Mallory's Melody

Chapter 3

2007

"DADDY, LOOK AT THIS!" Mallory's scream penetrated Cole Trent's ears. She tugged harshly at his shirt whilst he was busy chatting away on the phone. Cole flicked his index finger at Mallory's face, requesting a minute of peace. But Mallory's persistence took him so over the edge, he had to break his conversation with the person on the phone to give her his undivided attention.

"What is it, Mallory?" Cole barked, a hint of anger laced his voice. Mallory moved a step backwards and hung her head low. 

Cole shifted his gaze to the violin Mallory held in her hand. He shook his head, hating himself. How dare he shunned her when all she wanted was to play the violin for him?

Cole, remorseful, pulled her small body close to him, swung her up in the air, and tickled her abdomen,  eliciting sweet, melodious laughter and screams of joy that satiated his soul.

Mallory wrapped her hands around her father and nuzzled her head in the crook of his neck. Cole protected her in the cocoon of his love and made her understand that she was—

"You are amazing, beautiful, crafted by the—"

"God, the greatest sculptor himself," Mallory interjected. "I'm loved. I'm capable of doing anything. I'm invincible. I'm Mallory Trent!" Mallory yelled, bursting with a childish exuberance as she flung her hands into the air in ecstasy.

"Yes, you are." Cole tickled her again. He smiled sheepishly. He was more than lucky to father such a warm-hearted child. There had been a spark in her eyes from the day he brought her home from the adoption agency. That fiery spark that lied in the green hue of her irises, waiting to ignite, to burst out triumphantly, to prove the strength the Mallory possessed. It would one day come into being. He just awaited its manifestation.

"Play for me, Mallory," Cole said, a desperation in his voice that he himself couldn't understand.

Mallory nodded immediately. She flew off his lap and rested her chin elegantly against the violin's chin rest. She set her foot forward and positioned her bow in a way too sophisticated for a child of just seven years of experience. Mallory shut her eyes, summoning the inner soldier in her to being. She began to move the bow across the violin's strings. Her fingers danced expertly against each string as melodious sounds emanated from the mere instrument which then became a weapon, an object of a warrior, a mesmerizing tool that subdued all of humanity with its angelic cadence. 

Cole inhaled the atmosphere as his limbs fell against the chair in submission to her music. He hummed as he rode against the rhythm of the music he was so familiar with, but yet so easily swooned by it each time. She played Crystallize by Lindsey Stirling, one of Mallory's favourite violinists, her idol in fact. Though she was just a mere seven years of age, she had mastered the craft of playing the instrument and studied the artistry of musical progression so well, it could have been regarded as sheer black magic.

He averted his attention to his child. She plastered a benign smile over her face. Her black hair fell over her back in silky waves of perfection. Mallory reached the apex of playing and brought her bow to a sharp stop. Though the melody no longer emanated from the violin, it still went on in his heart, swaying and dancing around endlessly. Mallory looked up at Cole in anticipation of his reaction.

"Bravo. Bravo!" Cole cheered, sweeping Mallory off her feet and twirling her around, praising her. He dropped her, and she yawned. A clear sign it was beyond her bedtime.

When he escorted her to her room, he pressed his lips against her forehead and laid her against the bed like she was royalty. "You're a queen," he told her, repeating his daily mantra to her.

"I am a queen." Mallory's sleepy eyes fluttered closed as she eased herself into the sheets gracefully. Grace. It was evident in everything she did. It was her trademark.

Cole smiled. Taking her to bed always made him feel accomplished. It made him feel like the parent he had always wanted to be. With silent steps, he headed for the exit.

"Daddy, will I ever be a star?" The question came out of the blues. Mallory was still awake, but her eyes were closed as though she was more unconscious than conscious.

Cole hesitated, pondering his response. Mallory's mind was like a sponge. She always remembered everything, his every word, so he always tried his best to only speak the truth.

"Yes. Whenever you're in doubt Mallory, remember that you were born to be a star," Cole responded and made his way out of her room, feeling accomplished for the aptness of his reply. He didn't know if she heard it or not, but one thing was sure, that it would one day be a reality.

She would one day become a star.