Part 1 Freeing the past.
Arianna Moonstone
Chapter 1
I let my fingers fall gently onto the piano my mother used to play. I slid them along the keys creating a jumble of notes turning around in my mind. I began to play the song my mother used to play for me whenever I was sad. The tune tumbled in my head as my fingers took over and automatically knew what keys to hit. My mom’s voice filled my imagination as if she was living, breathing and singing to me the way she used to. She taught me how to play the piano and I was as natural at it as she was, the way that the notes somehow appeared in our minds dancing, and tumbling perfectly, making the most beautiful music. I could not help think of that night…
I was playing piano with my mom, our fingers dancing along the keys, creating a fun melody. We smiled at each other because we knew what was in each other’s minds. My mom and I were best friends. Her and Max were the only two that I really cared about. I was not close with any one else but those two.
Max clapped from behind us, “good show Airie!” I stood up and took a bow. “Thank you, thank you very much,” I said enthusiastically. My full name is Arianna, but when I first met Max in kindergarten I could not pronounce my name and all I could say was “My name is Airie… I’m Airie-anna.” I stood there trying to say my full name for two minutes. He was fed up and decided to call me Airie, and it stuck to me.
“I have to go to work now Hun, you and Max have fun.” She said then rose to leave. I had an awful feeling that something was going to happen. I ran up to her and hugged her tightly,
“Be careful mum.” She hugged me back and said,
“Don’t worry I’ll be fine. Love you.” I did not know where the bad feeling came from but it felt awful, it was all that I could do was to say, “Goodbye, love you too.” Then she left out the door. I waited silently and listened to her car’s muffled engine disappear.
“Come on, let’s watch a movie,” Max suggested. I walked back into the living room and sat on the couch with Max. I was bored so I got some string and began to wrap it around his fingers.
Soon enough the bad feeling was lost to Max’s laughing as I desperately tried to untangle his hands. We were both thirteen and were unable to untie the simplest of knots. I began to laugh. After I had finally untangled the mess of string, we watched a movie but soon enough, I drifted onto Max and fell asleep.
The sudden ringing of the phone woke me up. The sky was unusually grey it looked like a storm was coming. My Dad picked it up. I looked to the clock to see what time it was, it was seven ‘o’ clock. Why would someone call so early? I wondered. My father dropped the phone and tears came to his eyes.
“Dad, what’s the matter?” I asked worriedly.
“Dad,” I said again hopelessly trying to get an answer.
“Your- your mother…” He stammered. The bad feeling came back.
“What about mum!?” I yelled tears coming to my eyes.
“She’s been murdered…” Shock filled me. I did not believe it. I would not believe it. Max’s face was so shocked and tears rolled down his face. I ran straight into Max’s arms and began to cry. I soaked his shirt with tears. He and I sat on the couch. He rubbed my shoulders comforting me as I cried leaning on him. He never saw me cry before until that day.
