FF – The Music of Life
Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This week’s photo was contributed by Rochelle as well!
I popped a little musical glossary at the end in case you know as little about music as me 🙂
Copyright Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
Bran dropped the duster and stared at the instruments, seeing his life written in music. The ebb and flow of the melody, at times allegro, others adagio. His early years, the rise and swell of a rousing march. The loss of his parents, a slow, melancholy dirge in a minor key.
His adoption by the Maestro? What music represented such misery?
“Bran! Stop dreaming! Clean! Clean, you worthless idiot!”
The belt cracked across his back. He choked back the tears and eyed the tuba, gauging its weight. Truly a blunt instrument.
The music was about to get messily, violently fortissimo.
allegro: played very quickly
adagio: a slow passage
fortissimo: played very loud
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Friday Fictioneers
draliman on life 
Death by Tuba, that’s a new one, but perhaps deserved.
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I wonder if he hit him with it or rammed it over his head? 🙂
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I absolutely love the idea of a life written in music – so apt and so tragic for your protagonist. But absolutely wonderful for others who would find the world an infinitely dull place without the magic of lyric and melody. Your story is really engaging.
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I usually have a tune in my head 🙂 I’m glad you liked it!
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A blunt instrument… love that. Sure to put a dent in any skull
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Very literally! A novel murder weapon.
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Poor guy. They don’t treat him right at all. Another good story.
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Hopefully he’ll escape once he’s battered the Maestro with the tuba 🙂
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Hilarious! I’m singing your praises! 😀
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Thanks, I’m glad you liked it 🙂
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What a delightful road you took with your story. You took us through Bran’s life in music. I think it will come through in a crescendo!
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I think so too! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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I didn’t see where this story was leading – so thanks for surprising me. It sounds like the Maestro deserves what’s coming to him.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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He does for sure 🙂
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Tubas were the original heavy metal and I’m sure could create some head banging music…
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Ha, I’m betting he can!
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Bran may have a head for music, but he sure wouldn’t make a great assassin. There are so many ways to fail when trying to bludgeon a man with something as unwieldy as a tuba. He may as well wish for a piano to fall out of the sky like in a cartoon. Try a flute through the heart instead, young man…
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You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you…
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It was the recurring nightmare where I am trapped backstage at a Justin Bieber concert….
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The horror!
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A man could suffocate inside a tuba. I see that very clearly.
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They’re dangerous things, tubas. People just don’t realise…
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Wonderful imagery (er, sound-ery?) of the life written in music. But oh dear, the song has taken a disturbing turn and is about to reach a fevered pitch… The tuba is a blunt instrument in so many ways. 😉
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A note of discord is about to enter the melody of his life. I’m glad you liked it 🙂
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Ah, nice follow-up.
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Uh, oh. There goes another character. I’d say the lesson here is never to pick on someone who can lift and swing a large tuba. This attacker is too dumb to survive. Is he wearing a red shirt? I’ve learned their fate from Star Trek. 😦 — Suzanne
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Red was his favourite colour! This was his last music lesson 🙂
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This was great. A lifetime described in music… ending with a deafening sound…or is that deadly?
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Deafeningly deadly 🙂
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i wonder if that’s the proper way to learn how to play an instrument. but who am i to judge?.
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I’m sure he knows what he’s doing 🙂
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Seems like poetic justice, or is that lyrical.
Either way 🙂
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Either way, justice is done 🙂
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Dear Ali,
Truly an opus of a story. The Maestro’s about to meet his “Tuba-loo.” Brava!
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Ha, “Tuba-loo” 🙂 Yes, his final stanza is written. I’m glad you liked it!
Ali
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Loved the ending.
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Thanks, the music became more discordant as the story progressed 🙂
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Love the way you used musical terms within your piece. Fortunately, I knew what they were and that made it an excellent story needing no explanation!
Click to read my FriFic tale
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Adagio was the one I didn’t know beforehand. I’m glad you liked it!
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I love the metaphors in this, some great use of musical language
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Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
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LOL “blunt instrument”. That really lightens the mood.
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That one fell in my lap and no mistake 🙂
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Very clever tale. The way you used music terms was brilliant from “seeing his life written in music” onwards. =)
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Thanks, I’m glad you liked it! I thought I’d try inserting some foreign words to make me seem all sophisticated and whatnot. I still managed to kill someone off, though 🙂
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Yes, I did notice that you (haha). Enjoyed it! =)
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🙂
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Hmmm…I really should proofread my comments before clicking “Post” but you got my meaning anyway. 🙂
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As a musician myself, I appreciated the use of musical terms to describe the rising emotion. Well done.
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Thanks, I’m glad you liked it!
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There was a lot of music going around in this story, Draliman,🤔 no more tubas for me, though…MOL 😀 Pawkisses for a Happy Weekend 🙂 ❤
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Stay away from tubas, LB, they’re dangerous instruments 🙂
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Tuba or not tuba, that is the question (sorry).
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Grooan 🙂
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What a gruesome end for the Maestro! Loved your use of musical terms.
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Gruesome but well-deserved. I’m glad you liked it!
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I really enjoyed the (musical) style of writing
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Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
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Massively original. Liked it!
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Thanks, I’m glad 🙂
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LOVE the use of music terms and metaphor – and for some reason i felt an english accent here – ??
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That would be my default accent so it’s possible! And it feels a bit “Oliver Twisty” 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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🙂
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and I just happened to start watching BBC’s series Oliver Twist (tried getting through the Pickwick Papers but was tough)
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Life written in music – a brilliant metaphor. It’ll be a sudden fortissimo for the Maestro!
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It will indeed, I’m glad you liked it!
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Love the way you interwove the musical terms. I had a sense of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice reading this. I think Maestro deserves a tuba over the head for his cruelty.
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It does have a Sorcerer’s Apprentice sort of feel doesn’t it? He definitely deserves death by tuba. I’m glad you liked it!
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music can define any mood , any sensation and feeling… the right kind of music can lift your spirits and make you remember long forgotten someone…
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Very true!
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This was fun! Way to go!
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Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
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