Standing ovation. Loud applause.

It was another successful day for the monster with hundred arms.

He played piano excellently.

The prices of tickets to attend his concerts skyrocketed, so only a few chosen ones were allowed to hear his heavenly music.

Those few chosen ones never worked for the tickets themselves though, they were entrepreneurs in the city of light who utilized the work of the struggling class of the gray cities at the outskirts.

It seemed like the monster with hundred arms had a bright future.

He returned to his giant glass castle on top of the highest hill in the city, and began to compose another wonderful melody, as usually, in perfect solitude. While his initial success lasted a few months, he noticed that fewer and fewer people continued to attend his concerts or were willing to pay high prices, then began to wonder why.

The monster thought to himself – maybe I wasn't perfect enough! I will go beyond any of the musical concepts of the light city!

His next piece of art was astounding and he noticed a spike in his fortune again, but this time, it lasted even shorter.

The monster was going crazy – No! What's happening? Was the excellence of my masterpiece beyond their comprehension? Those simpletons! I'll show them! I'll not release anything for thousand years until I perfect my song to the point when everyone will be elated!

Thousand years have passed. The release of his millennium art piece was a great event... but still, not many people came afterwards.

The monster was unhappy.

He had to leave his castle and learn why.

Were the people just bored with music?

The monster left and wandered the streets, citizens looked at his big silhouette with fear and awe. Bored that he couldn't comprehend what's happening on his own, the monster approached one of the purple blobs who roamed around the market and asked:

"Would you please tell me, why nobody is coming to my concerts?"

The blob trembled, like a jelly, then uttered in low voice.

"Everyone is watching a piano rat."

"Piano rat?" - Shocked, the monster replied. Was there finally a better player than him? An opponent? Perhaps, a new master.

"Where can I meet that 'piano rat'?" - The monster asked, once again.

"He lives in the outskirts... but you can watch him on the TV."

"That won't be necessary. Thank you for assistance." - The monster moved one of his many hands to his suit and the blob froze in terror, but to his surprise, the monster only pulled out some money. - "Here, have this, for the help."

Hesitating, blob slowly moved his arms, grabbed the cash, then crawled away.

As the monster reached the outskirts, he could spot more and more filth on the streets. Citizens lived on the streets in wooden shacks without basic tools, such as washing machines or computers. Some smelled like they didn't even know what soap is.

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The monster pinched his nose and trod forward, struggling to break through the crowd, all until he reached the piano rat.

To him, the piano rat... was just a rat.

Sure, it knew how to play a small piano with only seven keys and produce nice melodies, but that was it.

Yet, all the people were smiling. The kids were cheering and the crowd would stay with a rat until late at night. They requested sad songs, happy songs, rapid melodies and slow ones, melodies that would soothe the soul... and the ones that would cause many to burn with passion.

The rat would play it all, just on seven keys, but it was nothing compared to what the monster could achieve.

"People. These songs are trivial and uninspired." - The monster sighed and removed a large piano that was hanging strapped to his back. - "Let me show you what a true master is capable of."

The monster started playing and the rat stopped, then listened in awe.

People approached the monster, listened, and nodded their heads. The monster surely had skill.

As the rat listened, he felt inspired and started accompanying the monster's melody with his own.

People started to cheer for the rat and many left the monster's concert.

"What? What do I hear!?" - The monster replied in a disgusted tone. - "Why are you soiling my sacred song!?"

The rat retracted its head, fearing the loud voice, but he switched his melody to one that portrayed oncoming doom, even in face of the large adversary.

People laughed, they liked the bravery of the rat.

"What is this nonsense?" - The monster howled. - "Why are more of you listening to him, than to me?"

An old, slightly tipsy man approached the monster.

"Friend, you aren't bad, but you are not a rat. You've one hundred hands and a monstrous brain, everyone could play well with your supreme body, but look... it's just a rat and it can even help your songs with just seven keys!"

"You utter fool! His seven keys help nobody, he ruins what's already perfect... and do you dare to disregard thousands of years of dedication that I've put into my songs? Be gone or I shall smash you down." - The monster rebuked.

The old man hunched, terrified, and backed away.

Then, a small kid tossed a stone at the monster. - "You! You don't scare me! We like the rat more because he is one of us!"

The monster laughed loudly. - "Ahh, so it's not about the music. What a tragedy, your infantile hearts are drawn to beautify your own incapacity and lack of effort."

The kid puffed his cheeks and tossed another stone, but didn't understand what monster meant. - "What do you mean!!? Ugly monster!"

"You see yourself in the rat... your struggles, your work... your desperation and dreams... and do you really think that the ugly melody of your slums even compares to what that small animal creates?"

The crowd fell silent.

"You desperately want to be him, but you're not. Multiple fingers and arms, yet you continue your rhythmical existence engraved in one key melody. You don't strive for greatn..."

At this point, the monster overheard a slow, soft melody that silently played in the background. Small kids and elders began humming to the melody, more and more people joined and started holding their hands together.

"...ess, that's why your city is still gray". - The monster spoke, but his words were drowned out. - "You disgraceful beings! Listen to me!" - Monster declared loudly, but because more citizens joined, his words still couldn't be heard.

The monster couldn't stand it. He sat next to his piano and started playing an intensive, powerful song, one that would tear down the rat's delicate wish, but the rat craftily switched to higher notes and interweaved them into a dark melody.

Rat's song never could be heard more clearly.

The monster would not give up, he also switched to higher notes and played rapidly, it was like a storm came and demolished his castle of glass.

The rat couldn't win. The humming of the gray city stopped.

The monster was satisfied, he slowed down and stopped playing.

The rat, however, kept playing. Rhythmically. Just one note.

The monster couldn't stand it.

"I WANT TO HELP YOU." - He screamed with all his strength. - "DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!!?"

Citizens of the grey city were too scared to speak to the monster and voice their doubts and the monster knew no language other than music, but his music couldn't speak to these people. There was no dialogue.

The monster looked at the inept crowd. - "Pointless." - He exhaled in an exhausted voice.

He packed his piano and prepared to depart, but a squealing voice stopped him.

It was the rat, it followed the monster.

The monster leaned, a shadow of his large head hovered over the tiny rat. - "You, young master, want to follow my footsteps? There is not much that I can teach you." - The monster lowered his arm to gently touch the rat's snout with his finger.

The rat sniffed a finger, then climbed it, then ran all the way up to the monster's shoulder.

The village kids started crying. - "Piano rat, please don't go!"

The rat turned its head, squeaked a few times, then moved to the monster's piano and started playing a farewell song.

It was a goodbye and a promise.