A Regal Brass Rehearsal

odalia blight: I retrieved my gleaming miniature sousaphone from beside the polished mahogany side table. A suggestion of music deserves nothing less than total grandeur. Hoisting the curling brass body over my shoulder took a bit of poise, but the weighty balance suits someone of my standing. I adjusted my posture against the embroidered arm of the chair, blew a firm, resonant note through the leadpipe, and watched the brass bell vibrate with immense satisfaction. It was deep, commanding, and impossible to overlook.