Make the past for the present

“...I [was] eager to escape backward again, to be off to invent a past for the present." –The Rose Rabbi by Daniel Stern
Present: pres·ent
1. Something that is offered, presented, or given as a gift.
Let’s stick with this definition. Unusual presents, accidental presents, metaphorical presents, re-gifted presents, etc. — pick any present you have ever received and invent a past for it.
Inspired by Jennifer Qin, admitted student Class of 2016.

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    A decent present, people usually view, would be a new and fresh product that had not been touched by any other’s hand; obviously, no one wants a used cellular phone for their birthday present. Rarely, however, there are some opposite cases that a fresh and brand new present is rather undesirable present, especially if it is a classic instrument. I have been playing the violin for more than a decade, and never have wanted a new born baby violin for my present. Yet, I also have never expected that I’ll be hanging on with some old grandfather-like violin. When I was in a second grade in a middle school, I received my new friend born in 1817, a “new” violin.

    As far as I clearly know, my present, violin was born in Germany in 1917 by, hopefully, one of those master artisans. Those facts were what the certificate showed. What the violin said to me was a little more grave and deeper than what the ostensible certificate told me. As those master musicians say, whenever I play the different violin. Everyone tells me a different story with a different voice – some of them with high tone and exaggerated voice, some others with an annoyingly exhausted voice. My old friend had a voice with a noble-like a grave, slightly weary dignity, voice. Although he had experienced both the first and the second World War, his voice never sys such serious incidents ironically; yet, at the same time, he also doesn’t like my playing him with delightful sweet songs. He loves to tell me a sad love story or the life stories of different musicians he has lived with before he came to me. Once, he told me of a tragic love story of his old friend Itzach Adalhard, who proposed his love to his lover by playing the violin. Unfortunately, however, the woman Adalhard loved was an ardent staunch cello lover. It was an epic fail. Then my violin says he was given to another preeminent violinist immediately after that love was failed. I have no idea how he could tell such endless love and failure stories to me, but I think I am also one of his victims, an epic “love-failer”.

    Though I failed in my love, and am now a staunch celibate, I can feel that my range of “feeling” is certainly expanded whenever I try to interpret some good piece of music, probably conducted by one of those love-fail victims of my dear old friend. Thus, I will never sell or give my old love-fail lover to anyone else because I think now I could somewhat understand him – he has been a solo for more than a century, so he probably wants his dear friend to experience same love-fail feelings and sympathize with him. Fortunately I would love to become a friend with this old stubborn buddy for my life regardless of what I do as for my job.