The Lookout – Piccolo

 

You’re not surprised William and Clara wanted their first dance to be here—high on the cliffs, with the ocean glinting through the trees. You can even see the russet spires of the church they were wed in peeking through.

You pull out your piccolo and begin to play a slow waltz. You’re a far more adept ghost hunter than you are a musician, but music has a way of possessing you, just as spirits have done in the past. As you stand on the deck and play, you feel the presence of Clara Hunter materialise next to you. In the bay beyond, out of a veil of thick mist, you see the grand figure of the Bramble Spirit appear too. It’s more beautiful than you expected—a fine vessel, even if it is transparent and its masts and body are ripped and ragged.

As you continue to play, Clara starts to sway next to you. Out on the deck of the Bramble Spirit, you see a tall figure in a Captain’s hat begin to dance too.

Then an odd thing happens. Almost like a television flickering with poor reception, the figures of Clara and William Hunter—one on the wooden deck beside you, one out on the deck of the Bramble Spirit—begin to flicker in and out of each location. At certain moments, you can see Clara and William dancing together beside you; at other times, you can see both of them out on the Bramble Spirit.

You play until your cheeks feel numb, and you hear someone yelling at you from the across the road at the Full Moon Hotel. But it’s working. The figures of Clara and William are fading next to you for the final time, and appearing brighter than ever on the deck of the Bramble Spirit.

Soon, you’re alone. The spirits of Clara and William Hunter have left, and are reunited now on the ghost ship. They’re together now, and the Bramble Spirit no longer needs to sail the bay forevermore. You let your piccolo fall to your side as you watch the ghost ship and its happy crewmates sail back into the mist and cross over into the light.

END.