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You make your way to the front of the bar; a grand piano awaits you.
It's evening and your shift is about to begin. As you walk towards the stage, you observe the [[people]] that fill the bar. It's the regular crowd that rolls in during these late evenings. People of all forms and [[feelings]]. You recognize some familiar faces amongst the crowd and the stories that come along with them. But you also try to take in what others may be feeling that night and their reasoning for being at your bar.
You think about what to play...
[[♥]]
[[♦]]
[[♣]]
[[♠]]
... and it goes late into the [[night]].You take in the amount of people who have come to drink their sorrows away. To the broken hearts or those with heavy burdens that weight them down.
They drink to [[forget]], and maybe to escape.There's a young man that visits often. He tends to complain about how hard it is for him to find a job out there in the world; his dream was to become an actor, but his current living situation does not allow for it
Yet it's been a year (and maybe more) and he still [[pulls]] through.You see some people drinking and laughing together across the bar. One may get up and leave, but then a new stranger fills the space and takes their place.
They share a drink called "loneliness", but it's better than drinking [[alone]].An older man sits at the table closest to you. His hearing has gone bad over the years and this spot allows him to get the best taste of your music.
Although he smiles while taking slow sips from his glass each night, he always requests a [[sad song]] of you.What you choose to play is not a happy tune. //Why should others be happy when they currently are not tends to be the mindset for some.// But it is not completely sad itself.
This tune is slow and mellow -- you hope to calm them down and for them to reflect on not only the situation at hand, but [[themselves]].
A broken heart may just be one of the most painful feelings in the world, and you applaud those who can overcome it and move on.
You want to provide these people the chance to reflect and move on as well. Your soft tune is a song of comfort and hope. //This too shall pass.// Life itself is too precious to give up for the messes it may bring, and you try to give them the strength they need in order to keep moving forward.
[[What song do you play next, piano man?|feelings]]Your song goes out to this young man, and for all the dreamers out there.
To those who had high hopes for what could've been, but had settled for what was practical and needed to be. Your tune is filled with sympathy, yet its high tempo encourages those out there to never forget their dreams.
Never forget who [[they]] really are.You're saddened by the amount of people that have to give up on their dreams, but you don't want them to forget them because in a way, it's as if they have forgotten who they are.
Your song also encourages those with the chance to never stop chasing their dreams. To be able to turn them into a reality is one of life's greatest achievements, and for that, you can only hope to give them some strength through your song.
[[What shall you play next, piano man?|feelings]]The song you play for him is nostalgic -- you take him on a journey to when he was a younger boy.
To the days where youth allowed him to run free through the fields. To the day when he had first met his late wife. To the nights where they had stayed out late or snuck off from their friend outings to be alone with one another. Watching the starry summer sky in each other's arms, a cool breeze blowing by.
It was [[bittersweet]] to remember, but he always smiled while you played.Lonliness is cold and empty, and so you play a tune that's light and warm.
You play to fill them with content, in hopes with matching their atmosphere. They've come to forget about reality, so you give them the taste of this warmth, in hopes that they will take it with them once they have left.
[[Play another song, would you kindly, piano man?|feelings]]The two never had children, and when she had passed, he frequented the bar more often.
It provided him with some warmth to see people of all kinds just want to forget for a brief night. But he hated the idea of forgetting what life had brought him, and so he had you play your sad song.
And so you continue to play, and let him reminisce. It hurt to remember, but it would hurt even more to forget.
[[Keep playing, piano man.|feelings]]You play late into the night, different tunes to match different moods. The crowd is there to hear you, in hopes of escaping reality for a bit. The manager checks in every now and then, and smiles, knowing they are there for you, the piano man.
And you are [[glad]] to be there and play for them.Inspired by the song Piano Man by Billy Joel.
Hear their [[stories|Start]] again.