Entry: who knows. It's been almost eighty plus years since I last did a journal like this.
Date: I know it's 2163, but I don't recall the date. Probably May 14, if I remember correctly.
Time: my clock is broken. so I have no idea what time it really is. It's almost evening time, though.
Location: what used to be the bustling city of Manhattan.

I found a piano today.

While exploring Central Park (or what used to be Central Park - it's just a landfill for the rest of New York state nowadays, just like the rest of Manhattan Island) today, I didn't know I would come across the piano that Atsushi would take me to on every date.

It was a public use piano - meaning anyone who wanted to play the piano could walk up to it, take a seat, and play out a little tune for anyone who passed by and decided to stay for a while and listen. Atsushi loved going out to this piano on almost every date we went on. He would always draw a small crowd whenever he played, and he was always able to hold their attention for as long as the song he played.

I was amazed it could still even be played - it still had the same beautiful sound it had almost one hundred fifty years ago. I cleared the rubbish around it, and sat down on the decrepit piano bench. Looking at the now faded ivory keys, and the dulled finished on its wooden surface, it brought back memories of when Atsushi would play for me.

I decided to place my fingers on the keys, and immediately I was overwhelmed by a feeling of grief. Tears began to well up in my eyes as I began to play it, though unsure of what keys to play.

I began playing random keys, until I fell into a pattern that reminded me of an old song Atsushi tried to teach me. It was a song Atsushi taught me on his keyboard at his apartment, and he sang it to me whenever I felt sad and anxious. I remembered the words, but never did learn how to play the song properly. My hands weren't as precise as Atsushi's, so I usually ended up playing the wrong keys. So, to teach me, Atsushi placed his hands over mine, and helped me play the right keys.

Atsushi finally taught me the song when he did that. I was very happy when I played the song all the way, without a single mistake as Atsushi guided my hands across the ivory.

A cold breeze blew past me as I played the old piano, causing me to stop playing and pull up my collar as I shivered. I glanced around me, and could only see a few small birds and a squirrel looking at me as I wiped my eyes. I turned back to the piano and placed my hands over the keys again.

I resumed playing these keys in that pattern again, until I felt a tingling in my fingers, as if something was placed lightly and gently over my hands.

I began tearing up as the familiar sound of the song came back to me again, my fingers gliding gracefully across the keys. Soon after, the lyrics came back to me, clear as the day Atsushi taught me the song.

". . .short steps. . .deep breath. . ." I thought, the lyrics coming back to me as I sang them in my head.

". . .everything is alright. . ." I spoke, quietly singing the words to myself.

"Chin up, I can't. . .step into the spotlight. . ."

"She said 'I'm sad,'
Somehow without any words. . .
I just stood there,
Searching for an answer. . ."

I began crying, but I continued playing, as I began to sing louder.

The birds and the squirrel joined me, sitting atop the piano as I played. Two of the birds snuggled up against one another, and watched me play.

"When this world is no more,
The moon is all we'll see. . .
I'll ask you to fly away with me. . .
Until the stars all fall down,
They empty from the sky. . ."

I paused here, as I wiped my eyes, and sang the last two lines.

"But I don't mind. . .
If you're with me, then everything's alright. . ."

My fingers began to play on, as if I wasn't in control of myself anymore. I continued with the lyrics, singing once more.

"Why do my words
Always lose their meaning. . .
What I feel, what I say,
There's such a rift between them. . ."

Because of my tears, I couldn't see the keys clearly, but I kept playing, never stopping even to wipe my eyes.

"He said, 'I can't
really seem to read you. . .'
I just stood there,
Never know what I should do. . ."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, before continuing.

"When this world is no more,
The moon is all we'll see. . .
I'll ask you to fly away with me. . .
Until the stars all fall down,
They empty from the sky. . .

But I don't mind.

If you're with me, then everything's alright. . ."

And as I recited the last line once more, I burst into tears, realizing Atsushi was guiding my hands the whole time.

Quietly, I sang. . .

"If you're with me, then everything's alright."