It was paved streets through the town that weaved like an intricate tapestry that took me on. The shelter of trees threw dappled patterns across the ground with every step the sunlight filtered through. Despite the breath-taking views each uneven stone upset a reminder of my uncomfortable step through my bones, urging me to step up the pace.
I whispered to myself, "you're late, Lily," words barely audible over the distant sound of a violin from the park. The spring blossoms impacted the earthy scent; its melody was haunting. I came to the park reluctantly; it was alive a swirling harmony of sound and color.
A voice on the other side of the square shouted — "Hey, Lily!" Her infectious smile and never-ending energy bounded over like a golden retriever as she was Emily.
I replied, "Emily," trying to match her enthusiasm, but my voice did not support me, instead giving off nothing but hesitant warmth.
"Don't you know about the 'Harmony Showdown'?" Now it's all anyone talks about," she continued; words tumble out like beads from a broken necklace.
The violin was interrupted by the buzz of guitar strings, and I half listened as my fingers twitched. "Oh, yeah. Right, the singing competition."
"Of course! Aren't you going to enter? "People have that whole musical mystique."
I flushed under her keen gaze, adjusted my guitar strap, and shrugged one shoulder. "I hadn't thought about it, really." It wasn't exactly true, but it was too much to say otherwise, because with each thought came a whirlpool of anxiety.
"Well, think about it! I'd love to see you up there! Tell them; show them what you're made of." It was her encouragement, but the shadow of doubt loomed heavily over it, and my limp weighing me down.
After patting my shoulder with a finger of comfort, she dashed off to join a crowded group of classmates, and I watched her leave.
As I continued, the dreamy architecture of Harmony Grove surrounded me, each front wall suggestive of an artist's impression, and balconies hung with blooming petunias, cobblestones beneath whose hum with history. The harmony was calming; somewhere in the back of my mind I wondered why my heart had friction in its rhythm.
Timeworn wood and faded charm made it seem comforting in the heart of the park. The melodious tunes here mixed into something comforting. I double checked to make sure no one was around and then set my guitar and eased myself onto the bench inside.
The strings were touched by fingers and the soft melancholic note resonated with the fingers. Music had been a language of sorts and a whisper in my ear urging me forward and needing no translation. But the tuning pegs blurred, and I remembered laughter, and pointing fingers, and they were the counterpoint to my melody, it became woven between the notes.
It was then a clear, rich voice cut through longing, surprising me: "Ah, Lily, there you are."
Mr. Thompson came into sight. He was deformed, but his eyes twinkling beneath the edge of his well-loved hat, and his face showed the wisdom of many stories.
"Modesty. As always." He settled himself beneath the bench beside me. Music calls to you, I hear, Lily. No need to hide it."
A secret string within me was gently admonished. Mr. Thompson, it's not that easy. Sometimes its world is... I'm beyond it."
He was deep in thinking for a while and said, "If Harmony Grove was going to sing with its own notes, it was you who'll write your song." The right ones follow and trust me."
Doubt raised in my mind. "Perhaps. But my song is full of mismatched tunes."
" The finest designs come out of imperfections." His hand was weathered and calloused from years of embrace with music, covering mine. "Believe it, Lily. Every single note and pause exists for music."
And from some distant corner a ray of confidence blew in. "You really think so?"
"Without a doubt." His laugh bubbled up and scattered the shadows through the air. "You don't know how much strength is inside of your melody."
Mr. Thompson's stories and his harmonica filled up the rest of the afternoon in the park, a gentle dance between heartbeats and silence. I did not yet have harmony, but it whispered of a promise, of a note, that was meant to be struck.
As I headed back, his words echoed, a verse of their own accord: It was a reminder that I had something special, even in the harsh clatter of self-doubt. Something that would, maybe, feel at home in the loud colorful vibrancy of Harmony Grove.
Then Mr. Thompson called to me, in a parting wisdom with humor. "Remember, Lily! The best symphonies in the world begin with one note. 'One breathes and everything follows.'
I pushed my fingers gently against the guitar strings brushing, vibrating with a new determined to write their own song along Harmony Grove's
* * * *
Caleb sneered and his voice rang off the classroom walls 'I still don't understand why he even laughing likes that. With the school corridor feeling like an arena, a battle I wasn't one to choose but one I had to live through. My classmates milled around whispering conspiratorially when they thought I couldn't hear. Hoping invisibility would work; I tried to disappear into my locker.
The hushed hallway buzz halted as the voice belonged to another, Alicia's, sharp with fury. "You think she's faking?"
"What's the point?" Caleb chuckled, looking at his friends, sideways. "They're probably just trying to get attention."
I squeezed the cold metal of the locker tighter. I felt like I wanted to answer but it was trapped behind my lips.
"She just wants to skip gym class," Alicia said in a fake sing voice.
Clutching at each title as I reached for it, I willed myself to ignore the cruel words, to focus myself on shuffling books and keep myself grounded to the reality.
A warm contrast to the frigid cruelty around, Emily's presence appeared beside me. "Don't let them get you, Lily," she said.
But her voice was barely above a whisper, and it was full of keen support. I looked sidelong at her, a blue harbor in the storm. Emily insisted, as if her voice were strong enough to block out the barrage, "They just don't get it."
"They're easy for them," I mumbled as I looked down the hall, at the doors that promised a thin escape from this place, "their world isn't... complicated."
"I heard that!" Alicia sang song, her voice a ridicule of sweetness, a snake in a flower.
I turned, and my silence was heavier than my boldness. For a second her daring dimmed, confusion knitting her expression.
Emily tugged on my arms and pulled me towards the classroom, her hand a guiding security.
Reluctantly, she steered me away and I took each step, a mix of relief and defeat, as the bell sounded the end of the confrontation.
As we sat down on our seats, I could only hear Emily, whisper a 'just ignore them.' "It's just because they're bored and looking for someone to pick on."
"Except there's always me," I said, sinking into the chair.
Emily's hand clamped down on my shoulder, a reminder of my ally. The laughter rippling outside was temporarily blocked by the dull hum of the classroom.
"Lily."
His voice dipped with concern, it was Mr. Harris, our history teacher. "Everything okay?"
I nodded too quickly," Yeah, fine" I lied.
His eyes stayed, weighted with questions he didn't ask. "If you ever need to talk…"
"Thanks." My words cut him off, brittle shield against the attention.
The lesson started, the dull drone of history facts a peaceful calm. My mind wandered, over and over again showing me the scene in the hallway.
As the minutes trickled by, I caught bits and pieces of conversation: Greek empires, tested dynasties and alliances that lasted. I wondered if standing there, heartsick with memories, could be any worse than ancient tragedies history knew.
"Hey." Emily nudged me with her elbow, bringing me away from the past. Voices had melded into strange symphony as the class erupted into group discussions. "Lily, You there?"
I sighed, looking at the scattered worksheets with Greek gods and heroes.
She stared at me, her voice dropping as if to conspire. "You've got this. It's your chance at the showdown…."
The words pierced aching places, which had not healed because of laughter like Alicia's. "And what if I trip in front of everyone?"
There was a searching look in her eyes, and she paused. "Since when you let them stop you, Lily?"