Hello everyone! Spunkie here with a fun short story from our most recent prompt in Ficnatics. Hope you enjoy!
Silence
Silence felt as though it were bearing down upon Yuuri as he sat quietly upon his couch staring blankly at the images that flashed across his television. Though he had once made a name for himself as a composer, he was not widely known due to how little he would perform his music in front of people. He had never been a fan of being a large crowds, but when he had to perform in front of them it would feel as though he could not breathe. He hands would begin to tremble so violently that he could not play the music without missed or wrong notes being hit on the piano. As the years had ed this issue had slowly become more serious until he unfortunately could no longer play for anyone.
Due to this it had greatly impacted his ability to sell the music he composed since more who showed interest in purchasing always wished for him to perform the pieces as they were intended to be played. The pressure from this slowly began to eat at Yuuri causing him to slip into a depression as time ed. The music that once flowed so freely in his mind fell silent as it felt all the color from the world around him faded to a dull monotone. Become confined to his world that had slowly felt it had lost all the beauties of the life he had once known Yuuri had confined himself to his home, rarely leaving unless it was of absolute necessity. Day in and day out he would sit in front of his piano, attempting to create something, but the silence that now filled his mind where the music was easily flowed made him feel as though he had been abandoned by the one thing that had always brought him joy through the years.
Days shifted to months then years as time ed from when Yuuri had been able to compose any music. He was no longer called upon by clients to write pieces, nor did he even have a desire to. He felt as though he has become numb to the monotone world that surrounded him. Nothing excited or inspired him. It just felt as though he would only move through the motions. Through this he had slowly closed himself off from those around him until his friend or family no longer came to visit, but their absent never hurt him. He was only pained by the silence that he could not get to end in his world.
One evening as he had been out running errands when a storm had unexpectedly pushed in. Quickly Yuuri took shelter in an old church to wait for the rain to end, but as he ducked into the building another man had followed in behind him. Yuuri paid him no notice at first, instead taking off his coat to shake what raindrops he could from it. He had grown so numb to others that he never even noticed the man attempting to speak with him at first. It wasn’t until he heard the sharp sticatoo notes from a piano fill the air as someone attempted to play chopsticks. The notes, though choppy and off tempo seemed to resound in him. His heart skipped a beat as he looked up to see from where the music came.
Looking in the dim light of the church, he saw a man sitting on a piano bench softly laughing to himself as he attempted to play the notes. Quietly he walked over to piano as though he were in a trance. With each soft laugh the man gave after each failed attempt to play was as though someone had splashed color onto a blank canvas of paint around them. The man suddenly turned to Yuuri, giving him a bright boyish smile as he spoke.
“I figured I would have some fun while we wait out the storm, but I am no Mozart on the piano.” A small blush crept on his cheeks as he spoke.
Without realizing it, Yuuri had smiled as sat down on the bench next to the man. “I can teach you the song if you would like.”
The time seemed to move to fast as Yuuri taught the man the song, but before he knew it the storm had ed. After a brief goodbye the man departed from Yuuri down the street. Yuuri turned the other direction and made his way back home as he looked around him. The world that had been in monotone for so long had suddenly sprung back to life in vivid colors. Yuuri hastened his steps, nearly running once he had arrived home. Without stipping to remove his coat he immediately went to his piano. It was as though he could not reach it fast enough as his fingers sought to find the keys to begin to play the melody that was flowing freely in his mind. After so long, the silence that had tortured him was gone, now replaced by the joyous music he lived for.
Once the last notes of the song silenced from the room Yuuri found himself wondering who the man had been. Then quickly kicking himself for not even asking the man for his name. It had been so long since anything had interested him that he had been so distracted in the time he had spent with him. A small pain gripped his heart as he wished he could thank the man who had brought life back to the music that had forsaken him for so long. It was in that moment a determination gripped him as he began to compose and refine the song that now flowed into him. He was not certain he would ever see the man again, but he would ensure to share this song that had come to life because of him, hoping one day it would reach him also and make the man.
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