A Cruel Melody

• Esha Faisal
• Short Story
• 2022

The girl’s silent footsteps padded along the darkened hallway. The only source of light illuminated from the torch, which was clenched in her stark, tight fist. Down, down the endless corridors, past closed rooms that held mysteries. Mysteries that would’ve been unravelled had the girl not had another purpose for tonight.

Her milky nightgown trailed behind her, marking her presence upon the silken carpet. Her unbound hair fell over her shoulders, framing a face of pure innocence. So sweet, so vulnerable. A beauty clad in white.

The girl kept walking, her feet going on their own accord. She tread almost absentmindedly; a slave to the invisible chain that tugged her through the house. She vaguely wondered where she was going, but the thought did not linger for long.

Just as the thought floated away, the chain went slack as the girl’s feet came to a halt. Her azure eyes darted around as she took in her surroundings. A tall, rickety door stood before her, it’s doorknob gleaming in the dim light. So strange. She had never seen this door before yet the familiarity seeped through it’s texture.

An eerie aura surrounded it as it beckoned the girl to come closer. She took a timid step forward, despite her thundering heart roaring at her to flee. The sweet girl leaned closer and that’s when she heard it.

A soft melody drifting through the door. An angelic sound, the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. It filled her body and lulled her into a blissful trance. It was the sound of a harp, though how she knew that was a puzzle. The girl longed to hear more and that urge pulled her closer to the door. Closer and closer she went, not stopping to think even for a second.

Because maybe if she had, she might’ve realised the two vital things she’d failed to notice:
She did not own a harp
She was the only one in the house

Through the door she went, turning the knob as it opened with a soft click. Her soundles feet glided across the ground as she ached to hear the heavenly sound. In her haste, she did not heed the sound of the door shutting behind her. Or the shadow that swept after her.

Alas, it was merely a matter of moments before the first scream echoed.

The house trembled as it listened to the girl’s screams. Scream after scream after scream. The walls shuddered and winced but they could not help that girl. No, nothing could. Her shrieks lasted throughout the night, making the windows quiver with fright. The doors shook from their cores as the ghastly sounds tore them from within. As they listened to that sweet, sweet girl.

At dawn, the harrowing sounds did end but what followed was worse. A single melody ringing clear through the house. The elegant music danced through the hallways, enveloping the house in its deceptive allure. The irresistible sound of that cruel harp.