Singing in the night.

"Someone is practicing a flute." Daddy says as he walks in the door.
"What? Where?" I ask.
"In the back." He gestures.
I go near the open window. Sure enough, I can hear music floating in, although it is hard to hear over the fans and Mom. So I go outside. Rats, it stopped! Soon enough it starts again. But that isn't a flute! It's a violin! Or a fiddle. I walk silently over the grass until I'm at the back fence. I peek through a knothole. The neighbors are sitting around their table, playing music and singing. Candles light the table. One or two have a lighted cigarette in their hand (the neighbor previously used to put his spent cigarettes in a pop can. I don't know what he did with them afterwards....). A deep voice from a somewhat heavyset man starts the singing. It doesn't last long. It is as if he is just learning the music. The fiddler plays on. They stop. Someone makes a joke. They all laugh. Then I notice something... They aren't speaking English! I can't reconize the language, although I am guessing it is not Spanish, German, or Dutch. Perhaps Russian?
The music starts up again and I am reminded of The Adventures of Tintin: The Castafiore Emerald.

Tintin: "I'm just going for a stroll with Snowy: I need some air. I shan't be long."
Captain Haddock: "Right you are. Enjoy yourself. I'll hold the fort."
Snowy: "Wooah wooah!"
Tintin: "What a perfect night!"
Music reaches Tintin ears as he walks through the grounds.
Tintin: "That sounds like.... yes, it's a guitar.... It must be the gipsies. What haunting music it is!"

The neighbors start a haunting song. Slow, melodic verses... With a one word chorus, "ai ai ai ai" or something. The man with the low voice echoes. I listen, peering through the knothole. Suddenly the verse gets energetic.... Back to the slow chorus... The violin plays softly. The song ends. It leaves me chilled. I try to get to a better knothole but the dry leaves crackle under my feet. Someone sings the chorus but adds a joke. They all laugh. Under the cover of darkness I flee back to the house, bare feet barely touching the grass. But the music calls me back. I sit in the doorway of the house. The dog next door barks. I run into the house. Even from inside I can still hear mentions of the music on the wind. Suddenly loud laughter breaks out. Then, all is quiet.

True story. It just happened.

I made another smoothie today. Watermelon, strawberries, raspberries, and banana. It was good. Especially after a walk! Mom and I walked to the orthodentist office near our house to surprise a friend of mine who was getting her braces off today. She was supposed to have them off before me.... My mom made her wear her rubberbands. And now she has a beautiful smile!

I also got a good 1000 or 2000 words written in my rewrite today.... I'm really on a descriptive high right now, which is good.

I started "The Secret Garden" today. It is good thus far! I am only on chapter 3. So far the main cahracter is bleak, spoiled, annoying, and alone (her parents who never cared about her just died from cholera). She is being sent to live with an uncle who has those same characteristics. So far it looks very sad and depressing for the main character, 9 year old Mary.
If I read three chapters a day I will have this book done in 9 days - next Tuesday. Yes!

Have a wonderful week!

P.S. Anyone know of a good thing to say at the end of posts? I want to say something clever... A quote from something or another. Miss Jack does, "Allons-y" which is from Doctor Who if I am not mistaken. Someone other blogger whose name I can not remember right now does, "Sink me!" which is from The Scarlet Pimpernel (which looks like a great book. Sadly, it is book 29 in the Vancouver Sun series... I have to wait awhile to get to it). Jake from Teenage Writer just does, "Jake." Any clever ideas for quotes to put at the end of each blog post?
P.P.S. I finally returned the Netflix!
P.P.P.S. Check out the "Meet the Dolls!" and "Books" sections of my blog for I have re-done/finished them both as of last night and this morning!