Silent Melody

She had fallen asleep watching the sunset, but the silence woke her. The silence always woke her. Only a handful would question why humans were born with ears. Were they not intended to hear? She had read books about ancient times where the mortal had the ability to speak. Where animals could be heard, not only seen. Where sounds issued from everything, even the smallest of things could be heard. 

 

The forest was still and the breeze light, though it still chilled her. She had forgotten a jacket before her departure. She hadn't known her travels would take her to a bitter part of the world. It had been weeks since her last interaction with life. Nature wasn't to be seen as they continued to hide from her. The last village she passed had been days ago. She only then stopped for bread. 

 

The map she was given continued to lead her to a place she hadn't known. She didn't know what to expect when she arrived there. Her father had told her that this place held a secret. A secret the world had shut away and kept hidden. She didn't know how her father knew of these things, but with his old age to slow him; she volunteered to take his place on the quest.  

 

She had taken rest in the forests upon the mountain. The map would have her climb to the peak. It was a perilous journey. The mountain was full of dangers. Sharp rocks, jagged cliffs, spear-like tree branches, and slippery slopes awaited her. She packed what she had and approached the crucible that lay before her.  

 

Which each step forward, she slid three paces back. She climbed with caution at a slow and steady pace. Her life was worth more than the answers the world had hidden. Though, she was still eager to discover its secrets and wouldn't turn back from the dangers that found her. Her gut told her to turn away, as did her mind. But with her heart and soul, they told her to press on. She knew only the foolish would listen to their heart. Though some may consider these people brave, they would be wrong to think so. 

 

Along her climb, she hadn't allowed the injuries she obtained to prevent her from reaching the top. Her hands were bloody and sore, her body bruised, and her breath was short, but the adrenaline had pushed her along the way. At the top, she was surprised to see what had been hidden. A old ruin.  

 

The structure was made of stone with stain glass windows. Vines, tree roots, and weeds made it appear as part of the mountain. She approached the building with caution, tying bandages around her bleeding hands. There was no door or point of entry to be found along the walls. She took a step back and examined her map.  

 

There was nothing of note, nothing on the legend to guide her inside. She looked to the giant oak that engulfed the side of the building and started to climb. Though, the tree was much too wide and the branches were far too high for her to reach alone. She encircled the structure again, carefully looking for an entrance. But still came up empty.  

 

She thought upon breaking one of the windows, but to destroy such beauty would be a crime. As she sat there, she watched as a cardinal flew atop the structure and then disappeared into it. She stood and began to use the roots of the great tree to climb atop. The climb wasn't easy, however. The vines were slick with dew, though were more than wide enough to support her. The tree roots were rough to touch and her wounds had reopened upon her hands.  

 

Finally, she had reached the top. The roots covered the majority of it, except for the small opening where the cardinal had disappeared. The opening wasn't much bigger than a toilet bowl, but she slowly lowered herself inside anyway. She didn't like this idea much, she didn't know what awaited her inside. About halfway in, her mind wandered from threat to threat.  She took a deep breath and prayed for the best before releasing her grip and falling to the floor.  

 

She landed in a puddle of water and quickly scanned her surroundings. The sun's rays shown through the stain glass; recreating the sunset. The room was empty, with the exception of a few birds that had nested within. The floor was stone and water had converged to the low points. Grass grew between the cracks and a flower managed to blossom as well.  

 

On the other end of the room, where she remembered the great tree to be outside, was a descending spiral staircase. The steps were wet as rain water continued to drain down like a waterfall. The stairwell was dark, almost pitch black. The light from the room above was beginning to fade away completely and she soon found herself in darkness.  

 

Ahead, she could see light penetrating a crack along the tunnel wall. It led her into a great room. The room allowed light to enter from various holes in the cave wall. At the center, she saw something she hadn't ever seen before. The object was ebony and it stood upon three legs. The shape was also odd, as it had a strange curve in its design. She approached the object and noticed it had a bench. She sat there and pondered what this strange instrument could be.  

 

She carefully touched the object and felt its smooth surface. There was a key hole that locked a portion of the front. She looked around for the key, checking beneath and around the object. She came up empty. She thought upon how some people leave a key under the mat outside their door. Under the mat, she thought. Under...  

 

She stood and looked at the bench where she sat. She inspected it and found the top to be a lid. She cautiously opened it and found a little wooden box. She took it in her hands and closed the lid of the bench. She opened the case and found a little golden key. She took the key and unlocked the panel on the dark object and lifted it open.  

 

Hidden beneath was a row of ivory and ebony bars. She ran her hand over the set and felt give. They were a sort of buttons to be pressed. She wondered if a certain order would open the rest of the object and reveal the secrets. She didn't know which to press first. She had never seen a puzzle like this before. She feared pressing the wrong one would put her in danger.  

 

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, stretched her fingers over the bars and took a chance. She didn't look to see which buttons her fingers had chosen, but only pressed down on each of them. The strangest of things happened then – SOUND issued from this object. The sound was pleasing to her ears and didn't cause them to bleed. She opened her eyes, expecting to find a creature or something to explain what she had heard, but saw nothing but the object.  

 

She looked to her hands and pressed a single bar and it issued a sound. Then she tried another and it created a different sound. In fact, each bar made an entirely new sound than the other. She wondered what this object had been intended for. She didn't think sounds of pleasure would be its primary purpose.  

 

She sat up, cracked her knuckles, and pressed the keys in a new way than she had before. The sounds she heard were beautiful to her ears as her fingers continued to play with the buttons set before her. The beautiful sounds reminded her much of the amazing art she had seen along her travels. If this were a form of art, she assumed it to be a one of the many muses created for the world. She then decided to call this art: music. And her name would be remembered for all time: Euterpe.