Piano Skeleton

Sinister Stories Contest (Prompt 1)
Story Word Count 652

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I stretched, looking around the room. I couldn't believe. I had bought my first house, and in my hometown, no less. I spun around taking it all in. My very own house. God, I felt giddy at the thought of it.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I looked at it. It read:


Message from Tracy-
~Hey Steve, do you need any help moving in? :)


I smiled. I loved my girlfriend of three years, Tracy. She was always there for me, no matter what. I couldn't wait for her birthday, which was when I planned to proposed to her. We were going to spend the rest of our lives together, happily ever after, in this beautiful home. I smiled longingly at my daydream.

I texted back:


~Yes, please. Thanks, honey.


I whistled as I walked through the house. As I got to the main room, I paused. I looked and admired the beauty that had sold the house for me.

In the corner of the room sat a large, elegant piano, its keys shiny like a scrubbed boot. The gold lining glowed in the sunlight. I was amazed when I first saw it, thinking, 'This is just too good.' Then I thought, ' I need to buy this house.'

I had pounced on the house right after I toured it. I didn't care how much it cost, I didn't care if I needed to fix some things, I just wanted the piano. I just felt... drawn towards it, I guess.

I walked over to the piano and sat down on the bench. I decided to play one of my favorite songs, "Piano Man" by Billy Joel. My fingers danced across the keyboard from note to note, playing the tune I had loved so much since I was a kid.

After a while, I began to sing along.

"Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feeling alright..."

I belted out the rest of the song, really getting into it. It was kind of childish, but who cares? Besides, I was alone in my house, with no one to hear me, right?

Wrong.

All of a sudden, I heard a slow clap, echoing around the room. I abruptly stood up, looking around. Who (or what) the hell was that?

"Hello?" I called out. "Who's there?"

Nobody answered.

"Whoever you are, show yourself. Either that or get the hell out." I tried to make my voice sound strong, but it sounded high-pitched and trembling.

"Hello," a voice said behind me.

I spun around and screamed. Behind me was a skeleton walking from out of the coat closet, its bones rattling as it stumbled towards me.

"Don't come any closer!" I yelled.

The skeleton laughed and kept on walking. "You know," it said. "I loved Piano Man. It's a classic, isn't it?" The skeleton tilted his head in question at me.

All I could do was stare.

"This piano is haunted, you know," the skeleton said. "Whoever plays on it shall be turned into a skeleton, like me. Looks like it's your turn." It stretched out its hands towards me as it reached me

"NO! NOOO!" I screamed. "PLEASE! AAAAAHHHHHH---!" My scream was cut off as the skeleton put a bony hand over my mouth, and then my eyes.

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Tracy walked into the house, her expensive fur coat wrapped around her shoulders. She called out, "Stevie, I'm here! Where are you?" She walked around the house. "Steve?" She asked, but no response came to her. "Oh well," she said. "He probably went out to get a bite to eat."

She walked into the main room and saw the piano, basking in its beauty. She smiled and walked over and mused aloud, "Hmm, I wonder what to play."