Feodore Sings
Liatov, the great violinist, ran into an old friend one day in early spring.
“Feodore!” The two men greeted each other warmly.
“Wonderful news! I am to be wed, thanks to you!”
“Me? But how?”
“I could not forget the encore of your last concert.” He demonstrated by singing a few bars. “Anna heard me singing and started a conversation. One thing led to another, and now we are engaged.” Tears of happiness filled Feodore’s eyes.
Liatov didn’t have the heart to tell him the tune was unfamiliar. Furthermore, the sound of it was an affront to his musician’s ears. But men in the throes of love are prone to all sorts of madness, so Liatov simply smiled and gave his friend a huge bear hug.
Months later, Liatov entered the church and was led to the groom’s side. Everyone he knew was here. Surely this was the wedding of the season! Many minutes passed. Men peered at their pocket watches, the organist began improvising. The priest paced the floor.
Suddenly the door flew open and a disheveled Feodore ran to the altar, crying, “She’s jilted me!” He saw Liatov and lunged at him. “All because of your wretched music. She said that song was driving her mad!” It took three strong men to sedate him and pack him off to a nursing home for some rest and recovery.
By autumn, the scandal of the June wedding had almost died down. Liatov received no news of his friend. Then one afternoon, as he was traveling through the burnt-gold and crimson countryside, he saw an old man staggering by the side of the road. The ragged beggar turned his head and Liatov gasped.
“Is it really you?” With great care and gentle persuasion, he convinced Feodore to join him in the carriage.
The wild-eyed man began singing the hideous melody, like one obsessed. The sound spooked the horses who broke into a frenzied gallop. The poor driver was thrown from the box, but lived to tell the tale. The others – Liatov, Feodore and four magnificent, perfectly-matched bays – were never seen again.
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
A haunting story of good news that goes sour. The folk-tale tone here is skillfully wrought, so it seems traditional. A unique take on the prompt!

Julie, this was a very captivating story. Trauma can certainly make a person withdraw from society and you portrayed that well in your story. I enjoyed reading this.
Thank you, Marianna. I’m glad you enjoyed my story.
I absolutely love this, Julie. How one hideous piece of music can have such devastating consequences really intrigued me. Was the music itself possessed? If only Liatov hadn’t been so kind and had made Feodore aware the music was unfamiliar, how different the outcome might have been. A brilliant read, one that leaves me wondering and one I will remember.
What wonderful questions and observations, Linda. I also wonder if the music itself was possessed. I am thrilled that the story leaves you wondering! If we readers are told everything, we might as well be reading newspaper accounts. ????
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
Hello, Julie. I love it. The hideous melody in your story is intriguing. You end it with a great note that lasts and stays in the mind of the reader. Well done, Julie.
Thank you so much, Lotchie. I also enjoyed your latest “Green” story immensely.
You’re welcome. ????
This is highly entertaining and very well written.
Thank you Kayja!
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
Julie, I love the turns, twists and enigma in your story. Well done! I would really enjoy hearing what happened next. It would be brilliant if Voice.Club provided us the opportunity of writing a Part II.
Thank you Margarida. I think some stories might have a Part II, but this isn’t one of those!
Oh dear, not such good news after all! Your story got quite dark by the end. I’d love to know what happened to your protagonists!
Thanks, Carrie. The story did indeed get dark, didn’t it? I must confess I enjoyed that unexpected direction. We will never know what happened, but hopefully readers will continue to wonder. I know I will.
An excellent portrayal of an obsession. I’m now going to be obsessed by your phrase ‘Burnt-gold and crimson countryside.’ Autumn encapsulated in 5 well-chosen words.
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
Allan, thanks so much for appreciating my description of autumn! I often spend hours trying to find just the right word, so it’s a great day when someone notices phrases or words that they think really work. I so appreciate your comment. I do hope, however, that you don’t become obsessed. We have seen where that can lead!
Great story, Julie! It reminded me of ‘The Music of Eric Zahn’ by H P Lovecraft… Who knows who put that accursed music into poor Feodore’s ears. I’d really love to know!
Oh my gosh Greene, I had never heard of “The Music of Eric Zahn”, but after reading your comment I looked it up and read the synopsis. It is eerily similar. I really didn’t set out to write a story about obsession. Originally it was going to be all good news – engagement, wedding, and so forth. But now in retrospect, I realize I was subliminally influenced by a story I grew up with, a Mark Twain tale called “A Literary Nightmare”. In his story it was a catchy jingle that obsessed people. My Dad used to quote it at the dinner table and then all of us kids would be repeating it for days. It was a family joke!
Eerie and memorable. I’m glad you didn’t put a link to the music, like you often do. We’d all be obsessed!
Congratulations, Julie. This story was a favourite of mine.
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
Congratulations, Julie! Really well deserved!
Congratulations, Julie, well done 🙂
Congratulations, Julie. Well done.
Congratulations, Julie, on a very well-written story.
Congratulations, Julie!
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.