chapter 1 : December nights

"What's the most beautiful thing about this month?"

It's the rain. I don't know why, but I feel euphoric when I smell that scent, the scent of earth after the rain. It's been a warm and simple month.

I sit in my room that I share with a girl named Bella, holding a book in my hands while listening to the sound of raindrops hitting the window. Bella was deeply asleep and I had to light the lamp to be able to read in that dim light."

It was one o'clock at night when I suddenly heard the sound of piano music from one of the adjacent rooms. I live in a dormitory, and it was the first time I had heard that music. No one had paid attention to that piano before, which had been covered in dust after being abandoned for years in that room at the end of the corridor, which no one had ever lived in because it was said to be inhabited by spirits and the like.

I didn't pay attention to that sound, but continued reading. The sound of the piano helped me to relax, as it was calm music that lasted for hours until I fell asleep. It was like a wizard's spell, but it was the most beautiful spell for me.

Days and nights passed in that way, the scent of rain and the sound of the piano. I started to hurry to get to the room to start reading that book and enjoy the music, and I still didn't know the identity of the musician.

"Perhaps it was one of those spirits that inhabit the room," Bella said one day after I told her about my admiration for that music that I heard every night, but it was strange that she didn't know about it. I confirmed that I was the only person who heard that sound, so I decided to discover the identity of that musician to satisfy my curiosity...

Sarah POV

"so, what happened yesterday? Did you discover who was that musician?" Bella asked as we were on our way to the lecture hall, after I met her at the library. I knew I would find her there. She didn't like reading, but she was there because of her book-loving boyfriend, and Bella was just trying to keep up with him.

"I couldn't see his face he suddenly disappeared as soon as I opened the door. Honestly, I felt scared and didn't dare take another step inside that room. I wish you hadn't told me about the ghost story that inhabits that room, Bella," I said.

"It's okay, it must be one of the music-obsessed girls. As you know, university dorms do not accommodate young men, unfortunately," my friend said, then her boyfriend, Steven, suddenly appeared with that shy smile on his face. Sometimes I feel sorry for him. He doesn't know the truth about Bella. She is a playful girl, and he is just a nice, calm guy.

"Hello, Sarah," he said, and that shy smile was evident on his face. He always loved to give me the books he finished reading since his girlfriend wasn't a fan of novels, and I always accepted them from him.

"Let's go before the lecture starts. See you later, my dear Sarah," she said, pushing her boy in front of her, again. I was aware of that. She never liked the friendship that brought me closer to her boyfriend.

As the lectures ended, the sun had already set, and everyone had already left, while I was running towards the library, hoping it hadn't closed yet. I had to borrow another book to read.

Mr. Kartar, the librarian, always drifted off in his thoughts while reading books, so he usually closed the library late. That man with the thick black beard, the war hero, as he called himself, said that he was one of the heroes of the war years ago. He was proud of his youth, and perhaps the scar that split his left eye was proof of the truth of what he told us about his heroic actions.

Mr. Kartar was very organized, and he usually placed books and novels on the shelves according to their classification. I was faithful to that shelf where fictional stories were placed, which no one else borrowed except me. Books no longer interested many people, but it was enjoyable for me to find new novels every time, the excitement I felt just by seeing a picture of a vampire or a fairy from the world of fantasy.

Finally, I reached my destination, and as expected, no one was there except Mr. Kartar. He didn't even notice my presence as he was holding a book in his hands, and he was focusing all his attention on it. I approached my favorite shelf and started running my fingers over those books when a black book caught my attention. It was the only book that didn't have any pictures on its cover. I was about to take the book when someone quickly grabbed it from me.

"Sorry, but I have to borrow it first," he said, but I didn't respond. I just decided to search for another book in silence and avoid any altercation, especially since I didn't know him. I had never seen him before at the university, although he looked like a student. He was tall, and his black clothes were the first thing I noticed, just like his long black hair, which barely revealed his mesmerizing eyes.

"I promise to return it quickly," he said again, and I had to answer him and finish the matter quickly.

"It's okay. I understand that you're excited to read it."

"No, I don't care about these things. I won't read it anyway," he replied. He left before I could respond. Maybe he knew that my answer was provocative, but for the second time, I didn't care. I took another book and left.

I have gotten used to sitting on the bed, staring at that clock on the wall, waiting for 1 am when that music starts and I begin reading the book. It seemed strange at first, but I enjoyed it somehow, to the point where I forgot about the idea of identifying the musician and decided to just listen. But that night, it didn't happen. The music suddenly stopped, and I waited for an hour, but nothing happened.

UNKNOWN POV

I felt those footsteps approaching the room, but I was sure that she wouldn't dare to open the door again. She would try to figure out who I am and then succumb to her fears and quickly escape from here. Basically, who else would enter this room but me? Those footsteps suddenly stopped, then she left a note that she passed under the door and then left. I grabbed that paper and opened it after I threw the cigarette on the ground and stepped on it to extinguish it.

"Whether you are human or one of those spirits that inhabit the room, I hope you don't stop playing because it helps me read every night."

I read that paper to make sure it was that girl trying to find me again in a way I didn't expect anyone to insist that I play those compositions described as bad. I smiled quietly, then sat back at that piano again..."