A World Without Song
Harrington, Hunter
Grade: 11
School: Fargo North High School, Fargo ND Educator: Lori Koenig
AWARD: Silver Key, flash fiction
Long ago in a world without song, there was a homeless man living in a poor Indian village. He lived his days in silence, saw the world in a melancholy blue and didn’t have anything to soothe his discontent. Every step he took was filled with pain and misery, for he had no money to pay for food, clothes that weren't tattered, and a roof over his head. He had nothing to protect himself from the elements or even the unbearable pain that filled his empty void of a stomach. During the afternoon, when the village had gotten shipments of fruit, he thought that the only way he could ease the hurting inside was to steal. The chief of the village saw that he was stealing from the community and asked the homeless man a question.
“Why are you stealing from us?” the chief's voice boomed and attention drew from the games the children were playing to their conversation.
“I have nothing. No food, no shelter, no family, no happiness,” the man with soot- covered clothes and a sickly smell replied. His words shook when they left parted lips, the man was broken and that was apparent to everyone nearby. The chief, full of pity, let him go without hassle; there was nothing more he could do.
The man then went behind an old birch tree with dead branches so no one could see his tears hydrate the dry sand, but he still wasn’t alone. High above the clouds were the wind gods, discussing what direction the wind should travel next. They overheard the man’s pleading for happiness and him cursing the bleeding silence that ran through his ears. So on the day that the sun blasted its rays, the wind gods swept a current of air to the homeless man. The wind made the dried leaves on the earth dance while the tree branches creaked together like an orchestra.
To accommodate the new sound, blue jays started miraculously singing with pride and rain clouds appeared at the edge of the horizon. The dirty man looked up to the sky with a smile as fresh rain started to pour, the pitter patter acted as a drum beat and the man got an Idea. He picked up a stray leaf and began to blow into it, creating a calming whistle tone throughout the forest. All the animals appeared from their homes and gathered in harmony as life filtered through. The last thing he did was thank the wind gods for their help, for his newfound passion, and the music that had been created.
Harrington, Hunter
Grade: 11
School: Fargo North High School, Fargo ND Educator: Lori Koenig
AWARD: Silver Key, flash fiction
Long ago in a world without song, there was a homeless man living in a poor Indian village. He lived his days in silence, saw the world in a melancholy blue and didn’t have anything to soothe his discontent. Every step he took was filled with pain and misery, for he had no money to pay for food, clothes that weren't tattered, and a roof over his head. He had nothing to protect himself from the elements or even the unbearable pain that filled his empty void of a stomach. During the afternoon, when the village had gotten shipments of fruit, he thought that the only way he could ease the hurting inside was to steal. The chief of the village saw that he was stealing from the community and asked the homeless man a question.
“Why are you stealing from us?” the chief's voice boomed and attention drew from the games the children were playing to their conversation.
“I have nothing. No food, no shelter, no family, no happiness,” the man with soot- covered clothes and a sickly smell replied. His words shook when they left parted lips, the man was broken and that was apparent to everyone nearby. The chief, full of pity, let him go without hassle; there was nothing more he could do.
The man then went behind an old birch tree with dead branches so no one could see his tears hydrate the dry sand, but he still wasn’t alone. High above the clouds were the wind gods, discussing what direction the wind should travel next. They overheard the man’s pleading for happiness and him cursing the bleeding silence that ran through his ears. So on the day that the sun blasted its rays, the wind gods swept a current of air to the homeless man. The wind made the dried leaves on the earth dance while the tree branches creaked together like an orchestra.
To accommodate the new sound, blue jays started miraculously singing with pride and rain clouds appeared at the edge of the horizon. The dirty man looked up to the sky with a smile as fresh rain started to pour, the pitter patter acted as a drum beat and the man got an Idea. He picked up a stray leaf and began to blow into it, creating a calming whistle tone throughout the forest. All the animals appeared from their homes and gathered in harmony as life filtered through. The last thing he did was thank the wind gods for their help, for his newfound passion, and the music that had been created.
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