Practice Makes Perfect
written by: E Barnes
At eight, Leo practiced piano while kids played outside.
At twelve, he auditioned for the school recital.
“Nice try,” the teacher said. “Keep practicing.”
At seventeen, Leo auditioned at Juilliard. The panel whispered.
“Not ready.”
Leo practiced.
At twenty-five, a conservatory audition. The judges stopped him mid-piece.
“More work.”
Leo practiced.
Now he sits beneath a banner: Grand Keys Competition
The room waits.
Leo begins.
For a moment, the music flows. Then a sour note. A stumble.
Thin applause.
The next day, Leo sits at a piano and practices, while old men toss a ball outside the nursing home window.
E lives in Ohio and is a busy professional by day and a writer of microfiction by night. E has been writing for over thirty years, mainly screenwriting, until the passion for flash fiction became so overwhelming in 2019. E's first book of collected Flash Fiction was published in 2020.
Latest posts by E Barnes (see all)
- Practice Makes Perfect - March 16, 2026
- Your Cold Heart - March 26, 2024
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