It should be something inspirational, something to make the piece soar, a fitting climax to the whole movement.
He scratched his head, chewed the end of the pencil, let his fingers dance over a few keys until they ended in a terminal ‘thunk’.
It was no good. He just couldn’t find the right expression of hope when so much was going wrong: the pandemic; rioting and racism; political turmoil – and it showed no sign of getting better anytime soon.
Then there was his own life to worry about: the theatre was shut and redundancies loomed; his mother was stuck in the care home unable to receive visitors, and to top it off he was having to deal with the insurance company after the minor collision yesterday.
He stood and went over to the window. A gloomy, grey, cloud-filled sky greeted him, the perfect expression of his mood. There was inspiration for another deathly doom-laden symphony a-plenty, but that was not what he had been commissioned to compose.
As he watched the sky, high above, a perfect V-shape swooped into view: geese migrating for the summer in the south where they would breed. He watched them swoop past, admiring the controlled formation and order.
He felt a stirring in his mind. Notes in the shape of a dancing ‘V’, up and down, a lilting rhythm that started to build, then fell, then built again. He added strings to the piano notes, then woodwinds danced in and out of the lush, building crescendo.
He smiled and returned to the piano and began capturing the simple notes before they disappeared.
At least he had managed to finish. Whatever happened next could wait.

This is a response to theΒ #writephoto Prompt: SoarΒ curated over atΒ Sue Vincentβs Daily Echo. Click on the link to read other stories inspired by the image.
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34 responses to “COMPOSITION”
Love hope you used this image in your story.
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Thank you so much π
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Youβre welcome Iain.
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This is an engaging, feel good read, Iain. Enjoyed it. π
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Thank you so much π
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You are welcome. π
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Always so good π
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Thank you Beck, too kind π
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Very nice! Enjoyed this very much! π·
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Thank you so much!
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Artists yearn for beauty and inspiration. Sometimes you have to remember to look above the mud. I enjoyed this very much.
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Thanks Eugenia – it can be tough going in times like these!
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Nice! Inspiration can appear from anywhere; even when times are dark.
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Thank you π
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Loved your take on this Iain.
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Thank you Di, glad you liked it π
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I did!
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Wonderful piece! It told of hope even amidst the chaos!
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Thank you so much π
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Very welcome! Hoping to read your book this week. π
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Marvellous, do let me know how you get on with it! π
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I definitely will! Hope its selling well for you.
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Hope is found in unlikely moments π
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It’s always there lurking. Thanks Sue
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It is.
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This was wonderful and engaging story, Iain. It goes to show you that inspiration can come from anywhere. There is always hope on the horizon.
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Thank you π
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You’re most welcome π
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[…] Continue reading at Iain Kelly […]
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Out of despair came hope, out of stress came joy, out of depression came inspiration and triumph.
Great piece Iain ππ
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Thank you so much π
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ππ
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ππ a great piece Iain
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[…] Iain Kelly […]
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