Earlier that morning, the velvety clouds hopped in the blue sky with the sun shining bright over the small, yet beautiful town of Sheikhupura. But suddenly, the weather changed as a grey tint covered the sky, with a dry wind rolling. People could sense a storm nearby.

Luckily, my office had decided to close early, so I left the office before time. As I walked past the lanes, I had to hold on tight to my umbrella or it would have blown away anytime. The atmosphere was austere, just as it had been since the day we lost music.

Back when I was a young girl, my father narrated a story, which I still remember, but not so clearly. Yet, I do remember that it was about music. Who doesn’t adore music?

Well, thirty years ago, there were many who were against music, considering its existence as wicked and foul. They were unstoppable and soon they wiped out every form and soul of music. The animals feared these people and so did the skies. So far, the effects of the termination remained and people lived without melody.

I was jerked back to the present by a woman who dashed past me and went inside an antique shop. The antique shop thus caught my attention. I went closer to it to take a better look. The shop was very old, as apparent by its frail board covered with dust and the letters on it were slightly obliterated. I could hardly comprehend the name “The Antiquates Boutique”.

The shop was at the end of the street. So besides its pointed end was a clear door — the only clean thing; while the display glasses were curtained.

At that moment, a shrill voice whispered in my ear, “Enter it. There’s a cure waiting for you!”

I looked around to find no one, but fearful of a presence around, I hurriedly stepped into the shop.

The moment I entered the shop, the picture changed. The store was brightly illuminated — something I didn’t expect. It smelled of rust and fresh lime, while the antiques looked far better than the shop. I called out for the shop owner a few times but when they were unanswered, I decided to meander around the shop.

The objects on display were of all types and sizes, from an earring to a lion’s head! Just as I was admiring a necklace, my interest was drawn towards a piano. It may have looked like an ordinary one, but my heart made me feel that it was somehow special.

The piano had pure ivory keys and its pitch-black beauty could magnetise the entire universe, like it did to me. Even though I had no experience with music, I was sitting on the stool with my fingers on the keys and then it began.

I closed my eyes and my fingers began to move. Even with random keys being played, a song seemed to flow out as the rhythm carried me into another universe where I was all alone with just music to dance on forever. It seemed that music was my soul and I could breathe it in the air.

I had never felt happier, because I had never been able to express my emotions through a ‘thing’, as I seemed to do now. Music soared through the air as I slowly opened my eyes to face the harsh reality where there had been no music. It wasn’t long before I realised what a great crime I had done and all fears popped up in my mind.

I immediately got up from the stool and noticed an elderly woman leaning against the door — the one I had encountered earlier. She advanced towards me and embraced me with a warm hug.

What followed was a long explanation of the antique shop being a safe place for musicians and some stuff about the piano’s history, but it didn’t matter to me. What mattered was that I now knew music was a medicine delivered to this ruthless world in the most divine way, and indeed, it was the perfect cure for a depressed soul!

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 15th, 2018