Short Story - The Violin and the Alligator - Grant Eagar

Tree Sonata - Robert and Shana Parkeharrison

To order my books:

 Angelica: The Princess and the Pig  

Henry and Sophie: A Steampunk Adventure 

Sheila the Vampire: Dancing with the Enemy

Prompt:

Picture of man playing a violin while standing on a tree stump.

Melba the swamp-thing swam to the surface of the swamp and brushed a lily pad out of the way. She peered out of the swamp water at a man playing a violin. The girl nudged a large alligator, named Bone Crusher and a smaller one named Crook Tail. “What do you boys think he’s up to? This music is terrible.”

“Bone Crusher smacked his lips. “All I know is that someone has placed a fine meal on a pedestal. He looks rather fat and juicy to me. Did they put him there to torment us or is he calling us to dinner?”

            Melba scowled and moved the green hair out of her emerald eyes. “Can’t you think with something other than your stomach? He may be here for an important purpose.”  

            The three had watched the row boat slowly approach the broken off tree and several men had placed a fifteen foot ladder against the trunk and assisted George, a young professor, as he struggled up the ladder and with much more help he was placed atop the tree. His class of eager freshman waited on the bank to witness the performance. This was to be the first public performance of Master George’s new piece, ‘Ode to the Swamp’. He had written the piece so that it encompassed all the sounds of a swamp, unfortunately for him some of the croaks and whistles did not work well when played by a violin. In fear for their grades the students attempted to listen with fascination. and avoid cringing. Several of them had their hands covering their ears.

            Melba scratched Bone Crusher’s broad back and said, “”Just be patient my pet; let us not be greedy. Maybe he is attempting to reach out to us somehow?”

Crook tail, an old battle-scarred gator cleared his throat in disgust. “Pardon me if I disagree: I feel the music is delightful. You two just have no sense of taste; while I have an appreciation of the finer things.”

            Bone Crusher gave several hungry grunts, “I have taste, I can taste him already.”

“Uncultured Moron!” said Crook tail.

“Boys, boys give it a break,” said Melba. “You have to take into account others sense of taste. Now enough talking and let’s enjoy the show.”

They swam closer  to the stump and looked up at the performer who went on and on and on. The music professor caught up in the moment, wildly goaded the violin like it was a chicken he was trying to pluck. The students began checking their cell phones and glancing about. Finally, mercifully, the piece ended. George raised his hands high into the air with the violin in one hand and the bow in the other; he then bowed deeply - too deeply. He frantically caterwauled and plunged head first into the swamp. The students who were offering polite applause froze. They glanced at the water where he had disappeared and looked at one another in confusion then glanced over at the row boat. Several of them began hunting for the oars while others pushed the small craft towards the water.

George, who was more concerned about saving his beloved violin than his own neck sank like a brick in the murky waters. His heavy tux and climbing boots keep him from rising and he continued to sink to the bottom. He struggled to rise then finally let go of the violin and shrugged out of his jacket and boots. He was a poor simmer on a good day and he was soon losing what air he did have.

“Someone jump in and save my son! That boat is never going to reach him in time!” yelled his mother.

“I’m sorry mam, but we saw several large Alligators in the swamp earlier today?” said the dean of the department. "I don't think I can risk the safety of the students, but if you want to save him be my guest."

"Well, he was a good boy it is sad to see him go like this," she said. "At least he got to play his piece."

Back in the pond Melba was holding the Alligators back. “This would be a good time to feed,” said Bone Crusher. “I do so like fresh food. He is right there for the taking.”

Melba glanced at the two. “Do you mind? I think I might try to save the wretched creature.” She ignored their looks of shock and swam down to where he was. By the time she reached him he had lost consciousness. She filled his lungs with her own air, then wrapped her tail about his waist and quickly kicked her powerfully legs and was soon across the swamp.

“What are you doing?” asked Bone Crusher, who was swimming alongside her, “wasting  perfectly good food is shameful. Just let me have a leg and I’ll call us even”

“I think she is taken with the poor devil,” said Crook tail. "My dear, hogging the whole kill is bad form, bad form indeed."

“I’m not taken with him, and you two can keep your teeth to yourself. Males are hard to come by here in the swamp, so I thought a human male might do. He isn’t much to look at and considering the terrible way he played; I doubt he'll be missed. No self respecting female would be drawn to that love song.”  She swam for another hundred yards then down into her nest which resembled a beaver's lodge then up through a hole. Once she had him out of the water she began pumping the water out of him and occasionally filling his lungs with a breath of air.

Finally after she had repeated this a dozen times, he coughed up water and regarded the green girl covered with vines in confusion. "Where the hell am I and what in god's name are you?"
"Is that any way to treat your rescuer?" She then gave him a sheepish smile, "I'm a swamp thing, this is my home and . . .we are a-a married now. Here in the swamp when you rescue someone they become your mate."
"I'm a mate to some kind of frog girl? Is this some kind of demented dream?"

- to be continued -. 

I used this prompt to supply some back story for my novel Melba the Swamp Thing. I'm sorry if it has a bit of a cliff hanger ending, It was not meant to be a fully formed short story. I thought it worked nicely as an opening though. When I originally responded to the prompt I had him falling into the swamp and being immediately eaten by the alligators which would have been great comedy, but then the story would be over.