Part 1 

Fur Elise, the most played classical piece of all time. 

It's also annoying. 

Since my mother was also a musician, I got home piano tutoring and one of the pieces I was directed to play and practice was Fur Elise, and of course, many others.

Ah... I remember how I would get beaten if I missed a note. 

A love letter in a song written by Ludwig Van Beethoven for Elise. 

It's beautiful at first, a soothing touch written with deep love and passion toward Elise, a woman whom Beethoven fell in love with. But once he heard that Elise went off to another man. He looked at his unfinished piece that was originally a love letter For Elise, and he loses it. As a result, the next sections are harsh, grating and angry. Its fuel is deep gentle frustration, serving as an only outlet for-

"You're playing Fur Elise? Can you really call yourself a Professional Pianist? Your students would laugh at you." 

I ignored the sound of a piano as I continued playing on my keyboard while thinking about the history, emotions and thoughts of the piece and its composer. It's a small habit.

And yes, I was playing on the keyboard, right beside Charlotte. 

I let my fingers caress the keys, sliding up and down, moving my wrists and rocking to the flow of the music. 

"..." 

I've played this about ten thousand times, so I let my mind wander off instead of focusing on the technicalness of the piece. 

Why am I playing such a simple, overrated and overplayed piece? 

Well, I'm playing this because I haven't played it in a while. 

And even if it is an overrated and overplayed piece, it's still a musical piece, written with intense emotion with the composer's thoughts in mind, and I have to respect that. 

Being overplayed doesn't make it much less valuable than other pieces. 

"Watching you play on another instrument other than me gets on my nerves." 

She said that as I played the last note to the piece. 

Is this some sort of weird form of jealously?

"Do you want me to play on you?" 

On the piano bench, I turned my entire body, facing the seemingly upset Charlotte 

"Yes please!" 

She enthusiastically nodded, and a piano appeared right in front of me. 

"Huh?" 

There's both the piano and her? 

Charlotte still sat at the same place beside me, but my familiar piano is back to its usual spot. 

I guess it's something she's able to do. 

"Go on, play me." 

"What do you think I should play?" 

Charlotte's gaze fell to the ground, she put her hand on her chin, thinking of a piece. 

"Hm... How about, Schubert's Fantasy in F minor D. 940." 

"Oh? The piece where it's played by two people? The notorious four-handed piano piece? ...Who's the second person?" 

"Me, obviously." 

Charlotte sat beside me, rubbing the side of her body onto mine. 

She felt warm, like a normal human being. 

She rubbed her head against my shoulder. 

"What do you think?" 

"S-Sure." 

I felt a tiny bit flustered, but I stood up to my shelf and pulled out the musical score for Schubert - Fantasy in F minor D. 940. 

I remember practising a version created for only one person, but since it's been decided that we're both playing, I went to the page where the original version of the piece was written down, the one where two pianists sit beside each other and play. 

After preparing everything, we sat down and nodded to each other. 

And began playing. 

As we played, Charlotte opened her mouth and commented:

"You know, it feels weird to play on myself." 

"Is it?" 

"It feels so much better when you're playing on me." 

As we played, she turned her head over and gave me a warm smile. 

Not only was her smile warm, but it was also bright and sparkly. 

It made my heart feel weird. 

I smiled before turning back to sight-reading from the score. 

The introduction was calm and tranquil, like a walk in the park. As I played with her, I turned over to look at her hands. 

She was playing elegantly and skillfully, keeping with the tempo of the piece like a human metronome. Her posture was great and the melody she created harmonized with my harmony. Her skills as a Pianist would be on par with a professional. 

She looked so cute when playing. 

"Focus on the music." 

"Mm." 

She seemed to have picked up on my staring and gently told me to focus on my part. 

For the next 20 minutes, we played all three movements of Schubert - Fantasy in F minor D. 940. 

After we finished playing: 

"Haah."

"Haah." 

We both sighed tiredly. 

Looking out of the window, it was dark out. 

"You played magnificently," 

I said to Charlotte. 

"Thanks." 

I closed the top of the piano and laid my forehead onto it, sighing deeply. 

I'm tired. 

It's been an entire day. 

"Whaaaaaaaasguuuuh?!" 

Before I could process anything, my head hit the ground and my body was flat on the floor. 

The piano disappeared. 

"Oi! What'd you do that for?!" 

Quickly standing up, I realised that Charlotte made the piano vanish. 

"Pffft-" 

With a satisfied giggle, she looked away and ran into the toilet. 

I'm going to sleep. 

Looking at the clock, it was about 8 pm, and I have students and practice to attend to tomorrow, along with other things. 

After playing that piece for almost 20 minutes straight with the only rest being the ones between notes, I slowly made my way to my room and jumped into my bed. 

"Oh, wait, where's Charlotte going to sleep?"

I completely forgot about her.  

Wait but, she's a piano, one that's been sitting for 15 years on the floor. 

Would she even be able to sleep? 

As I was thinking about this, I heard the door creak open. 

Charlotte walked in and stood beside the door, puffing her chest out and standing attentively she took a deep breath: 

"Father, may I sleep beside you? I had some significantly horrible and distasteful fear-inducing nightmares-" 

She started talking weirdly, why did you call me father?

Wait. 

Wait just a moment. 

Wait. 

That's exactly how I talked during that one phase of my life-

"Stop talking like that you idiot piano! Stop it! Aaaah! Don't bring back my black history as a hard-headed logical selfish idiot!! Uwaaaaah!-!-!" 

...

Part 2 

"Arthur, I can't stay in these clothes forever. Wearing a blouse top and skirt to sleep doesn't feel right, do you have any other clothes for me to sleep in?" 

"Y-Yeah." 

Still recovering from my cringe, I tremblingly went to the wardrobe and picked out my T-shirt and boxers, handing them over to Charlotte. 

While doing so, I also picked out my sleeping clothes. 

"Then, I'll change outside." 

I said as I walked out and closed the door. 

After quickly putting it back on, I waited for a few minutes before coming back in. 

"..." 

Charlotte laid silently on my single-sized bed, her eyes closed with a nice sleeping face. The T-shirt and boxers she wore were obviously oversized but looked nice. 

I can't believe such a beauty is living with me. 

Well, I can't believe 'that' is a piano. 

A twenty-year-old piano... A twenty-year-old person-piano. 

Same age as me, huh? 

As I prepared my place to sleep on the floor, I felt a tug from behind. 

"Come up." 

Charlotte, with a mischievous look on her face, leaned over from the bedside, looking down at me. 

"Are you sure?" 

"I'm sure, we've been together for fifteen years. And you played on me every single day for hours at a time, shouldn't there be some sort of bond between us?" 

She had a wholesome smile on her face. 

Yes, that's right. 

She's my piano, my precious piano that I played and practised on every day. 

I can't forget its touch, even if I stopped playing for thirty years, I would still recognise its smell and feel. 

Completely different from other pianos. 

My upright acoustic piano, WH Paling Victor, Charlotte. 

When I was encouraged to buy a new one, I adamantly refused, when I wanted to move out I paid for its transfer into my apartment instead of buying a more portal professional keyboard. 

I've cried in front of this piano, I've used it to express my emotions and I've made a living out of it. I've done all sorts of things in front of it throughout my entire life. 

I guess it's special to me. 

It feels like another body part of mine. 

"Yes, there is." 

I stood up and laid beside Charlotte, sleeping with my back on the bed and stomach facing upwards. 

The room was dark, but the full moon shining in from the window gave it some dark bright blue visibility. We laid there for a few moments, shuffling in the sheets occasionally. It was so silent, only our breaths were heard. 

I was close enough to Charlotte that I could smell her hair. 

As I took a sniff, I realized how much it smelt like... Her, the piano itself. 

The nostalgic wooden piano. 

There was no difference, and this would confirm it. 

She is the piano. 

From underneath the sheets, Charlotte grabbed my arm.

She pulled up my sleeve and rubbed her hands against my forearm. 

"...These scars and cuts they're the reason why you wear long sleeves everywhere, right?" 

"..."

I didn't say anything, I didn't want to say anything. 

We eventually went to sleep.