Wednesday, February 17, 2010

48. Rhapsody


It was in the thick of the lunch-time gaggle that he stumbled upon the cellist. The air, although sweltering as he wound his way down from the canyons of Bridge Street, turned balmy under the influence of the harbour. The promenade was littered with street-entertainers, all after the same dollar. Knife-swallowers and flame-throwers, competed with didge-players and Spanish guitarists.

He had not been looking for anything in particular and, pied-piper like, followed the beckoning sound. Everything about her mesmerised him: the angle of the bow, the wisp of yellow hair, the height of the heels and the red of the toenails. He watched as her toned arm worked the horse hair across the frets. The instrument was hollow, yet resonated so purely in the vast open air amphitheatre that was the Quay.

Even before looking up, she sensed his scrutiny and, reaching the end of the phrase, stole a glance.

3 comments:

Vicki said...

Very visual. But more than that it’s aural. If I close my eyes, I can hear the scene.

Favourite line: ”… pied-piper like, followed the beckoning sound.”

Julie said...

Yeah, I am pretty much a walking sponge.

Joan Elizabeth said...

Oh I can feel a love story coming on ... it's that stolen glance at the end ... he's in love already with the red toenails.