Sounds by Illia Yamkovyi

In the very centre of a bustling city,

where skyscrapers cut through the sky and car horns create a chaotic symphony, there lived a young man named Julian. Julian had an extraordinary ability - he could hear the emotions embedded in the sounds around him. Every voice of a street vendor, every footstep, every car that passed by carried a hidden melody, an unspoken story about human experience. 

However, Julian's gift came with a heavy burden. The incessant city noise bombarded him day and night, a cacophony of joys and sorrows threatening to swallow his fragile soul. Amidst the incessant chaos, he longed for a respite, a moment of peace in which he could find solace within himself. One gloomy evening, as the raindrops pounded on the concrete pavement of the city, Julian stumbled upon an old vinyl record store tucked away in a narrow street. Intrigued by the shop's mysterious aura, he stepped inside, and the world around him melted away. The air in the store was filled with nostalgia, dust particles danced in the dim light, and the shelves were lined with rows of records with cracked covers. Julian's eyes fell on the record "Echoes of Melancholy," whose cover was decorated with a lone figure standing under a weeping willow tree. With a sense of foreboding, Julian carefully placed the record on the turntable. The needle gently touched the grooves, and the room was instantly filled with a ghostly piano melody. Its melancholy notes carried the burden of forgotten dreams and unspoken heartache, resonating with Julian's own inner turmoil. Immersed in the embrace of the music, Julian closed his eyes, letting the melody guide him through a realm that transcended the physical. 

He embarked on a journey into the depths of sound, where music became a conduit for his deepest emotions. With each chord, Julian witnessed scenes of lost love and memories that were forever etched in time. The piano wove a story of a broken-hearted lover standing on a deserted shore, the crashing waves echoing his inner torment. It played a symphony of forgotten childhood laughter amidst the chaos of war, of innocence drowned in a sea of sorrow. The music whispered the secrets of unfulfilled dreams, the longing for the path not taken. When the record started playing, Julian felt his own pain mingling with the music, his tears merging with the raindrops outside. The notes absorbed his sadness, turning it into a cathartic release. Through the melodies, he found solace in the shared experience of humanity, realizing that he was not alone in his struggle. As the final note faded into the air, Julian opened his eyes and his heart felt lighter than ever before. The owner of the music store, an old man with a kind smile, was looking at him, their eyes meeting in a silent understanding. At that moment, Julian realized that the gift he had been given was not a curse, but a unique connection to the human spirit. The noise of the city no longer overwhelmed him; it became a symphony of life, a tapestry of stories waiting to be heard. With a new purpose, Julian left the music store, carrying Echoes of Melancholy. He walked the streets of the changed city and listened with new appreciation. Each sound became a part of a great composition - a harmony of joy, pain, and everything in between. In this way, Julian accepted his role as a witness to the city's symphony, finding beauty in the noise and creating his own new melody.