








Trees sang, their notes the whisper of a gentle breeze easing through branches and leaves. The stream, not to be left out, answered with its own distinctive voice, tumbling over rocks, sometimes soft, sometimes loud. Both thrilled to the lilting birdsong raised in joy at the dawning of a new day. Nature’s symphony—the first—the last—the most beautiful of all.
This story and its images came about as a result of an accidental prompt from my friend Laura. She commented on my story “Harmony” with the words “The wind in the trees, the stream flowing by as it tumbles over rocks, the bird song. Nature's symphony, the first, the most beautiful of all ❤️.”
I took her comment (with her permission), heart and all, and plugged it into Midjourney. Then I wrote the very short story “Nature’s Symphony.” Thank you, Laura, for the inadvertent prompt and your permission to use it.
If you missed “Harmony,” you can read it by following the link.
Don’t forget to leave a comment!
I loved waking up to this in my inbox. Our neighbors are doing major renovations, so instead of getting nature's symphony in the morning, we are getting a human and mechanical cacophony. I'm sure they will be done soon.
Dascha, this story, plus news about the “Cat Lady in southern Appalachia deeply touched me. I read a lot about climate change and watch all the changes happening. But your story brought me back to what I have experienced in such beauty on the planet I’ve experienced, how nature has been my greatest healer. We still have so much to love and feel. And it’s our “job” as writers to continue to remind our fellow humans of the incredible source of beauty on our planet. On a side note, I was going over my expenses, and subscribe to many newsletters, trying to save money wherever I can. I did drop a couple of them, then thought of yours too. But I knew this morning that yours brings me joy and reflection - so I need your voice in my day and life. And selfishly to inspire myself in my pursuit of writing fiction! That single activity I took up while I was so sick (& needing a liver transplant to keep on living) kept me engaged in life - while creating new lives in the 3 novels I wrote! With gratitude, Dana Bennett