STRAWBERRY SWING

She’d had the idea while watching a gardening magazine show – apparently plants had emotions and responded to music and words.

Perfect. She stripped down the old grand piano, rejigged the strings and hammers, filled it with grade-A compost and planted the seeds.

She soon had a playlist – Rachmaninoff and Chopin went down best from the Classics, and of her modern repertoire The Beatles, particularly ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’.

Things wilted over anything post-2000 and Wagner.

After a rendition of ‘Strawberry Cake’ by Johnny Cash they were ready to be picked.

Dessert that night was the sweetest Strawberry American Pie she’d ever tasted.


piano-anshu
Copyright Anshu Bhojnagarwala

Written as part of the Friday Fictioneers challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).

To read stories of 100 words based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.

116 responses to “STRAWBERRY SWING”

  1. I wondered about doing a plants and music thing too. I’m glad I didn’t. Yours was better

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Neil, it seemed to be the way to go for me

      Liked by 1 person

  2. They might well wilt over anything past 2000. Such an innovative take. Well done.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Strawberries growing in a piano has to be the sweetest. No wonder dessert was tasty that nigh.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Abhijit 🙂

      Like

  4. Yum!!!! Pass the whipped cream!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Now you’re talking 😉

      Like

    1. Thank you Roberta 🙂

      Like

  5. LOL! A fun. sweet story to start the day with!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You’re very welcome 🙂

      Like

  6. Dear Iain,

    Well played fun. So bye-bye, Miss American Pie…;) Good one.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you Rochelle 🙂

      Like

  7. I use Wagner to kill aphids. “What makes your roses so beautiful?” the neighbors shout over the din.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. He has his uses after all!

      Liked by 1 person

  8. I was going to say something about your “wilted over anything post-2000” comment and Coldplay, but then I saw your title for the story and decided “never mind”….

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’ll be honest, I was struggling for songs that included ‘strawberry’ in the title!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. The Beatles was the obvious, but after that, I’m sure it wasn’t easy!

        Liked by 1 person

  9. I love the way you wove the music into the story. Nice one, Iain.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Interestingly, raspberries thrive when listening to Wagner and that Sheeran chappy.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Don’t they end up tasting a little bitter?! Thanks Keith 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Nice one – very clever!

    Susan A Eames at
    Travel, Fiction and Photos

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Grand promotion for one of those niche cafes perhaps?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh yes, it would get the art-y folk in for sure! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  13. I started to laugh as you just threw song titles at this.
    A big raspberry from me!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It was strawberry or banana, there are not a lot of fruit based songs to choose from!

      Like

  14. nice……. I can almost taste those strawberries!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Di, they taste better when you’ve put the effort in yourself!

      Like

      1. I know! We didn’t have much success with strawberries, but tomatoes, onions and green beans, YUM! However, we did have a go and I had a beautiful big strawberry just right for picking, and the damn blackbird got there before me!

        Liked by 1 person

  15. A fun take on the prompt – and that pie sounds delicious.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. My final year project at university was not totally dissimilar to this, but with less impressive results. 😉

    Do you think you could grow some good chilli plants if you played the Spice Girls?

    Liked by 3 people

  17. So nice..I’ve always believed that music can make a real difference for plants

    Liked by 1 person

    1. One of those things that’s always rumoured to be true.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. A lot of 2000-era music will wilt me too… nice one!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, yes, I have to admit to being a bit lost with most modern music!

      Liked by 1 person

  19. American pie the day the music died… but it sounds delicious

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tastes not too bad too 😉

      Like

  20. it looks like it was all worth the effort. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Rewarded for all that effort 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  21. I’m visualizing trying to play a piano with soil in it’s strings.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. It may need a lot of tuning

      Like

  22. I’m so glad you saw a light-hearted story in the prompt. I found the image of the desecrated grand piano very distressing! You wrote your story with a lovely, delicate touch.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Penny, glad you enjoyed

      Liked by 1 person

  23. You achieve so much with 100 words! Wonderfully told and a lovely idea, a step up from organic! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Funny stuff Iain, animal like music so why not plants? Love this one!

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Delightfully whimsical.

    Liked by 1 person

  26. “Things wilted over anything post-2000 and Wagner.” I bet they wouldn’t mind The Decemberists or The Bare Naked ladies. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well, each plant has their own tastes 😉

      Like

  27. What a fabulously original take, Iain!
    Love it! How about some Strawberry Wine (Pat Benatar) 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The perfect accompaniment!

      Liked by 1 person

  28. This is great, Iain. So creative! Funny, because I just finished practicing the piano—I’ve been taking lessons for 1 1/2 years. 🙂
    Lots of blessings.
    Debbie

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I hope you succeed, I failed unfortunately, a long time ago!

      Liked by 1 person

  29. I want it toooooo 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m not sure she is sharing 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  30. I had a botany professor who swore that music affected his house plants, and I wouldn’t dismiss it. Plants can sense all kinds of vibrations, and other things that aren’t obvious at first sight. They don’t have a nervous system like we do, but they can transport information, mostly chemically and mechanically. They even can communicate with each other. Great story, I love it.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much – I shall have to try singing to my plants more!

      Like

  31. Enjoyed it! Id prefer strawberry shortcake with whipped cream, myself!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well, if you grow your own you’re welcome to use them as you wish 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  32. I must try this, as I love strawberries, but I felt for Wagner,

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The blackberries love him 😉

      Like

  33. Very clever… Sounds like those strawberries are filled with music! I’m allergic to strawberries, but I think I would risk it for these ones

    Liked by 1 person

    1. *other fruits grown in pianos are available 😉

      Like

  34. And now I’ll have to go pick up some strawberries! Thanks Iain.
    (though they surely won’t be as good as your piano strawberries)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. They’re healthy too, so a treat all round 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  35. Now I’ve got an ear worm.

    Let me take you down
    ‘Cause I’m going to Strawberry Fields
    Nothing is real
    And nothing to get hung about
    Strawberry Fields forever

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Not a bad one to have

      Liked by 1 person

  36. That’s brilliant Iain… Piano to music and strawberry to dessert… Wow

    Liked by 1 person

  37. A witty and entertaining story – made me smile – especially the plants wilting over Wagner !

    Liked by 1 person

  38. I love this, especially the [post 2000 comment.

    Liked by 1 person

  39. You did a really good job of blending the music and botany themes. I had a start about using an old piano as a garden bed, but it wilted on the vine.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I just about managed to make it work I think!

      Liked by 1 person

  40. Yes this reminds me how music is food for our souls.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It certainly can help to sustain us.

      Liked by 1 person

  41. I’ve heard music/talking to plants helps growth but to experiment with different tunes is an awesome take on this story. Great job.

    Liked by 1 person

  42. As someone who is constantly talking to her plants, I think she is onto something here. Lovely piece of Writing Iain, and I really want to taste that strawberry pie recipe

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Lynn, ever thought of playing some music to them as well? 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Well, I might. Thing is, the only classical music I own is in the minor key – Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, Vaughan William’s Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis, Barber’s Adagio for Strings. Look them up – all depressing! Would some Cure work? Siouxsie and the Banshees, New Model Army, The Sisters of Mercy … 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  43. Can’t beat good music. Loved the references.

    Liked by 1 person

  44. So, bye by ms. piano driven pie
    drive those berries to my tummy
    taste so good you’d almost fly

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Wonderful, thanks for joining in!

      Like

  45. I’ve heard the theory about plants liking classical music. Also that if you talk to them they grow better. Someone told me that’s because we’re breathing carbon dioxide over them. I think your idea sounds much better. It’s a fun story too.

    Liked by 1 person

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