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A short story by Margery Verner Reed |
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A Neapolitan Street Song |
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Title: A Neapolitan Street Song Author: Margery Verner Reed [More Titles by Reed] ALONE-- A CITY full of lights, of pleasure. The sea singing to itself as it rolled quietly into the harbor. A glow of light on distant Vesuvius. Gay throngs of people passing to and fro in the summer evening. Alone. For the first time in her life. A HEAVY heart--there was no joy. THEY had come to Naples on their wedding journey. Her brief happiness had been taken--torn from her. ASHES. He--cold--rigid--lay in the adjoining room. TWO candles burned. A nun prayed. Monica leaned out of the window. THROUGH her tears she saw a star shining in the night. A STAR of sorrow. THE sea--they had gone together on its blue waves to Capri--to Sorrento-- WAS it some terrible nightmare--would she awaken and find him near. FROM a distant street came the sound of music--gay--lively--a Neapolitan street song. HOW could there be joy. The sound was agony. An organ might have soothed. HAD there ever been a time when gay music delighted. O SOLE MIO sang the clear voices of the street singers. They drew nearer--and stopped under the window. MONICA'S wounded inward self cried out for silence THE world was drear. There should be no joyful singing. SHE looked down absently. A young girl stood a little apart from the singers. Monica noticed her--and their tearful eyes met. THEN singers also could know sorrow. SUDDENLY--her own seemed lightened. MONICA'S soul surged forward. She wanted to comfort, to help this brown-eyed girl. Perhaps her grief was harder to bear. ONE of the men stepped toward the girl and pushed her rudely. SING he commanded. O PADRE MIO--she broke into sobs. The singers moved on to another street. MONICA had read into another soul. DEEP calling unto deep. [The end] GO TO TOP OF SCREEN |