Sound of Sirens

Chapter 5

That afternoon, we gather in the living room. Dad has splashed out and made enough pancakes to last us through lunch and dinner, because Eida donated some eggs to us too, the sweetheart. Dani joins us for tea and cookies. Sytse has brought our favorite, waffles filled with the sweetest syrup in all of Fryslan. I get the portable gramophone from my room so we can put it on the coffee table and listen to the new music my brother brought home. Dani bought a few Victor Silvester records from an old sailor she knows through her grandpa, and she's brought those too.

The first song we play is called My Secret Love Affair. It's Dani's pick. A slight smile graces her face as we listen to the dance band playing a somewhat mournful tune with a beautiful violin solo. The majority of this orchestra's recordings don't feature vocals, and I feel the urge to start singing and add some lyrics about a couple sneaking off to meet up in secret.

Dani used to date a guy from Meslons who kept their relationship a secret. Hank didn't want to tell his parents because they expected him to 'do better'. They're rich, stuck-up snobs who are tragically deluded because they think Hank will marry a Current girl one day. No mixed-heritage couple on this island will ever tie the knot. It just doesn't work that way.

Dani broke up with him a few months ago because she got tired of being Hank's clandestine lover, but I know it still stings her. She really liked him. This kind of music reminds her of what she's lost.

Next up is my latest Kathleen Ferrier acquisition – a record featuring the songs What is Life and Art Thou Troubled? I pick the first song and we listen in silence. Kathleen's dark, contralto voice fills the room. Dad closes his eyes and savors the music. It reminds him of Mom and the happier times when she was still alive. He once told me how much he loved me playing Kathleen Ferrier's music in the quiet afternoon hours while doing homework, invoking bitter-sweet memories.

After the song is finished, Sytse volunteers to wind up the gramophone for the next round of records. The crank is getting a bit squeaky, but the machine is still working properly. I stand next to him to replace the steel needle and shoot Dani a wicked grin when she walks over holding up a Bob Scobey record. "Want me to put in a loud needle?" I ask.

"Of course," Dani replies. "The Frisco Band needs to be played at maximum volume."

Last time we did that, Eida came over to check out what all the noise was about and ended up jazz-dancing in the living room with us. She's a feisty old woman, just like my grandmother Antje.

"Okay, here we go," Sytse says. He carefully places the needle in the outer groove and the soundbox comes to life with a crackling noise – a bit too buzzy to my taste. I asked him to look around for a new mica diaphragm, but they are hard to come by these days.

We dance and sing along to the new records until dinner time. "Are you dropping by tonight to study for the German test together?" Dani inquires as I see her out.

"I can't," I say. "I promised Sytse to help him with something."

"Okay. If you're too busy to study I'll fill you in during our ride to school tomorrow!" she grins.

I feel guilty for lying to her, but I don't want to tell her about Royce's strange proposal. Yet. Of course I will tell her, eventually – once Royce has grown tired of me and my LP and goes back to the harbor to pick out his next new and shiny thing, I'll tell her all about how I forced a Current guy to hang out with me. The Jyoti LP makes me feel powerful. The title of the record is Phoenix, and that's exactly what I feel like. Indestructible. Rising like a newborn from the flames.

By the time I sneak out of the house – I told my family I'd be studying in my room until bedtime – it is almost dark outside. Royce promised to leave a light on outside the cottage, which is a good thing. I thought I could take the bike to Stortum, but I can't risk veering off the narrow track in the darkness. I don't have headlights like the Current vehicles, after all. It's a new moon tonight, so the sky will be pitch-dark later. I will have to walk.