The Enchanted Violin

Creak! Creak! Creak! With every step Lia took, the creaking would get louder and louder until finally, she stopped at the bottom of the old wooden stairs and opened the door to the small storage room. She turned on the light and waited patiently until it stopped flickering. Grunting, she lifted up the last cardboard box out of the cramped area. She tilted her head and caused lines to form between her eyebrows. She lay the box down gently trying not to break the contents inside. She wiped the droplets of perspiration from her face and leant down to pick up the black case, cutting the cobwebs that once inhabited it. She retreated from the storage room and raced up the stairs, her steps echoing throughout the house. She could not contain her excitement as she rushed upstairs to open the black case. As she blew away the rest of the dust and cobwebs, millions of dust clouds formed in the air.

Zippp! A Messiah Stradivarius violin stared back at her. Her heart was beating out of her chest as she huffed and struggled to catch her breath. 

“Ahhh I can’t believe it's a Messiah Stradivarius violin.”

Her mum, Georgia raced in.

“What’s wrong? Where did you get that violin from? Who’s is it? Bloody hell, a Messiah Stradivarius, that would have cost millions,” Georgia questioned with fear in her voice. 

“I found it downstairs. I originally thought someone bought it for me, since my last violin broke, but then realised how dusty it was…”

“It must have been from a previous owner.”

“Can I keep it, mum? Can I… Can I… please!”

“Fine, for now. But if the original owners come back for it, you have to give it back.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you so much. You are the best!” Lia cried.

Lia's heart was beating faster now, to the point where it was going to pop out of her chest. She bolted to the music room, feeling the wind from the large glass windows whip her face.  It seemed like an eternity since her last violin had broken. She felt the excitement rising of having the opportunity to play the violin again and for it to be a Messiah Stradivarius was beyond belief. From that day on Lia would practise for hours on end without realising the consequences. 

After many days of practice, she had improved significantly so she decided to busk in the mall. She arrived at the mall and began by tuning her lowest string down to a D₃ and began by playing a piece that she composed. More and more people began to crowd around her, mesmerizingly listening to her violin sing. A few bars into the piece, she realised that something strange happened. The crowd changed.  A glazed look grew upon their faces as they slowly moved closer and closer towards Lia, like a snake charmer to his snake in the mid-summer sun. The more she played the more entranced they became. 

A woman walking past suddenly stopped, turned with her chin tilted down, nostril faired, and her eyes stared into Lia’s soul, moving swiftly towards her. Lia quickly moved her violin away into resting position to protect it. She covered her face with her other arm, but it was too late.  The stranger’s hands were grasping around Lia’s neck as she gasped for air. Lia’s hand accidentally scraped along the D₃ string as she struggled to break free. The stranger stopped and stare with her hands loosely around Lia’s neck embarrassed by her actions. The strangers frowned, confused by what just happened. “I am sorry. I um… I don’t know what came over me.” Her voice trembled and drifted away as raced away humiliated. 

The stranger’s fingernails that once clawed into Lia's skin soon became phantom pain that burnt through her skin, a constant memory of the attack.  The rest of the crowd stared with eyebrows raised and scrunched noses. Lia’s eyes became blurred with tears and her lip began to quiver.

“Mum, can we please go home?” I don’t feel safe anymore,” Lia wept. 

“Sure, honey maybe you’ve had enough for today. Are you all right?” Georgia asked concerningly.

“I don’t know what happened,” Lia said. She was probably just crazy,” Georgia replied as she comforted Lia, but she knew deep down in her heart that there was more to it than that.

For days on end, Lia lay on her bed with her eyes glued to the ceiling fan thinking about that day. She felt the pain all over again as tears dripped down the side of her face and onto her white linen sheet. Georgia brought every meal to her bedroom but just like her eyes to the ceiling, the food stated glued to the plate.

Georgia’s concern grew and grew. “I don’t know what we can do”, Georgia said to Dean, Lia’s dad. “We tried everything: talking to her, cooking her favourite foods. Nothing is working. Not even suggesting she play the violin.”

Lia could hear her parents talking about her with grave concern. With her head dropping down, her arms as thin as bones and her legs trembling underneath her, she finally stumbled out of her room. In a weak quiet voice, she finally gained the courage to speak.” 

“I… I am so sorry. I… have just been thinking a lot about the day that I was busking. There was something very strange about the violin and I can’t figure it out. Something wasn’t right it was like everyone listening to my music was all hypnotised, but by what?”   

“Yes, it was very strange," said Georgia. "Well, I know it may be difficult but why don’t you recreate the day. We have some family and friends coming over tomorrow. You can play the violin for them if you want. Just try.”

The next day…

“Hey, I was wondering if you would like to listen to the song I have composed.”

Over twenty of her closes friends and family made their way into the music room. Lia's closest and dearest friend, Jessica sat in the front row seat. They had been friends for over ten years and had bonded like sisters. Jessica loved to hear Lia play her violin. She thought Lia was extremely talented.

A few bars in the song, Jessica became entranced and suddenly rushed forward gripping Lia’s skinny neck. The memories of the original attack came flooding back to Lia. The two girls struggled and Lia's fingers scraped against the lowest D3 string. As quickly as Jessica had become entrance, the second D3 note released Jessica bringing her back to reality. Jessica's hands immediately loosened.

“I am so sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” Jessica cried.

“It’s okay,” Lia comforted her friend.

She immediately realised what had happened. When she tuned her violin down to D3, it caused everyone to fall into a trance-like state not remembering anything they have done. The same note again would release them from the trance.

 “This violin is strange mum. Maybe it’s not meant for me,” Lia confessed. “I agree, love. It's obviously very old and has a lot of history. I’ll ring the realtor tomorrow and return it to the rightful owner,” Georgia said.  "Then I promise I will buy you your very own new violin." "Oh mum, you are the best mum ever," Lia said. With a smile on Georgia's face, she replied, "I know!"