The grand piano was so beautiful, so elegant, so certain of its place to be here on this beach, the allure of the shore was long forgotten.

The ornate body stood mounted upon four thick legs, hourglass shaped, buried within a great mound of wrinkled sand. Wooden swirls embossed each side of the piano and the space above the keys. The entire object was exquisitely clean, as if immune to the minute grains of sand that clung to everything within their grasp.

I stood in awe. After a few moments, I started to regain my senses. I turned to see if anyone else could see the piano on the sand. The beach was empty. I looked again. A solitary figure now stood to my right. His silver hair glittered in the sunlight as he sauntered towards me.

“Want to play?”

His voice was light and lyrical.

I shook my head, not wanting to intrude or draw attention to myself. Plus, I didn’t have the confidence to play in front of an audience - not anymore.

The slender man with skin fairer than sand tilted his head and smiled.

“Come on now, don’t be shy. I can guide you if you stumble”

I drifted towards the piano, feet moving of their own accord. My wide eyes snapped up, resting on his. Gazing into those silver orbs, I suddenly remembered a poem I’d once heard about a spider and a fly…