AN: Sorry for the short chapter, I'm working on the next few now which will each be longer and hold more action. Thank you for reading!
I spent the next several days trying to regain more of my hearing, but had no further luck. The muffled sounds that did reach me were hardly something to be happy for, but even the grotesque bastardization of my voice that reached my ear made me want to sob for joy. It was only slightly worse than my hearing had ever been in that ear, which had developed in the same misshapen way as the rest of the right side of my head.
After the initial shock and residual pain had worn away, I sat down at my organ once more, my hands trembling as I held them above the keys. I didn't know why I hesitated so; my music had always brought me solace. In a world that scorned me for my horrid outer appearance, I had always been able to turn to my music. So why was I so afraid to try it now?
Very slowly, I brought my hands down, coaxing an eery chord from the instrument. It echoed through my home and sent chills down my spine. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before continuing, first playing a simple melody I hummed often. I didn't know quite what I had expected, but I was relieved when I found that it didn't sound any worse than it ever had. I had not lost my ability to recognize foul notes from the right ones.
I was only able to play for a very short time each day before my hands began to ache to the point that the pain caused me to cry out, but that time seemed to get longer with each passing day. If I continued as I intended, I was sure that I would soon be able to fill my days and nights with music once more.
The pain did nothing for my appetite, however, and I found it difficult to force myself to eat, regardless of the fact that I knew I needed to eat. The meager amounts of bread and weak soup I managed to force down my throat barely kept me looking as ghastly as I had when I finally managed to force myself out of bed. I didn't expect I would get much better by working until I passed out across the keys only to wake to the blaring notes my chest and shoulders would hit, but my world had been silent too long. I wanted to complete my opera before my hearing left me again, if it would.