Unbinding the Demon

The Violin

The dim yellow light of a chinoiserie table lamp illuminated the off white pages as I quietly read my poetry assignment. I was sitting comfortably all snuggled up with Belzar on a big floral victorian couch. The living room was rather large and matched the outdated look of the rest of the house. The same dingy maroon wallpaper that lined the foyer covered the walls, meeting with the intricately carved designs that stretched across the ceiling. Large marble pillars line the elegantly designed fireplace and wooden panes decorated the large windows that faced the lake outback.      

At least two hundred books were lining the shelves and piled up all around the room. They lined the walls and stretched all the way out to the old sumptuous looking black, midnight blue, and tan oriental rug. All of them were occult themed, making it obvious that the guy clearly had a peculiar obsession.

The only sounds in the room were from the whistling wind gently blowing the heavy black drapes that cloaked the windows, and the soft turning of pages. Ashton sat in a chair across the room from me, silently reading his own book. It was obvious that he had wanted to sit next to me, but Belzar beat him to it and took up most of the couch. He had scowled at the fluffy pupper, and if ever a dog could smirk, that was defiantly the look Belzar had given him in return.  

I shivered a bit from the breeze, and Ashton seemed to instantly notice. He got up and gently shut the open window. I gave him a small smile as he strolled back over to his chair.

"Are you enjoying your poetry?" He asked, breaking the silence with his deep baritone voice.

"Yeah I am, actually. I'm reading 'The Song of Hiawatha'  by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Have you ever read it?" 

"I have. It's beautifully written, but I wasn't a fan of the ending." He sat back down in his chair while gazing over at me with a smile. 

I noticed that hidden away in the corner behind him was an old violin, with beautiful vine-like carvings decorating the sides.

"That's a beautiful looking violin over there. Do you play?" I asked with my book in my hands while tilting my head curiously to the side.   

He turned around to glance at the poor neglected instrument. "I do every now and then to kill time." He turned back around to look at me. "What about you?"   

"I play a little, but I only know a few songs." I shyly admitted, while subconsciously hiding half of my face behind my book so that just my eyes were peering over at him.

"Would you like to try it out?" He grinned and lifted a brow at me.

"No thank you, I'd much rather hear you play." 

I hadn't played in a long time, and I certainly didn't want to embarrass myself by producing the cacophonous sound of a thousand rabid screech owls scratching around on a bunch of dry chalkboards in a savage discordant frenzy.  

"Alright, as you wish." 

He chuckled as he stood and picked up the violin. He spent a few minutes fidgeting with the pegs to make sure it was in tune, as I eagerly watched, waiting to hear him play.

"Have you ever heard 'The Devil's Trill' by Giuseppe Tartini?" His eyes remained on the small curved instrument in his hands, as he gently plucked at the strings to hear if the correct notes would be produced.

"Well yeah, of course I have, but there's no way you could possibly play that. It's way too complicated!" I teased.

"Oh really? Is that so?" He looked up at me with a raised brow and smirked. "I'll tell you what, let's make a deal then.. If I can play the entire sonata without faltering, you and I will play with the violin together... However, if I lose, you get to pick my punishment." His eyes twinkled in a devilish manner as he vigorously rosined up the bow.