When I was around 10 years old we had a unique assignment at school that still stuck with me to this day. We were asked to listing to classical music and create a story around one of the songs we heard. Using the feelings that piece evoked in us. There were no restrictions to the length or form of the story you wanted to write. It could be a poem consisting of a few lines or a short story covering a whole page.

Keep in mind we were only 10 at the time and most of my classmates didn’t care for the assignment. I however felt a story rising up in me when I heard one of the songs and when we got back to the classroom it flowed from my fingertips onto the page. What I didn’t know in that moment is that what I created would be something I would still be proud of to this day.

A week after we turned in our story created from music I was picked from my class to perform said story during a live performance of the orchestra that created the music we used for the assignment. This was a total shock to me because I didn’t even know it was a contest our school had created. And performing your story on stage was the price.

An even bigger surprise was that only 6 of us were picked for our stories, with around 200 students this was quit the accomplishment. When the big day came we were sat on the stage while the orchestra played the songs and we went around in turns performing our original writings. A full audience of parents, friends and strangers listening to our words in complete silence. It’s a memory I will forever hold close to my heart.

If I can find the original story I wrote I will definitely post it here for you to read. All I can remember is that it was kind of dark, the feeling of loneliness preserved in the words I had written. So what is a memory you will forever keep close to your heart?

Take care and keep on writing!

-Merel