Etude for the Deceased

The young girl rose up from the muddy grounds she had fallen to and fixed her white dress.
"I' ve never owned a white dress..." she thought and her gaze wandered around the strange place. Mist covered everything apart from a lone manor about fifty paces ahead. She headed there with her heart beating fast. Upon reaching the green yard she noticed that the mist did not come to that place. In front of her, just a few steps ahead lay a huge black marble door bearing golden round doorknobs. The young girl fixed her dress one more time and passed her thin hand through her sleek blond hair in an attempt to take care of her visage while walking towards the black door. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
Darkness lay ahead scattered all over the place but in the middle something like a faint light formed a corridor about three feet in width. She started walking the corridor feeling uncertain and confused but not scared. Her heart was still racing though. After what seemed like a quarter of an hour, she reached a round wall encircling what seemed to be a parlour well guarded by another black marble door. The girl reached for the golden handle and pushed the door inside. It opened as if gliding in the air and she stood there, unmoving, facing the ajar door and the back of a weird figure sitting alone on what seemed to be the only trace of furniture around. A black piano.
"You might as well come in, dear..." sounded a deep low voice and her heart returned to its normal beats. She felt even more confused. That soothing voice belonged to someone long gone from her life, in a terrible accident. She could still hear the screaming in her dreams.
"Is this really you...?" she managed to whisper while taking small, childish steps towards the figure. The light was low but still, she could see the dark figure with the round belly, straighting the tie that came with the black tux he was wearing.
"Oh, my, have you really forgotten me...? It's only been a few hundred years..."
"What are you talking about? I am only sixteen... Grandpa, is that really you...?" she asked with a tremble in her voice.
"Oh, yes, you are right, I believe myself to be utterly stupid. I suppose you remember my death located somewhere around the earth year 2004?"
"What are you talking about... What is this place? Who are you? Why do you look like my grandpa?" Her voice began to fill with rage and anger.
"Easy Ponytail, it's me, I promise..."
"Ponytail..."
"Mind if I ask you a question...?"
"Not at all" she said absentmindedly.
"Can I have a big hug like those you gave me back then?" he said and a big smile formed to his quite young face. He stretched his arms widely and looked deep in the girl's eyes. She smiled happily and ran towards him afraid that she might lose him again, once and for all this time. She did not care if this was a dream, or if she was on drugs although she detested them. All she cared about was that she could see him again. After a long minute the broad man sat down in front of the piano.
"I... I meant to ask you... Are you in Heaven?"
"Oh, little girl, I am afraid I cannot tell you this...As much as I love you, some things must be kept secrets...!" he said while moving a finger across her face in a gesture of denial. He smiled widely. "You' ve grown all right young lady. And this lovely dress of yours!"

"It is not mine!"
"You mean you stole it?" her grandfather frowned.
"No, no, I swear! I would never do something like that... I will not become like my parents."
"Sweetheart, your parents are gone now...You are safe now..."
"I hate them. Their love for substances and smoke and all this woes of the modern era, was so much greater than their love for me." Her fists clenched tightly. The middle aged man looked at her through his glasses and asked her politely.
"That is why you have us..."
"I don't have you anymore.. And Nanna misses you so much. At times I see her sitting on your old armchair, holding a picture of you and smiling while crying. I wish I could do that... But I feel dead inside..."
"Oh, no young lady that is far from harsh you know."
"I did not cry when you left!" she yelled. "I did not cry when the two of them got in jail. I did not cry when a gang stole my bike. I have never cried. I need to cry. If anything I owe a tear to those I loved and they are now long gone. Like you..."
"You owe me nothing. That is nonsense."
"But... I...Everyone cries!" she said desperately while looking at her grandfather. "We need it in order to cleanse our souls...And mine is empty now... It is too late..."
"Hmm... Look at yourself saying all these nice things...!" he said smiling.
"STOP smiling!" she yelled again. "And what's with the piano?"
"Oh, my dear, the piano is for the concert."
"What concert?" she asked abruptly.
"But of course, my concert! I composed it! And I brought you here to let you hear a piece..."
"But, you do not know how to play the piano... You have always told me..." she stood there thinking for a brief moment and then she jumped up screaming with joy "You did it! You did it! You always told me you wanted to play the piano but you did not have time to learn and... wait a moment..."
He smiled and nodded again. Her hands started to tremble. He kissed her forehead with a warm kiss and faced the piano. He touched a key and the beautiful melody unleashed itself in the room. The circular room was now filled with lights and well dressed people watching the orchestra located behind her grandfather. He turned to her still playing the wondrous melody that came to her ears. The crowd below stood stunned by the grandeur of music that flowed through the amphitheater and minutes later the applauds fought the fine wooden instruments. Her grandfather seemed so happy. She walked towards him and touched his shoulder. He turned his sweet and round face towards her and blinked his left eye.
"It is never too late, Ponytail...Kiss Nanna for me..." he said still smiling. Moments later everything went dark and a young girl with long blond hair jumped from her bed. A droplet of cold water stained her white pajamas and she raised her hand towards her eyes only to find tears of joy flowing down her face.