A Misty Memory

Intermission: Scene 2

"But what about murder?" I had asked, more so as an afterthought.

The melody that Wednesday was playing sounded offbeat but in my gut I knew that's how the song was meant to be played.

"I suppose if she doesn't get caught then it's fine." Morticia breathed in slowly before gently letting it out. "I can assure you, Wednesday meant for that boy to live. She wanted to teach him a lesson, not kill him."

I give Morticia a confused look. "What boy?"

"Dalton. The boy from her old school before she attended Nevermore." Morticia explained.

"Oh." I never did ask how she got to the academy. I've only heard the rumors.

"If Wednesday wanted him dead, he would have been."

That fact alone caused a chill to race down my spine. Even though I already knew that about Wednesday, it was still horrifying to hear her mother confirm it.

"Do you play an instrument?"

The question brought me out of my thoughts as I blink them away before answering.

"Uhm.... That was one thing I failed to pick up while under Larissa's wings."

At the mention of her old friend, Morticia allowed her face to droop slightly. The Addams were expressive if they wanted to be, you just had to look hard enough and pay attention.

"Is there an instrument you would like to play?" Morticia asked, "it's never too late to start practicing."

I thought about it and honestly, the piano sounded like a good option. My eyes shift to meet hers and I tell her as such. To which she smiles.

"Come with me."

I get up off the chair, leaving the book behind, and following the woman out of the library. She took me down a hallway that led into another set of rooms that I barely remember because, damn, this mansion was big. Bigger than I'd ever imagined it would be.

The sounds of Wednesday's cello hung behind us, just a reminder that she was still practicing.  And before I knew it, Morticia had me in the billiard room. In the middle of the room was the red and black pool table. But off in the corner, where the windows reached the top and bottom of the wall, sat a perfectly black sleek piano that had the top propped up so you could see the strings on the inside.

"I thought about placing it in the conservatory room but Gomez enjoys it when I play for him while he practices his pool table skills."

I eye the table for a moment, remembering the one and only time I had ever played, before snapping back to the piano.

"Please, sit." Morticia had said so I do. She sits next to me, leaving a few inches of space, and then unveils the ivory and black keys.

"There are 88 keys on this piano." She reaches across from me and pokes the very left end key and it makes a high pitched note. She then reached down and pressed the last key on the right hand side. It gave out a deep groan like note. "Each key holds a different tune that if you put together,"

She stops speaking to play a quick piece I had never heard before. But it showcased her piano playing ability as her long dexterous fingers flew over the keys without fail.

"They become a melody."

I was in awe. She played so flawlessly that I was intrigued. I wanted to see more. I wanted to play like that.

For the next hour, Morticia showed me what each key was for. She said we could start out easy and play a simple song. So I chose 'Pop goes the Weasel.' She seemed to like that choice, and began to play it out.