Under the Starry Sky

There once was a girl who loved the sound of the piano. She lived in a house far removed from others with her loving father. Her name was Lowa, and she so desperately wanted to make music with her fingers. While sitting in front of the open fire, she turned to her father and asked for a simple request.

“Dad, may I have a piano for my next birthday?”

Her father looked at her and thought about this. Lowa fidgeted in her sitting position, she was anxious for a yes.

“Tell you what,” He says with a loving and warm smile,

“When the skies light up in the dark and the air becomes warm, then I will get you a piano.”

Lowa smiled ear to ear. When the air grew warm and the skies lit up in the dark...it did not take much for her to figure out when her piano would arrive. As she turned back and looked into the fire, watching the flames dance with grace and crackle with each sway, she started to imagine how she would play on the piano. What tunes would she choose to play? She turned back to her father.

“Dad, who will teach me to play?”

“Yes, I can teach you.” He said.

“There is a specific piece I know you will love to hear and adore playing.”

“Can we start now?”

“Sure we can.”

Lowa jumps up with glee and bounds to the piano in the dining room. This piano was old, nearly falling apart, but Lowa did not care. It smelled of oak and pine, the feeling of the seat reminded her of how her mother used to sit in the very same spot and play on it every morning. Lowa feels the seat and then the cover on the keys. Her father sits next to her and opens the latch, revealing faded-colored black keys and spots of brown on the white keys. One look at this piano, and one could see it was a feather’s touch away from collapsing. However, when her father played, all the concerns fell away, and the sound filled the house with gorgeous, relaxing music.

“This is called Clair de Lune.” He says.

“Your mother played this piece every morning before the sun would rise. She would play it when the sun would set. She said it was to be your lullaby and your wake-up call to the day.”