Hikaru had told me beforehand that she was nervous to play last. That no one would probably still be here once the other musicians played and left with their families. I could see so much fear spawning behind her eyes just from a single thought. I grasped her by both her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes and said,
“Even if there is no one else out there, we’ll still be there listening to the very end. If you play your heart out the whole city will hear it no matter what. When you play you transcend time and space itself and it rings out for the whole universe to listen to so no matter what, you got this! But I guarantee it will be a full house, you’ll see.” She held back her tears and stood straight up with a new look of determination in her eyes and shouted,
“You’re right! I don't care if anyone else is there when I play, I will play till my fingers bleed and fall off! I'll make the whole galaxy hear what I want to play no matter what!" She then looked down at her feet and said, “All of you helped me get back to this moment so there’s no turning back.” She turned around and walked into the auditorium building before the show began and we all watched her leave cheering for her. We all stood there until she disappeared behind a big set of double doors and headed in through the ticket entrance. Everyone who played tonight played so well. It was amazing to see such a washed-up city had so much talent still waiting to explode even after all hardships everyone faced.
Next up was Hikaru. I was sitting in the first row, so I had to turn around to see if anyone was still in the audience. Every single person who performed were all seated with their families eagerly awaiting Hikaru’s performance. There were even people standing in the back and sitting down the rows on the floor. It is as if the whole city showed up to see her play again for the first time in almost four years. For some reason I could feel my hands start to shake even though I was not even playing. I could only imagine how would she feels when she walked out onto the stage. I was scared for her but at the same time I was happy for her. I knew this was her dream since I have known her. Even when she gave up piano, I knew this is the moment she wished she could have again. To show the whole world she never gave up and that she’s still here.
Just then the lights dimmed, and she stepped out from behind the curtain. The audience came to a dead silence as she slowly walked towards the piano center stage. She shined brighter than any light burning the stage with its hot white glow. She wore a simple but beautiful yellow summer dress despite the formal black and white theme among the other musicians. Her footsteps rang out through the auditorium and she stopped halfway to piano and turned to the audience. She gazed out into the darkness as if she wanted to get one quick glance at everyone. Like she was peering into everyone’s soul and learning their story. She bowed slowly and walked to the piano and sat quietly. After a moment of silence, she raised her hands above the keys about to play. I was probably the only one who could see tears welling up behind her eyes. Everything she dreamt of, everything she worked for, was for this moment.
She played the first notes as if electricity were flowing through her body and out onto the stage. Tear drops were crashing onto the keys, but it did not stop her at all. Such a small and fragile looking person was erupting with sound and emotion. I turned to see the faces of the people in the audience and it looked as if they were frozen in time. I could see the reflection of her playing on stage in the little girl’s eyes sitting behind me. It was as if everyone listening was trapped in the happiest memory they had. People outside the auditorium were standing still listening to her music through the open lobby windows. They whole city was alive again for the first time in years. The stars were shining brighter than they ever have before for this run-down city like they were wanting to hear her story. So, they could retell it for millions of years as they shined on for anyone who was listening. She was not even playing the song we had practiced all this time. She was completely making it up as she went. Only she knew what she was playing, and the audience was completely captivated by it. To think three months ago this is the same person who couldn’t even be in the same room as a piano and now she was tearing it down note by note as if she was transferring her tears, her soul, even her fears into a bunch of wood and ivory. She never missed a note, she never broke tempo, she never looked up from the keys. She just kept crying and playing. Somehow, she was playing the stories of everyone here. Every musician that played before her, everyone’s lost loved ones, everyone’s triumphs and failures were all at her fingertips. She painted a picture that could only be painted by music and music alone. Music that soaked everyone’s souls as an element of one.
As the last notes were still ringing out, she stood up and faced the audience while hanging her head so no one could see her face. She stood there in silence while the notes were still fading. To her the silence was haunting. I could feel her heart beating all the way from my seat. She cleared her throat and in her first sputter of a sound as if she were going to apologize in defeat, she choked on her own tears.
In that moment, as abrupt as a landslide, the audience exploded into applause. It could only be compared to a hurricane of sound swirling through the room. People were cheering, some were even crying, people were standing even screaming out to her letting her know that they heard her, and they are proud. Every star in the sky was applauding for her. She forced herself to look out into the audience despite her tears crashing to the floor. She bowed again and under her breath I heard her say, “Thank you everyone.” She cried even harder as the applause grew louder. She never thought she would be standing up on stage again. Honoring her grandma and all she had taught her about music, life, and family. She hoped every note reached her wherever she was in the afterlife. She hoped that after all this time she made her proud by not giving up. She hoped she was not angry for how long she stopped playing. So many thoughts ran through her head as the audience raged on with appreciation for her dreams.
As the last notes were still lingering and fading out an unexpected last note rang out and it was hot. It burned my ears and rang through my head like a church bell and a bomb combined. Even my vision shook for a second. Through the crowd and their applause was one person the music did not reach. They were not even trying to listen or hear her notes. Their anger consumed them into a fury of jealousy and hate. The applause quickly turned into a frenzy of screams and commotion.
With a smile on her face Hikaru was suddenly looking at the ceiling. Everything felt so warm and cold at the same time. She was okay with this feeling. As long as her notes were traveling as far as they could she didn’t care. A man who had been sitting next to me was standing with his arm outstretched in front of himself. In his hand was a gun that was now quietly smoking from the barrel.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccQa8XLzlN
