"....."
I sat frozen, unable to move a single muscle as the hand clamped against my shoulder and a head slowly inched from the right side of me, exposing a grotesque-looking face. The stitching around its mouth pulled tight as its lips pulled into a grin, and a suffocating feeling suddenly enveloped me.
"It would be such a disappointment if, by the time our bet comes to fruition, you show me nothing worth my time."
The conductor's low, grating voice whispered into my ear, threading into my thoughts and making my body shudder.
But regardless of how I felt, I couldn't show my fear.
I could only keep my face straight while pulling my hands away from the piano.
"...I'm working on it."
"You are...?"
The conductor's head tilted further, the head turning more than normally possible.
"I've been watching you. I... have not seen you play the piano once."
I swallowed silently, my heart pounding so loudly it drowned out the storm outside.
BANG!
