The Curious Flute

"Moira! Let's go!"

"Yes Mom! Be right there!" Moira called back to her mother as she hurriedly stuffed her feet into her green, earthy sandals. She looked over at the full length mirror in the corner of her room and saw, in its reflection, that she was bathed in a long rectangle of sunlight. Her long and light brown hair, cascading down her shoulders in a nice wave, looked perfect against the white tunic and brown tweed shorts she was wearing. For a moment, she was totally entranced by her image, one of true beauty. She looked to be much older than she really was, at least 16 in her eyes, much older than her actual age of 11. She was pleased that she no longer looked much like a little girl and felt, possibly for the first time in her life, like a true "big sister." Her dreamy thoughts over looking like a Tarralan (forest-elf) were suddenly cut short by her mom's shrill voice once more.

"MOIRA! Will you hurry! The ferry leaves shortly and we still need to tie up the horse!"

Moira smiled at her reflection and then skipped happily out the door into the small carriage where her mom, dad, older brother, younger brother, and younger sister were already waiting anxiously. Her sister, Sofia, was clutching her little purple purse that was made for her by her grandmother, a master craftswoman of textiles. All of them had their eyes on Moira, who had no doubt been holding them back as she had scrambled trying to find her other shoe. She giggled and jumped aboard, helped on by her older brother, Severin, who was her best friend in the whole world. The small carriage started moving for the docks before the door had even been closed.

The Lochgrens were from the country of Jadali, a large island 12 miles off the coast of Kiillaana, that was established in the year 1020 by 13 original chosen people to represent the friendship between two of the most well known Catin deity, Terabi and Osai. Nearly a century later, the country was vastly different from its close neighbor in almost every way. The only city with electricity on the whole island was the port city and the only transportation was on foot, mounted animal, boat, or a variety of wheeled and self-propelled vehicles like scooters and bicycles. Moira and her family were lucky enough to live in this very city and therefore were all completely bilingual and had full knowledge of the customs and cultures of both countries.

Today was the first real day of their brief summer break, before the school classes would start again. Unlike most of the countries surrounding them Jadali's school year started at the new year and not after summer, and children all were in class depending on the year they were born. As Moira was born in November of 1993, she was one of the youngest in her class, but was also one of the most mature both physically and emotionally. No doubt aided by her beloved older brother and the fact that she was the oldest girl of a very large family, Moira was becoming more and more of an adult every day. However, she still had plenty to learn and enjoyed the fun each summer of going on vacation to Kiillaana where the older children would spend 5 wonderful days going down the coast of New Asia, chasing each other on the sandy beaches of Shoer del Fin, eating carnival food and enjoying the thrill rides in Attlefort, exploring the jungly castles of Peltobh, taking a train through the lush jungles all over the massive state, and (Moira's favorite of all) stopping at the large secondhand shop in Cobh de Via where they were given some pocket money to purchase a toy, book, clothing, or whatever else they wanted that seemed to call their name from their old shelves.

The carriage had arrived at the dock in just under three minutes.

"A new record, Dad!" laughed Severin as he nimbly hopped out, helping his siblings out behind him. He was the oldest child and took his responsibilities to heart. Though he was known for his short temper he was more well known for his kindness and sensitivity.

"All right you four come with me," said their mother, after they had all said their goodbyes to their dad who was now taking the carriage over to the employee's garage and stable. He worked on the crew of the ferry and drove the boat from morning to midday, taking it slowly back and forth from Leena Eithre Resa to Taleah and back, carrying mostly commuters as he traveled west to Taleah and tourists and schoolchildren visiting home heading back east. In the evenings he worked maintenance or other things that needed doing, so that he would have a break from the fairly monotonous and boring task of making the 12-mile journey over and over again. It was easier than lots of ferries, as there were no cars to worry about since there are no cars allowed on Jadali, so it was much faster to load and empty and they prided themselves on its efficiency.

After a rather uneventful hour aboard the large boat, not even spotting a single whale or dolphin offshore, the Lochgren 5 stepped off the ferry, making sure to wave to their father who could just be seen through the captain's window. He too was waving back at them, smiling. As Jadali has an agreement with Kiillaana which counts it as a state in most things, there is no need for customs, so they were off right away down the wide street towards the train station. Kiillaana was much different than Jadali, with its cars traveling all over and its sidewalks and paved roads, which produced large amounts of heat. Taleah, apart from its bustling train station and ferry dock, was a very quiet coastal town. Less than a mile inland, Taleah transformed into a much older and quaint place, strikingly familiar in style to the houses of Jadali.

It was still rather early in the afternoon, a little past one, so their mother had arranged for them to have lunch with Aunt Taya and Uncle Key before heading for Shoer del Fin. They had moved to Taleah many years ago and were both employed at the local high school, which was important as any Jadali Kiillra that decides to attend college or work in Kiillaana will go to high school here, staying with a "sponsor," or host family, who provides them with room, board, and meals so that they don't have to commute every day. Key and Taya had been doing this for years and quite enjoyed having the company.

"There they are! Here come the Bhangrens!" shouted the youngest child of them, Ersin, who had just turned 7 years old.

"Oh look! They've brought Aratan with them!" exclaimed Severin happily. Aratan was the Bhangren's youngest son, who had long gone on to college and was in town for a week before returning to his home where he worked.

There was a happy reunion with lots of hugs and smiles and then the eight of them made their way to a fairly large restaurant on the pier next to the ferry docks called Mair's Fish and Chips. They sat outside, in the warm sun, and watched as the large ferry sounded its horn and then slowly pulled away from the shore as it made another humble return to Leena Eithre Resa.

The week went by quickly and soon it was Saturday. By now they had done all the fun in the sun that they could possibly think of doing and had tickets for the 7:00 ferry back to Jadali. They had gone a couple hundred miles down the coast and were now almost back up to Taleah, stopped two cities south in Cobh de Via. It was here, in the Keòen-named city meaning Mask of Dreams, that Moira had the best time. Not even Attlefort Playground, the state's amusement park, could compare to the joys she felt as she entered Meren Bha (Treasure Chest), the town's largest secondhand shop. Its faded and storm-beaten outside was the shell to hundreds of goodies!

They arrived from their hotel, a short walk, and approached the entrance. Moira looked up and saw the date, faithfully changed daily by the shop owner, who lived upstairs. It was July the 9th- school was starting its finals trimester in the first week of August, and she hoped she would be able to find something awesome inside that she could bring to show to her friends. Their mother gathered the four of them, handed them each some large coins (cities on the coast with Keòen names all accept Jadali currency) and told them they had half an hour to find an item of their choice as a treat. She told them when to return and no sooner had they entered the store than the four of them went running in different directions.

It was no surprise that Severin and Ersin had run for the sporting section first. They both loved to play soccer with the neighbors and enjoyed nothing more than being outside. Moira and Sofia of course ran straight for the clothing, hoping to find a diamond in the rough. Their mother, known as Tania Balthòr Lochgren, smiled to herself as she watched her four oldest children run with such joy on their faces, while she quietly browsed through the clothing, putting things like undershirts, socks, baby clothing, and random odds and ends into her cart.

Moira went off by herself as Sofia ran to the dressing room, her arms full of clothes. She, on the other hand, didn't see anything she really liked enough to buy. This was her maturity showing itself and she had the sense to wait until she found something she really liked. She rarely spent all of the money her mother gave her, spending some and saving the rest for more practical things or specialties at Market. She had weaved through all the racks of clothing and hadn't found anything that she really needed or that peaked her interest, so she moved on to the white, dusty shelves that contained odds and ends like cups, pans, and blankets. She had scored an amazing quilt here last year, which she still owned, and was hoping she would be able to find something as good. There were a few things she had in mind as she browsed past, if she didn't find something that she really wanted, that she would choose between if she ran out of time.

She looked at her watch. She had about 10 minutes to find something she wanted to get. As she looked around, spotting her brothers giggling as they rode on some bikes they found, she noticed the section that said Michàir (music). She walked up to it and saw, right in the middle among harmonicas and tinny whistles, an old tarnished flute inside an old case. She stared at it- it seemed to stand out. She had grown up with music of course and had always enjoyed the sound of the flute, both wooden and the modern one from Kiillaana. She looked at the price tag and felt her heart take a leap as she realized it was totally inside her range! She looked around, thought about it for a minute, and decided that as she had not seen anything she really liked that she would take this chance and purchase the flute. At the worst, she had a new instrument that she could play on for fun or pass onto a sibling, but at the best, she had a tool into her future! With that encouraging her on, she carefully picked up the flute, in the open case, and carried it to the front of the store, where her siblings were all in line.

As they paid and left, they went to the benches and sat down, reviewing what they had chosen. Their mother refrained, saying they were "holiday presents," though the children suspected it was more because she just didn't feel like taking out all the neatly packaged things and putting them back again. Ersin went first. Not surprising to anyone, he had chosen a new soccer ball, as his old one had gotten so much use that it was literally fraying and falling to pieces. Severin went next. He had picked out two things- first, a small metal box that stored coins, so that he may become more thrifty like his sister. Next, and much less surprising than his first present, he pulled out a deck of cards. They all laughed- he and his friends were always playing cards and had invented more games that needed many more decks. This deck had a backing with the Lochgren crest which made them all the more awesome. Next was Sofia, who pulled a long, purple coat out of her bag. She was beaming with excitement, as she had been dreaming of saving up for a nice handcrafted purple coat from the double master craftsmen in Whaven, and she had gotten a slightly used one at a fraction of the cost that was exactly like she had wanted!

The last to reveal her present was Moira, who told them to turn around. They did so, but not without peeking due to their curiosity. She assembled her flute and told them to turn around. They all oohed and ahhed at the flute and though she did not dare play it outside the shop she put it back away carefully, hoping to play it on the ferry.

"Oh how wonderful! You bought a flute! Are you planning to learn it and sign up for music class?" asked her mother with a smile.

"That's the plan!" said Moira, though to be honest she had no idea how to even hold it.

On the ferry, the crowd was quiet and there was little wind, so they all went to the top deck. Moira and Severin were looking at the flute and mumbling to each other about how it worked. She got it assembled all right and, with a laugh, held it up to her lips.

"Which way do you hold it? I don't even know-- I've never paid attention really. I mean, I just listen more than watch..." Moira was saying, as she turned it around trying to figure out what was most comfortable.

"I believe it's held to the right," said Severin, while gesturing an invisible flute in the air. Just then he noticed something in the case.

"Oh look! A booklet!" he exclaimed, and pulled that out. Thankfully, on the inside page, it had an illustration of how to hold it, and a fingering chart.

"This thing is in Catin!" Moira laughed, holding it up by one corner as if it were an interesting object found on the beach. Keòen was her first language and she spoke fluent Kevian whenever she was in Kiillaana or on the ferry docks, but she didn't know much Catin.

"It doesn't matter," said Severin calmly and with a smile, "It's mostly just drawings and numbers anyway. And I can understand this part here. It just says 'place your fingers here' and things like that. Let's try it!"

She raised the tarnished flute to her lips, her fingers awkwardly but in a comfortable position on the keys. She knew a little bit about how to direct the air and with a deep breath she moved her fingers into position for what was supposed to be an E and blew gently across the hole. A rough but solid E played back in response.

"Cool!" she exclaimed. Her confidence rising, she and Severin spent the next half hour picking notes at random and then trying to make them sound. Some were easier than others but eventually all of them spoke. As she got comfortable with the fingerings, she began to try and sort out some simple melodies she knew.

"Ooh! Do Keoa Mera!" said Severin, almost at a shout. Everyone knew that was his favorite dance and that he asked everyone to play it if he saw an instrument in their hands. Laughing, Moira was happy to oblige and had soon, and amazingly effortlessly, she had blown out an immediately recognizable rendition of Keoa Mera.

Not much was remembered after that, but all that Moira needed to remember was it was in a small secondhand shop in Cobh de Via that she got her first flute, almost on a whim, and that it was because of that flute that she was sitting, in the band room of Taleah High School, in the last rehearsal before the last concert and senior farewell. Because of that flute she was going to a school across the whole country, in a world very different from her own, with her older brother Severin to accompany her as he too followed his own journey towards the pursuit of musical mastery (he became a percussionist). From that point on, Moira had found her place as a flute-playing band geek.