When An Angel Sings

When An Angel Sings
A musical drama set in America.

The story of a gifted young African American girl Deborah from a very poor family in Harlem, but who had a tall ambition to study music at the best music conservatory on Long Island. She went for the scholarship audition, but failed due to technical reasons. She did not give up. But she was ashamed to return home to tell her family the bad news. So, she begged to be employed to do anything in the school. They needed a good cleaner to mop the floors and she agreed to do it, because she wanted to remain in the school. So, she returned home and told her family that she had to go for summer trials to earn the scholarship.

Her mother was a hard working single mother and she had to also work as a cleaner to take care of her only daughter and two young sons in junior high school. Their father was a drunk who played an old violin to beg for alms in the subways. And only Deborah visited him. But her mother warned her to stop visiting him, because he had been convicted twice for sexual assault. He was an ex-con and they were divorced. 

Whilst Deborah was mopping the floors, she would be eavesdropping, secretly listening in on the music lessons of the classes and conversations of the students and music teachers. And she was a fast learner.

A day to her 16th birthday, she visited her father and expected him to remember her birthday, but he never even got the hint. She was so disappointed that she was in tears as she told him. He was ashamed and apologized to her. He told her to return on her birthday and even if he had nothing to give her, he would play her a special composition on his old violin. She said she would love to hear it. She left and whilst her mother was busy baking a birthday cake, Deborah was more interested in going to see her father the following day to hear the special composition. But, when she went to see him the following day, he was not there. She only saw a wrapped birthday present with a note that he had to go somewhere. She was heart broken. She opened the wrapped present and saw his violin with her name scratched on it. She wept that he was more important to her than a special birthday present. She returned home with the violin and couldn't hide the truth from her mother. She said, trusting him was hopeless. And she wanted to save her children from the failures of such a hopeless father.

Deborah treasured the violin and took it to work at the music conservatory. She would play the violin during breaks. But most of the students made fun of her, because they knew she was from a poor family that couldn't afford to pay for her music lessons. But Deborah was not discouraged. 

The Long Island Music Conservatory was busy with rehearsals for the  annualAll American Music Festival in Orlando, Florida and there was a big setback that could make the school to lose the title it had won for over seven years. The lead Soprano was ill and couldn't sing. So, the music director must get a replacement as soon as possible.

Deborah was on her way to work and as she crossed the wide road, she noticed an old woman who needed aid to cross the road. So, with her violin strapped to her back, she went back across the road to help the old woman and as Deborah was helping her, her violin fell off her back in the middle of the road and she couldn't leave the old woman as vehicles were speeding to and fro during the early morning rush hours. She hurriedly took her across the road and tried to rush back to pick up her violin. But a speeding truck ran over it and crushed the violin. Deborah was petrified on the spot as she froze in shock gazing at the crushed violin. She fell on her knees, sobbing profusely and picking up the pieces of her shattered violin (metaphor for shattered dreams). The old woman and other onlookers were very sympathetic. A man came and comfortingly pulled Deborah away from the dangerous spot she was in the middle of the fast traffic. The old woman came and hugged her and whispered some inaudible words into her right ear. Deborah still went to work. But she couldn't do much mopping of the floors. And most people ignored her. Because they were still engrossed in the rehearsals for the All American Music Festival in Orlando, Florida and the music director had begun auditions for a replacement for Alice Winters the indisposed Soprano.

All the students who came for the auditions failed to impress the music director. And he was now flummoxed in a state of desperation and frustration, because there were only three days to the closing date of registration for the All American Music Festival in Orlando, Florida. He was screaming in an argument with the principal over the problem whilst Deborah was mopping the floors nearby in the same hall. Something suddenly pushed her and she summoned up courage to walk up to the music director and said she could do it.
"I can do it," Deborah said.
"Do what?" asked the music director.
The principal waved her off in dismissal.
But the music director asked her to express herself aloud.
"I can sing Alice Winters' part," she said.
The students in the hall laughed at her.
The principal scorned her and ordered Deborah to return to her job of mopping floors.
But, she refused to go back. Then, the music director took the principal aside and told him that Deborah actually came for the last scholarship interview, but she failed and refused to leave. She asked for a job and got one to mop the floors.
The principal and music director said they had nothing to lose anyway if Deborah failed to impress them. So, they gave her the sheet music for the Soprano.
Deborah knew that this was the golden opportunity she had prayed, toiled and wept for.
She took a deep breath and sang like an angel.
They were too overwhelmed to say a word for 60 seconds.
Even Alice Winters' voice seemed ordinary when compared to the awesome Soprano they just heard like the voice of an angel from the blues.
"Who is she?" The principal asked in excitement.
"Deborah Thomas from Harlem," replied the music director.
"Oh! Blessed Jesus! She is Godsent for such a time as this," enthused the overjoyed principal.
They immediately admitted Deborah into the school choir and later that same day the necessary requirements for her admission into the Long Island Music School were processed and she was offered the full scholarship. She shed tears of joy and couldn't wait to return home to tell her family the good news.

Deborah led their choir to the All American Music Festival in Orlando, Florida and they retained their title.
And as they were rejoicing, her father was leaving rehab somehwere in New York and as he was about to cross the road, he saw an old woman in white. She reminded him of his late mother. He ran to help her across the road. But before he could reach her, she smiled and said, "Go and see my sweet grand daughter. She has made us proud today. Worry no more Thomas, because she will wipe away your tears."
And she just faded before his very eyes.


(All rights reserved)

By Orikinla Osinachi
Febraury 27, 2007.
Bonny Island, Rivers State,
Nigeria.

 
N.B:
I wrote this short story on the spot on Nairaland at a sitting. Between 9 am an 1 pm.
 

Thanks Ibkn.
But, C'mon!
I don't think you would flatter me.
But where have you been?
I hope the state of emergency in PH is not too bad.

The original story with the dialogue has been written and it is actually for the screenplay and When An Angel Sings and Hysterics are meant for two film projects.
Hysterics is for a short psycho-analytical film while When An Angel Sings is for a musical feature like Dream Girls, but I love the grass to grace story of Deborah.
Both are very subtle Christian themes. And I am going to let professional WGA members to write the screenplays, because I don't want to take chances.

very impressive Orikinla. you are a talent i must say.people who are talented don't need much time and effort. hows bonny island? been there before,spent a month and enjoyed my stay.

Orikinla I have followed every contribution of yours on this website, including Seun, and I most confess you guys are guilty of the crime called creativity. I  belong to that dept. too, soon you will feel the energy from me soonest.

writing, especially creative writing, is a gift that can never be undermine, and findding the time to read - quality reading - is not only gratifying and satisfying but could be energy sapping. Orikinla I understand virtually everything. I am an emerging writer myself and a voracious reader.
I want to be a celebrated writer and I know that I am good. My present fight that I am gaining advatage upon is writers block.
I will overcome
when the time has come
for me to spring forth
like a diamond, with much worth

Orikinla, this is a materpiece I was actually carried away while reading it, i  thot it was culled from some american literature. Wow!, this is beautiful, thumbs up, & keep it up.

PS: i usually look foward to your posts in this section, please don't stop writing,

angel empy
well,can't wait to c
your published work!!