The Harp

By: Nicole Stevens
2/6/09
Once upon a time there lived a family of three, there used to be a forth, family member, but had a horrible, chaotic accident. They all lived in a house on the hillside. In the house there was John Nalgene who was 15 years old, Mary Nalgene who was about 32 years old, the dog, Smack, and Mark Nalgene who was 33 years old when he had a car accident in 1939. John was always playing with his friends, but not spending time with his mother, after Mark had a horrible, chaotic car accident with an icy road and a fast going truck last winter, in 1939.
John always never talks to his mom because she was always busy with her job as a writer. She never gets a day off. All Mary does is write all day and never stops thinking of an adventure for her characters. John and Smack sneaks outside to play without, disturbing John’s mother while she worked.
John was out playing in the forest with Smack. John and Smack started to hear music while they were walking towards a big river. It was the most beautiful music John had ever heard in his life. It reminded him of the same exact music his father would when John was only 12 years old. John and Smack kept getting closer to the where the music was coming from. When John got to the riverbank he could see something shiny on the otherside. John looked around and saw a canoe. He & Smack quickly got in and paddled across the river.
As John and Smack was getting closer and closer, the music started getting louder, and louder. As John was pushing away some branches he could almost see the instrument playing. Smack recognized the music and started barking, and howling. Once John and Smack got closer the more they can see the instrument, the more it looked like a harp. Once John was near the harp. John said, “The rims are just like my father’s design of his harp. Why would this be here? But not in a store? Hmmmm.”
The harp had magnificent floral designs on the rims. John thought, “This is truly the most beautiful music played by the most beautiful yet familiar harp. I wonder why no one had discovered it yet? Maybe I should bring it home.
John picked it up and was surprised at how light the harp feel in his arms. The harp continued to play as John walked home.
Then John wonders, “ I wonder how my mother will react if I brought this home.” John took the harp into the canoe and paddled the canoe back to the other side where Smack was. John and Smack walked back through the woods while John was still holding the harp, the harp started playing graceful music and John and Snack were confused that the harp changed songs.
But John and Smack continued there journey back home. On their way they started to see plants growing around them some trees started to grow apples the other trees started to grow oranges, some trees started to grow lemons, and some trees started to grow flowers.
John thought, “I wonder if that the trees and the plants are glad that the harp is gone or either that the harp is playing something different for once. Eh. I don’t know its just amazing that the plants are sensing that the harp is going or changing songs.”
Once John and Smack seen their house they both started running towards the house. John placed the harp on the living room table, and then went to John’s mother’s office.
“Hey mom,” John said.
“What?” Mary said, while she was still writing.
“Um … I found something you might be interested in.”
“Really? Well what is this something?”
“Well it’s in the living room, I found it in the woods,” John said
“It better not be another raccoon again! You know I don’t like wild animals.” Mary said.
“No not this time. Come look for yourself it’s magnificent it’s in the living room.”
John and his mother went to the living room and Mary said, “OH MY GOD! It couldn’t be.”
“Couldn’t be what?” John said.
“Your…father’s…. h-harp.” Mary said.
John had a surprised look on his face.
“Wh-What?”
“Yes it is your father’s harp. Mark disappeared in the woods, he wasn’t in a car crash!” Mary said.
“What!
“You kept this from me y-you should have told me instead of keeping it from ME! HOW COULD YOU!?” John said aloud.
Then John ran to his room never to come out.
An hour later, Mary knocks on John’s bedroom door.
“GO AWAY!” John said.
John’s mother comes in and says, ”I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. It slipped my mind.”
John looks away from his mother.
“I’m sorry, honey I’m Just to busy with” Mary said.
“Yeah, yeah with your ‘Job’ your always busy. You never spend time with me ever in MY LIFE, Dad was always there to talk to me when I had a problem, but you never!” John said.
Mary leaves the bedroom and went to her office to think what to do next.
The next day John wakes up, runs to the living room because he hears a loud drumming sound that was never played before in his life all he heard was a harp. When John ran downstairs he never saw his mother or Smack since yesterday. John assumes they were still sleeping, but when John ran back up the stairs and checked his mother’s room she was never on her bed. The bed was never touched. Then John runs to his mother’s office and sees Mary was never there either. And then John darts for the door to get away from the house and to find his mother and his dog in the forest. John starts yelling, “MOM! SMACK! WHERE ARE YOU?!” John never found his mother or his dog, Smack. Until John sees His father, Mark and John said, “Dad?” John had a surprised look on his face and somehow had a smile on his face.
Mark said, “Where is your mother?”
“I don’t know where she is, s-she disappeared.” John said.
Mark had a very sad face that he will never see his wife again.
But then something started to happen there was a warp tunnel right behind John. John looks behind him and saw his mother and Smack inside the warp tunnel. And then a loud booming voice said, “ JOHN NALGENE YOU MOST CHOOSE A SIDE, TO BE WITH YOUR FATHER, OR TO BE WITH YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR DOG. YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE!”
“I want to be with both.” John said.
“YOU CANNOT!” said the booming voice.
“Why?” John said.
“BECAUSE YOUR FATHER SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH ME THAT HIS FAMILY WILL BE SAFE FROM HARM, AND TO BE HIS HARP.”
“WHAT?! It can’t be… Why dad, why?” John said.
“I just wanted you all to be safe from harms way,” Mark said.
“You should have just stayed with us and we will be safe.” John said.
“You don’t get it.” Mark said.
“ Get what?”
“I am a descendant of the legendary king Henry the destroyer. The one that I always tell a story about in my music.” Mark said.
“I thought he wasn’t real.” John said.
“He is REAL.” Mark said.
“I always knew that Mark,” says Mary from the warp tunnel.
This is my Sgort story writing I hope you will enjoy!