Music-Themed Prompt Contest
Prompt: “I never dreamed I’d literally get lost in the music.” Created by Lydia Jane.
John Watson never dreamed he’d literally get lost in the music. But when you’re working with Sherlock Holmes, anything was possible. John flipped the pages of the music score, blinking at the notes that swirled in his brain.
“Sherlock.” His brows furrowed. “We’ve been examining this for—”
“Pianissimo.” Sherlock’s baritone voice projected the word. His gaze unaltered for the past two hours.
“What?”
“Shhhh.”
An apathetic rely—as usual. John’s lower jaw tensed. “Sherlock—”
“The notes, John. Look at the notes.” Sherlock propelled from his modern leather armchair and snatched the music from John’s hand, holding it out.
“Yes. Notes…” He sighed.
“GECG.” Sherlock shook the paper. “The only chord for the entire score is GECG.” He breathed in. “A four digit combination is what we need, and each letter has a corresponding number.”
John took a closer look. “So… 8438?”
Sherlock flung the music into the air and smiled his customary “the game is on” smile…
Prompt 2
Prompt: “Note to self: never play tuba on the subway.” Created by Lydia Jane.
The subway was empty save some riders and my greatest rival. The ball-cap hid his face, but the music note tattoo on his neck was unmistakable: Treble Trouble.
Today, he’d be mine.
A latch clicked, and Treble glanced over his shoulder. Our eyes met.
Drat! But, I could still bring him in, as long as it wasn’t…
A robust melody rumbled through the car. No!
Treble whirled around with flourish, waving his baton. Instantly the brassy metal of the instrument twisted into a looming monster. Its owner—a lanky boy with a shock of red hair—held his case with trembling fingers.
I shot it with an anti-magic bullet, but it was too late. By the time it crumpled to the floor, Treble had already escaped. I glanced to the kid studying his instrument’s busted remains.
“Note to self,” he muttered, “never play tuba on the subway.”
Prompt 3
Prompt: “Her hand froze above the strings, hovering between sound and silence.” Created by Lydia Jane.
It only took a moment. A tiny breath of time between measures of music.
Her fingers paused over the keys. She almost looked over her shoulder at him. Did anyone else notice how the very feel of the room changed when he entered it?
Not a soul stirred, their faces and attention focused on her hands and the piano keys under them. Before they could notice, she began again. Could the people around her tell her attention was only half on the music? The other half noticed when he took his hat off, and where he sat.
The song ended. She raised her hands from the keys, turning to face the crowd of applause. But her eyes were only for him. He didn’t clap, but he smiled. That was all she needed.
A moment later, she was in his arms.
