Adeline: a musical ghost story that will glue you to your seat
by lynn hutchinson
october 31, 2019
I like to collect
I was at an auction house one day and came upon a piano. This piano. Such a thing of beauty. I was about to strike one of the keys when I heard voices coming from the door. It was the manager speaking with a potential customer. I moved silently in the other direction.
The manager commented - with a disturbing lack of sincerity - on what a “fine” piano it was. Clearly, he had high hopes of making a sale. With a sense of secrecy that seemed more contrived than convincing, he added that this piano travels not alone, but with a spirit. The customer bit the bait and the manager continued:
As the story goes, over a hundred years ago, there was a talented young pianist named Adeline Louise. About to begin her first tour, she needed a piano of her own. She fell in love with this piano, but couldn’t afford it. Joseph Night, a successful businessman, was taken by her talent and bought the piano for her.
Under one condition…that he be in control of her career. He was to be her manager. Desperate to have the instrument, she agreed.
In the months that followed, Adeline and Joseph worked closely together. Joseph became obsessed with her climb to fame. Before long, Joseph’s interest in Adeline wasn’t just business. A week before her premiere, he asked for her hand in marriage. But to his great dismay, Adeline rejected him. Her heart was already taken. Blind with admiration, he presumed she meant with her work. But no. There was indeed someone else.
Joseph was embarrassed and bitter.
The time soon came for Adeline to leave for her first concert. Completely unaware of how deeply Joseph had been affected by her rejection, she thought nothing of the private carriage he arranged for her. In her red and black concert dress, she stepped into the cab, nervous for the biggest performance of her life. She looked out the window, watching trees pass, thinking through every phrase and articulation. She began to rock side to side, the carriage teetering. Only a moment later, one of the wheels came loose. If rolled to the side of the road and the axel snapped a second later like a twig.
The carriage - and young Adeline - tumbled into a river. She died instantly.
Joseph was called in for questioning the next day. At the news of Adeline’s death, he became inconsolable. In his wailing, he admitted to being angry at her rejection. But swore he had nothing to do with her death. He had a hard time convincing the courts. Joseph was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. He lost his mind trying to prove his innocence and died at his own hands two years later. The piano went to auction and was sold to a music school.
Strange things started to happen.
A young student heard music coming from the rehearsal room where this piano sat…only to find no one there. Another student claimed she saw blank white faces in the room and a voice saying: Listen… Listen…At first, the dean dismissed the stories as pranks. But more and more students became afraid of the instrument. Although their official statement was that the instrument posed no threat, the school sold it. The evening before the piano was scheduled to be taken away, a pianist used the practice room to warm-up for his recital. When the lights went up on stage, he was nowhere to be found. He remains missing to this day.
The next owners of the piano was a young family nearby. Two weeks after the piano was delivered, their babysitter and daughter went missing. Also never to be found. No one knows exactly where the piano went after that, but it made its way here to California three years ago. It’s been in storage ever since.
With that, the auction manager left the room, leaving the visitor - and me - alone with the piano. I studied the customer carefully from a shadowy corner of the room. I began to approach him when he simply turned and left. I watched him until the door swung itself closed. I turned around.
The piano and I were alone together. Again.
The auction manager had told a compelling story. Compelling, but inaccurate. The carriage was indeed sabotaged. That part is right. And Adeline did tumble into that river. Sweet Adeline. Gone forever. Had I watched more carefully from the bushes, I would’ve noticed it wasn’t him in the carriage. It was her! The auction manager got this part of the story quite wrong. The truth is that Joseph Night was supposed to be in that carriage. Plans had been carefully made to make sure he would be in that fated fall.
Oh Adeline, why didn’t you wait for me? I told you I was coming! If only we hadn’t argued that night. I should’ve listened. You told me he meant nothing to you and I just didn’t believe what you said. But you see…all is not lost. For she is here. She continues to travel. With this. Her soul is chained to every string. Her fate, linked to every key. The instrument of her longing. And her eventual death.
She cannot hear me. Or see me. But every time I bring her a new listener, with every fresh set of ears, she plays more brilliantly. So I’m glad you are here tonight. You see, Adeline needs an audience. A captive audience. As soon as her audience disappears, so does she. And I can’t lose her again.
I did tell you I like to collect, didn’t I?
Please, make yourself comfortable, won’t you? I hope you enjoy the company of the person sitting next to you. Because you really have no where to go.
Welcome to the performance of your LIFE!…
