By age four, Alejandra played violin much better than her father. At ten, she performed for noblemen and kings, each engagement recorded by an operculum shell attached to the edge of her instrument with resin from a sacred cedar. Slowly, the shells deepened the tone of her violin, creating a sound like no other. Magic! some whispered. Others shouted, Witchery!
Her figure blossomed, and men fell hopelessly in love as her bow glided over the strings. Wives, and some mothers, grew jealous and began to whisper Witchery so loudly that one day Alejandra and her music simply disappeared.
Up From the Ashes 
Such envy is dangerous, unfortunately exists everywhere.
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And, I fear, it will never end. Thanks for reading.
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Some people are just too perfect for this world
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And I know a few of them. Thanks, Neil.
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Such a tragic loss at the end. I hope they learned a lesson from it, but as humankind, we’re not so good at that.
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I fear lessons are rarely learned. Thanks, Iain.
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A very grim fairy tale. Humans run the spectrum between good and evil and there is no escaping it.
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So true! Thanks for reading and leaving a reply.
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You’re welcome, Alicia.
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Ooops, I guess you can be too good for your own good…
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Ain’t that the way of things?
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So true to life it makes me mad!
As hard as it is to be a woman today, we’ve come a long way baby.
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Truth! We sure have.
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Well written. I knew what was coming but I couldn’t look away. I’d cast a spell on those jealous hags.
Tracey
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A bit like a train wreck! Thanks
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Dear Lish,
I hope she disappeared by choice. I don’t think she was the witch among them. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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She did disappear by choice. Thanks for reading and wondering.
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Right. It’s not always the men. 🙂
Well done.
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Women can be awfully snarky, especially if they feel threatened by the beauty of another.
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Envy can be very male. 🙂
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What a beautifully drafted and moving tale. Jealousy is the opposite of beauty, the two repel each other. I’m glad to read that the disappearence is by choice. My first thought was pyre.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story and for leaving such a kind comment. I didn’t want to kill anyone this time.
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😀 and of course I meant crafted and not drafted…🙄
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Tee-hee! I didn’t even notice that. 🙂
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Oh dear.
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Yep
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Sad story but well told.
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Thank you
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Sad tale of someone who had magic in her fingertips 💞
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Magic is underrated. Thank you for stopping by.
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it looks like she found her prince charming. 🙂
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Oh! I hadn’t thought about that! Perhaps Alejandra would agree.
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Gone but never to be forgotten.
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I sure hope not! Thank you, Keith
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A tragic tale of the power of jealousy, so beautifully written. The last line is so ominous that I want to know what happened to her and her music. Very well done, Alicia!
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Thanks so much, Brenda. Jealousy can cause so many problems. Cheers! Lish
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Oh, my goodness! Such a lovely start, only to be distorted by fear, jealousy, and ugliness. Good writing.
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Thank you for reading and leaving a reply.
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A sad reflection on historical prejudice and whispers that could be dangerous for women. A great take on my photo! Thanks so much. This was a great read.
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Thank you. An even sadder thing is that I think we’re going backward in time. Thanks for providing a great photo.
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In many ways, we do seem to be regressing. I blame internet porn for a lot of attitudes young men have about women being pieces of meat. I don’t know if that is true, but the decline in attitudes ( while overtly appearing PC) seemed to coincide with the rise in popularity of internet culture and information. The WWW is a double-edged sword. I love it but I don’t love everything about it.
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We love to tear people down just as much as we love to build them up. Success and jealousy is a vicious two-headed beast.
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Well put. It is a two-headed beast. Thanks.
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