Whatever You Say

Inside the Master’s Study

As the sky grew darker a lone figure could be seen
sitting silently amongst a large number of whispering books. Long had it been
since a single one had been read, and yet their master sat still, as if waiting
for someone to arrive. The figure rose from his seat and began to pace before a
large fire, bathing him in warm light.

“Where on earth could they possibly be?” He wondered aloud,
checking the clock and sighing to himself, exasperated.

He stepped away from the fire towards a window, running his
hands along an old piano as he passed. Oh, for the days the keys would sing
their notes as their ivory brilliance was stroked with skilled hands in a
sensual and familiar caress. Alas, they too had remained ever silent for too
long, cold and lonely with no skilled hands to help them sing their sad and
lonely tune. Perhaps, very soon, their notes would again ring through the vast
halls of the estate. For now, though, they must remain silent; they must wait,
as their master does, for the one that would restore their natural and
harmonious beauty.

How long could it take to travel here from the southern
shore? He huffed displeased with their lack of progress, and continued to
wait, praying that Dorei would, at last had found the one that would make him
whole once more…