An urban legend is a tale passed on from person to person, generation to generation, until eventually, it’s roots have become difficult to trace. Some urban legends are based on real life events, while others are simply stories. Every culture has their own legends; even Russia. This one is about the Red Piano.
There once was a little girl who desperately wanted to play the piano. On her birthday, a beautiful new piano was delivered, a gift from her parents. She was ecstatic, and started practicing right away.
The little girl practiced for a few weeks, but then began to complain that her fingertips were hurting. They told her that it was normal, that her fingertips weren’t used to the pressure of playing. They said if she kept playing, kept practicing, her fingertips would get used to the pressure and the pain would cease.
She listened to her parents and kept playing. Her family noticed she was getting thinner, and her skin was paler than normal, but she appeared to be fine otherwise.
After about a month, the piano broke. The family contacted the store where they purchased the piano and was informed that only one person knew how to fix their specific piano; an old woman. They called the old woman and invited her over to fix it. When she entered the room where the piano sat, she asked the parents and the girl to remain outside of the room while she worked. She didn’t want any distractions.
It didn’t take long. The old woman opened the door and informed the family that the piano was fixed. The girl could go back to playing. And she did.
The girl practiced daily and continued to lose weight and the color in her cheeks was gone. Her body became weak, so weak she could hardly walk across the room. And then, the piano broke again.
When the old lady arrived to work on the piano, she again asked the family to stay out of the room. Curious though, the parents wanted to see how such a frail old woman could fix the piano. They knelt down and peered through the keyhole.
They watched as the old woman opened the piano and pulled out a glass jar. It was filled with a dark liquid, red, like blood. The woman lifted the jar to her lips and began to drink it.
The parents didn’t hesitate. They called the police, who fortunately were able to get to the house just in time to arrest the old woman.
They examined the piano, and what they found was unimaginable. The piano keys had tiny needles built into them, so they were practically invisible to the naked eye. This caused the little girl to get tiny cuts on her fingertips whenever she played, that would bleed little by little down into a jar inside the piano.
The piano was set up so that whenever the jar was full, the piano would break, thus needing the old woman to come repair it, and drink the blood of those who played it.
Next time you see a piano, take care, for you never know if it’s there to collect your blood.
Have you heard of the Island of the Dolls?
