Playing
As a rule, Neil tried not to ask Bar for too much. Like Todd, he was trying to save the money he made at Say True in anticipation of times when he did want to splurge a little, like giving Todd a good Thanksgiving and Christmas. But this morning, he’d woken up with a bit of an urge to hear music.
He hadn’t heard any since coming to Milliways and found he missed it. Even at Welton, before the ham radio had been set up, he’d had the church bells to listen to, so when he padded down to the Bar that morning, he’d asked for a little radio and some music.
Bar, had given him a nice little portable CD -what the heck was a CD??- player and one CD. It was a band called, Afro Celt SoundSystem the album called ”Further in Time”. Neil, who was used to Buddy Holly and the like, eyed Bar a little curiously but took his new toy and headed back outside.
Though it was another cool autumn day, the sun was shining, the leaves were falling and the air was filled with that clean, crisp scent that Neil loved. He’d actually dragged a black blazer out of the closet today, putting it over a cream colored turtleneck and dark slacks, perfectly warm for the season. Heading to the spot he’d occupied the other morning, it took him about thirty minutes to figure out the player -and figure out which way to put the CD into the player- and then the music was drifting across the open air.
It was…interesting and at first, Neil wasn’t sure he liked it. A mix of what sounded like African tribal music and something he would have heard down at the local Irish pub, he eyed the player a little dubiously but then, gradually…as he listened to the few words in some of the songs, it began to speak to him.
The drums, reminded him of the games the played back in the old Indian caves and the pipe flute was light…almost ethereal but what made it all click, was one particular song. The song that perhaps Bar had intended he listen for specifically.
”The heat a glimmer still burning, The heart still beating within, Her song echoes with the calling, For life to begin again, This is the day and the hour, The time when the changing begins,
The land and the sky fallen silent, Quiet moves o’er the plain, Quiet moves o’er the plain,
The silence moves over the plain, The land and sky are quiet, The heart is beating within,
Her song echoes a calling,For life to begin again,For life to begin again.”
”Life To Begin Again” by Afro Celt Sound System Further in Time
The first few times he listened to it, the song made him think. Think about what the words were saying and think about the coming winter, the way the land fell quiet but blossomed back to life in the spring. Had the winter needed to happen to bring them all through to the spring, here in Milliways?
Eventually, the catchy beat drew Neil up to his feet. The wind was blowing, a little more gustily then yesterday and the leaves were flying all around and he began to make a game out of dancing around, leaping up to try to catch some of the leaves as they drifted by on the different air currents. His motions began to match to the melody of the music, the drum line and the soft flute as he laughed, playfully, snatching at the leaves. The friends he made at Milliways might think this a little strange, though people who had known him before at Welton would understand it was simply one of his little eccentric quirks, this ability to make a game out of nothing.
It had been a few months, since he’d played. First there was the trauma of having nearly killed himself, then the beauty in the arrival of Todd, the incredible sensation of falling in love, of having that love returned, the weight of responsibility and commitment to that love and to making a life in Milliways work and of course the simple act of getting used to Milliways itself.
Perhaps that was another reason Bar had given him this particular piece of music, something to help him exercise pinioned wings.
A particularly strong gust of wind set a flurry of leaves into the air and Neil leapt and wheeled in the air, his laughter carrying along with the music as he caught at them. They blew in his face and his motions along with the wind caused his coat tails to flutter behind him as he spun in the air. It was a miracle that his feet seemed to find the ground without sending him tail over teacups he was so distracted by the breeze and playing with the leaves.
He hadn’t heard any since coming to Milliways and found he missed it. Even at Welton, before the ham radio had been set up, he’d had the church bells to listen to, so when he padded down to the Bar that morning, he’d asked for a little radio and some music.
Bar, had given him a nice little portable CD -what the heck was a CD??- player and one CD. It was a band called, Afro Celt SoundSystem the album called ”Further in Time”. Neil, who was used to Buddy Holly and the like, eyed Bar a little curiously but took his new toy and headed back outside.
Though it was another cool autumn day, the sun was shining, the leaves were falling and the air was filled with that clean, crisp scent that Neil loved. He’d actually dragged a black blazer out of the closet today, putting it over a cream colored turtleneck and dark slacks, perfectly warm for the season. Heading to the spot he’d occupied the other morning, it took him about thirty minutes to figure out the player -and figure out which way to put the CD into the player- and then the music was drifting across the open air.
It was…interesting and at first, Neil wasn’t sure he liked it. A mix of what sounded like African tribal music and something he would have heard down at the local Irish pub, he eyed the player a little dubiously but then, gradually…as he listened to the few words in some of the songs, it began to speak to him.
The drums, reminded him of the games the played back in the old Indian caves and the pipe flute was light…almost ethereal but what made it all click, was one particular song. The song that perhaps Bar had intended he listen for specifically.
”The heat a glimmer still burning, The heart still beating within, Her song echoes with the calling, For life to begin again, This is the day and the hour, The time when the changing begins,
The land and the sky fallen silent, Quiet moves o’er the plain, Quiet moves o’er the plain,
The silence moves over the plain, The land and sky are quiet, The heart is beating within,
Her song echoes a calling,For life to begin again,For life to begin again.”
”Life To Begin Again” by Afro Celt Sound System Further in Time
The first few times he listened to it, the song made him think. Think about what the words were saying and think about the coming winter, the way the land fell quiet but blossomed back to life in the spring. Had the winter needed to happen to bring them all through to the spring, here in Milliways?
Eventually, the catchy beat drew Neil up to his feet. The wind was blowing, a little more gustily then yesterday and the leaves were flying all around and he began to make a game out of dancing around, leaping up to try to catch some of the leaves as they drifted by on the different air currents. His motions began to match to the melody of the music, the drum line and the soft flute as he laughed, playfully, snatching at the leaves. The friends he made at Milliways might think this a little strange, though people who had known him before at Welton would understand it was simply one of his little eccentric quirks, this ability to make a game out of nothing.
It had been a few months, since he’d played. First there was the trauma of having nearly killed himself, then the beauty in the arrival of Todd, the incredible sensation of falling in love, of having that love returned, the weight of responsibility and commitment to that love and to making a life in Milliways work and of course the simple act of getting used to Milliways itself.
Perhaps that was another reason Bar had given him this particular piece of music, something to help him exercise pinioned wings.
A particularly strong gust of wind set a flurry of leaves into the air and Neil leapt and wheeled in the air, his laughter carrying along with the music as he caught at them. They blew in his face and his motions along with the wind caused his coat tails to flutter behind him as he spun in the air. It was a miracle that his feet seemed to find the ground without sending him tail over teacups he was so distracted by the breeze and playing with the leaves.