The Stories of an Immortal
written by Aimée Rose
Random short stories about different adventures in a variety of places, times and situations, from the perspective of a time travelling immortal.
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
30
Reads
1,149
My Violin
Chapter 9
A few hundred years ago, when I thought I was as old and wise as I could be, I was given a violin as a present. Exquisite, expensive and elegant, it was everything you could hope for in a violin. However, I had never learnt to play.
Naively, I wondered if by some miracle I might be able to play automatically and become some natural genius at it. That obviously didn’t happen, and although I didn’t make the worst screech ever, it definitely wasn’t the most pleasant sound.
Many good friends offered to teach me how to play, but being extremely arrogant and pompous, I declined, not having the patience to spend another long few years being taught another instrument. So, I decided to teach myself.
And by teach myself, did I mean buy as many books as I could that help you learn, or ask talented musicians how to play? No. I meant wiggle the bow across the strings while my fingers jittered up and down, trying in vain to produce some sort of musical sound. I could even already read music, I just couldn’t be bothered to learn where the notes were on the violin!
After a few more stupid attempts at self-teaching, I gave up. I put the fancy violin back in its sturdy case and hid it from view for years and years.
When I next picked it up, all I did was play some random notes because I still hadn’t bothered to learn anything else, before I put it away again in a sulk. Only now can I see how idiotic I was being for expecting to immediately know how to play after never putting the effort in myself.
The next time I lifted my violin out of its now dusty case, I was older, wiser, and slightly less naive. I knew that there was no way I would be able to play anything remotely pleasing, so I just stared at it, wishing I was able to play it, yet recognising that I was still too lazy and proud to teach myself or have someone teach me.
My violin sat alone for years, gathering dust, which is a huge disgrace for such a beautiful instrument that could have produced the most amazing sound if I had only had the courage and humility to ask for help. Whenever I see a violin at present, I remember how stupid I was to let my only chance to learn it slip out of my grasp, because now I am cursed to never touch, let alone play, a violin again.
Naively, I wondered if by some miracle I might be able to play automatically and become some natural genius at it. That obviously didn’t happen, and although I didn’t make the worst screech ever, it definitely wasn’t the most pleasant sound.
Many good friends offered to teach me how to play, but being extremely arrogant and pompous, I declined, not having the patience to spend another long few years being taught another instrument. So, I decided to teach myself.
And by teach myself, did I mean buy as many books as I could that help you learn, or ask talented musicians how to play? No. I meant wiggle the bow across the strings while my fingers jittered up and down, trying in vain to produce some sort of musical sound. I could even already read music, I just couldn’t be bothered to learn where the notes were on the violin!
After a few more stupid attempts at self-teaching, I gave up. I put the fancy violin back in its sturdy case and hid it from view for years and years.
When I next picked it up, all I did was play some random notes because I still hadn’t bothered to learn anything else, before I put it away again in a sulk. Only now can I see how idiotic I was being for expecting to immediately know how to play after never putting the effort in myself.
The next time I lifted my violin out of its now dusty case, I was older, wiser, and slightly less naive. I knew that there was no way I would be able to play anything remotely pleasing, so I just stared at it, wishing I was able to play it, yet recognising that I was still too lazy and proud to teach myself or have someone teach me.
My violin sat alone for years, gathering dust, which is a huge disgrace for such a beautiful instrument that could have produced the most amazing sound if I had only had the courage and humility to ask for help. Whenever I see a violin at present, I remember how stupid I was to let my only chance to learn it slip out of my grasp, because now I am cursed to never touch, let alone play, a violin again.
