She spilt nail varnish remover over the piano when she was fifteen. Hit notes D and F, two octaves up. Acetone eroded the keys, leaving coarse indents that time chiselled into little craters for her fingertips to fall into.
Now, every time she plays, her mistakes have their own melody.
Christian Duffy is a flash fiction enthusiast based in Northern England. She holds a degree in Literature and not too many items in her hands at once for fear of dropping them.
My mother told me many times that I was a mistake, that if she hadn’t drank two Shirley Temples before dinner, and two glasses of wine with dinner, while on a date with the man who became my father, I’d still be dancing on a star, waiting to be born.
Bob Thurber is the author of six books. Regarded as a master of Flash and Micro Fiction, his work has appeared in Esquire and other magazines, been anthologized 60 times, received a long list of awards, and been utilized in schools and colleges throughout the world. He resides in Massachusetts. Visit his website at BobThurber.net.