Up in the Stars

Tempo

He was pure intimidation.

Thus, the song began low and dark, the notes striking and falling.

Deep in her veins, music had hummed as though to commemorate something momentous.

When she met Dr. Romano, it only grew.

Louder and more complex, the notes wove their way along her fingertips.

Like another song altogether, she shifted in a faster pace.

Her bow danced across the strings as pitch shifted higher, yet still holding onto a darker edge.

Strong hands clutching a book.

The smell of coffee and cologne.

Mischievous, yet firm.

The song swirled as though it were dancing.

Sitting up straighter, she grew even quicker in her pace.

The tempo rising and falling like it was alive and breathing.

Finally, there was Dr. Drewitt.

Golden and bronzed, an angel walking the earth.

The notes rose higher, toward the heavens.

He was music embodied, confusing and commanding.

Warmth swelled within her as the last piece had fallen into place.

Clenching the bow tightly, she delved into the final portion.

The three sections intertwined and blended as they came together.

Quick, dark, slow, light.

She bounced from one end to the other with ease.

Three near immortal beings coming together.

All that divided them, all that connected them.

Her confusion.

Her wonder.

Power, enrapture, warmth.

She wondered if this was what religion felt like.

Her song gripping her heart, lacing through her rib cage and filling her lungs.

Enid was nothing in that moment, only music and music and music.

With trembling hands, she eased the song to a close.

It was the most emotional she had ever felt while playing.

When she opened her eyes, she found that her audience had grown.

Three men stood before her, each so different.

Yet each the same as they sent her heart racing.

The inspiration for her song.

They stood, completely enraptured by the small girl.

Like a siren, her song was like a spell cast over them.

She watched as they seemed to be trying to catch their breath and wondered when they had arrived.

They wondered how such a small girl held such power.

She was completely unaware of the effect she had on them.

Dr. Drewitt climbed the steps and took the cello from her.

His eyes regarded her with something artists had been trying and failing to paint for centuries.

Utter and complete devotion.