The sky was steely gray and smoothed over with flinty clouds, threatening snow at any moment. Wind whistled along the streets, condensing longingly on shop windows warm and bright with their holiday displays. Puffy winter coats jostled each other and red-suited Santas stood on street corners, waving their bells up and down, up and down.

Through the frozen chatter and incessant clanging of Santa bells, a sweet melody cut in. Starting off traditional with the Nutcracker Suite and moving into a line of improvisation thick with trills and quick grace notes, it faded slowly into Silent Night. Notes piled on top of each other in ringing harmonies, and yet no one turned their head to watch the girl who was breathing life into each note on the doorstep of an empty house.

Her gloves were cut off at the fingers to give them the dexterity they needed to fly over the dirty white keys. A dingy blue jacket several sizes too big was pushed up to her elbows; striped cotton sleeves saved her forearms from the cold. A floppy yellow hat was pulled close over her dark hair; her eyes turned downwards, intent on her little keyboard. It was a tiny thing, sitting with a towel underneath it to protect it from the concrete, whose sound only managed to travel a block away.

As she strolled through another improvised line, her fingers stroked the keys and remembered with yearning the reverberating sound of a grand piano. She'd only played one once in her life, and it was the most euphoric experience she could imagine. The notes ringing from her fingers, dancing in the empty air...

Letting the music trail off for a moment, she blew on her fingers and pulled the sleeves of her hoodie over them. It was hard to imagine that they'd ever be warm again.

Releasing her fingers into the crystallized air, she started into the Moonlight Sonata as silver moonlight frosted the roofs of the buildings and the sun slipped out of sight. She licked her chapped lips, her face seemed frozen.

It was time to go. Ending with a last strumming chord that faded to nothing, she wrapped the keyboard in the towel, tucked it under her arm, and walked away.

Still, no one had glanced down.