The Last Symphony of Oleander
There was a small, dismal village in the heart of Wales named Oleander. This village nestled in the crook of a mountainous valley, covered in a ceaseless blanket of grey mist, not seeing the warmth of the sun or the twinkling of the stars. The place was faraway from the buzzing city life, it was quiet, isolated, and melancholic.
Oleander had an age-old tradition, an orchestra formed entirely of its rustic inhabitants. They played heart-stirring tunes on handmade instruments. These tunes had been passed down through generations, tunes embedded in their veins. This was perhaps the only thing that offered a respite from the harshness of their lives. However, the orchestra was missing one instrument, and accordingly, one artist. It was the violin.
The story goes back a hundred years when a curse was said to have fallen upon the village. Legend told of a brilliant violinist who played his instrument so beautifully that even the harsh winds of Oleander softened to listen. One fateful day, in a fit of rage, he shattered his violin, the echoes disrupting something ancient and mystical. A curse befell the village and weather turned harsher, crops failed, and the animals went into hibernation. The sun hid behind the incessant clouds, leaving the village in a perpetual state of twilight.
The orchestra was never completed due to the missing violin, despite the abundance of skilled violinists the village had. They believed that playing the violin would result in heightening the curse's impact. The last note of complete symphony was played a century ago, and since then the village has lived in desolation, marked by the unfinished music.
One day, as the orchestra played their incomplete symphony in the village's little hall, the doors creaked open. A stranger, a young girl who introduced herself as Eira, walked in cradling a violin. Eira was not aware of the mysterious curse, and it was clear she had traveled from afar, her eyes full of vivid dreams unmarred by the stark gloom of Oleander.
Intrigued by the haunting melody she heard from outside the walls, she was inspired to join them. Ignorant of the myth, she brought her violin to her chin and drew the bow across its strings. Barely had the first note echoed that the orchestra fell silent, stunned into stillness. The villagers gasped, watching as the girl played the violin, adding the missing note to their unfinished symphony.
As Eira played on, people held their breath, expecting disaster. But instead, the tune wafted through the cold air, wrapped around every soul, lifting them up from despair they felt they would never escape from. At that moment, they did not care about the curse!
In the days that followed, the gloom that shrouded the town slowly unravelled. The villagers woke up one morning to find the sun timidly peeking through the clouds, casting a flood of warmth and brightness over the village. The clouds that never rained began shedding gentle dew, nourishing the parched land and plants sprung back to life, painting the village green with renewal. Animals started coming out of their eternal hibernation, adding life to the once silent valley.
Eira's brave act of playing the violin had not caused further destruction but revitalized their land. They realized the curse was perhaps not a divine punishment but a test for the villagers to muster enough courage to face their fears. Since then, the Oleander village symphony was finally complete. The echo of the violin became the village's heartbeat, a symbol of their renewed life.
Oleander still lays tucked away in the bosom of the mountains, but it is no longer the melancholic village it once was. It is now a valley of music, hope, and resilience. The tale of Eira and her violin still echoes throughout and beyond the village, the coverlet of misery permanently lifted from their lives. The once unfinished symphony of Oleander is now a harmony so ethereal, it beckons even the winds to stay and listen.