Sonata

It had been three days since that fatal event. The loss of Algernon had devastated the whole village and frightened many. It was simply unheard of in their area.

“He was so young,” they would say. “Such a tragedy.”

There could be no funeral as the body was never found but a man never disappears for that long and not telling his servants either. People lay tributes outside his house, just hoping they weren’t necessary. His housekeepers sat outside in his garden, at a loss for something to do.

No one knew what really happened. The fight, the screaming, the silence...Only one man knew, his closest friend Aubrey. Oh, it was easy to disguise the guilt and pain, the horrors of what he had done. To everyone else he was merely the grieving friend, shut up in his house.

It had been a row over a woman, as it often always is. Cecily, the most sought after girl in the town. Her with the autumnal curls and girlish giggles, her with the inviting lips and the teasing eyes. She spun them both a tale of romance and clouded their eyes with well rehearsed promises. She accepted all the tokens of their love with great enthusiasm, eager for more as supposed proof of their intentions. Imagine their shock to find the other speaking of their dear Cecily! Naturally they fought, too blinded to see the actual person to blame. Algernon stormed off into the drawing room, intent on playing the piano to calm his frayed nerves. That is when Aubrey, crazed and betrayed, had grabbed a marble bust, followed Algernon’s path and brought it crashing down on his frail skull. The music played for one brief instant as his head hit the key and then silence fell.

He’d hid the body in the belly of the cavernous piano, too ashamed to inform the police of his deed.  He watched it all day, just staring at the ebony polished surface and seeing his guilt stricken face reflected in it. The servants were too polite to enquire about their master’s state of mind so he faced his demons alone. Slowly, over the coming days, he fancied he’d gone insane. During the final hours between consciousness and slumber he would hear the sound of piano music though when he rushed downstairs with his walking stick, ready to surprise the intruder, there was no one there. The music still continued, haunting him, its sweet serenade like metal on stone.

Now three days had passed. He’d had no sleep, he’d had no food.  He’d shut himself in his room, hiding under his blankets, stuffing his handkerchiefs in his ears to drown out the sound. Aubrey avoided the drawing room at all costs, fearing that his friend may leap out to exact some terrible ghostly revenge. Still the music continued, a never-ending tragic sonata.

That afternoon the police visited, now aware Aubrey was the last person to see Algernon. He ushered them in and bade them sit, calling his servants to bring them tea. They sat there in silence for a moment, sizing the other up. Finally, the policeman began to ask his questions. Aubrey managed to answer them with perfect dignity and decorum, a model gentleman until...

“You would often convene in the drawing room, is that correct, sir?”

In that moment, as Aubrey faltered for his answer, the wicked chorus struck up again, taunting him with devilish mercilessness.

“Do you hear that?” Aubrey whispered, fearfully delirious.

“Hear what, sir?” The policeman asked, looking politely puzzled.

“The music, man! The damned music!” he yelled, eyes wide and unseeing. It danced around his ears and filled his head. The song Algy always played. It was being played!

The policeman sat there baffled, for he heard nothing but the rapid breaths of the man before him. He wondered if grief had sent him mad. He reached out to Aubrey but he leaped out of his chair, screeching like some harpy and dashed out of the room falling over himself as he did so.  He scrambled back up, flailing wildly, screaming all the while. The policeman followed quickly behind him in time to see Aubrey grab the fated marble bust and smash the keys to splintered ivory in a crazed rage.

“Detestable thing!” he yelled. “Despicable, evil spirit. Be gone!”

The policeman rushed and wrenched the remains of the statue off Aubrey. He was utterly panicked at the gentleman’s reaction.

“Now see here!” he began but Aubrey let out a terrible wail, pushing himself free of the man’s arms, scrambling to inflict more damage.

“It’s louder! It’s louder! It was just an accident. Gods, man! An accident!”

The music swirled and whispered wicked thoughts and in sheer despair, he flung the top off the grand piano, falling to his knees and weeping with anguish by the corpse of his beloved friend.