On the banks of a river, a boy sees and hears a girl laughing, the most glorious music, and falls in love. Time, however, is not the same for them. Erin is human; Kell is something other.
Kell watches her from the shadows under the willow at the water’s edge, refusing to surrender to their differences. For Erin he plays the most beautiful music, for he may never speak to her and she cannot ever see him. Music becomes their words.
Love, however, cannot measure time. The minstrel maintains his vigil; his muse listens for his song, and both move through the years alone, until the day something changes …
Genre: FICTION / Fantasy / Short Stories5000 in Short Reads Scifi/Fantasy (Amazon US)
5000 in Short Reads Romance (Amazon US)
Ranking change continuously (approximate given here for May 2018)
Popular on Smashwords as well
Lines formed an intricate map upon her face.
She was old now, but to him she remained ever beautiful. He knew the reasons for her wrinkles, what she had endured in life. He had watched her since she was two years old.
Squatting under the willow where the fronds swept the surface of the placid river, he observed her kneeling with infinite care until she was able to reach the clear pond from where she drew her drinking water.
So slow now, when it felt like yesterday when she came squealing in happy abandon down to the water’s edge, honey ringlets bouncing.
She peered around as if expecting someone, but he knew she was alone here. She was not looking out for someone expected. She had been alone a long time.
He was the only one who watched, although she had never seen him. Sometimes, though, he had the clearest sense she was still aware of him, despite her withdrawal in recent years. She no longer concerned herself with living, only with dying, but in the past, when her step was sprightlier and her eyesight clearer, she would gaze across the expanse of the river directly into the shadows under the willow. Once she even summoned him; she had known he watched. She had not looked at his face, but she told him music meant everything to her.
He realised now she listened intently to the natural silence as if hoping to hear the notes of life itself.
Closing his eyes, he wished he had brought his small lyre to pick out gentle tones, to weave them into the birdsong surrounding them.
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French
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Already translated.
Translated by Rachel Vidal
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Author review: Lovely working with Rachel - definitely recommend her services! |
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Italian
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Already translated.
Translated by Alessandra Gazzella Furfaro
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Author review: Effortless to work with! Definitely recommend. |
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Portuguese
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Already translated.
Translated by Nicolas Araújo
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Author review: Nicolas is an absolute pleasure to work with. He is professional in attitude and in work ethic, and is ever aware of deadlines. Not only does he deliver quality work, but I appreciated the fact that he maintained the formatting of the original manuscript, which made the final proofing so much easier. I would happily work with him again and highly recommend him to all writers seeking translation. Top notch talent! |
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Arturo Juan Rodríguez Sevilla
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Author review: Arturo Juan is a pleasure to work with, and I certainly recommend him for further translation work. He works to deadlines without an issue (even beats them) and delivers quality work. My thanks, and I hope to work with him again. |
