The Singing Steel

I stepped onto the piano bench and reached toward the music rack, where two yellowed pages of sheet music rested. Nestled right in the wooden groove lay a slender, two-pronged steel tuning fork, cold and clean. I paused, touching its silvery tines with two fingers before lifting it carefully with both hands. It felt remarkably light. Holding the stem securely, I gave one prong a gentle tap against the wooden edge. It made only a faint chime in the air, so I pressed the round metal base directly against the piano's dark mahogany lid. Instantly, a deep, crystalline note hummed straight through the wood, vibrating softly against my palms like a quiet spell.