Music

Music and magic are only two letters away from being the same, and anyway, both of them refuse to conform to conventional rules and logic. And because of its close relation to magic, music has a life of its own. Music wants to be heard, songs want to be sung, and instruments want to be played.

And when an instrument is not played, but left instead to gather dust by the bedstead or inside a closet, it becomes angry.

The guitar was very angry.

He'd been treated well enough at first. He thought he'd found a home, he thought he'd found love, and now he realised it had been nothing but a passing crush to her. He felt used, exploited. And as the dust gathered on his strings, he felt dirty.

When she'd first taken him to her house, he'd felt special. She'd put her her arm around him, and caressed his strings with her fingers, and as her hand ran up and down, they'd made music together. And then while he was busy planning a future with her, she actually forgot all about him.

Where they'd once been inseperable, now she never spent time with him. At first he didn't think about it. He was in denial about it, and as his strings went out of tune with no one to tighten them, he made excuses for her neglecting him.

She'd come home late and go straight to bed without even looking at him, and as the strings lay cold in the night, the guitar would think to itself, "It's the work. They put such a lot of pressure on her. She works too hard."

And then, to add insult to injury, she would listen to music on her computer! As he sat, alone and unloved, the space around him would be filled with the sounds of music!

And then, the final string! After months of neglect, she picked him up again. Confclicting emotions filled his hollow heart. Happiness fought with jealousy and rage, and after a moment of pure joy as she ran a finger over his strings, he was filled with self loathing and hatred, when she said, "Damn. Stupid thing sounds terrible."

Crushed, his heart broke, and so did all his strings. And as he was fading away, the last sight he saw was her face, buried in her hands, and blood everywhere.