Ishani couldn't sleep the entire night. Ryan's sad face and that unfinished tune kept flashing before her eyes. Early the next morning, she went to the college's administrative office.
"Sir, is there a student named 'Ryan' in our music department?" Ishani asked the clerk.
The old clerk took off his glasses, browsed the records, and sighed. "Son, the last student named Ryan was here exactly 10 years ago. He was the best pianist in this college, but..."
"But what, sir?" Ishani's heart pounded.
"On the night of a terrible snowstorm, he had an accident. He couldn't make it to the stage for his last performance. People say that since then, every year, when the first snow of winter falls, the sound of a piano comes from room number 404."
Ishani's hair stood on end. Does that mean Ryan wasn't a human being, but a wandering spirit?
That night, it started snowing again. Ishani, unafraid, ran straight to the music room. As soon as she opened the door, Ryan was sitting there. Moonlight streamed through his transparent hands.
"You're back?" Ryan asked without turning around. "Aren't you scared?"
Ishani went and sat down next to him. "My question is bigger than fear—why are you staying here?"
Ryan's fingers stopped on the piano keys. "Because my tune is incomplete. The night I had the accident, I was going to confess my feelings to the girl who was waiting for me in the front row. Until that tune is complete, I won't be free."
Ishani placed her hand on the piano. "I'll help you. Tell me, what's the next note of that tune?"
As Ishani pressed a key on the piano, the room temperature suddenly dropped and ice crystals floated in the air. Ryan looked at her, and for the first time, a glimmer of hope appeared in his blue eyes.