Call the Doctor

His voice was so deep it set the glasses to rattle on the table, and when he laughed his eyes were almost swallowed by his jolly cheeks.

But it was when he sat down at the piano that he come really alive.

You’d never think fingers so thick and calloused could move like that, drift with such grace over the keys like he was barely touching them.

Even more surprising was the music itself, magical and thundering and sinuous and hilarious.

You could feel your heart pulling right out of you, your feet set to moving all on their own.

Friday Fictioneers

25 comments

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  1. rochellewisoff

    Dear Josh,

    What a wonderful character construction, in few words. I want to find out where he’s playing. As for the voice I went to “You Want it Darker” by Leonard Cohen.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

  2. granonine

    Oh, how I longed to be able to play the piano with such magic and grace in my hands. Never quite reached that pinnacle, but I’ve had fun on the journey :)

  3. Dale

    Beautifully done, Josh. I love it when an artist comes out and shocks us because we don’t expect them to deliver what they do!

  4. Lynn Love

    The rhythm of this works with the story, it has a slight musicality to it which makes me imagine the pianist even more clearly. Lovely story Josh

  5. Russell Gayer

    I love his description in the opening paragraph.
    One of the best fiddler players I ever heard had fingers the size of bratwurst. I was amazed at how he could play an instrument with such a small neck with fingers like his. But I guess talent comes in all sizes & shapes of packaging.

  6. gahlearner

    The description of the character tells so much about him, but the description of the music–hilarious–makes me be in the scene, tap my feelt, laugh an clap (in my head, I’m not that crazy.) Great writing.

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