I’ve mentioned the music that would mingle with the sounds of the crowd, the preparation of food, and the singing of the stones being pieced together on festival days.
Musicians would often play in the castle, or out in the courtyard. They sang the familiar songs which retold the unusual events of Olo’s transformation. Like the holograms, the songs celebrated Olo’s unique and colorful history.
A trio of singers drew big crowds to the courtyard or the castle lobby.
They brought their own interpretation to the songs, and never sang them in exactly the same way. You can’t have things figured out. Everyone sees things differently. And so they never grew tired of hearing the stories.
The trio took their name from the sounds that used to come from under ground. To reinforce this message, Sonic Pulses dressed up as the king and queen on that day they first met Flash. Oona wore a pink dress. Onni and Olli wore white shirts and black neckties. Most of the time, anyway.
There were other musicians that often played music in or around the castle.
Otso, the pianist, played the grand piano in the lobby. He said he loved the acoustics in that space, and said that he sometimes played duets with his own echo, when his notes decided to come back to him from the spaces in the vaulted ceiling.
You didn’t have to go to the castle to hear Otso play. He had figured out how to mount a piano onto the back of a whale. When he needed a quiet place to practice, the whale would take him high up over the forest, appearing as an unidentified speck that would fade from view behind clouds. Sometimes he practiced over the middle of the ocean.
When he was ready, he would float just above the treetops, filling the woods with music.
The fish would leave the shade of the branches and dance in the air around him, forming images inspired by the compositions.
He would linger over tables, serenading the diners.
The whale enjoyed it, too, and would occasionally join in the song, being careful not to dip so low that Otso and the piano would topple off.
Otso’s ears were so big that he could hear things that others could not. He could hear conversations around tables that were hidden beneath the canopy. This way, he could always have an audience.
Otso
Flash’s favorite music was the humming his grandson did as they walked together through the forest. Also, of course, the echoing “GRAMPA!!!”, whose ripples still bounced faintly between the mountains, or escaped the cliffs to sweeten the Ololian atmosphere.
Luuu would visit his grandfather in the castle where they would read stories, or play with toys from the museum gift shop. I say gift “shop,” but of course everything was free.
The toys and stories went hand in hand, like Luuu and Flash.
One day, a darkness fell over the castle suite. Flash heard sounds on the balcony. Moments later, Luuu appeared in the doorway with a rather large bag.
“Grampa!” He rushed into the apartment and emptied the bag onto the floor. The objects made little sound as they tumbled onto the thick carpet. Luuu had stopped by the museum on his way from his home in the mountains.
“Oh!” Flash exclaimed.
An action figure of Flash himself looked up at them from the pile which included a toy yellow pod and two Wizzzers. There were other things in the pile. Spaceship parts, some jewels and mystery boxes.
“Wow,” Flash said with a smile. “Is that everything?”
Luuu patted himself, checking his pockets, and then remembered something.
He reached his small hand into his jacket, and pulled out a huge, steaming teapot!
“How did you get that up here without spilling it?” Flash asked.
Luuu only shrugged and said “I guess I kept it upright.”
Flash poured the tea, and the two sat on the floor. Luuu had so many questions!
He held up the toy pod.
“What does it feel like to go into space?”
As Flash recounted the story of his journey, Luuu laid back holding the toy above him. That miniature spacecraft arced back and forth at the end of his grasp, and Luuu made swooshing sounds while Flash talked.
Luuu picked up the action figure and said “I’m on my way to Olo,” mimicking Flash’s voice.
“Grampa, What is your favorite thing you’ve done since leaving Earth?”
Flash didn’t have to think about it.
“This is.” He said.
“What? The doll or the pod?”
“This visit. Spending time with you is the best.”
Luuu smiled up at him and then suddenly remembered something. He opened one of the mysterious boxes. It was biscotti. They dunked the cookies into the tea which was still steaming.
“Remember when we made those hats?” Luuu asked, when he spotted their creations up on a shelf.
Luuu made a hat shaped like a fish, and Flash made one that looked like a whale.
Flash brought them down, and they put their hats on and laughed.
“Tomorrow is Festival Day,” Flash mentioned to his grandson.
“Can I stay here tonight? I want to go downstairs as soon as it is light.”
“Of course you can,” Flash answered, happy to have the company.
They played some more, and then went out to one of the outdoor tables for some dinner.
Spirits were high on the eve of Festival. Everyone laughed and talked.
Their voices rose into the ceiling of branches, mingling with the faint sound of piano music that filtered down from the sky.
The sound grew gradually louder. It was a nocturne that was sweet, but contained a sadness that made it more beautiful. Flash thought of Lem. She was always with him.
The shape of a whale glided slowly into view in an opening between the trees.
It was not an intrusive sound. People continued eating, drinking, and talking, but Luuu ran to the middle of the clearing, stood on a large crystal, straining his neck to see better.
The whale descended until its flippers almost touched down, while Otso finished the piece.
Luuu clapped and laughed from pure joy.
Otso looked right at him, and motioned for him to come.
Seeing this, Luuu jumped down from the stone and ran to the whale. He scampered up the pectoral flipper, and straddled the animal, facing the tail, with his back against Otso’s.
Otso began another composition as the whale rose again.
Otso didn’t speak. Ever. Maybe he was unable. Don’t feel sorry for him. The piano was his voice, and what a beautiful voice it was!
The musicians all collaborated with each other. There was no competition. Everyone wanted everyone else to be the best that they could be.
If Onni was singing in the castle hall, it wasn’t unusual for him to be joined by Otso. It’s what they did. Like the castle pages and the cooks, they did what they did out of love, generosity, and a sincere desire to see their friends shine.
