he was a strange man, full of expressions contradicting what stirred within his chest and the words he spoke. you could practically see the frustration that embraced him, no matter how much he struggled in the grip and stretched his lips to copy what was supposed to be a smile. and yet he continued to come and listen to your music, hidden in the corner of the room that you pretended not to see. it was quite obvious he was frustrated with your answer to his question, as sudden as it was, leaving you wondering why his white hoodie would always find your line of vision. what more could he want when you've already given him all you could? even you, the pianist, had a hard time coming to terms with the hobby you let your fingers bleed on.
those very same fingers grasped gently onto a stack of papers, scanning through the contents and struggling to pick a song fit for the occasion of the night. you couldn't quite place what it was exactly, leaving you frustrated with furrowed brows and a deep frown. perhaps you'd have to refrain from indulging in your escape for the night and instead retreat to your room to sleep away the buzz. it began to disappoint you, for this night in particular the ringing in your ears would not leave you be.
a small tap was felt on your shoulder, bringing you from your frustration to meet a girl. she wore an expression of distraught, eyes rimmed red from hours of crying and skin adorned with cuts and bruises. she must have just come back from a game, but it appeared something tragic had happened among it all.
"uhm...could you...play a song...for my friend?" your mind was able to pick up on enough from her lips to know what she meant, and finally you could feel what she felt. it appeared this woman and her friend had been paired together for a game, and only one was able to survive in the end.
you smiled gently, nodding your head to agree to her request and turned to the piano. there you closed your eyes, feeling your heart break along with her own as you began tapping on the keys to the very same cracks. they outlined the damage, tracing the depths and allowing yourself to bleed with the cuts. perhaps if you tried hard enough, you could use the notes that clouded your vision to bandage what was broken.
you wouldn't know it at the time, but the crowd quieted down and was left silent and stunned while listening. normally chatter would fill the room while people danced and spoke as if it was a real party. and yet this time no one even breathed, for they too could feel the mourning that this girl felt through your melody. they began to recall their own losses, of people and the pieces of themselves they've left behind to make it this far.
the mood of the beach was that of despair, and it remained that way as people left to sleep for the night.