The closing notes of Bach’s
Brandenburg Concerto #5 sounded as I finished my report and submitted it for
review. I leaned back in my chair with relief and smiled as the first playful
notes of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” started again. It had been on repeat in my
personal playlist for weeks. A glance at the clock confirmed my workday was
over, but the music was never wrong. I tapped my toes as I clicked through the
grocery website, selecting items to pick up on the way home.
My happy soundtrack continued
through the evening commute, even when some jerk cut much too close in front of
me. I was grooving to some old INXS tunes and decided it wasn’t worth getting
mad. As I pulled in the driveway, the Wicked soundtrack started, and I knew
Christina must be home from volleyball.
“Come help with the groceries,” I
called from the garage. She answered on the intercom, “Be right there,” in a
singsong voice that told me practice had gone well. As she opened the door, our
soundtracks united on “Popular”, and we sang it together as we put away
groceries and started preparing dinner. We were having fun using spatulas as
microphones for the finale when the sound dialed down to barely audible. David
didn’t care for musicals. As he walked in the door, the syncopated rhythms of
Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” made Christina roll her eyes.
After dinner, we all separated
for our own work and study. I heard jazz follow David, and some pop tune
upstairs where Christina disappeared into her room. I stood in my study and
heard…nothing. No music. I waited. Now that I was thinking about it, surely it
would start up. Sometimes the system had a delay in selecting the right
playlist, but I frowned, trying to remember the last time I had heard…silence.
The room felt larger than usual. I loved my cozy study, but with no music, it
seemed uncomfortable somehow. There must be a glitch in the system.
I’ll go get some water, I thought. Surely a walk out to the kitchen
and back would reset things and start up a fresh playlist. Though at this rate,
it had better be something soothing. I tried to think of what I wanted to hear.
Guitar? Classical? Pop? I couldn’t call a single piece of music to mind. I
faltered in the hallway. My chest felt tight, and I couldn’t draw in a full
breath. I was starting to panic.
Where was my music? I was scared,
feeling myself falling backward, but I couldn’t cry out, couldn’t reach out my
arms to stop my fall. I hit the side table and knocked the vase of fresh
flowers Christina had just arranged onto the floor. I felt the water and stems sprawling
across my arm. I felt the back of my head strike the cold tile floor, bounce
up, and land again. I tried to call out to David or Christina. Their
soundtracks were too loud for them to hear me, even if I could have made a
sound.
My eyes closed, and I fought to
keep them open. I felt cold seeping over my body, covering me like a blanket,
and I was terrified of what would happen when it covered me completely. All I
could think was, Where is my music?
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Dogs in house
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Houdini
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Music
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Frozen
soundtrack
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Time writing
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15 minutes
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February word
count
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4,793
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