Purple and Green

I was wandering through the dark, the darkness so black that every nerve that didn't feel frayed, prayed that I hadn't gone blind. I turned in all possible directions, looking for the source of a spark, however faint, that may lead me out. I groped unknowingly with trembling hands, but all I could feel was the rough surface of a rugged wall. There was a heavy scent in the air, a suffocating one, saturating my nostrils until I could smell no more. The walls and floor were wet and sticky- it felt like I was plundering through quicksand. I cursed myself repeatedly for having fallen for such a predictable trick.

That woman had known what I had been searching so relentlessly for. She had seemed a trustworthy, charming lady at that time, with truly penetrating green eyes. When she had finally wormed it out of me, she had motioned her piercing fingernails towards the west, and had told me that no matter how unappealing the situation, I must jump. Her vague instructions made sense when I reached the western coast. A reluctance for water and swimming was something innate, a trait I couldn't help. Bad memories came flooding towards me as I stared warily at the churning, purple waves. But... that woman wouldn't lie to me. She could have probably sensed my desperation, my restlessness, my thirst to reach the unreachable. I could vividly recall the excruciating icy plunge, the unforgettable feeling of drowning and imminent death, and then landing face-first on a hard sticky surface,

I continued stumbling, trying to block out stubborn thoughts about the woman. I had no clue where I was, which planet I was in, or if this was a misapprehension. There had been something unnatural about those purple waters, a distinct eerie quality coupled to it. I was on the verge of launching into hysteric panic. but my mind- numb and unconscious- kept projecting ONE image into vision. My piano- my archaic, wooden , majestic piano.
Some part of me intuitively knew, that my escape was inevitably linked to music. But how? How could this damp, terrifying abode be linked to music? A key, a silver one, would have made more sense.Or perhaps a door.

Time had absolutely no meaning. The walls weren't parallel, so I didn't seem to be stranded in a corridor. I didn't seem to be in a relatively massive room either, since I only needed to trip over a few steps before coming in contact with another spiky wall.

Just as my mind was jumping to the sorry conclusion that this was simply an illusion that the woman had conjured, to put my unwavering determination to find it in perspective, I heard it. Piano pieces I had learnt and played before to break my silent vigil. But they weren't random. They all possessed a certain link that I effortlessly identified. As though in a trance, I followed the faint hammering of keys. My lack of need of vision seemed to have amplified my ability to hear. I lightly closed my eyes.

I could detect a bright purple light from beneath my eyelids. My escape route seemed to radiate it. Claustrophobia was closing in on me, so I began running, sprinting.
I cautiously opened my eyes, but I didn't dare look at the light. I could hear my feet pounding against the ground, and my hoarse breathing. The sudden burst of light placed my immediate surroundings into sharp focus. With a wave a nausea, I realized that the walls and floor were red... sticky....

I shut my eyes impulsively, and focused on the music instead. It was getting louder and clearer with every leap, until it felt so very close- I could have been playing it myself. I could recognize each note, each pitch without any hesitation. I reached out with quivering arms, and felt my piano. I valiantly opened my eyes once more, and caught a short glimpse of who was playing it. I gasped aloud.


Without any warning, my head broke the surface. I was oblivious to the frothy, billowing waves, but I now knew who had what I needed. I could see those crystal clear green eyes flashing before me.