Chapter 5 - The Forbidden Melody
The east parlor was bathed in heavenly, late-afternoon sunlight. The grand piano sat like a sleeping beast. Lily approached it with the reverence of a pilgrim. She climbed onto the backless leather bench, her sneakers dangling far above the floor.
She didn't bang on the keys. Rosa had taught her better. Lily reached out with one tiny, clean finger and pressed a single, pristine white key. A beautiful, haunting note floated through the cavernous room. Then another. She smiled, her gray-green eyes lighting up as she discovered the doorway to heaven.
Upstairs, Rosa froze. The sound of the piano was faint, but to her ears, it was a siren blaring. She dropped a stack of Egyptian cotton towels and began to sprint down the sweeping staircase, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. Please, she prayed. Let me get to her first.
