He watched Anna-Belle leaving, her things packed and ready to be shipped to her parents. With a slight pang of loss he watched the fluid motion of her cotton dress around those perfect legs. He went to the fridge and opened up another cold beer. He felt a lingering melancholy, but sighing with relief he thought back on their year or so together. It had been a great time, one of the best parts of his life, but it was time to turn the page.
He always met them during his intense touring, and they always wanted to settle. Everyone hoped to inspire his songwriting, and they always did.
At least to some extent.
Their silent life together, contrasting the tours was always a relief and burning money with a long-legged beauty was always fun, but as the funds evaporated, they could always grasp the situation. His muse was never them, but their absence.
Only deep in loss could he create.
He called his agent and said:
“I’ll be at the studio next week, I’ll be ready then”
“Took you long enough, has she left?”
“She has — they always do, don’t they?”
He took a fresh piece of paper, dusted of his guitar and started to write the epic song that was destined to top the charts just a few months later:
“Anna-Belle”
And then on tour after the the release he would meet another girl, he needed to be careful to pick one with a name that wasn’t Anna, Charlotte, Christina or Sue.
After all, he always needed a plan for his next record.
Picture from Wikimedia Commons
This Trifecta story has been in the back of my head for a while, and it’s a little bit different from what I usually write. Hope you like to be surprised. The word this week is grasp with the following meaning:
3: to lay hold of with the mind : comprehend
—
August 12, 2013
Björn Rudbergs writings 
It’s true that absence or even loss is the muse, it’s hardly ever happiness, but always pain. Nice work!
Great story Björn! By the way, ‘Michelle’ is taken too.
I like this. And I think your premise is not far from being true, for many artists. I especially love “…His muse was never them, but their absence.” Nicely done, Bjorn.
I love the question, if the sacrifice is worth it. But I loved how the muse was the most important woman in the piece, that the vehicle of the muse was in fact just that.
I do like the surprise! This is engaging and clever – thank you for releasing it from the back of your mind!
Oddly, I found this a little bit funny–the idea of a rocker finding loneliness and misery for himself just to make a hit. It’s sad too, of course. I hope he can sing about something happier someday.
I can almost relate to your rocker, or at least understand what he means – and I really liked the wry edge of dark humor you gave to this. Well done Bjorn!
This was a great (and realistic) story. I don’t know which makes me more sad: that creativity is only sparked by loneliness, or that he plans to choose his next girl based on name because of the music he’ll write when she’s gone.
The concept of a “muse” is so fascinating to me. And you really hit the nail on the head with the “absence” bit. Great story!
Love the way he sets himself up. Excellent take on the prompt! 🙂
A repetitive cycle he knows will continue. Makes love at first sight a true gamble.
Great story with different emotions turbulent underneath. Excellent entry!
Interesting!
I think a lot of people really DO wish they could inspire someone else to create, not realizing that these things can’t be dictated.
For me, this could have ended (more strongly) at “Anna-Belle” as the title for the next work. The lines that follow it don’t help to build it up or bring it to a conclusive ending. That being said, I am a bit of a word-minimalist at times. 🙂
-Alicia Audrey
“His muse was never them, but their absence.” I wonder how true this is for so many song writers.
I take it he always asks her name first, dark humor in this one. But a muse is just a muse until it’s not one. A very good contribution to the prompt, I enjoyed.
The line about the muse not being them, but their absence is just perfect. I think this inspires a lot of art. I know it always has for me. Thanks so much for linking up. Remember to come back and vote at the end.
“His muse was never them, but their absence.”
Love that line. So powerful! This was very entertaining and well told. 🙂
Excellent write Björn – yet another string to your bow!
Anna :o]
Oh, fantastic – especially the idea that “His muse was never them, but their absence.” That makes perfect sense, especially in the context you’ve given us. I do agree with Alicia above – I think it would end a more strongly on her name. If it were me – and please take this with a ton of salt, because I’m certainly no expert! – I’d do something like:
“On tour after the the release he would meet another girl. For now, He took a fresh piece of paper, dusted of his guitar and started to write the epic song that was destined to top the charts just a few months later:
“Anna-Belle.”
Anyhow, great piece. I really enjoyed it.
Love the mercenary streak displayed at the end.
Sweet. I always like a good musician story; it rings true to me that loss is a better muse than any person or thing. Good work, Bjorn. 🙂
Interesting and sad story. I’m afraid this is very real. Well done.
Makes you wonder how many musicians truly use this circumstance as their muse. Nicely done.
Ugh, I want to punch this guy in the face. His narcissism and transparently self-contradictory rationalization (he knows he’s going to discard them, as does his *agent*, and that’s the intent to begin with, but he’s ‘deep in loss’ when he does? Please.) is pathetic. Well done, very well presented.