mar

A pair of eyes watch me from the dark hallway as I call out for them. It was no use, I never got a response. I set the book down and walked towards the piano at the back of the church. I played a few notes while I heard familiar shuffling behind me. He was always nearby, but he chose to only make himself known when the clock struck three. He knew that it would only be us in the small church at this hour.

I wasn’t sure what to do at first, but I realized he liked it when I played piano for him. It had grown to become a part of my routine when I stayed at the church late. The only issue being that I was new to playing the piano. I brought out old sheet music and tried, but I never did the piece its proper justice. This night in particular I was having trouble playing the piece all together. I felt embarrassed as I knew I had an audience. My frustration was growing and I couldn’t hide it anymore. 

“I’m sorry. I know you come to listen to me play, but I can’t learn with you around…” I felt like a fool waiting for a response; I was simply speaking to the cold air around me. “You make it hard for me to learn, you know. I grow nervous when you are around.” 

I played a few notes from a song I had grown slightly familiar with. drag me under. It was one of my favorites to play because it was slightly easier to learn than the rest that stayed on the shelf, untouched. 

I heard him move closer behind me, this was something he had never done before. 

“What are you doing?” I turned to look around, but before I could someone gripped my chin and kept me from looking back at him. 

“I… who are you?” I felt his body being pressed against my back now. His figure was large.

For the first time he spoke, his voice was low. “Don’t worry about who or what I am, just let me help you.”

A shiver went down my spine as his cold hands wrapped around mine. I looked at his hands, they were painted black and he wore several rings. One in particular caught my eye as it had the church’s symbol on it.

“What song do you want to play, my love? Show me the piece and I’ll show you how to play it.” While he spoke I felt his breath against my ear. 

“I want to learn BloodSport. I can’t seem to grasp the piece all together.” 

I go to reach for the sheet music, but he keeps my hand in place and uses his other hand to reach for it. 

“Let’s take a look at it” He goes silent for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle. “I remember writing this one… not one of my happiest times as you could probably tell, huh?” 

“You wrote it? Wait, did you write all of these pieces?” 

“Most of them. Very few pieces were written by other vessel’s, but I am the author and songwriter of most of the writing and songs you study.” 

“Other vessels? So you are a vessel then?” 

“Yes my love, but enough of that. That's not important right now, let me teach you.” 

“My love”  his words echoed in my mind. I had no idea who he was beside the being that came to me each night, but now I felt so drawn to him. I have always known him through his music. Everything about him seemed to allure me. I hadn’t felt a crave like this before. 

I had been so caught in thought that I hadn’t noticed he sat closely to me now. We shared what felt like the now small bench. I turned to look at him and he was beautiful. His white and red mask stood out against the black paint that laid on his body.

“Am I too much of a distraction for you now?” 

I snapped back to reality and realized I was staring. I felt myself glow pink in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, your just a sight to be seen” 

He smiled and chuckled at my reddened face. “I could say the same about you, my love.”

I stayed quiet, I felt myself wanting to know him, to study him. He has altered my brain.

He played a few notes, it had been the intro to bloodsport. My eyes followed his every move, I was starting to understand his movements as he explained each time he changed chords. Then came his singing. His voice was unreal. I felt like I was following a siren into the ocean, each lyric pulling me into his tides. I couldn’t focus on his movements for any longer, I stared at him in awe. He sang his lyrics raw and vulnerable. I heard his soft cries while he sang. I reached out to hold his arm, letting him know that I was still here, listening to him. The last note rang out when he shifted himself to look at me.

“You.. you were amazing.” I cup his face and wipe away his tears. Black paint smeared across my skin, but I didn’t care. I would continue to wipe away his tears if it meant I would get stained in the process. 

He reached for my hand and intertwined it with his own. “Thank you” he said in a soft whisper. He regained his composure before I could say more. “You entertain me, it was the least I could do in return for the countless sleepless nights we have shared.”