The Curse Оf Hollister House

If anyone had told me even a week earlier that I would be looking forward to giving a piano lesson, I would have said they were nuts. After my accident, I hadn’t thought I’d ever find joy in music again, but Paisley’s enthusiasm was infectious, and I found myself humming the melody of the simple song I planned to teach her today. In many ways, teaching Paisley to experience the magic of the piano helped me to remember what it had been like for me to experience the wonder of music for the first time. When had I let attention to the mechanics replace the joy I’d once experienced as my fingers flowed over the ivory keys? I suppose the enchantment I’d found as a child had drifted away at about the same time I’d decided to take my passion to the next level, to carve out a career from what had once been a hobby.

“Callie, are you here?” I heard Paisley call from downstairs.

I glanced at the clock. She was early. She must have let herself in. “I’m up in the attic,” I called back.

I heard the pounding of footsteps on the stairs as she made her way up.

“You’re early.”

Paisley bent down to greet Alastair, who’d trotted over to say hello. “I asked Anna’s mom to drop me off here rather than going home first and walking over. I hope that’s okay.”

“That’s fine as long as your grandmother knows what you are doing.”

“She knows.” Paisley walked farther into the room. “I called her from Anna’s mom’s phone. She wondered if you could give me a ride home. She doesn’t want me out walking around by myself after what happened to that girl from the high school.”

“I’ll be happy to drive you home, and I agree with your grandmother. No walking outside without an adult until whoever is killing girls is caught. Agreed?”

Paisley nodded. “Agreed.” She crossed the room and sat down on the piano bench. “I’ve studied the books you gave me if you want to quiz me.”

“That’s great. Why don’t you tell me what you learned?”

She opened to a piece of sheet music and went down the row, calling out the notes.

“That’s very good,” I said. “You are a fast learner.”

“I would be even faster if I had a piano to practice on at home.”

“Perhaps a keyboard.”

“A keyboard?” Paisley asked.

“It’s like a piano, only it is just the keys. It won’t give you the same quality of tone as a piano, but it is great for practicing. Of course, you’d need to wear headphones, so you won’t disturb your mother and grandmother.”

Paisley’s eyes grew big. “That sounds awesome. Do you have one?”

“No,” I admitted. “But there is a shop in town where we can probably get one. Let’s call your grandmother to make sure it is okay for you to have it. If it is, we’ll go buy one for you to take home and maybe just have a shorter lesson today.”

“Okay. I’ll call her.” Paisley grinned.

As it turned out, Paisley’s grandmother was more than okay with her granddaughter having a keyboard as long as it came with headphones so she would not disturb her mother’s rest. Shopping with the enthusiastic ten-year-old was the most fun I’d had in a very long time. We not only purchased a keyboard and headphones but a selection of sheet music for beginners too. By the time we had tried out all the different options and made our selection, it was getting late, and Paisley admitted to having homework, so I took her home and arranged to give her a lesson the following day.