Prompted by the Mist

 Last week's freeXpressions prompt was Misty:

which prompted these haikus:

a road to nowhere

doesn’t exist, except to

the town of Nowhere

cloud sits on mountain

gingerly, cautiously

the peak is pointy

cold rocky shoreline

overlooked by stark mountains

topped with mist

slow moving black flood

green grows up in the sun

black oozes down

Bilbo, use the road

travel hours, not months

to misty mountains

get in the water

you’ll feel more numb than cold

trust me

enter the mist

alternate universes

may be beyond

dank, drear, heavy

grey, overcast, cold, and wet

a sunny day here

road follows the coast

power lines follow the road

what’s the coast follow?

and then I wrote this microfiction:

Archibald Simmons von Smith was once asked to write a symphony that would set the landscape of Moldovania’s coast to music. Getting on in years, he was unable to compose on location; a series of reference photos were provided instead. He studied the photos intently, wanting to express, above all, truth. 

The first movement was for the mountains and the cloud-covered peaks. It soared and towered, and yet was also mysterious and airy. Listeners agreed it was a masterwork.

The second movement described the waters, the waves, the storms. You could feel rains pouring down, lashing the unmoving cliffs, and yet also the nurturing of lush vegetation. Listeners agreed it too was a masterwork.

The third and last movement described the scar of a road that cut through the coastal beauty. Coming in at roughly four and a half minutes, listeners agreed it was four and a half minutes too long and described the road too well.

The road was torn out and nature allowed to repair itself. 

Archibald’s top student was then commissioned to write another version of the symphony. After being paid fully in advance, he took the original symphony and ripped up the third movement, leaving everything else intact.

While the music is a masterpiece, the lawsuit concerning the artist’s fee is still being adjudicated.