Sing Me A Song

One

Dan kicked the gravel under his feet, slowly making his way to school. He hated school, just like everyone else did. He was listening to a radio play, Affair Of The Lone Banana by The Goon Show, he liked The Goon Show, it was an old English radio show in which people talked out the parts of funny made up characters and cracked terribly written anecdotes. But the part Dan liked the most, however, wasn't the adorable determined nature of Bluebottle, nor was it the frustration that came with listening to what Seagoon had to say. No, it was the little jingle that played between the chapters. Originally, there was an instrumental piece in the play, towards the end. Dan knew this because there was a dreadful static that drowned it out over the top. But those jingles between the chapters, the little tune that made Dan smile was his favourite part. He didn't know why the jingle made him happy, but it did.

Dan looked up and saw the school gates, he sighed audibly. He got out his crumpled time table and sighed again; maths. Great. Just as he started heading towards his first class, someone jumped onto him, grabbing his shoulders, 'fuck!' Dan yelled, he heard his cheerful friend giggle and and she ran infront of him with a toothy grin, 'sorryyyyy' she giggled again, 'sleep well?', Dan rolled his eyes at his energetic friend, 'nope. You?' His friend nodded so vigorously that he thought she might snap her neck. They started walking to class together, the girl skipping and chatting the whole way. Dan tried to concentrate on what she was saying, but his mind kept wandering off to fantasies of distant magical lands with nymphs and elves. Dan had always liked the idea of magic, it seemed it exciting. All the books he had read had implied it that it was.

'...and with that he just BANG slammed the door!' His friend's yelling pulled him out of his trance. 'Dan? Are you listening?' She didn't seem to have noticed until now that Dan wasn't paying attention. 'Yeah, uh, sorry Louise.' They step into the classroom and sit in their usual seats.

*** *le time skip*

Dan was lying on his bed, staring up at his Harry Potter poster which he had pinned to the ceiling above him. He was thinking about the little jingle from Affair Of The Lone Banana and how it sounded, how the little rhythm made Dan happy, how it relaxed him, even though it only lasted for about two seconds. Suddenly, there was a loud beeping noise coming from outside his window. Confused, he got up and peaked between his curtains. A moving truck was backing into the driveway of the house next door. Dan frowned, a sudden pang of annoyance hit him; that house had been empty ever since Mrs Hanson had died. Mrs Hanson was much like a grandmother to Dan, she had always taken on the role of babysitting him when his parents were late home from work or had to go to a business meeting. Dan would sit on her floor and play with her cats while she made them tea and cookies. Dan had loved her more than he loved his own family. Not that he didn't love them, of course, but something Mrs Hanson had once told him when he was seven that would always stick with him and made him thankful to have known her;

'Music is the rhythm our hearts want us to follow,'  Dan shuddered, remembering for at least the thousandth time what came next,
Mrs Hanson had placed her hand on his heart, and then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, starting tapping the beat of his heart on her wooden table. That's when Dan first knew about pure sadness, she started singing,
'Eye on the TV
'Cause tragedy thrills me.
Whatever flavour
It happens to be like:
Killed by the husband, Drowned by the ocean, shot by his own son,'

She then started drumming her hands on the table top, intensely. Closing her eyes, still singing. Dan was mesmerised, he had dropped his cookie into his tea which had long since gone cold. Once Mrs Hanson finished the song, she opened her eyes and smiled at him gently, 'Music was the most beautiful thing to ever have existed.' Dan didn't know what she meant, but it was okay. He grinned widely, showing his missing two front teeth, 'That was amazing,' he whispered in awe, as if something would be broken if he wasn't quiet enough.
That night he was leaning out of the window, watching the stars, letting Mrs Hanson's words repeat over and over in his mind. That's when he heard a booming knock on the front door. His heart raced with shock. He heard his one of his parents opening the door, a loud voice filled his small ears,
'Mr and Mrs Howell?'
'Yes?' His father replied in a fake confidence.
'I am Officer Fitzgerald, and I have been informed that this household's residents are Mrs Amanda Hanson's emergency contact, correct?'
Dan couldhave sworn his heart skipped a beat.
'Yes,' his father said again, all sense of confidence gone.
'I am sorry to tell you that she passed away about an hour ago...'
Dan's vision went blurry, he didn't want this. This couldn't happen. He could hear himself screaming and crying. He ran downstairs and fought off his parents who tried to hug him and calm him down.

Dan shook off the memory of the police officer holding his shoulders, the crying. He hadn't noticed a few tears slip down his face, he whiped them away angrily. He stared at the family climbing out of their own car, following the men from the men. Dan hated them. That was Mrs Hanson's house. Not theirs. He hated the tall, balding man in a smart suit. He hated the smiling woman who had her arm around her husband's waist. He hated the boy who looked around his age with a black quiff. As if the boy noticed Dan staring at him, he turned around and his face stared up at Dan, who couldn't make out many of his features, other than a pair of black glasses and a cheesy grin. The boy waved at him, Dan gave him the finger in return, retreating from the window, slumping back down onto his bed.

A/n
Haha sorry it was so long! I hope you like it though. I had fun writing it, but I did stop halfway through to watch Jacksepticeye's live on instagram haha.
My insta is phanlovinglittle, follow if you like.