A New Goal
This was sparked by me needing to write more. Since I've gotten a number of commissions, this gives me an excuse to post both the commission, and write something inspired my it.
This is the first in a four-ish-part story thing. Hope you like where it starts!
Inspiration here: http://www.sofurry.com/view/489684
He'd been up for hours, but had yet to dress. Pacing back and forth all day, he had almost wore a track on hardwood floor. He walked past the room where it was all day, but had yet to gain the motivation to get the damn thing. With a frustrated sigh at himself, the tan Rat moved to his cello case tucked away in the corner.
"God... Five years," he said, blowing some of the dust off the case. Laying the case on the floor, he brushed his paw along the hard case, covering his fingers with layer of dust. Without thinking, he wiped his paw against his turquoise sweats.
As he opened the case, he saw the plated inscription on the inside lid catch the light:
TJ - May Music Always Follow You - HT
The Rat sighed as he rubbed a knuckle against the plate. TJ hadn't thought of him in a while. For better or worse, he knew not, but it had been a number of years.
He shook his head. "That's not why you're here, TJ." The Rat stood and brought a chair over. He reached a paw out and moved the two struts holding the bow in place. With the wood and horsehair piece in his paw, he examined it closely.
The wood still looked good. Such a dark tone it almost looked black - still very smooth. He ran the back of his index finger over the piece, checking for splinters. Not that he expected any.
Turning the bow upside down, he looked at the hairs, slack and mobile. With his left paw, he spun the button on the end of the bow clockwise. As the hair became taut, the wood did as well and he sat down. With a good amount of give, there was still about two centimeters of space between the closest bits of hair to wood.
TJ placed the bow in his lap as he pulled the cello out of the case with great care. With it, he removed a cloth from the case and started to dust off the large instrument. It didn't need it, as the case protected it from most of the elements, but still the Rat ran the cloth smoothly over the instrument. Back, front, under the tailpiece, the tailpiece itself, fingerboard, scroll, tuning pegs. They all got a dusting.
Satisfied it was free of dust, TJ placed the cello on its side next to him, and the bow on it, as he returned to the case. In his paw, he had a rubber endpin stop and rosin. The rosin stayed in his paw while he placed the stop over the pointy endpin then picked up the bow.
As he rosined up his bow, he thought of the last time he had done this. Back in college and a little disheartened. Had to stop played in high school due to a military family. Kept the ear, lost the skill.
"But now, I will get better. I have a goal - and I will reach it." There was confidence in his eyes as he picked the cello up and held it in a resting position.
TJ closed his eyes and used his full paw the grip the frog of the bow and, with no form or finesse, he dragged the bow obnoxiously across the G and C strings. His paw randomly on the fret board distorts the sounds further. His eyes are closed and there is a slight smirk across his muzzle as the hollow room carried the obnoxious sound.
As it finally died down, a smile really broke out across his face as he reached for a tuner from his case and properly tuned the instrument. One by one, the strings were tuned and the smile never left his face. "Well, let's see where we stand," he said and, with a proper grip on his bow, he drew the horsehair across the string.
_ _
Harry had a little lamb,
Little ham, little lamb.
Mary had a little lamb
Who's fleece was white as show
_ _
And everywhere that Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went,
Everywhere that Mary went,
The sam was sure to go
_ _
It followed her to school one day,
School one day, drool one day,
It followed her to school one day,
It was against the rules
_ _
It made the children laugh and play,
Laugh and play, laugh and play,
It made the children laugh and play,
To see the sam at school.
_ _
With a full body shudder, the Rat put his bow on his lap. "God, I still have the ear, that's for sure." He shuddered again and picked up the tuner. Turning it on and putting it on his knee, he was ready to try again. "Slower, this time..."
And with a steady and even stroke, he practiced.