SOUL MUSIC
She only stopped playing when her
arthritis forced her to, but she still dusted the keys and polished every inch each
week.
The piano-tuner still came regularly
too. I remember his dog would sit underneath – a gentle creature.
Then the day after her funeral her
husband banished me to the shed.
Obviously he doesn’t realise a piano
has a soul.
................................................
This week's photograph by Anshu is so sad, and my story was written in five minutes - truly flash fiction!
That's so sad!
ReplyDeleteThat's how I felt, Patsy.
DeleteWhat could be more soulful than growing plants?
ReplyDeleteI think the plant was accidental - to the husband, at least.
DeleteI think this is the first story I've seen from the perspective of the piano itself, which is a creative way to go! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Lauren.
DeleteThere are certain connections only the concerned people understand. Human beings do not respect plants and animals. A piano is considered to be an inanimate object.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting, Reena.
DeleteIt's understandable that many impute feelings to an instrument. Guitars can gently weep. Pianos can be like that too
ReplyDeleteGlad you get it, iamtw
DeleteOoh, interesting concept! I like it...
ReplyDeleteThanks Helen
DeleteMaybe he has no soul. A music grinch?
ReplyDeletePerfect description!
DeleteSad - lovely work!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jennifer
DeletePoor piano, from glory to planter.
ReplyDeleteI suppose it's still life.
DeleteGosh, you produced that in five minutes? Amazing. Well done.
ReplyDeleteSusan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Thanks Susan - yet there are times when it takes me days to find inspiration - and you are always quicker than me!!
DeleteSuch a tragedy for a sensitive piano. Oh, the music it must have played!
ReplyDeleteAnd it liked the piano tuner's dog 💕
DeleteAn unplayed piano is such a sad metaphor for life. Economically done.
ReplyDeleteThanks iain
Deletehe should have donated it to charity instead. i bet he's ready to move on and get another wife.
ReplyDeleteHe should - and I agree with you, plaridel!
DeleteNothing more poignant than an instrument no longer in use. Very evocative.
ReplyDeleteI would like to rescue any I see in junk shops, though I have no room for a piano and don't play well.
DeletePerhaps the flowers growing from the piano will make him stop and think. A delightfully different take on the prompt.
ReplyDeletePerhaps they will, and thanks Keith.
DeleteI loved that this was from the piano! Lovely take!
ReplyDeleteThanks AIB
DeleteDear Liz,
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame. He could've at least given it to someone who loved music as much as she did. Poignant tale from the piano POV.
Shalom,
Rochelle
He could. He was clearly an insensitive man.
DeleteShe brought life to everything she touched, me thinks. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely thought, Violet.
DeleteYou gotta love a piano that likes a dog. :) What a unique perspective and such an unfeeling husband.
ReplyDeleteThanks GaH
DeleteOf COURSE a piano has a soul! Otherwise, thousands of people would not have tears running down their cheeks as they listen to the music, the voice of the composer, the performer, and the instrument.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you agree, Linda!
DeleteNo one thinks it that way.. So sad really
ReplyDeleteThank you Anshu - great photo.
DeleteMaybe the piano was banished because it was too painful for him to see...
ReplyDeleteThat is also a possibility. Flash fiction often leaves the reader to make their own interpretation!
Deletelove brings all things to life. it is the only thing that does. i made a connection between the loving way the piano tuner treated his dog, often thought of as an inferior, and the contrast between the way the husband treated his wife's beloved piano. i enjoyed your story with its ambiguity
ReplyDeleteThank you jade for reading so much into my little story.
DeleteThere is a resonance that comes off old objects, whether imagined or something more tangible. The soul of your piano, perhaps. Lovely writing Liz
ReplyDeleteThanks Lynn.
DeleteA nice subtle twist at the end with the surprise reveal that it's the piano's point of view. A sad story, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Margirene - not seen you for a while!
DeleteMaybe he only saw the sadness of the piano's soul...
ReplyDeleteThat's a distinct possibility - trust a poet to think of that.
DeleteWhat an awful way to go through life, not seeing the beauty or realizing these things have souls. Houses deteriorate fast after they are abandoned and cars stop running if they aren't driven regularly. Maybe it is us who puts our souls into these things? Who knows!
ReplyDeleteGreat story!
-Rachel
Thanks Rachel - I agree with every word!
DeleteHow poetic. <3
ReplyDeleteOh, that's not good! But then why would husband understand the importance of an old piano! Good story Liz!
ReplyDelete