Eighty-Eight Keys

by musc7235

Eighty-Eight Keys is a different ending to what happened in the Pianist. I have changed the main characters name to Jack. Jack is in Germany with his Army Company. They are at a home that was bombed during the war where there is a piano. A German Tiger tank has parked in front of the home, and a German officer has walked in on Jack playing the piano.

Eighty-eight keys

A young man by the name of Jack sat every evening and played the piano. After long days on the front lines in Germany, he found serenity in the music.

Jacks Captain was among the men who would sit and listen to Jack play at night while they sipped on a forgotten bottle of scotch. Other men would sit around and wonder what tomorrow would bring, and if they would be alive.

Jacks cousin was in the piano parlor, when all of a sudden a German Tiger tank echoed in the distance. The men gathered their gear and headed for the roof of the house, but Jack kept playing. As he sat in the dark playing those eighty-eight keys the rest of the company was yelling at him.

"Jack! Stop playing now, they are going to hear you!" a man yelled.

"Jack! Stop this instant, and that's an order!" his Captain yelled.

But Jack did not stop. Once the Tiger tank made it to the house where they Army unit was. All of the men were hiding on the roof, praying that no one would see them. Jack was playing along to Pachelbel's Cannon in D when he noticed black boots standing in the doorway.

"Up!" The man shouted at Jack.

Jack stopped, looked up at the man, and placed his hands in the air.

The German officer looked at Jack, and asked, "You play?"

Jack replied with a shivering "Yes".

The German officer replied, "Play something for me".

Jack sat down at the piano and began to play a Beethoven's Sonanta Quasi Una Fantasia. The German officer sat down, poured himself a class of the scotch, and listened to Jack play the piano. Once the song had ended Jack looked at the German officer. The officer stood up and told Jack that the war would be over soon, and that he would like to hear him play on German radio one day.

Jacked gave a scared smile and said, "Yes, that is my goal. I would like to play on the radio."

The German officer set down his scotch and walked out the door. He told his crew on the Tiger tank to continue on.

Jack started to cry as the rest of the company started down from the roof.

Jack's Captain said, "Boy you and that piano might have saved us all!"

Jack stated, "Yes, but I cannot believe that he enjoyed my music."

Captain replied, "Keep playing, and never leave those keys."