♧♢Short Stories and Poems [A Collection]♡♤

The Sound of a New Orleans Night✔ [2016]

Cover by Aphrodite270
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The Sound of a New Orleans Night

The smooth sound of jazz glided through the streets of the peaceful New Orleans. Pounding on every door in its wake, it brought out every wild young man and woman and embrace them with open arms in the night when the elders slept. Girls would be dressed in short dresses with feather headbands wrapped around their heads and would dance around, unashamed by how much of their skin was showing or how low cut their dresses were on them. That was something the elders wouldn't understand.

One girl, dressed in this said outfit, was sneaking out of her apartment window onto the fire escape that sat below. She made no sound, only a tiny thump when she hit the metal platform. Her dress danced around her legs as she hurried down

the steps like Cinderella running from the ball when the clock struck 12:00 A.M.

Emma MacCreedy breathed in the New Orleans air, smiling at the wide, open street where there were no elders in sight. After making sure her home was undisturbed, she walked down the street, her heels clapping against the pavement in her wake. The jazz was louder to her now, bringing her closer and closer to the source until she was in a trance and let it lead her away from the life she knew before.

She smiled. This is more like it. Something that is more like me. Something that is all mine, not theirs.

Following the sound of that jazz brought her to its origin, a building with lights and noise coming from it. She opened the door and was taken back by the music and the teens dancing, drinking, and flirting without any adults to stop them. Young women were dancing closely with young men and did not seem to be ashamed of what the elders would be thinking. They were not bound by the rules of the elders.

Emma felt at home.

She walked past the crowd of happy teenagers to the jazz band in the back of the room, laughing, dancing, and admiring the young men playing the instruments. "I have never heard this before. What is it?"

"Why, it's called jazz, Doll. You got to let it get to you," one of the band members remarked, smiling down at her kindly.

She smiled back, dancing to the music and letting it take her away like the man had said. She felt at ease as if something in her was finally free from the rock that held it. This feels great.

While she was swaying to the slow beat, a young man gently grabbed her hand and brought her close to him to dance with him. She made no protest to his move and did not mind that he did not ask her to dance. They swayed together to the beat as if it was moving their feet.

The man looked at her as they were dancing. "You're new here, are you not?"

"Yes, but I think I will be here more often. If Daddy doesn't lock me away with housework," she answered him.

"You should come back. You will like this place. There is nothing to hold you back from your feelings."

"My parents may. They would not let me out if they knew I was sneaking out of the bedroom window to come here. They may even take the fire escape away."

"Nah, that is nearly impossible. Your parents will soon be no trouble. The elders will soon give up on us and let us be."

They danced, spinning in each other's arms like the elders did; then when the music quickened, they danced a different way. They kicked their legs around, laughing and smiling at each other. Emma liked this new dance, it made her dress flow. It was different. They laughed. Emma tried her first drink and found out she liked it, getting herself more. The two danced the night away together.