Monday, July 19, 2021

MODERN FABLE-THE BEWITCHED SOPRANO

 
Once there lived a soprano who was noted for her extraordinary beauty and voice. She also was a rapacious seductress who, unfortunately made the mistake of loving then leaving a warlock for another. In his rage of being betrayed and rejected, the warlock cast a spell and turned the soprano into a cat, a beautiful calico. 

Years have passed and she feels loveless although loved very much by her human family. One evening, they are playing a variety of arias on their stereo. It is twilight, raining and the calico looks out at the backyard through the picture window, hearing the music and the sound of rain tapping on the skylight. Much of the selections are familiar, after all, she had sang for many years as a human. Then, Purcell's Dido's Lament comes on and from the first notes, the calico is overwhelmed with sorrow. She murmurs a string of low meows, her only means of vocal expression now. Her heart ached as she stared out the rain swept window, with waves of regret washing over her. Oh how she longed for her Aeneas to return so she could tell him that she was sorry for the suffering she had caused but alas, there is no remedy for her. This is her fate until death. She buried her face in her tail and wept.

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