Read A Certain Music for Free Online

that here and there, things that grew in parks and in gardens were in bud.
    It was spring.

Sixteen
    She lurched on. She heard her name called, heard those seductive sounds she knew so well. She kept her head down and measured her way in cobblestones.
    The man wasn't there. The door to the house in the Reinerstrasse was locked. She peered through the window – everything was as it had been ...
    What to do?
    The tickets would fit beneath the door but leaving them would be wrong. He would think, now not every seat will be filled. And his fear would grow ...
    There was only one thing to do. Wait.
    She sat on the step. She studied the cards in her hand, traced the shapes of words until they blurred and were lost to sight. With her knees clasped to her chest she rocked back and forth, and back and forth; and the rhythm was that of the song of joy ...
    Long she remained until the rooftops and the chimneys had locked out the sun. Then she started for home.

Seventeen
    In the house by the granary a light was glowing and as she opened the door she heard a voice. That of Frau Schwarz.
    The child halted, considered the conifer, the berry bush, other places of concealment.
    'Is that you, Liebling ?'
    'Yes, Mutti .'
    Frau Schwarz was large and loud. She listened at keyholes. Frau Schwarz knew what was going on. She was also kind, and broth and meat stew and sometimes an orange cake would appear on a doorstep. 'Such a load of nonsense,' was a favourite of Frau Schwarz.
    ' Guten Tag Frau Schwarz.' The child turned to her mother. 'He wasn't there.'
    'Who wasn't there?'
    The woman was coughing again. 'No-one to speak of, Frau Schwarz.'
    Eyes switched from mother to daughter, 'What's going on, Child? You look unhappy.'
    'We were given tickets to a concert – show our guest, Liebling .'
    The guest reached for her spectacles. She read, she looked up. 'These are for the Karntnerthor Theatre!'
    'They were a gift.'
    'From whom?'
    'A friend. His new work is being performed.'
    'I know nothing of music –' began Frau Schwarz.
    'Nor I.'
    '– But I know the value of these ... '
    The woman stared down, squeezed tight the rag. 'We are not going,' she said.
    'Why ever not?'
    'We are otherwise engaged.' It was the child who spoke.
    'Such a load of nonsense!'
    'We could go,' her mother continued, 'but other things are more important.'
    Frau Schwarz peered at the speaker. 'Such a load of nonsense, it's just what you need. Put colour in your cheeks. Take your mind off "other things".'
    'We've given the tickets back and that's an end to it.'
    'They're here, on the table.' The speaker fixed her eyes on the child. 'What's going on?'
    The child dropped her head.
    'You want to go, don't you? I can see that you do. Answer me, Child.' Frau Schwarz leaned close, held the pause, 'But you have a problem. You need a dress. A beautiful gown of pink ... '
    'No, blue.'
    Nobody spoke.
    'At a certain factory there is a box,' Frau Schwarz began. 'In it are lengths of silk long enough for a dress – for two dresses ... '
    'Frau Schwarz, please –'
    'Herr Rohrmann, who dyes cloth, is a friend, Frau Praetz, the purveyor of ribbons, also, and were you aware that your neighbour has donated a bolt of her exquisite lace to the Guild – of which I am the president – for a "variety of purposes"?'
    'Frau Schwarz –'
    '–These are good people ... ' The voice dropped. 'Do it for the child –' The speaker eased back in her chair, she wiped her brow. 'Not going? Such a load of nonsense!'
    ' Mutti ?'
    The woman sat at the table and held her tears.
    'Please ... '
    A head nodded.
    The child lunged, was lost in folds of flesh, ' Danke , Frau Schwarz, Danke, Danke, Danke ... '
    'Goodness, Child –' Frau Schwarz blushed rose colour and fumbled for her spectacles ... 'Such a load of nonsense! ... Now listen to me carefully. On Monday I shall go to the factory and you will accompany me ... '
    The women talked on ... To the child it was like the sounds the man made on the piano when one