Voice

Peter is name my...problem a have I...backwards speak I...me understand to difficult Is...alone so feel I. Me help!

She scowled then suddenly her face brightened. “Peter, you’re not alone, and I have a tape recorder than can play backwards! Let’s try recording you then reversing it. We’ll have you speaking forwards in no time!” She opened the door to her recording studio and welcomed him in.

Peter sat in front of the audio mixers and oriented himself. How on earth could this help him find his voice? He looked incredulously around the studio, said a prayer to himself, then hit record.

Suddenly Peter heard the most ethereal sound, like a dolphin becoming a choir of angels. The sounds formed words that had never been heard before, yet he knew them, like a forgotten memory. Slowly, the realization crept in: this song, this beautiful symphony, was coming from him.

His melody could be heard throughout the town, and slowly everyone gathered around him. An ever growing audience enthralled by his majestic tunes. “Peter?” Asked a voice. It was Myrtle his ex-girlfriend. “I forgive you,” she said. Her eyes watery and face full of love.

"Forgive...me?" He killed his music with a lethal screech and a wormwood laugh. The sharp click of his shoes against the road rammed a heavier beat into the stillness until he stopped right in front of Myrtle. "Pity. The ones who would've forgiven you are in their graves."

He put his hand on the side of Myrtle’s neck and pulled her closer. “So, are you prepared?” His breath was hot and rank. “Are you?” She countered, steeling herself and planting a kiss on his rancid lips. He had no time to react as he turned into a harmless toad beneath her feet.