Musicschool

 

Chapter 8- A New Discovery

 

 Now I felt home. I was used to Mary’s daily prayer, Celia’s soft snores (but I still didn’t know who was Celia and who was Rosalind.), Sir Mackenzie’s  usual scolding, Miss Caterski’s  motherly encouragement, Sumayo and Amanda’s makeup conversations, Sally’s witty answers and even Alex’s undone shoelaces.

Mary had a hard blow teaching how to tie laces and surprisingly he did! But eventually there aglets would feel the ground.

I got phone calls from Mother now and then, and she would send me pretty parcels filled with Lindt Dark Chocolates or Fresh Apples from Kashmir pack.

My fellows were now totally off with the ‘Edward-Bella’ joke and that really gave both of us a sigh of relief.

The Pierre De Cape concert was approaching and the hall decorations had started. My First Set was a went off well and our results would be out in a week or so.

“You must be kidding me,” Mary gasped in a quiet English lesson on a sunny mid-October afternoon.

“The fact is, I am not.” I reassured.

“You mean, you finished with the two grade six pieces and seven solos?!”

“Uh-huh. That’s it, there isn’t more, is there?”

“No, but…..but……you’re impossible!” She said loudly.

“What’s wrong with me finishing my assignments?”

Sir Mackenzie’s hoarse voice called out to us-“Miss Flynn, Miss Thomas, are you so done you’re your notes that you have surplus time to persuade?”

“Sorry, Sir.”

He stared at us with is black coal like eyes and thin, angular face. I glanced at the blackboard. He had written the first two verses of ‘Daffodils’ by William Wordsworth in his loopy handwriting.

“And when did you do all this?” Mary muttered immediately after he’d turned away.

“When you used to snore happily in the twilights.”

“I suspect you. Well, you know who’s coming for the concert as a chief guest? Guess.”

“No idea.”

“Madame Ménage!”

“What! Really?”

“Miss Thomas, Miss Flynn! Take all your things and out of my class, now!” Sir screamed shoving his sleeve, pointing out of the class.

We stood up in an instant. First we looked at Sir first, at his terrified expression, and then looked at each other. And then without justifying anything, like utter shameless, gathered our things and walked out of the class.

Leaning to the wall, I asked enthusiastically- “Ménage?”

Madame Ménage was a very royal and world class pianist, she was about seventy years, and of course, brilliant. I’d met her once in a hotel, in Switzerland, I heard her playing. Her hands brushed the keys forming the most sweet arpeggio ever heard or the sweetest melody which notes made. But none seemed to know her. And all the people here, knew her. That’s why she was invited here. Personal Lady.

I was even used to this secretive school. The pupils knew everything, but the ‘everything’ didn’t go beyond the walls.

“Of course,”

“This is going to be great!”

“Ugh. This news is making me super-conscious! And I can’t finish my assignments!”

The bell rang.

“Don’t worry. Use your idle will power. It might stop rusting.”

We both were laughing as Sir Mackenzie came out of the class. Our face changed from amazement to guiltiness in a nanosecond.

“You two, detention, this Saturday.” He said.

“Yes Sir. Sorry.”

“Humph.”

 

Saturday, the morning, we spent our time inking our sheets with ‘I shall not talk during lessons’ hundred times.

We went for a hike in the afternoon after lunch. We dragged Alex with us too.

As climbing up, Alex moaned. “Geez! I hate to hike! Especially in this windy weather!”

“Oh, Come on! Be a sport, Alex.” I encouraged.

We hiked more and Alex seemed to trip about more than a thousand times.

It was overcast and murky.

We sat on a huge rock nearby, and Alex picked a stone and threw it somewhere. In a bush.

And suddenly, something moved in the bush.

“Alex! What did you hit?” I asked anxiously.

“Maybe an animal?” Alex muttered.

And the furious creature was outside. A Porcupine?!

“Alex, you hit a porcupine!!!” Mary yelled.

“I can see that!”

And it came towards us.

“Run!!!” Was all I could say!

And we ran for our lives.

We went to the right of the trail and I had an idea where we were heading.

What a stupid thing! Alex threw a stone- it hit a creature- the creature is following us- which creature?- Porcupine!

Alex tumbled over his shoe lace and one thorn was smacked in his thigh.

“Aaaaah!” Alex roared.

Mary dragged him as soon as possible and ran again. We ran and ran until we were safe behind a bulrush.

“Alex, never throw stones again, or I’ll throw stones at you!” I warned.

Mary was lost in her different world, no, she was examining Alex’s wound.

As we were down on the stony ground, Mary kept Alex’s leg to the soil. Alex cringed once or twice.

“Don’t move, or it will hurt.” She said softly.

“Yeah.” Alex answered.

She plucked out a leaf, and then slowly removed the thorn out of Alex’s thigh.

She covered with the leaf his wound instantly, after she’d plucked the thorn.

Then she slowly rubbed her palm to his thigh.

“Pains?” She asked Alex.

“Just Stings.” Alex answered.

“Never mind. It will stop.” Mary said calmly.

“Thank you.”

“Always Welcome.”

I peeked through the gaps of the bush, to assure that the porcupine wasn’t following us anymore, but my foot slipped and I slid down a slope like a landslide.

“Isabella!” Mary yelled.

Alex tried to yank me, but he slipped with me too. And then Mary.

As we descended towards something unidentified, I kept this my mantra- ‘Mary and Alex are important; I have to get them back to school, no matter wherever I land up.

I finally halted when my forehead hit an enormous rock, and I started to bleed.

And after we’d all stopped (finally) I gazed at the most beautiful sight, a pasture.

It was a huge meadow, with patches of red, yellow and purple flora everywhere. And in the midst, was a colossal flowering tree. The sun glistered from the gaps of the branches, creating fractional shadows.

The flowered swayed with the light breeze, their warm shades melted into the balmy environment. The place was mostly bounded with tall coniferous trees, leading to the woods.

It was barely to my notice that my temple was bleeding, I was engrossed with the striking vista.

Mary seemed to not care on which terrain she was standing, but bothered more about my wound.

“Isabella, you’re bleeding.” She was apprehensive.

“I am perfectly fine, Mary. Look over there.” I pointed at the spectacular scene.

“I know.” She simply answered.

It was then I found that Alex’s warm hands were on our shoulders.

“It’s miraculous.” He said.

I walked to the tree, cautioned at my every step. My head told me wrathfully- ‘Isabella, you’re completely insane! Do even know where you are going?’ Whereas my body convinced me- ‘Bella, see what’s there. It is a beautiful place, there’ll be no harm.’ And again my head objected- ‘Beautiful the evil!’

And I agreed to my egotistical body.

My head wasn’t working properly because of the wound.

I looked at Mary and Alex standing far, wittily.

But the selfish me gestured them to join me. Alex skipped till me, and Mary followed.

I sat under the tree, letting the sunrays partially heat me.

“I felt this was only in fairytales.” I commented.

“Yes, really. This feels like umm, Snow White’s cottage’s backyard.” Alex replied.

I wish I could bring my piano and play here. I had dreamt of playing an engaging harmony in the most beautiful scenery of the world.

Hardly knowing anything about natural world, I couldn’t really differentiate between the flowers, I think some were daffodils, and some were tulips. 

I slowly laid on the grass, the little buds tickling my neck.

Mary lied on the left sand Alex on the right. My dark hair covered the little buds.

A drop of water fell on my temple.

My forehead whirled. I then revised that I hurt my forehead. I wiped the wound with my sleeve.

It must have been hours lying down there, in the adoration.

It was then, Alex and I came into ugly reality and roared in unison- “How do we get back?!”

We turned to see Mary’s reaction. She was contentedly, peacefully sleeping on the warm grass.

I smiled.

Alex asked anxiously- “Bella, how do you suppose us to get us back?”

I got angry at his statement. “Shut up Alex, even you fell. I am not the only person responsible!”

“Okay….Calm down. I think we fell of a slope, and then landed up here, right?”

“Yes, correct. And then we go left.”

“MARY, Wake up!”

Mary just stumbled at her place, so I shook her.

Still, she did not mind to wakeup.

My brain flickered a bulb. “Mary! Alex is throwing a stone!”

“No!” Mary woke up with her eyes startled.

“Kidding.” I laughed.

“I will not spare you, Isabella.” Alex warned.

I laughed louder.

“We’re going, are we?” Mary asked.

“Yes.”

“Oh, what’s the time, by the way?”

I glanced at my watch.

“Its Six Thirty!”

“What?!” They cried together.

“We have to hurry, if anyone notices our absence, we’re going to be in grave danger! Now do you know the way back?” Mary asked.

“Yep.”

“And no throwing stones.”

We climbed back the way, but our heads were still absorbed in the flora vista.

 We finally made it to school at Quarter past seven, and dashed right into the food arena.

As we sat at our table, Sally complained-“ Where the heck were the three of you? People noticed your absence, if it weren’t me, you’d have been expelled!”

“We’re just out, roaming.” I answered.

“Actually, we found-” Alex said and Mary elbowed him hard.

“Nothing. So we were spending our time in the lawn.” Mary continued his speech and then glared at him.

“Well, worry not. We are here now safe and solely, so let’s not think about it.” I concluded the matter.

After done with meals, gathered in the lobby.

Mary seemed to be bugged with Alex for almost blurting out the matter.

She had commanded us-“You don’t say a word about this meadow, to anyone, you hear me?!”

And we nodded our heads obediently.

Sunday, was a lazy day as usual, but the afternoon was fun as visited the meadow and were playing Frisbee there like little children.

I took my MP4 with me later that afternoon and enjoyed my favorite music while doing my assignments.  

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