Written by: Donna Steele
The stage of Myriad Theatre is now covered with spider webs. The red, velvety curtain is now torn to shreds and covered in dust. The audience seats no longer fold down, for no one has sat in them for two decades.
Here lies a tenor saxophone. Its keys are tarnished to a dull silver color. The mouthpiece is covered with mold; the wooden reed is splintered into hundreds of pieces. Many years ago, this saxophone was a real work of art. Everything about it was magnificent. The keys never got stuck and it made even the most untalented musician sound incredible. Exquisite figures are sketched into the body of this saxophone. Just wipe off the dust a little and you can see. Do you see them? The pictures are of a young girl, a woman playing the saxophone onstage, a young woman, a young man, and a bottle with a small picture on it. Do you recognize the picture? It is the symbol used today on poison bottles. This is a very unique instrument indeed. But, it has not been played for 20 years. Are you familiar with the story? Perhaps it would be best if I shared it with you. After all, everyone needs to understand that there is nothing more dangerous than a woman scorned.
As legend has it, Anne Monroe was the best saxophonist of her time. However, she was a very unhappy person. Her music was her only escape from pain caused by severe depression. She had so much talent that she became a professional saxophonist, wooing audiences everywhere.
Along her travels, she met many men. Eventually, she fell in love with Mark Beauregard, a wonderfully charming man, only to find out that he was already married. This caused her much distress, for she was not only in love with him; she was pregnant with his child. However, she decided to have the child and raise it on her own.
Approximately nine months later, Anne gave birth to a beautiful daughter with curly, red hair and eyes the color of emeralds. Anne decided to name her "Jasmine." As Jasmine grew older, her mother trained her to be nearly as skilled of a musician as she. Life seemed to be fine for both our mother and child. However, one day Anne decided that she could no longer handle the pressures of being a single mother, still in love with a married man. So, she wrote two letters: one to Jasmine, one to Mark. Then she took her life by swallowing a small vial of cyanide.
Upon receiving Anne's letter, Mark made arrangements for Jasmine to move to Manhattan and attend the Julliard Arts Institute. While packing, Jasmine found her mother's letter. She opened it to find a long letter, explaining the whole situation. In the letter, Anne told her daughter to remain virtuous and to continue playing her saxophone. Jasmine was incredibly angered and upset that someone had hurt her mother so much.
When Jasmine arrived in Manhattan, Mark, his wife, and his two daughters were there to greet her. Mark apologized that his son would not be there because he was too busy with his studies. Mark's wife Miranda was extremely kind to Jasmine and offered to take her shopping at all of the finest boutiques. Jasmine declined and opted to keep all of the simple clothing that she bought at Wal-Mart. Mark's beautiful daughters, Meredith and Nicole, offered to introduce her to the most handsome young men and Jasmine declined again. She was determined to never fall in love.
At college, Jasmine worked all of the time. When she wasn't studying, she practiced her saxophone. She saw her half-brother, Vance, around campus a few times, but he, along with everyone else, did not pay any attention to her. Vance was quite popular with the ladies and had the same engaging features as his father. Vance was already established as the most talented musician on campus.
However, Jasmine's private lessons instructor was amazed by how much talent and dedication Jasmine possessed. He decided to include Jasmine in his annual showcase. Of course, Vance had already been selected to be the featured musician of the night. Mark and Miranda were so excited for their son that they didn't even think about the possibility of Jasmine being a part of the show.
As the night of the showcase approached, excitement brewed among all of the students of Julliard and Vance's family. Vance was to choose a special young lady to join him onstage to perform a duet. Meredith and Nicole also had music ability and hoped that he would choose them. Every female desired to be associated with someone of Vance's caliber, even if for only five minutes. Nobody even stopped to think about Jasmine.
Jasmine spent days preparing for the showcase. She found a sophisticated black dress in a trunk that belonged to her mother. She tried on the dress and it was a perfect fit. In the dress, she looked like a professional musician, yet exquisite. Her red hair was a perfect contrast to the black, sequined material of the dress. She practiced as much as possible, creating her very own solo to enchant the audience.
Then the night of the showcase arrived. It was a dreary night, with snow blanketing the city of Manhattan. Parents relaxed in the audience, enjoying every performance. Finally, Jasmine's turn to take the stage arrived. From the first moment she walked on stage, all eyes were on her. People could not believe her unrivaled beauty. Not even her father recognized her. She began to play her song of misery and the whole audience was completely enamored by this young lady's presence. Vance took notice of her talent. As she exited the stage, he walked up to her and asked her to play a duet with him onstage. She agreed and they played many pieces for an eager crowd. Backstage, Vance asked Jasmine where she had learned to play the saxophone with such passion and artistry. She replied that it was a combination of talent she had inherited from her mother and the excellent quality of her saxophone. He asked permission to play a few notes on her saxophone and she agreed. He played one scale and sounded better than had ever sounded before. He asked to borrow the instrument for his big solo and she was quite eager to allow him to. All Vance could think about was how he couldn't wait for Jasmine to meet his parents. He felt that she was as incredible as her saxophone.
As Vance prepared for his performance, the final one of the night, Jasmine smiled at him. He couldn't get over how beautiful her every feature was. Jasmine handed him her saxophone and said, "don't choke." He thought that this was a rather peculiar thing for her to say, but he dismissed it. As he entered the stage area, the crowd applauded appreciatively. He played a few notes and his mouth filled with saliva and covered the reed. Then all of a sudden, he started to choke. It looked as thought he had been poisoned. He dropped the saxophone and fell to his knees. Then he grabbed his throat and struggled to the ground. A closer look at the saxophone would have discovered the cyanide on the reed, but no one had bothered to even glance at it.
Mark was completely devastated. He tried to live with the pain, but ended up killing himself a few months later. Jasmine had left the theatre before anyone thought to look for her. Nobody knows what happened to her. It is likely that she found a new saxophone and proceeded to get revenge for all of the heartbroken women around the world. After all, there is nothing more horrifying than a woman scorned. Do you not agree? Only a fool undermines the power of a woman when seeking revenge. Oh, it's time to go home? Why? Is it because you hate to make your mother angry? Go ahead then, just keep this story in mind. I would hate for history to repeat itself.
Donna Steele
https://www.angelfire.com/ok/bassoonmonkey/
bassoononfire@hotmail.com
https://www.angelfire.com/ok/bassoonmonkey/
bassoononfire@hotmail.com