The granddaughter bowed a legato Etude with strong, smooth strokes, her liquid bob shielding emerging cheekbones. The pine scent of wafting resin made me sneeze. Two violins rejected, she was testing a third. “It needs tuning. But that’s okay.” Her wide, toothy grin exposed hope. She down bowed with a flourish. “This is it!” Joy exploded my chest like fireworks. Violin cases were exchanged, light for heavier. She clutched the heavier case to her heart. My faded blue credit card scraped the music store slot machine. My voice stuck in my throat as she whispered, “She’s meant to be mine.”
About the Creator
Barbara Steinhauser
MFA Writing for Children and Young Adults
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More stories from Barbara Steinhauser and writers in Fiction and other communities.
Emergent
Jeannie abandoned me for Catholic school. Our twin sweats hung isolated, their Jersey softness worn thin. I shopped fifth grade supplies, adjusted my backpack and climbed the orange bus like one sliced in two. No giggling seat mate anticipated my arrival. Tears dribbled down freckled checks, dropping onto library books weighting my lap. I became Pippi Longstocking, Anne of Green Gables. A quirky orphan. My new identity, fresh as loneliness, fake as fiction spurred a reading frenzy. I read so many books, I became Westview Elementary School’s reading champion. Still, I poured chocolate malted milk powder on ice cream, alone.
By Barbara Steinhauser 18 days ago in Fiction
Braided Chain
Port of Seattle, WA, September 1912, Footsteps clamored on the wooden panels as I waited. The sun was setting over the harbor cascading orange and gold light across the faces of silhouettes who strolled the boardwalk. Local men and women dressed in their finest attire catching the last of the summer night air that now had a chill as wind gusts came in over the sea.
By C. H. Richard6 days ago in Fiction
The Notorious Odyssey of Jonathan James
In the annals of cybersecurity, one name stands out as both a cautionary tale and a symbol of the complex intersection of technology, justice, and mental health – Jonathan James. Known as the first minor to be sentenced for cybercrime in the United States, Jonathan's story unfolds against the backdrop of the microcomputer revolution, a time when computers were becoming more accessible, and the digital landscape was still largely uncharted.
By ShaCayne Jackson2 days ago in Fiction
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