The Music of the Gnomes
Idol Mini-Season 2024
Prompt 10: "synesthesia"
Due Date: Sunday, September 22, 2024
THE MUSIC OF THE GNOMES
For Dave Eggar, owner of Eggar’s Pest Control, the extermination of pests brought in the money, but really it was all about helping people, like those with unwanted garden gnomes.
He enjoyed catching the gnomes and hauling them to the gnome sanctuary, although all problem garden statues, like Lawn Jockeys, were welcome.
“Garden gnomes are hard to catch,” mused Dave on his way to the sanctuary with another load. “They’re too damn smart for garden statues and way too rowdy.”
People put them in their gardens because they were cute and it made them happy to look at them, especially the more creative ones, like Wizard Gnome, Lawyer Gnome, or Drunk Gnome.
Wizard Gnome Lawyer Gnome Drunk Gnome
The novelty frequently wore off all too soon. Buyers didn’t know that when no one was looking, their funny statues would come alive. Most were just content to wander around their gardens at night, chat with other gnomes, and then, by morning, revert to their immobile stage right where they started.
But there were always a few troublemakers. Wizard Gnomes enjoyed turning cats into dogs and dogs into cats, which made it very confusing for their owners. Lawyer Gnomes loved to file frivolous lawsuits, and Drunk Gnomes simply got drunk.
Dave had a new load of gnomes in the containment unit in the back of his truck. In reality, it was really a party unit, complete with a big screen TV, a sound system, a disco ball, and snacks.
To catch unwanted gnomes, all Dave had to do was drive up in his truck, open the back doors, and play some ABBA or Bee Gees. Gnomes could not resist a disco party. Some gnomes would practically beg to be let into the truck.
A few still didn’t want to leave, so for them he used nets and gnome-safe traps, all in accordance with the Gnome Treatment Regulations. Once he cleared the customer’s garden of all the gnomes, he would start the long drive to the sanctuary.
The racket in the party unit was especially loud for the current bunch. There was a lot of singing and stomping.
“Must be dancing back there,” thought Dave. “I wonder what that looks like. Sounds a lot like clogging.”
Half an hour before arrival, Dave yelled “Almost there. I’m cutting the power in ten minutes, so wrap it up!”
It always took the gnomes a while to come down from their disco high, and he wanted them docile and immobile.
The sanctuary was really the Greenleaf Botanical Garden, owned by Andy and Ellen Dahl. The botanical garden was huge, with colorful and exotic plants from all over the world. The Dahls also took in undesirable garden gnomes and gave them a home. This added even more color and a lot of whimsy. It was open to the public, with elaborate paths for wandering, picnic areas, and a gift shop. It was popular, especially with young families. The children would play “find-a-gnome” to count how many gnomes they could see.
Finally, Dave pulled up at the sanctuary. There was a small building which the Dahl’s used for intake.
“If you’ve got to be a garden gnome,” Dave thought, “this is the place to be.”
Dave got out of the truck and Andy walked up.
“Got another load for us?” said Andy.
“About ten,” replied Dave. “They’re frisky.”
“Well, let’s open it up and see what you’ve got,” said Andy as Ellen came over.
Dave opened the doors. The gnomes were scattered about and with their brightly colored hats and clothes they looked like a rainbow that had been run through a blender.
“What do you think?” Andy said to Ellen.
“They’re too loud,” she replied, “it’s a cacophony. But I can find places for them.”
Ellen processed colors as musical notes, and all the gnomes’ colors ricocheted around her brain.
The gnomes in the back of the truck.
Dave helped Andy and Ellen move the gnomes to the shed.
“Always a pleasure,” said Dave before driving away.
“See you next time,” replied Ellen.
“Let’s go home,” Andy said to Ellen. “You’ll need some time to work this out.”
The Dahls lived in a restored 19th century farmhouse, painted white on the outside and the inside, with all-white furniture to reduce the musical notes which Ellen would hear from the colors. Although Andy found it kind of boring, he tolerated it for Ellen’s sake.
The real color in their lives was in the huge garden. The plants had every shade of every color. It looked like an artist’s palette. But for Ellen, it was music. When first planning the garden, she had started with a blank music manuscript and had gradually filled in the lines with color instead of notes. She then built her garden to match using colorful plants and even more colorful gnomes. This created a unique visual musical universe only she could hear.
A small part of Ellen’s garden.
The new gnomes had a place in this composition, but she had to give it some thought as to where exactly they should be located.
Ellen spent several days wandering through her garden, trying to find the right location in the music for the new gnomes. This was a particularly colorful batch. They were difficult to place, and according to Dave, they might be a handful.
“Perhaps I could start a new jazz section,” she thought.
Dave had told her that the gnomes liked disco, but there was no disco in her creation. She leaned toward more intricate, structured compositions.
Ellen loved garden gnomes because they were so colorful and so easy to move. If she didn’t like what she heard, all she had to do was put them someplace else.
Finally, Ellen had it. She got out her manuscript and drew the jazz garden.
It was perfect.
She loaded the gnomes in her wheelbarrow and headed off. It took her several attempts before she had them just right. Then she added some yellow roses, red geraniums, and orange lantana. Finally, she walked through it to hear the piece.
“It’s a start,” she said with a big smile on her face.
These gnomes were a tight-knit bunch. They liked the same music and snacks, loved dancing, and were generally boisterous. They waited for Ellen to leave and the sun to go down. Once it was dark, they started exploring their new home.
They quickly found other gnomes, and being friendly, started talking to them, but they were rapidly bored since the other gnomes wouldn’t leave their locations. Over and over, they were told “Ellen won’t like it - go back to your spots!”
As the sun started to rise, the group went back to their area and became immobile. Unfortunately, they didn’t stand where they belonged.
Later in the morning, Ellen visited the new area to listen to her jazz.
“This isn’t my music,” she said. “Someone’s been playing with the gnomes.”
It happened from time to time, since the garden was open to the public. Sometimes children would move the gnomes.
“Still,” she thought, “the music’s not bad. It’s just not my music.”
Ellen put the gnomes back where they belonged and then went on with her day. There were a lot of plants that needed tending.
The next day, it happened again. At night, the gnomes wandered about and then settled down in new spots.
In the morning, Ellen returned to listen to her jazz. Once more it was different.
“I like this music,” she thought, “but it’s not what I designed.”
After the third time, she told Andy about it.
“I don’t think it’s kids,” he said. “Maybe it’s the gnomes. Let me try sticking them in some cement. That’ll keep them in place.”
Andy mixed up a batch of cement, poured some around each gnome, then planted their feet firmly in it.
“That’ll fix it,” he told Ellen.
But the cement hadn’t fully set by nighttime. After some struggling, the gnomes were able to free themselves and headed off to do gnome things.
Both Ellen and Andy went to the jazz section first thing in the morning and found the gnomes in new places.
“You know,” said Ellen, “the music’s getting better.”
“Do you want me to get some more gnomes from Dave?” asked Andy. “Maybe it would be best if we found a new home for this bunch.”
Ellen thought about it, then said “Let’s come back tomorrow and see what we’ve got.”
The next day Ellen heard another new composition.
“Maybe they’re musical gnomes,” said Andy.
Linda thought some more.
“Jazz is a fluid, improvisational kind of music,” she finally said. “Maybe this is better than what I thought. Every morning, we can come here, bring our coffee, and l can see new music.”
Everybody was happy. The gnomes got to wander around and then return to make new music. They didn’t know what they were doing, so this added an element of chance to the composition, and sometimes it verged on disco. Ellen never liked disco, so she would just re-arrange the gnomes and start again.
When Dave would bring in a new load of gnomes, he would always help sort out the troublemakers. These could now go into the expanding jazz garden, and the others Ellen would use in her other compositions.
Gradually, the jazz section got larger and larger, with more and more complex arrangements, until it was one of the most beautiful parts of the garden. It was Dave’s favorite, and he started looking for boisterous gnomes to add to it.
Ellen became inspired by the gnomes, and even started adding some color to their house, which pleased Andy.
He never had liked white, but he adored his wife. He couldn’t hear what she saw, but he loved what she made.
________________________________
Prompt 10: "synesthesia"
Due Date: Sunday, September 22, 2024
THE MUSIC OF THE GNOMES
For Dave Eggar, owner of Eggar’s Pest Control, the extermination of pests brought in the money, but really it was all about helping people, like those with unwanted garden gnomes.
He enjoyed catching the gnomes and hauling them to the gnome sanctuary, although all problem garden statues, like Lawn Jockeys, were welcome.
“Garden gnomes are hard to catch,” mused Dave on his way to the sanctuary with another load. “They’re too damn smart for garden statues and way too rowdy.”
People put them in their gardens because they were cute and it made them happy to look at them, especially the more creative ones, like Wizard Gnome, Lawyer Gnome, or Drunk Gnome.
Wizard Gnome Lawyer Gnome Drunk Gnome
The novelty frequently wore off all too soon. Buyers didn’t know that when no one was looking, their funny statues would come alive. Most were just content to wander around their gardens at night, chat with other gnomes, and then, by morning, revert to their immobile stage right where they started.
But there were always a few troublemakers. Wizard Gnomes enjoyed turning cats into dogs and dogs into cats, which made it very confusing for their owners. Lawyer Gnomes loved to file frivolous lawsuits, and Drunk Gnomes simply got drunk.
Dave had a new load of gnomes in the containment unit in the back of his truck. In reality, it was really a party unit, complete with a big screen TV, a sound system, a disco ball, and snacks.
To catch unwanted gnomes, all Dave had to do was drive up in his truck, open the back doors, and play some ABBA or Bee Gees. Gnomes could not resist a disco party. Some gnomes would practically beg to be let into the truck.
A few still didn’t want to leave, so for them he used nets and gnome-safe traps, all in accordance with the Gnome Treatment Regulations. Once he cleared the customer’s garden of all the gnomes, he would start the long drive to the sanctuary.
The racket in the party unit was especially loud for the current bunch. There was a lot of singing and stomping.
“Must be dancing back there,” thought Dave. “I wonder what that looks like. Sounds a lot like clogging.”
Half an hour before arrival, Dave yelled “Almost there. I’m cutting the power in ten minutes, so wrap it up!”
It always took the gnomes a while to come down from their disco high, and he wanted them docile and immobile.
The sanctuary was really the Greenleaf Botanical Garden, owned by Andy and Ellen Dahl. The botanical garden was huge, with colorful and exotic plants from all over the world. The Dahls also took in undesirable garden gnomes and gave them a home. This added even more color and a lot of whimsy. It was open to the public, with elaborate paths for wandering, picnic areas, and a gift shop. It was popular, especially with young families. The children would play “find-a-gnome” to count how many gnomes they could see.
Finally, Dave pulled up at the sanctuary. There was a small building which the Dahl’s used for intake.
“If you’ve got to be a garden gnome,” Dave thought, “this is the place to be.”
Dave got out of the truck and Andy walked up.
“Got another load for us?” said Andy.
“About ten,” replied Dave. “They’re frisky.”
“Well, let’s open it up and see what you’ve got,” said Andy as Ellen came over.
Dave opened the doors. The gnomes were scattered about and with their brightly colored hats and clothes they looked like a rainbow that had been run through a blender.
“What do you think?” Andy said to Ellen.
“They’re too loud,” she replied, “it’s a cacophony. But I can find places for them.”
Ellen processed colors as musical notes, and all the gnomes’ colors ricocheted around her brain.
The gnomes in the back of the truck.
Dave helped Andy and Ellen move the gnomes to the shed.
“Always a pleasure,” said Dave before driving away.
“See you next time,” replied Ellen.
“Let’s go home,” Andy said to Ellen. “You’ll need some time to work this out.”
The Dahls lived in a restored 19th century farmhouse, painted white on the outside and the inside, with all-white furniture to reduce the musical notes which Ellen would hear from the colors. Although Andy found it kind of boring, he tolerated it for Ellen’s sake.
The real color in their lives was in the huge garden. The plants had every shade of every color. It looked like an artist’s palette. But for Ellen, it was music. When first planning the garden, she had started with a blank music manuscript and had gradually filled in the lines with color instead of notes. She then built her garden to match using colorful plants and even more colorful gnomes. This created a unique visual musical universe only she could hear.
A small part of Ellen’s garden.
The new gnomes had a place in this composition, but she had to give it some thought as to where exactly they should be located.
Ellen spent several days wandering through her garden, trying to find the right location in the music for the new gnomes. This was a particularly colorful batch. They were difficult to place, and according to Dave, they might be a handful.
“Perhaps I could start a new jazz section,” she thought.
Dave had told her that the gnomes liked disco, but there was no disco in her creation. She leaned toward more intricate, structured compositions.
Ellen loved garden gnomes because they were so colorful and so easy to move. If she didn’t like what she heard, all she had to do was put them someplace else.
Finally, Ellen had it. She got out her manuscript and drew the jazz garden.
It was perfect.
She loaded the gnomes in her wheelbarrow and headed off. It took her several attempts before she had them just right. Then she added some yellow roses, red geraniums, and orange lantana. Finally, she walked through it to hear the piece.
“It’s a start,” she said with a big smile on her face.
These gnomes were a tight-knit bunch. They liked the same music and snacks, loved dancing, and were generally boisterous. They waited for Ellen to leave and the sun to go down. Once it was dark, they started exploring their new home.
They quickly found other gnomes, and being friendly, started talking to them, but they were rapidly bored since the other gnomes wouldn’t leave their locations. Over and over, they were told “Ellen won’t like it - go back to your spots!”
As the sun started to rise, the group went back to their area and became immobile. Unfortunately, they didn’t stand where they belonged.
Later in the morning, Ellen visited the new area to listen to her jazz.
“This isn’t my music,” she said. “Someone’s been playing with the gnomes.”
It happened from time to time, since the garden was open to the public. Sometimes children would move the gnomes.
“Still,” she thought, “the music’s not bad. It’s just not my music.”
Ellen put the gnomes back where they belonged and then went on with her day. There were a lot of plants that needed tending.
The next day, it happened again. At night, the gnomes wandered about and then settled down in new spots.
In the morning, Ellen returned to listen to her jazz. Once more it was different.
“I like this music,” she thought, “but it’s not what I designed.”
After the third time, she told Andy about it.
“I don’t think it’s kids,” he said. “Maybe it’s the gnomes. Let me try sticking them in some cement. That’ll keep them in place.”
Andy mixed up a batch of cement, poured some around each gnome, then planted their feet firmly in it.
“That’ll fix it,” he told Ellen.
But the cement hadn’t fully set by nighttime. After some struggling, the gnomes were able to free themselves and headed off to do gnome things.
Both Ellen and Andy went to the jazz section first thing in the morning and found the gnomes in new places.
“You know,” said Ellen, “the music’s getting better.”
“Do you want me to get some more gnomes from Dave?” asked Andy. “Maybe it would be best if we found a new home for this bunch.”
Ellen thought about it, then said “Let’s come back tomorrow and see what we’ve got.”
The next day Ellen heard another new composition.
“Maybe they’re musical gnomes,” said Andy.
Linda thought some more.
“Jazz is a fluid, improvisational kind of music,” she finally said. “Maybe this is better than what I thought. Every morning, we can come here, bring our coffee, and l can see new music.”
Everybody was happy. The gnomes got to wander around and then return to make new music. They didn’t know what they were doing, so this added an element of chance to the composition, and sometimes it verged on disco. Ellen never liked disco, so she would just re-arrange the gnomes and start again.
When Dave would bring in a new load of gnomes, he would always help sort out the troublemakers. These could now go into the expanding jazz garden, and the others Ellen would use in her other compositions.
Gradually, the jazz section got larger and larger, with more and more complex arrangements, until it was one of the most beautiful parts of the garden. It was Dave’s favorite, and he started looking for boisterous gnomes to add to it.
Ellen became inspired by the gnomes, and even started adding some color to their house, which pleased Andy.
He never had liked white, but he adored his wife. He couldn’t hear what she saw, but he loved what she made.
________________________________