Hands Prompt

Description of a pianist's hands. Another piece from creative writing.

Long thin fingers sprouted from thin bony hands that were all length and very little width. The cuticles looked worn pushed back with the tips of fingers a nervous habit of his. The skin was the color of parchment but dried out and cracked in some places. It reminded her of the worn pavement of New York City. The nails were cut down to the skin so it would be easier for him to feel the piano beneath his fingers as he brushed its keys, creating wonderful music. The fingers seemed made just for the purpose of floating lightly from key to key on a grand piano, as he now was. He played piano for an outdoor café. The bottom of his hand was smooth with blue veins crowded together in crisscrossing waves of lines that reminded her of the Atlantic Ocean. The top of his hand had veins in the shape of the cherry blossom trees before they bloom. The print of his thumb swirled in the shape of a treble clef. She waited until he stopped playing the piano and asked him “Did anyone ever tell you that you have a pianist’s hands?” He turned to face her and held up his hands looking puzzled and said “I suppose my longer fingers do make it easier to reach the piano keys.”