[CarlHoliday] The Harpsichordist by Carl Holiday

[Graeme]

The Harpsichordist by Carl Holiday

Michael

[AFriendlyFace]

This was certainly a very enjoyable story to read! I was engrossed in all the events taking place and I was really curious about Rose Ann and James Leonard. Uncle Harold was certainly the most enigmatic character though.

 

I felt really sorry for Michael and Jerry. I, fortunately, can't imagine how difficult it must be to learn that your long-term partner has been cheating on you! I can imagine that that truly does create a hole in one's heart that isn't easily filled. I was very proud of Michael for deciding to try to fill it by taking in troubled gay teens

 

All in all a very interesting and unique story! Good job, Carl

-Kevin

[Tiger]

Jerry and Michael have had some problems and need to get away. They decide to go to a bed and breakfast that happens to be an old farm with a Victorian house. Interestingly enough, they enjoy a game of crochet with the owners. Michael sees some children, children who have some secrets. It

[Graeme]

An interesting story about Michael who is looking for a new meaning in his life. He hasn't given up on Jerry -- he still loves him, that's clear -- but now he needs more. Was it that need that prompted James and Rose Anne to appear to him?

 

I will admit that there was one scene that, on first glance, I found disturbing. Two naked or near naked men, discussing children. But as I read it closer, I realised that Carl had written it very carefully. Neither was sexually aroused. When I re-read it, I asked myself if I would have been disturbed if the couple had been of mixed sex, and I realised I wouldn't have been. It showed me that, despite my best intentions, I still have a bias about gay couples and children. That's something I wasn't aware of, and I'd like to thank Carl for making that clear to me. Something else I have to work on.

 

Back to the story, I had to wonder about the recital at the end. I suspect that there's a symbolic meaning, but I'm not sure what it was. Is it that beauty can conceal ugliness, in that Uncle Harold produced beautiful music, but killed two small children? And is that an analogy to Jerry, that had an outside beauty, but conceal the ugliness of being unfaithful? Or is it in how the children took Michael to the recital, indicating in their own way that they held no hatred for the man who killed them?

 

A good story prompts questions and makes people rethink things that they thought they knew. Well done, Carl!

[Cynical Romantic]

Wow, so much going on here, I barely know where to begin!

 

This is truly a masterpiece of subtext and of things left unsaid. The relationship between these two main characters is complex. Obviously it has evolved over the past nine years, and there's no easy "right" or "wrong" here.

 

Mike is betrayed by his lover. "It's not what you think," Jerry insists. Ah, but it's exactly what Mike thinks.

 

And then, "I forgive you." But Mike doesn't. Not really. The subtle ways that Mike continues to punish Jerry show that clearly enough. He's hurting, and he's been betrayed in the worst way, and he's definitely not ready to forgive. He desperately wants to. He wants to go back to the way things were. But there's a "hole" in his heart. A crack in the foundation. And there's no putting Humpty-Dumpty back together again.

 

Then, the ghosts of the children. They represent the past, perfection, the unblemished carefree past that Mike had with Jerry before everything fell apart. The tower that used to be safe and now has a sign of danger, that's Mike's wish to recapture the ghosts of "before". Back when he could believe Jerry was faithful and true and carefree, just like the ghosts. He desperately wants that back, but he can't have it back. It's not in his time.

 

Mike's attempt to fill the void he feels with children or troubled teens is reminiscent of too many couples' attempts to put a broken relationship back together by having kids. It hardly ever works, and then there are innocent children trapped in the mess, making things even worse.

 

Maybe one day, Mike will be able to put his ghosts to rest and find true forgiveness for Jerry. More likely, he won't, and their relationship will fall apart. Trust is a delicate thing, and the betrayal of trust is one of the toughest things to get over.

 

This was poignant and well written. I know I've barely scratched the surface with my comments, and I will have to go re-read this a dozen times over to find everything I missed. I love rich, multi-layered pieces like this one. It's like peeling layers off an onion. Thank you for sharing!

[kitten]

Thanks for this story!

It was an enjoyable read. I like your style of writing... witty, personal, and nicely flowing. Also, As Cynical Romantic said, it's amazing how much is conveyed by subtext and things not specifically said. It's great how you evoke so much without actually describing it.

 

The plot/subplot mix was complex and interesting, and I agree with others that it's unlikely the relationship will survive, and even less likely that bringing kids into the home will help.

 

There's just one thing, though... maybe it's just too subtle for me... but what has a harpsichord got to do with the rest of the story?

 

Kit

[CarlHoliday]

There's just one thing, though... maybe it's just too subtle for me... but what has a harpsichord got to do with the rest of the story?

 

Okay, it's not actually the harpsichord, but who's sitting there playing it that matters. Also, a harpsichord is smaller than a piano so it would be more plausible to have an instrument that size in the small room at the top of the tower. Plus, I wanted Uncle Harold facing away from the audience and besides a piano or organ, the harpsichord is the only logical instrument.

 

Carl