The story is described from my point of view. The protagonist imagines her new piano teacher as a predator that is going to hunt her down soon. The story comes from my experience of playing the piano under the pressure from my mother when I was four years old. Before my first class, I have heard lots of scary stories of playing the piano so that I was really afraid, but it turned out that I actually liked it.
***
A thrilling feeling comes towards me. I feel unsafe and uncertain, but I do not know why. Anxiously, I look around to find the origin of that feeling. I see a strange woman.
She brings me the feeling of terror and mystery. She is a predator, waiting in the subway station for her prey. She is so tall that I have to look upwards to see her face. She holds her head up to get ready for hunting, putting herself in an arrogant position. I can tell her age from the shallow wrinkles on her forehead – she must be over 50 years old. Her eyes are so large that they seem to pop out, enabling her to observe everything around her.
I can see her obvious mandibula and the subsidence of it. Though having all these strange facial features, I cannot see any emotions from her facial expression. Being cold is probably a necessary character of a successful hunter. She is staring at a specific point with deep concentration. Suddenly, she turns around and looks directly into my eyes as if she has already noticed my curiosity and fear. Discovered, I turn my head away as soon as possible. But I have a feeling that she is still observing me — her newest prey.
I look back in search of her and find her leaning on a wall. Her fingers are moving up and down the wall as if she is playing the piano. Raising her thumb and putting down her middle finger, she is probably practicing hunting skills, maybe considering how to choke my throat. She is well-prepared, looking for a suitable time to kill her prey.
The subway comes and she sits few meters away from me. When I get off, she follows. I am scared, but not surprised. I know that I have become her prey. She is chasing me and I have no way to escape. I try to steady my body and pretend to be calm. She is walking behind me with her earphones. She seems to enjoy the music, the hymns before a sumptuous dinner. I finally see my house, and I slowly close my eyes. This could be the end of my life.
The door is open and my mother comes out. I can feel that the strange woman finally starts her slaughter of her prey. Her eyes pop out to help her better observe the surroundings. Her hands are moving towards my mother and me. She is smiling.
“Hi, Mrs. Xie. I am Daisy, the new piano teacher.”
“Welcome! Come on in! My daughter has just been back. You can start the class soon.”
