Muted Melodies Novels & Stories

Music became the language through which I could convey my deepest joys and sorrows. So I will be playing the melody of Dandelions by Ruth B. My fingers trembled with anticipation as I pressed the first key, producing a sound that seemed foreign and discordant. It was clear that my touch was not enough to produce the harmonious melodies I had envisioned. Undeterred, I continued to press each key, determined to improve the synchronicity of the notes and create a beautiful composition.

Dulcet tones created a wordless rhythm, one that was slow, comforting, and quiet. It was mellifluous, and Uriel dared to say he could listen to it all day. Though, he noticed, after a few minutes, the melody would repeat. Listening even closer to the almost non-existent voice, he flailed under the covers, jumping upwards. "Oi, Erin. Isn't that the song by Elti?" Catching Erin's attention, he was slightly embarrassed that he was listening, but didn't really mind. Turning away from his desk, he faced Uriel. "Hm, you know Elti?"

It was a melody that was both simplistic and yet complex at the same time, hauntingly beautiful in its melancholy undertones. As the melody grew more intense, so did Antonio's playing. His fingers danced across the ivory keys, pressing and releasing them in a mesmerizing ballet of precision and dexterity. Each chord was crafted with the meticulous care of a master sculptor chiseling away at a block of marble, revealing the beauty that lay hidden within. His body swayed subtly with the cadence of his composition, each movement in harmony with the pulsating rhythm.

For the family she had chosen, and the one that had found her again. Her fingers, no longer trembling, danced across the keys, releasing a melody shaped by years of silent endurance and quiet healing. The grand hall was hushed, every ear held captive by her sound—a pure, expressive thread of emotion that wove through the air, delicate yet undeniably strong. Her final note rang through the air, shimmering for a beat before fading into the vast silence.

My body trembled beneath the weight of it all—some of the pain entirely mine, some belonging to mates and families who had lost pieces of themselves and were sharing that burden with us. I thought there could be nothing sadder. I was wrong. Somewhere beneath the howls, a low hum began. Quiet at first. Almost hidden. Like the distant murmur of a river that had always been there, but you only noticed once you stopped to listen. The elves. Their voices slowly grew louder. More intricate. More deliberate. The melody began to take on a life of its own while somehow remaining part of the greater whole. Part of the sound of all our beings joined as one.

For ten years, I stood beside Adrian Shaw while he clawed his way up from nothing to a nine-figure fortune. In all that time, he never once took me anywhere that cost more than twenty dollars a head. On the eve of our tenth anniversary, I sent him a link to the steakhouse I'd been saving for years. His expression darkened. "Just because we have money now doesn't mean we can forget how hard life can get. Thrift is a virtue, Nora. Don't lose it." I thought he had a point, so I nodded and agreed to cancel the reservation. Then, on the day I went to the restaurant to cancel it, I saw Adrian across the dining room, having dinner with a girl. He cut her steak for her, then reached over and ge

He took a step closer to us, his gaze locked with my father. “I am not lying. Here’s my daughter with me,” my father replied, pushing me forward for Beta Gideon to have a look, as if I were a piece of parcel waiting for their review. Beta Gideon’s eyes narrowed at me. “Amos, your daughter is a mute. How are you sure that she knows what it means, or how did you find out?” “She can communicate through the mind-link. She is a mute, but that doesn’t mean she cannot read or write. My daughter deserves justice,” my father retorted. I lowered my head, avoiding the stares of eyes on me.

When I saw the happy smile on Mom's face, I suddenly felt myself becoming lighter. I gently caressed her smiling, happy face, and I silently gave her my best wishes. "Mom, you have to be happy forever!" A crystal-clear tear slid slowly down Mom's cheek and fell into my palm. However, my body soon began to become as transparent as the teardrop itself, until I finally disappeared into the air.

In front of it, someone sat with their back to me, fingers gliding across the keys with a soft, beautiful touch. The melody was filled with deep emotion—melancholy, yet strange. As if telling a story of longing and aching sorrow. I was frozen. Couldn’t move. That music—it made my heart ache for reasons I couldn’t explain. The figure hadn’t noticed me. Or perhaps… they had? Suddenly, the piano stopped. Silence fell over the entire room. Then, slowly, the figure turned around. And it was… ***

Shawn paused. "But I'm swamped now. Can you stop bothering me with this? Focus on your thesis. Let's both take some time to calm down and talk after graduation." He hung up, his dismissal stinging like a slap. Apparently, he trusted her more than me. For the first time, I wondered if he was worth my heart. Our cold war dragged on for a month. Neither of us reached out to the other. When we crossed paths on campus, he just ignored me.