It's Magic - Original Fiction

Following the sound of the music, I walked down the long hallway. Everything looked as if it belonged in a museum. There were old paintings and marble sculptures that must have dated back at least two hundred years. The hallway led to a large door, with trails of ivy carved into it. Walking up to the door, I ran my finger along one of the leaves slowly. It was made of stone, and it was very cold, as if it opened to a cellar or basement. The music picked up again, pulling me towards it. I put an ear to the door, but the music seemed even more muffled than before. 
            The door looked like it hadn’t moved in years. Stealing a quick glance around me, I tried pushing slightly, but the door didn’t budge. Turning around, I looked for another way around the door.
            “Is there someone out there?” A muffled voice drifted past the door, bringing me back to my senses.
            "It’s Emily!” I called, hearing the exasperation in my voice. 
            “Of course it is,” I knew the voice instantly, being very familiar with the pompous, sarcastic grin that must have been covering his face.
            “Would you like to come in?” He spoke so clearly, he could have been singing. 
            “If you wouldn’t mind!” I sighed, crossing my arms. Was he really going to play this game, now? “The door is a little heavy for me, it seems!”
            “Try again, Emily.” I could practically hear his ego singing. Should I really try, or just tell him to open it? Sighing to myself again, I pushed on the door lightly with one hand, and it swung open, easily. 
            A beautiful hall instantly opened up before me, lit brightly by at least a hundred different sparkling chandeliers. I walked into the room with my mouth hanging open numbly. The hall must have been the size of two football fields. I had walked the entire length of this house at least ten different times, being confined here for so long, and I had never seen a hall like this. I had never seen a room like this, even from the outside! The walls were covered in tall draped glass windows, looking out into the garden at the back of the house.
            “How…?” I started to say, but I couldn’t find the words. There were tables lining each of the walls with crystal wine glasses, and gold plates and silverware. The silverware looked as if it hadn’t been used in centuries, sparkling with a dull, dusty shine. 
            “I’m afraid you caught me practicing.” He was standing in front of what looked like the most exquisite piano I had ever seen. He followed my eyes and smiled that smug smile of his. “It belonged to a friend of my great-grandfather, a long time ago.” 
            “How long ago?” 
            “We don’t really know for sure, but my guess would be, three hundred and fifty years, give or take of course.” He walked over to the piano, stroking the keys fondly. “Do you play?” He asked, looking across the hall, peering into my soul with those intense eyes of his. 
            “No, but I’ve always wanted to…” I felt my voice drift off as I thought of my brother. As my emotions began to take hold of me, Samuel began to play again. 

He looked so at home, sitting in front of the piano. His face looked peaceful, relaxed even. Before now, I had never seen him without at least a smirk or a scowl on his face. 
            Before I knew it, I had wandered over to the piano, watching Samuel intently. His fingers moved across the keys as if they were made of water, and he was shaping them to his liking. My eyes moved from his hands to his face, and I saw that he was watching me just as curiously as I was watching him. 
            “How long have you been playing?” The song he was playing reminded me of birds singing and playing in water. The imagery that his music brought to mind was so vivid I could swear I was in a park, watching and listening to the birds. 

“A very, very long time,” He began to say, as his song changed to a slower, more complex, bittersweet melody. I sat down next to him, closing my eyes and letting my mind absorb his music. It was beyond beautiful; words could not describe the emotion that Samuel placed in the music, emotions that I could feel just by listening to him play.

When the music stopped, I opened my eyes and looked at him. His eyes were a pale green, with slivers of brown in them today - every day they seemed to change color. Slowly, as if he was unsure what he was doing, he smiled. A light broke out over his face, as if the sun had snapped back on in the sky after a long, harsh absence. I had never seen him truly smile before, and seeing him smile, I couldn't help but return it. 

“Would you like to dance?” He asked, standing up suddenly, and holding out his hand.

“Dance?" I asked, panicking, "but there won’t be any music…” I said, looking for any excuse to avoid it. Not to mention, I was an absolutely horrible dancer, even if there was a beat to dance to.

“Oh, music.” He said distractedly, holding his chin like a philosopher in a bad movie. As he sat down, he closed his eyes and began to play. Instantly, I was barraged by a multitude of sounds coming at me from all over the room. Samuel was playing the piano, but it sounded like there was an entire orchestra performing in the hall. I turned on the spot, looking for the orchestra that he had conjured out of thin air, and when I turned back to look at him, he was standing in front of me, smiling like a new man, the music playing on.

“Dance with me,” He said, holding out his hand again. 

I took his hand, and instantly we began to swirl across the ballroom. My head was spinning, trying to keep track of where my feet were in conjunction to the ground. Looking up at him as we danced, he looked younger than I had ever seen him. I had always thought of him as an old man, but he didn't look a day past twenty-five. He was smiling, pulling me this way and that as we glided across the ballroom to the music. I didn't put any effort into the dancing, simply letting him guide my feet for me.

“How are you doing this?” I asked, looking up into his face, waiting for the moment when I would wake up. 

Slowly, we came to a stop as the music faded away into the background. He smiled again, still holding onto me, and said, simply, “It’s magic.”