Write The Story: A Strange Request at a Piano Bar

Write the story is a daily prompt writing journal that my lady love got for her birthday awhile back. Inside are a ton of writing prompts, giving you a title and selection of words or phrases that you must use in your story. A Strange Request at a Piano Bar was the first prompt that we did together. I figured it be fun to show off what I came up with and, hopefully, show how I am improving in my craft.

List of Words that must be used:

Carnival
Sprained
Mask
Oxidation
Awkward
Apple
Juvenile
Controversy
Twirl
Sassafras

I sit at my grand piano fingering the keys with expert accuracy and timing. My skillful song filled the air of the piano bar I had been staying at for almost two weeks. I needed a break. I needed to get away. The owner was more than eager to allow me to stay here... so long as I continued to draw in a huge crowd with my performance.

My song came to a close, the last few notes hanging in the air like floating spirits. With a sigh I close my eyes and wait for the echo to fade away. Silence returned only for a moment before hands began to clap out their approval. I open my eyes, stand and turn towards the crowd. I remove the black fedora, which was accented by a red band above the brim, and bow.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let's show our appreciation for our local star - Mr. Geoffrey Jackson!" A feminine voice said through a microphone. It was the owner, Lauren Bower. I stand straight and return my hat to my head. I leave the stage and head to the restroom as Lauren announced the next performer - a violinist named Christopher King.

I swing open the red bathroom door and stand in front of the sink. My reflection is foreign to me. Who owns those blue eyes? Or this long salt and pepper hair? Since when did I have a five o'clock shadow or a dimple on my chin? I look way too fancy to be the same person I always knew. I prefer t-shirts and jeans and yet here I am - donning a red collared shirt, sleeves rolled up, and a black waist coat and tie. A pair of silky black dress pants cover my legs and black loafers encompass my feet.

Is this what you've become? I mentally ponder. With a sigh I turn my body around and leave the restroom and head stealthily over to the mahogany bar where Lauren was working. Not much longer. I just need a break, I reassure myself.

"Mr. Jackson," Lauren said to me in a quiet enough voice so that I wouldn't be bombarded by fans. There was a reason I didn't mind working for Lauren. She was kind to me and very considerate towards my preferences. That - and she just looks so damn good in that tight pink cocktail dress.

"Lady Bower, how are you dear?" I ask in a charismatic voice.

"I'm doing well, handsome. Can I get you your usual?" She offers, leaning over the bar and showing off her ample breasts. I don't even try to divert my gaze.

"Perhaps in a minute," I answer. "I gotta say, you look awfully stunning in that dress."

"Oh is that so?" The blue haired woman asks. Her pink lips curve into a flirtatious smile. "If I'm so stunning than how are you capable of speech?" I smirk at the question.

"Damn. You got me there," I chuckle. "Seriously, you look beautiful."

"Thank you kindly," she says before doing a little twirl for me. She then steps away to thank the last performer and announce the next.

"You're Geoffrey Jackson, correct?" A young man's voice asks me. I turn and see that it was the violinist.

"You are correct. Christopher, right?" I ask, extending my hand out.

"Yes, that's right," he answered before taking my hand. There was something off about him. His voice made him sound arrogant and slippery as a snake. I could sense danger from the kid but didn't know why. He wore a black tux, no tie.

"Mr. King, thanks for that performance," Lauren said, returning without making a sound.

"No problem, Lauren," He replied. "Can you grab me my refreshments?"

"No problem," She said before escaping to a back room.

"Lovely girl," Chris says to me. There were uneasy implications in his words.

"That she is. I'm quite fond of her," I say a bit defensively.

"She seems fond of you, as well... I'm guessing she doesn't know you're an interdimensional criminal?" He says. I notice that his hand is deep in his suit pocket. I pause for just a moment too long.

"The hell are you talking about, kid?" I ask, feigning ignorance.

"The Carnival of Maku Naga," he said dryly. "When you ruined my family by conning and killing my sister." Anger. Nothing but anger in his voice.

"Look, kid. I don't know who you are or what you're talking about," I lie. "I'm sorry you've been through misfortune but I am not the cause of it." If this escalates any further, things could get bad. Just then, Lauren returns with a plate carrying sassafras tea and an apple.

"Here you are, Mr. King," the owner says cheerily. The juvenile stares awkwardly at me for a moment before snapping back into his calm voice.

"Thank you, Miss Bower," He says before sipping on the hot tea.

"You're up soon, Mr. Jackson," Lauren says to me.

"I have a request, if I may" Chris chimes in.

"Oh, I don't really do requests," I say, my mind desperately trying to form an exit strategy. If I can just make it outside...

"Oh, come now. He's a fellow musician. Surely you can play him something," Lauren urges. My lip twitched with frustration for a second.

"Just this once, I suppose," I reluctantly agree. "What did you have in mind?"

"The Oxidation of Chorris" He answers dryly. My heart skips a beat. Clever little shit.

"I never heard that one before," Lauren says, bemused.

"A lot of controversy surrounding that one," I say with a deathly serious voice.

"How come?" Lauren asks with big, curious doe eyes. I close my eyes for a moment. No choice. It was fun while it lasted. I reach over and take a big bite out of Chris's apple.

"Because the one who plays the song will die 12 hours later," I answer.

"The same song you taught my sister. You told her it was the most beautiful song you ever heard. That you got the music sheets from a salesmen wearing a mask. That the song will enamor any who listen," Chris stood up. He then withdrew an oddly shaped gun from his coat pocket.

It was called an Oxi-Moxie in Chris's dimension. It was shaped like a triangle. The user holds the straight handle while the two slopes hold the magazines. The bullets, crescent shaped metal casings, ignite once fired. The resulting blast looked like a burning crescent moon. Oxi - the name of their sun. Moxie - The name of their moon.

Lauren gasped as he revealed the weapon.

"Now either you play the song or you get shot. Your choice," Chris says menacingly. I sigh and close my eyes.

"Neither," I sidestep and push the weapon upward. Chris shows excellent trigger discipline by holding his fire. Lucky for me. Bad for me. I plant my foot down on his ankle with all my might. If it isn't broken then it will be sprained for weeks. My assailant lets out a sharp yell and I turn and flee through the crowd.

I burst through the door and out into the frigid mountain air. Lauren's bar sat upon a flying platform. A large wooden fan rapidly spun beneath the building, lifting it high into the air. Customers would use similarly designed vehicles to get to her platform. The vehicles, which resemble motorcycles, are collapsible. They can easily be shrunk down to the size of a suitcase. I did not own such a vehicle. I had better means of transportation.

I pull out a paint brush from my pants pocket. I close my eyes and plant the brush, still black with ink, onto the wooden platform. The brush shot out multiple lines that began to draw on the hard surface. After a minute, the drawing was complete and my attacker came limping out of the door. I spin to face him. He gives me a confident smile that quickly fades as a black, inky blob rises behind me. Two wings shoot out of the blob followed by four scaly feet. The excess ink then collapsed, revealing my black dragon.

Chris aims his gun for my head but is quickly whacked in the back of the head by a frying pan. Lauren stands behind him, a dented utensil in hand. I give her an appreciative nod before mounting my ride. She blows me a farewell kiss before I mentally order the beast to fly away from this bar and down to the base of the mountain. There I have my dimensional portal device hidden away.