In 1901, a concert pianist from New York City travels to Boston to the Everett Piano Company seeking the perfect piano. Months earlier, he’d come by a small pouch of mystical ashes after helping a destitute old woman. At the Everett warehouse, upon discovering what he felt certain was the perfect piano, he impulsively sprinkles the bag’s contents into the brand-new instrument while reciting a vodou spell. The piano begins to speak. This is the unusual story of a sentient piano’s adventures and experiences over the next 123 years. Everett goes from being the toast of the town during the Gilded Age, to a life in a mafia speakeasy, then on to a bordello, and eventually to the tropics. Through Prohibition, the Depression, two World Wars, and the Cuban Revolution. He meets people from every walk of life and witnesses the evolution of American society, politics, fashion, and music Everett can feel, hear, and talk, but, like any other piano, he can’t move. His story examines what it means to be alive yet unable to control one’s life. Who is he? What is he, and why is he here? Through his unique friendships he learns about the world around him, and over time begins to understand the nature of his being. He learns about love and tragedy, confusion and loneliness, life and death. He eventually ends up in the home of an author who offers to write his story. They become friends and embark on yet another adventure, a quest for discovery, and the final journey. I wrote this story after purchasing an old Everett parlor grand piano. I play the piano and have always wanted to own one of these big guys. I found this one in the unlikely small town of Lutz, in west-central Florida. Using the serial number, I discovered that the instrument was manufactured in 1901 at the Everett Factory in Boston, Massachusettes. From the factory, it would have been shipped to one of three John Church Company stores in New York City, Chicago, or Cincinnatti. Everett produced what are still considered to be one of the top American-made pianos, Being a storyteller, I couldn't help but wonder about all the different places and venues this majestic instrument had been played and which pianists might have played it over the past 123 years. I couldn't help myself. I began inventing a life history for my Everett and imagined that it might have been possessed by a spirit, allowing it to appear to be alive. Everett's story takes the reader on a journey through a slice of American history, the evolution of American music, and the imaginary trials a sentient piano would encounter as he wonders who he is, what he is, and his purpose. I hope you will enjoy this unsusual tale. I certainly had fun writing it. John York has been writing and publishing thought-provoking novels since 2016, but he's always been a storyteller, even as a kid in Central Ohio where he grew up. His life experiences provided him with a wealth of tales to share with others and resulted in his debut work, Wolf's Tale. According to John, all his intriguing stories of unusual people, places, and events come to him in dreams. His heroes and heroines are typically ordinary people who rise up to accomplish extraordinary things. John currently lives with his wife in New Port Richey, Florida, where he continues to dream up unusual stories, play the piano, cook and enjoy fine wine.