; no reply. Finally, I nudged her in the back, no reply. So, happy but confused, I ran upstairs back to the piano and ate my breakfast.


    After eating, I went downstairs to put my platter away to find my mom and my dad, pooling their Facebook money together to go to the supermarket.


    ¡°I need a twenty,¡± my mom said, already putting her hand out for the money.


    ¡°Yep,¡± I heard my father sighed, ¡°anything else,....¡± he lost his thought, staring at the empty egg yolk, maple syrup, and jelly smeared plate that I was holding.


    ¡°Where did you get that food?¡± my mom asked.


    I tried to make an impression to furrow my brow to say something like are you crazy?


    ¡°And, why didn¡¯t you share with us?¡± I heard my father ask, a little irritated.


    ¡°Mom gave it to me,¡± I answered, still furrowing my brow.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± my mom asked in shock of being accused.


    ¡°Around thirty minutes ago you walked up to the attic when I was practicing on Grandpa¡¯s piano I inherited, and you handed me this plate full of breakfast,¡± I answered calmly.


    ¡°I did see you walk upstairs,¡± my dad said shyly.


    ¡°Robert!¡± my mom glared.


    ¡°Sorry hon,¡± my dad said.


    ¡°The reason I didn¡¯t share with you,¡± I said, bothered I had to explain, ¡°was because I tried to get Mom¡¯s attention, but she wouldn¡¯t answer.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we were planning to go to the supermarket anyway,¡± Mom triumphed. Then, she walked out the door with twenty dollars in her hands and pulled open the door to the van. The door creaked as it was pulled open, and she drove off to the supermarket.


    For a little bit, my Dad and I awkwardly stared at each other, trying to find something to say, until Dad retreated to his computer again, with a couple of old teacups near him. I parted away back to the piano. I had some testing to do.


    ¡°You¡¯re magical?¡± I asked. I smiled as a golden, script ¡°yes¡± flew across the piano''s keys. I smiled wisely. Is this why Grandpa wanted this piano to be mine I wondered?

 Chapter Four: The Magic Piano

    This question came in and out of my head for the rest of the day, until I found myself waking up to the sunshine out of my window with me snuggled into my pillowless mattress. A new day at Grandpa¡¯s had come.


    ¡°Oh!¡± I yawned, climbing out of bed and out the door. The kitchen told me that Mom had gotten back from the market last night with food. The cabinets weren¡¯t filled to the top, but they had enough in them to last us at least a week. I picked up a banana and a granola bar and sat down at the same desk Dad had sat in last night. I slowly munched on my food, listening for any signs of anyone awake, then threw the banana peel and granola bar wrapping out, and ran up the stairs to the piano. I had thought a lot before I went to bed last night about the piano, and I think it grants wishes. My stomach grumbled after I played ¡°Castle in My Dreams,¡± and boom there I have breakfast! I decided I would test it out this morning. When I sat down at the piano¡¯s stool and played ¡°Castle In My Dreams¡± all I thought about was a blanket and pillow for my bed since my bed was pillowless and blanketless. This would be my wish. Once all the notes lit up that shimmery gold, I ran down the stairs and into my bedroom. Behold there was a big, long fuzzy blanket, and two pillows to match. I jumped with amazement. Then I ran up the stairs again. I played the tune, but this time wishing for a new mattress. Once all the notes lit up, I ran downstairs.


    ¡°A brand-new mattress!¡± I yelled. Footsteps stomped up to my room.


    ¡°Rose!¡± my mom groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t be so loud.¡± Walking into my room, she gasped at my two new pillows, blanket, and wonderful mattress. ¡°Where did you get that stuff?!¡± she said as she stared at me.


    I thought for a moment. Should I tell her? She is my mom...¡°All you need to know,¡± I answered, ¡°is if you ever need a wish to be granted, I can make it happen.¡± I thought again. I didn¡¯t want her and Dad to figure out the piano granted wishes, they would steal it from me in a blink. ¡°But, only I can grant wishes,¡± I said sneakily.


    ¡°It¡¯s official, you have gone nuts,¡± my mom answered, annoyed I wasted her Facebook time.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Then how would I have gotten these two pillows and this blanket?¡± I asked, stopping her from walking out of my room.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how, Rose, but you are definitely not a genie,¡± she said.


    ¡°I can really do it! I can! I¡¯ll prove it!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°Fine, then get me a blueberry pie, a nice couch, a TV, a pair of sunglasses and a......,¡± she trailed off, ¡°an iPhone X! If you can get that to me,¡± she said, ¡°then you are truly a genie. Oh, and put them in the kitchen.¡±


    Then, she retreated down the stairs again. My mom had no idea what I was capable of... or should I say what the piano was capable of.


    I ran up the stairs again; this was going to be fun. I smiled as I played the grand piano while wishing for Mom to have a blueberry pie, a nice couch, a TV, a pair of sunglasses and an iPhone X. I didn¡¯t even check to see if it was in the kitchen. ¡°Stuff is ready!¡± I yelled. ¡°Anything else Mom?¡±


    I heard her run into the kitchen. I was proving myself.


    ¡°Ahhhh! Rose this is so cool!¡± she screamed. Pride made my cheeks burn red, Mom had never said something like that to me ever before. ¡°Rose! I want a new mattress and some sheets and blankets for my and Dad¡¯s bed,¡± I heard her cheer, ¡°wait,...we can sell this stuff on Facebook!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Dad asked I heard him get out of bed, ¡±what¡¯s going on?¡± I heard Dad ask.


    ¡°Our daughter can grant wishes!¡± Mom rejoiced. I beamed.


    ¡°What?!¡± Dad asked, ¡±I want something! How about,... a computer case!¡±


    Two more rounds of ¡°Castle In My Dreams!¡± I happily played the tune again, this time wishing for sheets, blankets, mattress, and a computer case. ¡°Done!¡± I yelled. My parents were grateful for me right now, not a feeling I felt much.


    Up and down the stairs I went, delivering my mom and Dad their new things, and playing ¡°Castle In My Dreams.¡± For the rest of the day, my parents sat in the kitchen waiting for me to hand them their next new item to sell on Facebook, and I just kept asking for more and more things from the piano. After the last few wishes, my kitchen was filled with hundreds of new items, from a Kindle to a candle. I decided I was ready to go to bed; wish granting was tiring after all. I ate some of the blueberry pie for dinner, then went to bed in my new mattress, covered in my new blanket, and resting my head on my new pillow.

 Chapter Five: Too Good To Be True

    I didn¡¯t have as good a sleep as I expected with my new bedding, I had another nightmare. I dreamed that I woke up in the middle of the night to my mom and my dad screaming. The new items were attacking my family and me, my blanket was swallowing me, the blueberry pie was hitting my mother in the face, and the iPhone X was lodging itself into my Dad¡¯s mouth, choking him. I tried to save them, but because of the blanket, I couldn¡¯t get to them. I woke up, dripping in sweat, and I decided when I retreated to the piano again the next morning, there would be no more wishes. That nightmare showed me I needed to stop.


    After having the same breakfast as the day before, I heard my parents wake up excitedly. ¡°I want a croissant for breakfast this time Rose!¡± my mom sang.


    ¡°Same for me!¡± my Dad piped.


    I met them in the upstairs hallway. ¡°Sorry, no more wishes,¡± I answered in a fake sad voice.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± my mom snipped.


    ¡°I think it was a one-day thing,¡± I lied.


    ¡°A one-day thing! A one-day thing! Rose, are you kidding me?!¡± my mom screamed.


    ¡°Rose, can¡¯t you do it again?¡± my dad asked.


    ¡°No I¡¯m sorry, but no.¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡± my mom whined.


    My dad stumbled for words, ¡±Can¡¯t you grant us one more wish?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said firmly as I walked up the stairs.


    I wanted to be done with that dumb old piano, I honestly did. With all the nightmares and signs of evil I got from that thing, I wanted it to be done, but I had one question. I marched up the stairs for what I wanted to be the last time to the 4th floor. I sat down uncomfortably played another round of ¡°Castle In My Dreams¡± slowly and carefully, thinking the whole way through about the magic piano and how it worked. I knew after that dream last night with the items attacking my family and me that there had to be a catch. Nothing is so good that it will grant any wish you want with no cost. I wanted to know how the piano worked. At the end of the song the last golden yellow color I ever wanted to see again shone through all the notes on the page. I thought real hard. ¡°I want to know how you work,¡± I whispered curiously.


    The piano opened up slowly to reveal at least ten hearts with names under them. The hearts were pumping in a disgusting, eerie way, still beating, even though out of the bodies of their owners. I read the writing under one of the first hearts, Patricia''s soul. I guess they were souls. I read them all off, Izach was second after Patricia, Ruby third, Lindsey fourth, John fifth, Ron sixth, Isabelle seventh, Ruth eighth, George (my grandpa) ninth and me tenth. I gasped with fear as a cold feeling arose through me. All the souls except mine were full with a gross green liquid, mine only halfway.


    My grandpa died on the stool of this piano...the piano killed my grandpa! Therefore, the piano was killing me. My grandpa got the piano from an antique shop, so other people owned the piano, and that is why there were other souls in the piano beside me and grandpa¡¯s. The piano killed them too. But how? I thought. We wish on the piano, that probably has something to do with it. I kept thinking, how would it suck your soul? Then, it hit me. The piano has more of your soul as you keep wishing, by learning about you. Like when I wished for food, it learned I was hungry for food I didn¡¯t have, which meant I didn¡¯t have much money. It was too good to be true, the wishes were adverse. I danced around that I figured out how the piano killed people, but then I realized a soul-sucking piano is in my house, and I am halfway to death. In a sudden state of panic, I analyzed my mission. Grandpa wanted me to have this piano so I could save the souls. Now I was going to get their souls back, even if I have to sacrifice mine.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    With fear and a little bit of determination, I set out,(¡°Rose!¡± my nosy mom said, ¡°where are you going?¡±) running through the front door, past a few blocks of houses, and to Grandpa¡¯s grave. I ran, and I ran, as fast as I could. I had gotten tired, but I didn¡¯t have time to take a break. Time was running out for me, and soon enough I would have the same fate as my grandpa. Sweat trickled down my face as I ran. The cold secret I had just learned was inside me, and I couldn''t take it out. How I wished I didn¡¯t ask the piano how it worked. How I wished I didn¡¯t know, but now I knew, and you can¡¯t unlearn. I arrived at the graveyard where Grandpa lay. They had buried him at the graveyard near the beach closest to his house, for his house was where he spent most of his time with his piano and music pieces. I frowned darkly as I searched for his grave. When it seemed like five hours had passed, I found the grave. At the way back there was a small stone with the name George T. Smith engraved on it. I brushed my hand along his engraved name, observing that dust had already collected on the stone although he was buried only a couple weeks ago.


    ¡°Grandpa?¡± I asked. Was he still alive? Could one live without a soul? His grave was still, answering my question. Even if Grandpa was dead the best I could do was save the next person who would own this piano. That piano had no right to exist.


    I ran back home, thinking of how to get back the souls. The wind was pulling my hair in my face, and the sky up above seemed to be laughing at my desperation. Time was running out quickly, and I would have to act fast.


    ¡°What am I going to do?¡± I asked myself as I reached the old rickety steps that lead to Grandpa¡¯s house. There was no one to answer or help me now. Grandpa wanted me to save the souls, so that¡¯s what I was going to do. The piano already took all the people that probably could have helped me most. I wearily walked into the house, passing by my computer addicted parents. By now I had gotten used to the weird look of the desks and furniture all over the place. Grandpa always had his own way of doing things. He always mixed things up, made them different, so this house was a perfect replica of his personality. I don¡¯t know anybody else in the world whom I would think to own this house except him. It was an excellent fit for Grandpa. I sighed, he was the best. I ran up the stairs and into my bedroom, ready to start planning.


    ¡°Rose clean up the garden outside, I would really like a pretty garden,¡± my mom ordered me. At this point I ignore her.


    The piano was dominant from the souls, but the piano didn¡¯t have a brain. Or did it? Assuming the piano didn¡¯t have a brain, it would probably be easy to confuse it. It doesn¡¯t have any brain as I know of, but it has nine and a half souls including mine. I would have to beat it at its own game. If I played ¡°Castle In My Dreams¡± then asked it to release the souls, would it work? There was only one way to find out. I raced up the stairs and into the attic. I was bored of playing that same song over and over again, but I had to get those souls, I had to. I played the dreadful song and wished over and over again ¡°release the souls.¡± In the end, no souls were released, and all I got was an evil message written in gold on the keys. A fear like never before now had its place inside of me, digging a deep, deep hole through my heart. ¡°You can¡¯t run away from your fate,¡± it said. I tried to put happy thoughts into my mind.


    ¡°Going to my and Grandpa¡¯s favorite restaurant,¡± I listed. ¡°At the beach with Grandpa.¡± I tried to think of Grandpa, I tried to think of my friends, all my good memories, but all of it was slipping away. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can do it, Grandpa,¡± I whimpered. Who knew my worst nightmare would be a piano?


    I looked out at the sky from the big attic window, wishing we had never moved from Ohio. I would have friends, I would have things to do, I wouldn¡¯t have to start over again, and most of all I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about that dumb old piano!

 Chapter Six: Attempting Destruction

    My sleep that night was terrible because of that dreaded thing. My dreams filled with that saying ¡°you can¡¯t run away from your fate,¡± and I knew exactly what that piano meant by saying that. My fate is dying just the same way my grandpa did, getting your soul sucked out of you by a piano. I woke up the next morning ¡°on the wrong side of the bed¡± as Grandpa would say. All I thought about was my despicable death. I had to admit I was wondering if that piano really did have a brain to be that clever. Going down for breakfast, I was really in the mood for some more blueberry pie the piano gave my family and me, but I couldn¡¯t trust anything the piano made anymore. My parents were still thriving off of that day I granted all their wishes. I sighed as Mom ate the so delicious blueberry pie while putting the iPhone X she wished for on her facebook selling account.


    ¡°That dust isn¡¯t going to clean itself Rose,¡± my mom said as she pointed to the desk she was on.


    ¡°Ugh! Mom, why am I always the one you ask?¡± I said, annoyed then left the room.


    I was practically drooling for some of that pie, but no, I ate the same breakfast I had practically every day.  I was going to stay strong for those souls. I tried to stay positive while I ate a boring banana and a dry, flaky granola bar. Then, I had a good idea. Why hadn¡¯t I thought of this before? I made sure Mom had left the room when I searched through Grandpa¡¯s cabinets for some weapons. By the end of my searching, I had a pan, a knife, a ladle, and a spatula. Like a mad person, I ran up the stairs and up to the attic. The pan, with the ladle and spatula inside of it in my right hand, and the knife in my left, I evilly looked at the piano. With a spark of determination and madness in my eyes I stood in front of the piano, and I stabbed the piano with the knife using all my might. I tried to think about all the bad things the piano did to my life.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°You killed my grandpa!¡± I yelled. The dent the knife should have made didn¡¯t appear. I must not have thrown it hard enough. I picked up the pan. That had to be heavy enough, now I just had to throw it harder than I had the knife. With all the strength I could muster, I threw the pan at the piano over and over again.


    ¡°You killed my grandpa!¡± I screamed. I started throwing the knife, spatula, and ladle too, but nothing happened. The piano just stood there looking as if it were new. I didn¡¯t even make a scratch! It was bulletproof. To make sure, I threw the knife at it one last time. Not a mark remained. I groaned in frustration. How was I going to do this? And to make things better another message in gold slipped across the piano keys. ¡°Your fate will come soon.¡± I didn¡¯t have much time.

 Chapter Seven: Third Times the Charm

    I spent the rest of my day thinking about how I was going to get those souls and destroy the piano with the occasional annoying comment or chore I needed to do from my mom. I planned and planned how to save the souls up in my bedroom on my bare queen-size bed frame. I had given my parents my new pillows, mattress, and blanket from my bedroom. I didn¡¯t trust to sleep on those things anymore, especially after that dream where my blanket was eating me! The open springs of the bed frame were digging into my legs, but that¡¯s all I had. My ideas to get the souls out of the piano became dumber and dumber. None of them were any better than the last two I had tried out and look where they put me. They made me end up with a ¡°your fate will come soon.¡± I was so dumb to think I could destroy the piano! Didn¡¯t I consider that somebody like Grandpa probably would¡¯ve already tried that? Why did Grandpa think I could do it? Why me? He gave me the piano so I could save everyone''s souls. But how? Everyone else before me had failed, so why did he think I was the one to do it? I didn¡¯t have time for another mess up! I didn¡¯t have time for another do-over. Unless I wanted my soul to be sucked out by an evil piano I had to have a good idea. It would have to be the best idea I had ever had, and then I had it. I couldn¡¯t mess up though. I would have to do it correctly. I would have to do it right. If I couldn¡¯t do this, I would meet the same fate as my grandpa. I had to take away the piano¡¯s power.


    I carefully walked up the stairs to the attic as I had for what felt like a hundred times before. I strolled for I knew this might be the last few steps I would ever take. When I reached the same door frame my mom had been on that day she gave me breakfast, I stopped to observe the piano. I stared at it. Nine people, not including me, had rested their hands on those same keys and died. In front of the sunlight coming through the window, the piano stood. Triumphantly I took what might be my last steps and sat down on the piano¡¯s stool, the one I might die on. Another gold message slipped across the keys, ¡°last time.¡±


    My heart raced like a racehorse in my chest. I stared up at the music piece ¡°Castle In My Dreams¡± and cried. I wasn¡¯t going to do it. I was not going to be able to save everyone, but the idea I had was the best I¡¯ve thought of. I wanted to try at least. ¡°Oh Grandpa,¡± I murmured, ¡°if only you were here.¡± With that, I started to play the piece backward. I figured that if I played the piece backward and wished my wish backward, the piano would reverse my wish. So, I slowly played each note from the bottom of the page to the top.


    ¡°Please work,¡± I whispered and prayed. The song sounded odd played backward, but I continued till the last note. ¡°Bing!¡± the last note rung in my ears. I took a deep breath and started to chant ¡°don¡¯t release the souls¡± over and over again. The piano started to rumble. Was this where my life ended, dying on the same stool my grandpa had?


    ¡°Don¡¯t release the souls!¡± I was getting louder each time I chanted, but the piano¡¯s rumbling was getting louder too.¡°DON¡¯T RELEASE THE SOULS!¡± I screamed trying to stay confident in myself. Then, the piano stopped rumbling. Silence filled the attic. ¡°Grandpa?¡±


    The piano started to crack and shrivel up. I watched as the keys fell to the floor, magically disappearing the second they touched the ground. I watched as the piano destroyed itself, mashing its legs into pieces, all disappearing once they touched the ground. The glossy black piano that had stolen the souls of many was disappearing before my eyes. The piano was obliterating. Success poured into me, but there was still a hole that needed to be filled...


    ¡°Grandpa?¡± I asked again, and a sight like never before appeared before me. I watched as nine silvery ghosts came out of the piano¡¯s top as it hit the floor, the piano liberating them all. There was Grandpa, with his contagious laugh and positive personality. My eyes sparkled as he appeared. Dancing to the beat of happiness.


    ¡°Rose!¡± Grandpa screamed.


    ¡°Grandpa!¡± I yelled. I was jumping with joy. Grandpa was really here, even though he was a ghost.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± each ghost cheered as they left the attic.


    Slipping right through the roof and into the sky, I watched as what I guessed was Patricia from the list of souls in the piano leaving the attic last.


    ¡°I always knew it would be you,¡± Grandpa said. We took a moment then, to bathe in the euphoria of that moment. ¡°I missed you,¡± Grandpa said, ¡°and I love you so much!¡± He talked as he embraced me in a tight hug of his warm, soft words. As if he was holding onto me while I was hanging over a bridge; he would never let go of that memory. That moment had to end, as all things do, and soon after a long while of gazing at each other in disbelief we were in the presence of each other Grandpa, and I started to catch up on each other''s lives.


    ¡°You know the piano grants wishes and sucks souls, right?¡± Grandpa asked. I nodded. ¡°Of course!¡± he roared. ¡°How else would you destroy the piano? Ok, you know once you find out that the piano can grant wishes the piano starts taking your soul little by little? ¡± he asked.


    I nodded.


    ¡°Well,¡± he said, ¡°I had only a couple more wishes till my soul would be sucked out the day I wondered how the piano worked. Little did I know that soon enough I would die.¡± He chuckled darkly.


    My grandpa continued, ¡°I found out how the piano worked all right, the piano getting all of its power from those souls. Dark but genius, and after I found out, one of the few wishes I had left was gone. Eventually, I got sucked into the piano about seven years later. I wanted to save the day, so I stressed about helping those poor soulless people all day every day after I knew the scary truth. I knew I was starting to go crazy. I even considered telling the police, but I knew they would think I was crazy too. It was too illogical. A soul-sucking piano? Who in their right mind would believe me? The stress of the whole thing was taking over me. I don¡¯t know if you remember, but only a few days after I found out that the piano got its power from the souls, you and your family came for a visit. That was when I was at the point of killing myself because the whole situation was so stressful. I had started to get dark circles under my eyes, and I couldn¡¯t get any sleep right after I found out. You were only six then, but you noticed how I was different, that I looked sad and scared. I remember your sweet, soothing voice asking me if I was ok. You wouldn¡¯t be able to handle that stuff back then. No one can handle truth as ugly as that, so I remember replying that I was okay.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    I nodded. He was describing the flashback I had when I first sat down at the piano. I recalled the memory so clearly.


    ¡°I spent most of my time in my house for those last seven years of my life, trying to plan the best way to get everyone''s souls and adding to my will. I thought if I couldn''t do it, you would, and that¡¯s why I wanted you to have my piano. The reason I didn¡¯t use my last few wishes after that for seven years was that I was stalling. I was such a coward, but I was scared. Who knew something as harmless as a piano could haunt you as it did me? I eventually started to plan how to get those souls back though, after getting over the fact that I owned a soul-sucking piano. Around three years after I found out how the piano worked, I tried my best plan yet, but it didn¡¯t work. I remember the message I received after I tried my plan so clearly now. ¡®You can¡¯t run away from your fate¡¯ it said in gold, slipping across the piano keys. Did you get messages like that too?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± I answered. ¡°In fact, I got the same message you did when I tried my first plan to save the souls.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Grandpa said wisely. ¡° That message scared me to death, but I guess that is one reason why they call them death threats...I ignored the piano for another year out of fear from the message but then thought of how conservative and cowardly I was being and started to plan how to get the souls again. Then, I tried to release the souls once more. ¡®Your fate will come soon¡¯ the message said this time. I couldn¡¯t handle it. I stalled three more years, trying to get away from the piano haunting me, but by then I figured there was no way to get away from the piano. Even when I was stalling, all I thought of was the terrifying instrument.¡±


    Grandpa was right, even when I tried not to think about the piano, I did.


    He kept on talking, ¡°I finally went upstairs to the piano and tried to release the souls with no plan at all. ¡®Last time¡¯ a message on the piano said as it glided across the piano''s keys, but I kept going, telling myself not to be such a coward. That day I died, as I assumed I would. I couldn¡¯t handle it anymore, and ever since then, I have been frozen in the piano with nothing but the same feeling of hopelessness I had when I went up to the attic that last time,¡± Grandpa sighed.


    I looked at him sadly. It must have been terrible to be killed by the piano.


    I kept listening to Grandpa, ¡°I was so selfish with the wishes. I found out that the piano granted wishes the day I wished I didn¡¯t lack money. I was at the supermarket downtown to buy dinner earlier that morning when this wealthy man cut me in line. I tried to say something, but he told me to ¡®shut it or go back to your poor house.¡¯ I was enraged. Nobody had ever talked to me like that. I mean I knew I was poor, but nobody had ever told it to me straight to my face. So, I walked up to the attic and played the piano to try and calm myself down. I used to love to play the piano and write my own songs. Remember me telling you all about my newest songs I would write?¡±


    I smiled, of course, I knew! Who could forget Grandpa¡¯s songs he would always humm.


    ¡°Anyway, I had no idea. I was so clueless about the piano¡¯s abilities. So, I was wishing I had more money while playing one of the songs I had written, and at the end of the song loads of cash piled up into my arms. I was so happy, and that¡¯s when I figured it out, the piano granted wishes. I started to buy the most expensive things in stores just for the fun of it, wishing for more money from the piano at least five times a day after I figured out the piano granted wishes. Then, I figured out how the piano worked, souls and all. I realized how greedy I was. After all that, all the cool stuff I bought with the piano¡¯s money just disappeared when I died from the piano sucking my soul out.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I answered sorrowfully as I began to narrate what happened to me, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I had a similar experience, but I found out the piano granted wishes the day I was hungrier than usual when I was playing one of your songs. The next thing I knew my mom bought me a batch of the most delicious breakfast imaginable. I should have known when she didn¡¯t even remember that she had given me the breakfast thirty minutes later.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s that evil piano all right,¡± Grandpa cut in. ¡°It will do anything to make you get your wish, even possess other people so it can have another piece of your soul.¡±


    ¡°I came to the same conclusion as you,¡± I continued. ¡°The piano granted wishes. So, I tested it out the next day and got myself new bedding. My parents noticed my new stuff and wanted some too. I tricked them into thinking I was a wish granter. I liked the rare attention too.¡±


    Grandpa nodded, he knew what I meant. My parents lacked in the loving/encouraging department. ¡°So, whatever they wanted I gave it to them,¡± I kept going, ¡°until the next day I wondered the same thing that you did. How did the piano work? I had more wishes just like you. I wondered how it worked and found out. I was alarmed, so in doubt, I went to your grave wondering if someone could live without a soul. That feeling when I found out how the piano worked was the worst feeling I had ever had in my whole life, but I knew I had to save everyone''s souls, especially yours.¡±


    Grandpa smiled.


    ¡°I started to plan how I would save everybody, but all of the plans I tried didn¡¯t work. I had become frustrated and scared of what it felt like to have your soul sucked out. I got to a point where I tried to stab the piano with a knife and destroy it with pots and pans, but it was indestructible because of its power from the souls. I eventually came up with one last idea, the idea of playing a song backward and wishing backward making my wish reversed, and that is what destroyed the piano.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing Rose!¡± Grandpa cheered. ¡°You¡¯re so smart! I wish I had thought of that. Oh, sweetie. I am so happy you saved me. It was awful just sitting there in that piano.¡±


    I ran in for a hug but fell right through Grandpa, forgetting he was now a ghost.


    ¡°But Grandpa! You''re now a ghost!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Rose. I can¡¯t fix that, but what I can fix are you and me,¡± he said apologetically. ¡°You will miss me no more sweetheart, for I will stay here at this house with you as long as you want, devoid of the evil soul-sucking piano to worry about,¡± he said while pointing to the empty space where the piano used to sit. ¡°It¡¯s gone.¡±


    The piano had destroyed itself entirely, releasing the souls. I smiled. ¡°Oh, Grandpa!¡± I wailed. ¡°I missed you so much!¡±


    ¡°I missed you too Rose,¡± he said softly. ¡°I love you so much.¡±


    And there were those three words again, ¡°I love you,¡± the same kind of ¡°I love you¡± I heard when I first sat down on the piano.


    ¡°I love you too Grandpa,¡± I answered. Grandpa¡¯s back, the piano¡¯s gone...life is pretty good right about now.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± I heard my parents scream. I jumped, running down the stairs.


    ¡°Rose!¡± mom roared, ¡°the things you gave us, there all...gone.¡±


    I laughed.


    ¡°My computer case,¡± my dad whined.


    ¡°My blueberry pie,¡± my mom followed.


    ¡°Our new bedding,¡± my dad said.


    ¡°My iPhone X!¡± my mom screamed.


    ¡°What are we supposed to tell our buyers now, Rose, that our products disappeared?!¡±


    I merely shrugged my shoulders and returned back to the attic.


    ¡°Parents still the same?¡± grandpa asked.


    ¡°Yep! Mom decided that she and dad would buy computers and become facebook sellers...so that¡¯s good.¡±


    Grandpa chuckled, ¡°Same old Virginia,....¡±

 Chapter Eight: The Rest of Summer

    The rest of the summer was fun, I had more company than before from grandpa, and although Mom eventually did force me to do basically ALL of the house chores while both of my parents were glued to their computers, I still found time to have fun, which I haven¡¯t got to do since Ohio. But, school snuck up on me. After what felt like only a week of summer the first day of school came around the corner.


    ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

 Chapter Nine: First Day of School

    ¡°Come on Rose!¡± my mom screamed, ¡°I¡¯m not going to drive you to school if you miss the bus!¡±


    I quickly put my best clothes on. Some ripped up jeans and tank top from salvation army (an old junky shop for poor people or if you want to say it nicely challenged in the money department...either way you say it, it is not good) I slipped on my only sneakers too. I was really nervous about school. I watched my hands shake a little as I brushed my knotty black hair. Ohio was all I know. I don¡¯t know how the South Carolina kids are going to act. In Ohio I came into kindergarten with some friends from preschool, so even when others laughed at my clothes, I still had my friends to laugh it off with, and after a few years, everyone got used to me. Now, in Ohio, I don¡¯t know if the kids are going to laugh at me, and if they do, I won¡¯t have any friends to back me up and laugh it off with. I nervously picked up my suitcase that was acting as my backpack and brought it downstairs. That didn¡¯t help if I was going to be teased either; my old suitcase backpack. I would be using my binders I used at my old school, Seaside. Grandpa gave me them because he knew my parents wouldn¡¯t buy me them even though he, himself doesn¡¯t have the most money (no offense Grandpa).


    ¡°Honk!¡± The bus was here! I quickly shoved some Frosted Flakes into my mouth from my mom¡¯s cereal bowl (you should have seen her face!) and raced out the door with my suitcase flying behind me. I didn¡¯t even look back at my parents as I raced out the door, approaching the bus. In a perfect world, my parents would yell at me for hugs and kisses to start the day off. Again, in a perfect world...NOT my world.


    That''s another thing that didn¡¯t help the teasing, my parents never back me up when I need help. Instead, my mom asks me to do chores while my dad sits there, dumbstruck, and when that''s not happening their on their computers. I could never ask them to help me fit in. I have always wondered if my parents ever needed help if I would back them up. I mean they have never done me right when it comes to standing up for me,......I step up the stairs, lugging my suitcase behind me onto the bus to see kids laughing and smiling and talking, what I would typically be doing on the first day of school if I was back in Ohio. And suddenly I was faced with a terrifying situation. Where was I going to sit? Was I going to sit with some random kid or was I going to sit alone?


    Someone from the back of the bus screamed, ¡°LOOK AT THAT NEW GIRL!¡± Now everyone was staring at me, and soon the bus was full of laughter and pointing. My cheeks burned bright against my face as I sat down in a seat closest to the driver, alone.


    I watched as everyone else played on their phones. I have never had a phone, so I kept myself entertained by looking out the window. South Carolina is beautiful once you take a minute to observe it. Flowers like pansies and tulips everywhere...cute little candy stores¡­beautiful statues and other tourist attractions. I liked South Carolina; it puts up a good fight with the other Carolina. I sighed as I walked off the bus to look up at the school. It looked about the same size as my old school, and it looked like any other school. Brick with black shingle roofing, white pillars, big windows, and a big sign over the front saying Seaside Middle School.


    I walked into the school with my suitcase to be greeted by teachers saying, ¡°Happy first day of school!¡±, and then one pulled me to the side and asked if I was ¡°Ms. Rose Smith,¡± and I replied ¡°yes.¡± The teacher had blond hair and a beautiful bright smile, wearing a classic green plaid skirt with a white top. A cute outfit actually...for a teacher.


    ¡°Oh, and I¡¯m Mrs. Crimson,¡± she added politely,¡± I will be your guidance counselor for this year, so if you ever need anything, come to me,¡± she said. She quickly took me to the main office, me and my suitcase trying to stay at the same pace as her. ¡°Mrs. Buscro,¡± Mrs. Crimson said,¡± This is Rose Smith, can we have her schedule?¡±


    Mrs. Buscro, with a brown-haired bob and plump belly, replied, ¡°yes,¡± and handed me a lined piece of paper with my schedule on it. I quickly slip it into my pocket. "Oh and Rose, you are on the butterfly team this year. This middle school splits the grades up in three depending on a category. This year eighth grade is insects, and there are beetles, caterpillars, and the team your in, butterflies.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡± I answered, ¡°my old school did something like that too.¡± At Ridgefield Middle School we were grouped by colors, red, purple, and green. I was in green last year and red for the year before.


    ¡°Oh, Rose, I¡¯m sorry I forgot to tell you, this is Marylyn,¡± Mrs. Crimson said as she pointed to a girl sitting in a seat in the corner. It was the first time I noticed this girl, and she seemed nice. Her head was down, and she was looking into her lap, but I could tell her hair was a white blondish color, the exact opposite compared to my midnight black hair, and her whole outfit put together must have been a thousand dollars, maybe more, counting her diamond-encrusted necklace. She seemed flawless, perfect maybe at a glance. I felt awkward looking at myself after looking at her. It would be easy for her to tease me when her outfit was next to mine, so maybe I was wrong to think she was nice. I stepped back. ¡°Marylyn will show you around the school for today, and be your buddy for the next few weeks.¡± Marylyn finally picked her head up, to show a full smile, and it wasn¡¯t fake¡­ I could tell. ¡°How about you give Rose a tour Marylyn?¡± Mrs. Crimson asked.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Marylyn answered, and suddenly my suitcase and I was following her out the central office and around the school.


    ¡°So,¡± Marylyn said looking me over, ¡°where did you come from?¡±


    ¡°Ohio,¡± I answered nervously, ¡°Ridgefield Middle School.¡±


    Suddenly a group of boys from on my bus yelled, ¡°Hey! It¡¯s that weird girl from on the bus!¡± then started hysterically laughing.


    My eyes watered and my cheeks turned red, I knew Marylyn was going to laugh with them, so I let my head sink down. I clutched my suitcase handle hard.


    ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you guys just shut up?!¡±


    I lifted my head, Marylyn was sticking up for me. The hallway became quiet, and the boys walked away. I could feel peace enter me again.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± was all I said. From that point, I knew Marylyn, and I was going to be friends.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let those stupid boys get to you,¡± Marylyn said, ¡°honestly they are just insecure about themselves, and I guess it just makes them feel better to pick on somebody like you.¡±


    ¡°Do they ever pick on you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No,¡± she answered, ¡°but they used to. They used to walk around bowing for me, calling me ¡°little miss princess Marylyn Pinkerton.¡± Pinkerton¡¯s my last name. They would call me a spoiled brat, judge me by my clothes, and imitate what I sounded like to them. It was very offensive to me, although I do admit I might be a little spoiled that does not mean I am a spoiled brat.¡±


    A little spoiled? I thought. ¡°I understand,¡± I said. ¡°Then you just started sticking up for yourself and others?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    ¡°I wish I could do that,¡± I murmured.


    ¡°If you ever need anything you can come to me,¡± said Marylyn, ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    ¡°Thanks again, ¡±I said.


    ¡°No problem,¡± Marylyn answered, ¡°oh, and I forgot to tell you I¡¯m a butterfly too so I could have all my main subjects with you!¡±


    I quickly took out my schedule from my pocket, and Marylyn took hers out too.


    ¡°I got mine before you came,¡± she commented. We put our schedules together. ¡°Oh!¡± Marylyn said,¡± at Seaside Middle we use letters to organize our main subjects like sixth graders do A, B, C, D, 7th graders do E, F, G, H, and we do I, J, K, L.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Ok!¡± I responded, ¡°I have I math, you?¡±


    ¡°Same!¡±


    ¡°J social studies?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    ¡°K language arts?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh!¡±


    ¡°L science?¡±


    ¡°Ya!¡±Marylyn yelled, ¡°we have all our main subjects together, now what about specials?¡±


    We continued to compare schedules and turns out we are in every class together. I am so happy! After comparing schedules, we actually started the tour.


    ¡°So, you have seen the office.¡± Marylyn said, ¡°how about I show you the teams first, and on our way, I can show you other stuff?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± I answered.


    ¡°So, I have heard that luckily we got the best team. caterpillars have too much homework, and in the beetle team the teachers aren¡¯t good,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    ¡°Well, so first off here is the beetle team, and the cafeteria is just across the hallway. Here, I¡¯ll show you.¡± She led me into a massive room with hundreds of tables and seats, like any other ordinary cafeteria, but then I realized today, who was I going to sit with?


    I think Marylyn saw the terror in my face because she said, ¡°You can sit with me.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said gratefully.


    We walked out of the cafeteria and then she showed me the courtyard, the nurse''s office, the gym, the caterpillar team, our team, where recess is, the Spanish classroom, the art rooms, the engineering design rooms, the chorus room (I¡¯m not doing the piano. I cringed when I saw a grand piano in the chorus room!), and lastly the health rooms.


    This school is big! I thought. After the tour was done, Marylyn showed me to my locker, which number is written on my schedule with the combo. It turns out it is only a few lockers down from Marylyns! I couldn¡¯t get the combo since my last school didn''t have locks, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get it soon. Marylyn opened my locker for me, and I put my suitcase in there, and took out all my old binders and put them on the top shelf of my locker, some of them were broken, but it''s the best I have. The first, the second, and the third bell had already rung, but Marylyn said she was excused from classes for helping me.


    Then, we both went to our third-period class, Spanish (after I grabbed my Spanish binder and Marylyn stopped at her locker to get her Spanish binder too). I really liked our Spanish teacher, her name was Se?ora L¨ªmon, which is funny because l¨ªmon means lemon in Spanish. She says her pet peeve is when people say ¡°when life gives you lemons you make lemonade.¡± I thought that was funny. After that, the rest of the day flew by. I liked all my teachers, some more than others, but overall they were all very nice. At lunch, I sat with Marylyn as I said I would, and it was entertaining. I bought lunch from the cafeteria, although it¡¯s free for me because the school funds money through taxes so people who don¡¯t have much money like me can have a good lunch. I did notice that Marylyn had probably a 200 dollar lunch box with a beautiful luscious chicken noodle soup and chocolate lava cake. After that Marylyn and I had a perfect time together, laughing at lunch as I did in Ohio.


    When we got to the point where we were telling corny jokes, Marylyn¡¯s ¡°why did the chicken cross the road, to get to the other slide¡± sent me doubled over laughing, and I laughed so hard my school lunch milk came out of my nose! That made Marylyn start laughing too. She generously gave me some of her chocolate lava cake in trade for my school lunch carrots just so she could make a walrus impression which was hilarious, and that''s when I asked her if she wanted to come over that afternoon. I sighed a deep breath of relief when she said yes, and after that, the rest of the day was a blur until Marylyn met me at my locker with her handcrafted backpack. She called her mom on her iPhone X, like the one my mom tried to sell on Facebook from the piano. It''s the first time I have thought of the piano in a while,...Well, her mom said she could come over. I knew my parents wouldn¡¯t mind, or care.


    It''s so crazy I thought as I lugged my suitcase behind me and we walked out of school together. Us, complete opposites, and now good friends. Between her wealthiness and white blond hair and my poorness and midnight black hair, how is it possible that we could be friends? Well, it happened.


    That afternoon Marylyn took my bus home, sadly we aren¡¯t on the same bus (apparently she has a beautiful beach house right on the water). I led her to my house, both of us with our bags and I just wanted to give her a heads up.


    ¡°So,¡± I said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you have noticed, but my family and I aren''t the wealthiest. My parents both sell things on Facebook for a living, and they aren¡¯t the most caring parents. They are usually of their computers. Our house also isn¡¯t the tidiest, although it is a little better since I did some chores. Just wanted to let you know.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Marylyn answered awkwardly. We slowly walked up and approached the house. I closed my eyes hoping her reaction to the house wouldn¡¯t be so severe. I waited for her opinion.


    ¡°Its,¡± she said, scrambling for words,¡± it is AWESOME!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± I asked shocked. Awesome? This dump of a house is fantastic?


    ¡°It''s so cool how you guys leave the house like this! Sometimes I hate how prim and proper my house is, so it''s cool you guys have a house that''s different. Everything is in its natural state.¡± Marylyn said, and I could tell she meant it. That''s one of the things I already love about Marylyn, she''s always honest.


    ¡°Uh, thanks, I guess.¡± I took her inside and introduced her to my parents after we both dropped off our bags near the front, old, creaky door.


    ¡°Hi Mom, hi Dad, this is Marylyn, my new friend.¡± I got grunts for an answer as both of them stared into their computers with some weird lipgloss and pencils by their side.


    ¡°Rose, didn¡¯t I tell you to make the beds?¡± my mom asked.


    ¡°Yep!¡± I answered, and I led Marylyn up into my bedroom with an unmade bed.


    ¡°So,¡± Marylyn said as we sat on my bed, ¡°just to be clear, your parents are Facebook sellers, and from what I have seen the two computers your parents own are the only electronic devices in this whole house?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That''s so cool, this is so different from my house but so awesome.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Let me show you around the house,¡± I said. ¡°You have seen the kitchen downstairs with the weird cabinets and random furniture everywhere, and my bedroom, but let me show you upstairs.¡±


    I quickly showed her my parent''s bedroom on the third floor, and their bathroom, the only one in the house, then we got to the attic. I hadn''t been up there in a while.


    ¡°I know it looks empty, but a grand piano used to be here, my grandpa¡¯s,¡± I said. ¡°This house was my grandpa¡¯s, so when he died in his will he said he wanted his only daughter to have his house, my mom, and that''s why we moved from Ohio, to move into grandpa¡¯s old house.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Marylyn said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry your grandpa died.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± I said, thinking about Grandpa¡¯s ghost. ¡°He¡¯s still here,¡± I muttered. ¡°I inherited his piano and played it for a while,¡± I said. Was I saying too much? No, I trust Marylyn.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do piano at school instead of the chorus?¡± Marylyn asked, ¡°and where did the piano go?¡± She was getting curious. Should I tell her? It would be fine, I trusted her, I could tell her anything.


    And that¡¯s when I told her it all. Every single little thing. How it started with the piano, me wishing, the souls with the gross green liquid, the messages, and even my ghost Grandpa. Finally, my secret had been freed from the jail of my mind.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Marylyn murmured, ¡±a soul-sucking piano! That¡¯s crazy! But Rose, you sure this wasn¡¯t a dream?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked. Didn¡¯t she believe me?


    ¡°Well, that story is a little far-fetched,¡± she said.


    ¡°I know,¡± I answered, ¡°but you have to believe me. The piano was standing right here! Here I¡¯ll prove it, I¡¯ll get my ghost grandpa.¡± I hoped and prayed for him to come, pleading in my thoughts. I waited for his faded version of himself to appear, but he didn''t. ¡°Why isn¡¯t he coming out?¡± I asked myself. ¡°Marylyn,¡± I said as I held her shoulders, ¡°I know it''s tough to believe, but you have to trust me, all that I just said happened. I don¡¯t know why my ghost grandpa isn¡¯t coming out, but why would I lie to you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Marylyn said, ¡°I know you wouldn¡¯t. Sorry, it''s just hard to believe, but I trust you, Rose, I really do, so I believe you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I answered, ¡°now let''s go do something,¡± I said, and we raced off and out the door to play in the early fall sun.


    I soon learned Marylyn¡¯s parents might spoil her like I wish I was but were at work 24/7 (something I didn¡¯t wish for). She told me they were nice, but she also told me she felt like they never found the time even to get to know her. Marylyn called her parents at around five for her to be picked up (luckily we had no homework since it was the first day of school), but they both said they were busy, so Marylyn¡¯s babysitter picked her up, as Marylyn said, ¡°like she always did.¡± Apparently this babysitter''s kind of like a second Mom to Marylyn. We hugged each other goodbye, and I walked back into the house to turn towards my ¡®still on their computers¡¯ parents.


    ¡°Do you guys like Marylyn?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go clean our room?¡±


    ¡°Ugh! Fine...but only cause I have nothing better to do.¡± I went upstairs and cleaned my parent''s room, made the bed, swept the floors, and organized their stuff, and then I went downstairs to have my dinner. A new type of dinner, Spaghettios. I actually didn¡¯t mind this, and they were pretty good.


    ¡°Decided to do something new,¡± my mom commented, glancing over from her computer screen to see me gobbling up my dinner, and for a second I saw her smile. A slite second,...I haven¡¯t seen her do something like that for what,...ever? I quickly absorbed the moment and quickly grinned back at her before she returned to her computer screen. I don¡¯t miss Ohio so much anymore...

 Chapter Ten: The Note

    I went upstairs to go to bed for tomorrow was Tuesday, a school day. I sleepily grabbed my worn out toothbrush (which I hadn''t used for a while, yikes!) and brushed my teeth and rinsed my face with water in the bathroom next to my parent''s bedroom on the third floor. I quickly went back down one floor and into my bedroom to change into some ¡°pjs¡± which were really some old sweatpants and a camisole which I was probably going to wear tomorrow to school with my sneakers. I turned off the lights, and I slipped into bed and sat for a little bit looking up at the ceiling on the open bedframe of my bed. So much had changed in one day. Just last night I didn¡¯t have Marylyn or school. I am so grateful me, and Marylyn became friends. I finally lay back on my bed frame.


    ¡°Ow!¡± I murmured. The open springs of the bed frame were hurting more than usual tonight, and something was poking my back. It was sharp and piercing, like needles. I shifted back and forth, but the pain wouldn¡¯t go away. Finally, I lifted myself up to look at the bed frame and see if anything was there. But what lay there was anything but what I expected. I stared, and I could feel my eyes widen in the dark. Fear pumped in my blood and a high pitched scream hummed in my racing heart going so fast I could hear it like the trotting hooves of a horse. There, laying on my bed, underneath my back that whole time was a piano key, and not just any piano key. ¡°You might have destroyed my piano,¡± it said, ¡°but you haven¡¯t destroyed me. Unless you don¡¯t want your grandpa back, I suggest you find me.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa?!¡± That was why he didn''t appear before! He was taken again. I tried to wish for him anyway, but no cigar. I watched as the gold letters faded from my sight over and over again. The piano wasn¡¯t a team of one. It had a creator. A human so morbid and dark shadows covered his face. A human so morbid he kidnapped my grandpa. Or was whomever the creator was human? I covered my face with my hands and tried to comfort myself. Why are things this evil in the world out to haunt me? I quickly flicked the piano key to the side, off my bed. My dreams were filled with evil things that I think we''re supposed to represent the creator, torchering grandpa. Each one was eviller and uglier than the last. I woke up that morning with dark circles under my eyes. Of course now when I need grandpa, he can¡¯t be here. I sighed. I didn¡¯t know how I was going to do it, but I was going to find the creator, and finish him off once and for all. I sluggishly brushed my hair and teeth, put on my sneakers, and walked downstairs to get my suitcase from where I left it yesterday. I ate a banana for breakfast, and soon after I ran to catch my bus. People on the bus still commented on my clothes, but I still had more important things to worry about.


    I knew I needed to find the creator to save my grandpa, but where do you even find someone like that other than in your nightmares. I would tell Marylyn I decided. Maybe she¡¯d have an idea.


    I walked into school and quickly ran over to Marylyns locker to see her.


    ¡°Marylyn!¡± I said, ¡±the weirdest thing happened to me.¡±


    ¡°Ya?¡± she said, ¡±what?¡±


    ¡°So you know the piano thing I told you about yesterday?¡± I whispered smartly. She nodded. ¡°So, last night I found a piano key on my bed, and it said you might have destroyed my piano, but you haven¡¯t destroyed me. Unless you don¡¯t want your grandpa back, I suggest you find me. That¡¯s why my ghost grandpa didn¡¯t come out yesterday. I need to go and find the creator of the piano and defeat him in order to get my grandpa back.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°You sure someone isn¡¯t pranking you?¡± Marylyn suggested.


    ¡°Yes!¡± I said a little frustrated.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Rose,¡± Marylyn said, ¡°but it''s hard to believe you without any evidence.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± I said,  ¡°come over today, and I¡¯ll show you the piano key. I don¡¯t think the message will come back after it fades, but I¡¯ll prove it to you, somehow.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Marylyn answers, ¡°I really am sorry it is just tough to believe.¡±


    And from there we walked to our first class together. The rest of the school day I thought about Marylyn and me hanging out that afternoon. Lunch passed by, and soon enough the last class did too. I just hoped showing her the key would be enough to convince her to believe me.


    We walked out of school together, and onto my bus like the day before. If anyone on the bus said one thing about my clothes, Marylyn would yell at them right off the bat. It felt good to win a battle. We came off the bus and into the house straight upstairs after dropping our bags off.


    ¡°So,¡± I said picking up the piano key from where it landed when I flicked it the night before, ¡°here it is.¡± Marylyn picked it up hastily observing its scratches.


    ¡°Here''s the thing,¡± Marylyn said, ¡°if all that you have said is true I wonder why the creator gave you this message on a piano key.¡±


    ¡°I never thought of that,¡± I said.


    ¡°I mean couldn¡¯t it have been on paper, or literally written on your bed frame, or anything?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess, now that I think about it,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Well,¡± Marylyn said, ¡±again if all that you said is true, then that means this piano key is probably important to find the creator. It could be a key for a hidden door to where he lives or a special device that gives you hints if you say the right words, or,.....¡± Marylyn¡¯s voice trailed off. She spun the key in her hand and rubbed it against her cheek.


    ¡°Marylyn,¡± I said as the key left a mark on her cheek, ¡°you have a mark on your cheek.¡±


    She felt her face as it then left a mark on her finger, ¡°the piano key, it¡¯s like chalk,¡± she said.


    ¡°Wait a minute!¡± she stormed up two flights of stairs, passing my mom and dad''s bedroom and the bathroom, me trying to catch up. She ran all the way up to the attic that was now empty. ¡°You probably have to outline something with the key to make a,....¡±


    ¡°Portal!¡± I said excitedly, ¡°but what would we outline?¡±


    ¡°The piano! You say your piano was about here?¡± she asked pointing to the center of the attic.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, and she slowly started tracing out the shape of a piano, using the piano key. When she was done, the white color turned into a lustrous gold. The color gold swirled into fill the middle of the piano¡¯s outline to create a big gold hole. In the center letters formed the words, ¡°This is the portal which will lead you to whom you shall seek. Its name, Death¡¯s Home.¡±


    My mouth hung wide open, and Marylyn smiled, but she seemed surprised too. Our eyes stared at the portal in wonder, yet we knew this was just the beginning of a challenging adventure.


    ¡°Now I believe you,¡± she said.


    And from then on, I and she was the unstoppable team that was going to defeat the creator of the evil piano in the attic.

 Chapter Eleven: How to Enter a Portal

    That night I slept a lot better than I had the night before, knowing that now I, or should I say we, were a lot closer to saving Grandpa. That morning the dark circles under my eyes faded, and I quickly was able to get ready and out the door. The comments on the bus still stung, but I was starting to get used to them; now I could ignore all the negativity. I hopped off the bus and went to see Marylyn at her locker, which felt like a regular routine now.


    ¡°So!¡± I said. ¡°Any other thoughts on yesterday yet?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, actually,¡± Marylyn said, ¡°I think because the portal said that whom we wanted to see was in there, and because the name is Death¡¯s Home, I think the name of the creator is Death.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± I said, ¡°I think you''re probably right, I mean it makes sense because he killed a lot of people.¡±


    Marylyn nodded. ¡°How about you come over to my house today?¡± she asked. ¡°We can hang out and talk about our plans for Death.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±I said, ¡°I don¡¯t think my parents would mind if I were gone awhile.¡±


    I smiled as we walked together. Death was in for it going against this team.


    The rest of the day was kind of like the last. Every day at school is similar I''ve learned between my years at Ridgefield and few days at Seaside. School is starting to get more serious compared to the first day of school now, especially homework-wise, so on the bus, Marylyn and I did our homework so when we got to her house we could start planning to defeat Death right away. I was expecting Marylyn¡¯s house to be humongous, and cool, and impressive, but as I walked up to her driveway with her, I never would have imagined what I saw. The whole house was a beautiful pearl white, with what seemed like not one flake of dust on any part of it. I felt dirty as I stared at it. The front door was a beautiful brown color with a golden knob, and the stairs leading up to it were made out of marble. I noticed as I got closer to Marylyn¡¯s house you could hear the ocean and I watched as pelicans dove into the water, swooping behind her house. The shingles were also an excellent white and gleamed in the sunlight. I could feel my cheeks burn the color of jealousy.


    ¡°So,¡± Marylyn said, ¡°this is my house.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I gaped.


    We walked in, and it just got better. Full-screen TV, silk cushions, butlers, servants, and much, much, more. The babysitter sat us down and got us some snacks. We finished our homework already on the bus, so when the babysitter left the room, we immediately started discussing.


    ¡°So, for the portal, should we just jump in?¡± Marylyn asked.


    ¡°Well,¡± I said, ¡°I think we should have a plan, but yeah I guess we jump. How can Death be defeated?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, we haven¡¯t met him yet, so we don''t know his weaknesses, so I don¡¯t know if we can have a plan without already meeting him.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± I said, ¡°then should we just go for it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I guess.¡± Marylyn answered, ¡°tomorrow at your house after school.¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± I answered. I admit I am a little nervous, but it''s our best idea yet. We have to take the risk.


    Its funny how life works how when, you want time to go by really fast it goes like a sloth, and when you want time to go really slowly it goes like a freight train, because those 24 hours went by fast, and next thing I knew I was at my house with Marylyn, in the attic, about to jump into the portal of death. But when Marylyn was going (I won rock, paper, scissor shoe), she tried to jump into the portal, and it shot her back out. Like someone throwing up a portion of food, they don¡¯t like. Marylyn tried again and again, and even I gave it a go, but it never worked.


    ¡°Marylyn,¡± I said, ¡°I think we need to do a certain thing in order for us to be able to make it through the portal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I agree,¡± I said after jumping into the portal for the tenth time and being dumped out. ¡°What do we need to do in order to get into Death¡¯s home?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± I said, ¡°here''s a start. For us humans, you need to open the door to enter our homes.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°So, to enter Death''s home, you need to,....¡± Marylyn stuttered.


    ¡°Let''s sleep on it,¡± I said, ¡°come over to my house tomorrow, and we can talk about it.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Marylyn said.


    That night before I went to bed I thought and thought about it. What would Death want us to do in order for us to get into the portal? Do a dance, sing a song? No, we needed to play a song! We needed to play Castle In My Dreams again! But, where would we get the piano?


    That morning at school I told Marylyn about my idea.


    ¡°That''s a great idea!¡± she said. ¡°And the piano problem basically solved itself. ¡°I have a keyboard with a grand piano setting sitting at my house. I can have my babysitter bring it over this afternoon!¡±


    ¡°Awesome!¡± I answered.


    That afternoon after doing homework on the bus Marylyn called her babysitter to bring over the keyboard for her. Her babysitter luckily didn¡¯t ask any questions when she arrived at my house and quickly handed us the keyboard. Marylyn and I excitedly raced up the stairs to the attic with our hair flying behind us.


    ¡°Be quiet girls,¡± my mom snapped, ¡°I¡¯m trying to concentrate!¡± she whined.


    ¡°On what?¡± I whispered to Marylyn, ¡°selling stuff on Facebook no one will buy?¡± We giggled. I quickly pulled out the Castle In My Dreams music that I hadn''t touched in a while. It felt odd back in my hands. Marylyn and I quickly set up the keyboard, and I started to play the same melody I played only months ago in the attic. In the end, we waited, and Marylyn bravely volunteered to try and jump into the portal. It did the same thing as it had the day before, and it just squirted her right out.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± I groaned.


    ¡°Try again, maybe wish like you did to get something,¡± Marylyn encouraged me.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I answered, and I played it again, but wished this time; it still didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Rose,¡± Marylyn said after being squirted out of the portal for the second time, ¡°tomorrow''s the weekend so why don¡¯t we hang out tomorrow at my place and brainstorm some more?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I answered, ¡°It''s just frustrating.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Marylyn said, ¡°but we¡¯ll figure it out.¡± I could always count on Marylyn to pep me up.


    Marylyn called her babysitter again and went home with her keyboard, but we planned to hang out at eight at her place the next morning so we could figure the portal out.


    Early the next morning I left my house and fled off to Marylyn¡¯s. I knocked on the door quietly for Marylyn to answer and let me in.


    ¡°Shh,¡± she said, ¡°my parents are still sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± I answered as she led me up her stairs to show me her room. It was really magnificent. It was a queen sized bed with a chandelier and beautiful pictures all over the place. Pink was the theme. Although I would have preferred blue, it was still a fantastic bedroom.


    ¡°Your room is so pretty,¡± I said as an understatement.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Marylyn said.


    ¡°So, any ideas?¡± I asked.


    ¡°One,¡± Marylyn answered.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°We pull each other into it so the portal can¡¯t push us out.¡±


    ¡°I guess that''s worth trying,¡± I said. We ran all the way back to my house, up the stairs, and into the attic.


    ¡°The portal looks smaller than before,¡± Marylyn observed. I noticed it too, she was right: it shrunk to half its size overnight.


    ¡°I think,¡± I said after thinking a minute, ¡°it shrinks after every failed attempt we have to get into the portal.¡±


    ¡°That means we don¡¯t have much time,¡± Marylyn said.


    I nodded, ¡°Then let''s not waste it now, okay,¡± I said, ¡°you go first.¡±


    Marylyn didn¡¯t refuse, ¡°Okay, push me down with your arms once I''m in.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I answered, and I started to push her once she was in. Marylyn got about three-quarters of the way in when the portal spat her at me.


    ¡°Come on,¡± I said desperately, ¡°let¡¯s try again.¡± But, no matter how many times we tried it never worked, and we decided to go back to Marylyn¡¯s house to discuss.


    ¡°This is really hard,¡± Marylyn said.


    ¡°I know!¡± I answered.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Marylyn asked, ¡°at this point, it feels like we¡¯ve tried everything!¡±


    ¡°Let''s rewind.¡± I said, ¡°So, we know that we need to figure out what we need to do to enter Death¡¯s home in order to get into the portal, so let''s just think, what would Death want us to do?¡±


    ¡°Die!¡±Marylyn said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how I didn¡¯t think of this before! Death wants us to die!¡±


    ¡°I am not going to kill myself Marylyn!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°I know,¡± Marylyn said, ¡°I won¡¯t either. Then, we¡¯ll think we are dead, so the portal thinks we are dead!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± I cheered, ¡°Awesome idea! The plan that included tricking the piano worked for me so it might just work for us. Let''s go back to my house right now!¡±


    And with that, we raced off back to my house. My parents were now awake on their computers. We ran up the stairs and into the attic. The portal looked barely big enough for us to fit through.


    ¡°If the stakes were high before, now they''re really up there. This is probably our last chance with the portal.¡± Marylyn said.


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± I answered, ¡° Okay, let''s do this.¡± And then, we both closed our eyes and thought we were dead.

 Chapter Twelve: Meeting Death

    I suddenly felt calm and at peace with everything. A sudden familiar feeling of warmth flooded through my body, like the one that first forced me onto the piano stool that got me into all this mess. And then, I felt myself moving forward, without me meaning to. Like my legs moving without the instruction of my brain. I still didn¡¯t open my eyes, and soon I was falling, fast. My stomach dropped, and I could feel myself shaking, but I still didn¡¯t open my eyes. Not until it all stopped. And Marylyn and I were next to each other in a dark room with nothing but a spotlight on our faces. I prayed for the first time in a long time. Then, a light in the distance turned on, and a clock was shown. In the light, the ugliest person I had ever seen was shown. Their evil heart seemed to pierce mine, and the black scales on their body made my eyes freeze and stare. Luckily their face was covered by a mask with white holes so I wouldn¡¯t die for real. Their presence seemed to make me want to faint.


    The scruffiest voice I had ever heard talked to Marylyn and me, ¡°If you don¡¯t defeat me within 5 hours you will be trapped in this place forever, dead in real life, but if you kill me, I and my world will be destroyed, and you will get your Grandpa back.¡± He reached out to me, and as he did, I felt a grabbing at my throat. The clock was set behind this evil thing for 5 hours, and it started. I heard the creator cackling. For he knew he was about to kill innocent children.


    I looked over at Marylyn. She suddenly looked different, her eyes turned to stone. Her white, clean, blond hair was fading. Her back hunched over like it was the first time I saw her, but the first time she was looking into her lap, now she was thinking, dark thoughts. Her bright outfit seemed to dull in the dark light.


    Scared to speak, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    She took a breath, ¡°Did you really just ask me that question?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Do you actually think I am ok after a man named Death who is worse than the devil just said he would kill us if we don¡¯t kill him in the next 5 hours. Do you not understand Rose? The only reason I got into this whole mess was that I knew you sincerely liked me as a friend. But now, you have taken advantage of me. What do you think my parents are going to think after we disappear and never return because we were killed by Death?!¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I thought of my parents, sitting on their computers selling junk at home.


    ¡°And what do you think the school is going to think? I am going home, Rose.¡± And with that she walked away, disappearing into the darkness.


    ¡°Marylyn,¡± I called, ¡°we have to kill him to get home, don¡¯t you realize that?¡±


    No answer. I felt a tear stroll down my cheek, then a swoosh of wind blow past me. I kept my head down.


    ¡°Not much luck, huh.¡±


    I looked up, ¡°GRANDPA!¡± I screamed. I ran up and hugged him, in his ghost form. I hugged him in comfort. His love poured into me, and I felt as if I had fallen into the big fuzzy blanket of his arms. I closed my eyes I felt him get taller, bigger, and colder. I felt cold metal press against my neck, and the scent of blood flow into my nose. A fear so shrill went up my spine to shake me free from the dark winter that had just come from the summer I thought was my grandpa. Pictures of Death played over and over again in my head. I shook my head from them, finally having the courage to look up. As I suspected Death was pretending to be grandpa. He could change his form. Not only this was terrifying, but he had a knife up to my neck. I was still so close to death at the minute, but I  thought the only way we could really die was from staying here forever, and that would be determined in the next 5 hours. Also, could he torture us within the 5 hours?


    ¡°If you kill me right now,¡± I asked, ¡°will I die in real life?¡± I  shook with fear, but I could only get useful information out of him. It was worth the risk. I could see through the holes in the white mask he had beady little eyes, all over his face. He could see everything.


    One eye looked down on me, I struggled as I stared back, then flinched.


    ¡°Good question,¡± he said, not in grandpa''s voice, but his ugly one, ¡°yes. If I kill you here, you will be stuck here forever, and therefore you will die in real life.¡±


    ¡°And also,¡± I said, clutching my shirt like I would lose it with my life, ¡°aren¡¯t you only allowed to kill us after 5 hours, wasn''t that the deal?¡± How was I so brave? I didn¡¯t know, but I kinda liked it.


    His evil laugh started again, ¡°Yes, but who said I couldn¡¯t bend the rules. You are a brave one,¡± Death cackled,¡± but, too much bravery could be too much.¡± His crusty hand was still holding the knife against my neck. I screamed in my head, of murder, and terrors that would haunt me in my nightmares forever if I got out of this mess alive. I ducked and raced into the darkness, around a corner, and hid under the black pit above me that looked to be the always night sky. I looked around as I heard a murmur. Marylyn was by my side. We didn¡¯t say a word as we hugged. That was enough to communicate with each other, I love you, I am sorry, NOW LET''S GET OUT OF THIS PLACE!

 Chapter Thirteen: Searching For Souls

    ¡°Did you see everything?¡± I asked.


    Marylyn nodded shakily. Apparently actually experiencing a horrifying experience can scar you just as much as watching one. We sat there for a while, taking deep breaths. Assuring ourselves that everything would soon be over. How did we end up in such a dark place? Two 13-year-old girls, innocent, loved (or once loved), out of all people ended up in the hands of a psycho killer? Only a few months ago I had nothing to do with this terrifying situation, and now I feel like I am trapped in a horror movie. I dragged Marylyn into this too! After all, she has done for me...After a while of just sitting there, I looked up at the clock, ticking till our deaths. 3 hours left.


    ¡°Marylyn,¡± I said, ¡°I know we feel hopeless right now, but we need to try at least to defeat Death.¡± I reached my hand out to hers. ¡°Let''s go try and find the real Grandpa.¡±


    Marylyn nodded again, took my hand, and through all this malicious fear, smiled. I surprised myself and smiled back. I felt courage rise back up through the shallows of my stomach like me, and she walked through the darkness, holding hands, searching for any signs of grandpa. I held her hand tight, promising never to let go. We wouldn¡¯t step down, staying together, no matter what. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Watch out Death,¡± I whispered as we crossed another corner with no other signs of people. Our each other''s smiles were our flashlights in the darkness. Our company with each other is what brought us to search when our hearts were beating like hummingbirds. Our bond brought us to search every corner for an hour.


    When that hour passed, through the silence, Marylyn said, ¡°I don¡¯t know Rose, I don¡¯t think they are here.¡±


    I sighed, ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Marylyn said, ¡°what is your next idea? We don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    ¡°I thought Grandpa could help us, but he doesn¡¯t seem to be here. We are going to have to help ourselves.¡±


    ¡°So the question is how do we destroy Death, correct?¡± Marylyn asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just try to kill him?¡± Marylyn whispered.

 Chapter Fourteen: Murder In Deaths Home

    I nodded.¡°How though?¡± I whispered as we hid in the shadows.


    ¡°I think I will go do it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don''t want you to get so close to dying again,¡± Marylyn said.


    ¡°The worst thing we can do right now is split up.¡± I told Marylyn, ¡°I am not letting you go alone.¡±


    ¡°You think I am too weak?¡± Marylyn asked, glaring at me.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Can we not fight again?¡± I asked. She was getting so rigid in this situation, sensitive.


    ¡°Why?!¡± She was screaming now, ¡°You are the one who started it!¡±


    ¡°Calm down,¡± I said, panicking that Death might hear us.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do.¡±


    ¡°Fine! I was trying to be nice, but go get yourself killed then!¡± I screamed as I walked away. I felt the evil flood through me as the icy words hit me. I didn¡¯t want her to die, I was just frustrated. I couldn¡¯t take it back now though.


    ¡°AHHHHHH!¡±


    I cried in the darkness. I had never felt so much pain in such a short amount of time. The cold had numbed my body and chilled my bones till I was paralyzed.  1 hour left, alone, with Marylyn dead. I jumped as I heard footsteps.

 Chapter Fifteen: When Death Experiences Defeat

    ¡°Rose?¡± It was Marylyn!


    ¡°I thought you were dead!¡± I yelled as I hugged her, ¡°I am so sorry, I don¡¯t know what I would do without you. What happened?¡± Reassurance flooded through me. She was actually alive! I couldn¡¯t live without her. She is truly the only friend I have, and she is the best friend I have ever had. ¡°What happened?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What is about to happen to you,¡± I turned abruptly.


    ¡°I should have known,¡± I said as Death¡¯s evil face confronted me.


    A wave of anger so deep went down my spinal cord and shot out of me so hard I couldn¡¯t control it. Before I was sad, but I had much stronger feelings when confronting the man who murdered her.


    ¡°YOU!¡± I walked up to him and looked him in all of his eyes, without flinching, ¡°YOU KILLED HER! MY BEST FRIEND! MY ONLY FRIEND NOW!¡± I closed my eyes, letting out all my pain, not only about Marylyn, but about moving, Grandpa, the threatening piano, and my parents. I dropped to the floor and screamed, letting loose the feelings that had started piling up since the day I was born. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°AHHHH!¡± I opened my eyes to hear a scream, but it wasn''t my scream, it was Death¡¯s. A light was pushing him down, a light of holiness, and hope. It was killing him. I tried to follow where it was coming from, and it let to my stomach, but when I stopped screaming it faded. Confused I watched as Death stood up after the light had entirely disappeared.


    ¡°The love,¡± he murmured weakly, ¡°I have never seen anything like it.¡±


    ¡°What do you expect!¡± I screamed, ¡°You ruined my life! Stole the people I cared for the most and took my innocence!¡± I let the tears unroll like a river, not holding back. The light shot out of my stomach again, holding Death down. I let it loose, not stopping. I didn¡¯t care what he thought, he killed people as a living. I would do as I pleased. I let the light wrap around me and rub against me until the last speck of darkness disappeared. The last thing I saw from Death was the message he left that I saw in the last piece of darkness ¡°You are far superior to others, defeating me with love. In return, you will have your loved ones once more¡±. Was it over? Had I done it? And only with my love? I closed my eyes and let myself relax as I promised myself that I was safe. A beautiful word it was. Safe, safe. Oh, I wish I could live in that word for eternity.

 Chapter Sixteen: The Aftermath

    I woke up out of my crazy daze in my bed, it was morning in South Carolina. I rushed down the stairs. Would Grandpa be there? Sure enough there he was. I hugged him quickly.


    ¡°What is the big greeting about?¡± he yawned. Did he remember? I knew he knew once he winked. Still confused by what happened, and in need of company, I ran to Marylyn¡¯s. Sure enough, she opened the door. Another reunion with hugs and smiles. She hurried me to her room.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked, ¡°Do you know?¡±


    Marylyn answered quickly, ¡°Everyone who died from Death¡¯s history was changed, and they either died of old age, or they are still alive. The rest of the world doesn¡¯t know though except us, and the souls.¡±


    ¡°How did you find this out?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Computer,¡± she answered, ¡°I looked some of the soul''s names to make sure they were ok. I wasn¡¯t the only soul in Death¡¯s body, and I know this is weird, but I made some friends. Patricia and Izach are hilarious! They both died of old age, so I figured their history was changed, just like me. Happy to be alive.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    I chuckled, ¡°I am happy you are alive too, Marylyn!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Marylyn said sympathetically, ¡°I am sorry I was so angry. I was just scared, and worried, but still, that is no reason to take that out on you. I love you, and I am so happy everything is ok.¡±


    I smiled, ¡°Me too, I am sorry I dragged you into this mess.¡±


    We wrapped our arms around each other for a long time, and I wish it could have lasted longer, but I wanted to get back to the house to see Grandpa. Funny to think just a day ago I would have never thought I would see Grandpa or Marylyn ever again. Walking home I realized my life would never be the same, in obvious reasons like Grandpa returning and not having to worry about the piano anymore. But also, in other ways like I have more confidence now, and I like it. After yesterday I realized I was capable of doing things I had never believed I could, that some people thought were impossible, that others failed at, yet, I succeeded. This made me see that I could do anything I set my mind to. I had another realization (after getting so close to death and Death) what a blessing the world is. Like how beautiful it is, and how wonderful life is. Without it I wouldn¡¯t have Grandpa or Marylyn; actually I wouldn¡¯t be alive without my parents so without them I wouldn¡¯t have me either. I told myself coming into this new beginning I would make every moment as precious as the last so I would die with a happy life behind me.


    Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.


    -Randall Duk Kim