Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Melody (08/24/06)
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TITLE: Earworm | Previous Challenge Entry
By Callie Martin
08/28/06 -
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Well, she has one and it is driving her crazy. Repeatedly a female voice is singing, “keep my melody forever in your heart.” She has not been able to find the song during her internet searches, but she’s found dozens of listings relating to Christian sites. That’s probably not where she heard it.
Her twin sister, on the other hand, would know all of the Christian songs about melodies and hearts. Sara has always been a wonderful singer and now she is one of those born-again Christians. She’s one of those who talk about it all of the time and are so happy. It wears a normal person out. She and Sara used to be so close; they would finish each other’s sentences, buy the same thing without knowing it, and feel each other’s pain when they were sick. They had all of the twin clichés that you hear about.
However, when Sara was born again she became consumed with saving Kara’s soul. It created a tension between them that grew until they just quit talking. They haven’t seen each other since their parents died. Other than being twins, they were never a close family anyway - no big deal.
“Keep my melody forever in your heart.”
“Keep my melody forever in your heart.”
Kara is having a hard time concentrating on work with this darn song playing in her head. And she has this funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. She can’t identify it and she is beginning to wonder if she is going crazy. Now she feels physically ill.
Kara decides to call her Aunt Betty. Though not extremely close with her, she is the only contact she has with her family and feels the need to talk to someone.
“Hi Aunt Betty, this is Kara. How are things going”?
“Oh, Kara, it’s you.”
“Yeah, it’s me. Is something wrong”?
Silence
Wondering if they’ve been disconnected, Kara says “Hello, are you still there”?
“Yes, honey, I’m still here. Why are you calling today”?
“I don’t know. I just felt like talking to you. I wanted to make sure everything is okay down there.”
After another long silence, Aunt Betty softly says, “Kara, you should call your sister, not me. Call her today, or even better, come down here – today.”
“Aunt Betty, what’s wrong”?
“I’m not going to be the go-between any longer. I’m done.” Kara hears that she is choking up.
“Okay, okay, I will call her. Are you okay, though”?
“I’m fine; call your sister – today.”
Hanging up Kara sits there trying to decide what to do.
“Keep my melody forever in your heart.”
“Keep my melody forever in your heart.”
“Rats”, Kara says aloud as she logs off her computer and heads for her bosses door. A few days off wouldn’t hurt right now even if it is to drive the 200 miles home to … what?
As Kara sees the church steeple in the distance, she slows down. I’m here, she thinks. I’m here and I’m not sure why or what to do.
She decides to go by the cemetery first and visit her mom and dad’s grave. She hasn’t been here in five years and finding the plot is harder than she thought it would be. Seeing the double headstone with their names, she starts to feel sick again.
“Keep my melody forever in your heart.”
Louder, more insistent - “Keep my melody forever in your heart.”
She squats down, takes deep breaths, and notices a fresh mound of dirt on the other side of her mom’s headstone. With her legs shaking and sweat breaking out on her forehead, she walks over to the newly dug grave and fresh flowers.
Staring at the headstone, she sits and places her head on her knees. The sobs rack her body as she cries tears hidden so deep for so long. Crying until she is exhausted, she looks back at the tiny headstone.
Melody Barnes
Infant daughter of Sara and John
Keep my melody forever in your heart
“God forgive me,” she whispers.
Kara touches the headstone for a moment and gets back into her car. She drives slowly out of the cemetery and turns for her sister’s house.
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