The Color of Music
by Carl Santoro
"Go ahead, smell the candle."
She raised it to her naïve nostrils, putting them at risk.
For some unknown reason, closed both eyes.
Yes, it did smell like pure linen. It was a worthwhile experience.
"That brings me back to my childhood in Wisconsin,"
she said as her eyes opened with rapid blinking. A smile took over her face.
She put the glass jar gently aside on the nearby window ledge.
Then, almost at the same moment, they picked up their lemonades.
The view from the porch was of a delightful sunny afternoon,
with a lone cloud lingering over the huge expanse of fresh cut lawn.
Infinity was visually still unreachable.
After a short, tight sip, Margaret reached down by her sandaled left foot
and turned up the volume on the boom box she purchased at
last weekend's yardsale in town.
"Did you see that?!" exclaimed Judy jerking suddenly from her weathered Adirondack chair.
"What? See what?" said Margaret.
"Reach down, honey, raise the volume again. Go ahead. Watch the sky. Watch the grass." Margaret leaned forward, with an outstretched arm pointing out to the landscape before them. "Out there! Watch. Out. There!"
Margaret shook her head as though slightly annoyed at the break of reverie and Judy's unpredictable behavior.
"Okay, okay. Give me a second."
Margaret leaned over. The song, Wide Awake by Katy Perry was in progress.
She turned up the volume.
Stunned, they both pulled back into their chairs and gripped the arms. Judy caught a splinter.
"You see?! Did you see that?" Judy squeaked out in a loud hush, if such a thing can be called that.
"I did. Oh my God. I certainly did. How is that possible?"
"Now try turning it down!"
She lowered the volume and they watched as the colors of the entire view before them became muted, almost only black, white and grey. She bent down and, again, turned it up, and all the earth and sky colors became bright and heavily saturated, depending on how much volume she applied. She made it louder. Everything became even more beautifully intense and rich.
"We gotta tell someone. I don't know, call the news channel? The police? Pastor Amos?"
The song ended. The colors went back to normal.
An ice cube cracked. Lemonades were getting warm.
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Cool. *
Love this, Carl. It started out in my mind as poetry, kept the richness of descriptive language as it transitioned (for me) into flash. And to find it was all about vibrancy and colors of life was the perfect ending.
Well written.*
A lovely piece.
Lots of fun to read, great turns of phrase, wonderful to imagine turning up the colour!
Damn! I saw them,too. *
What a cool/colorful idea.
And nicely executed.
Great detail in this.
*
Faultless -- I read it once. I see it very clearly, and I enjoy the sensation of first believing it is a poem then realizing it is a story. Very likeable -- the sudden introduction of characters mid-piece, the indication of experimental poverty, the worry on my part as reader that experimental poverty could continue beyond the characters' present understanding of it, the opening sentences, naïve nostrils, especially, the idea that the sky's hues are somehow related to the pop song, wow! *
Katy Perry gives the world color. ^_^
(Judy shook her head as though slightly annoyed at the break of reverie and Judy's unpredictable behavior. - should that read Margaret? the second Judy?)
Thank you everyone for visiting "The Color of Music" and commenting. The joy that music can bring does somehow make the world seem brighter, more colorful and playful.
Yes, Frankie you are correct. Margaret is now the one shaking her head as it should've been.