Liz Riffle
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Devin's Story

Devin's Story

Nov 13, 2021

"Oh there it is on the corner, hang a right. We can park in back." Sarah, being Sarah, pointed left as she spoke.

Luckily Devin was used to her skewed sense of reality by now and turned left, swinging onto an old brick road and then almost immediately into a parking lot behind a brick building with faded reddish pink trim. The windows were plastered with music posters and concert flyers, a few odd dragon posters mixed in here and there. Devin liked the place already.

Sarah waved at a dog barking from the local butcher shop window. "A butcher shop and a music store in the same building. Huh. That makes sense." She mused.

"It does?" He cast her a dubious look.

"Yeah. I mean...don't they call a guitar an axe?"

"Yeah...so?"

"Well what else are you gonna butcher someone with?" She smiled serenely.

After 3 years, Devin still was never quite sure when Sarah was serious or joking.

"I ..." he trailed off as they entered the store. The place was packed with records, tapes, CDs, sheet music, instruments, and every conceivable band t‐shirt. It was a music junkie's paradise.

He stood there like he'd been zapped by lightning until, eerily echoing his thoughts, Sarah started singing "take me down to Paradise City."

Then he registered music playing over the loud speaker, instantly recognizing Bittersweet Symphony.

"Oh I love this song!" Sarah started singing and dancing to the music as she wound up and down the aisles, stopping here and there.

Silently agreeing he turned his attention to the sheet music.

"It's mixolydian." A voice floating from the back of the store startled Devin.

"It's what?"

"Mixolydian. You know...a scale...like major scale but with a minor 7th." The shop clerk, 70 if he was a day, rattled this off like anyone who stepped in a music store should know about scales.

"Oh..." Devin searched for a reply but Sarah shouted, "it's pretty common in rock music" from somewhere in the percussion section and the old man smiled approvingly and shuffled over to the counter.

Later, as they left the store Devin asked Sarah how she knew about the Mixolydian scale.

"Haha silly, I was a music major. Played at Carnegie a few times."

Devin was getting used to feeling zapped...

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