The Forests of Silence

Memories of Ducks - Strauss The Blue Danube Waltz

"Do you recall that night in June upon the Danube River; We listened to the landler-tune, We watched the moonbeams quiver." -Charles Hamilton Aide

Gale was certainly not the type to be picky, but she knew her life was set to be noble as a default. From time to time, the feared look of commoners as they bowed to her was too much for her liking. She hated being the center of attention when people heard her family name. However, she was accustomed to everything being the best quality and she wasn't complaining about it. At least not this time.

Gale looked around her room, quite impressed. King bed and oak desk with elegant curvings... and her own restroom and balcony? This got to be the best suite in Meldovern dormitory. 

Gale began to unpack.  When she peered inside the suitcase, Gale groaned - 

"Mom!" 

There were probably twenty or so bottles filled with herbal medicine, each labeled - from 'for fever', 'for sore throat' to 'for sleeping.' There was a letter at the bottom of the suitcase. 

'Dear Gale,

I hope you arrived safely at Meldovern. 

Practice hard, do not let us down. Return as a soloist. 

Always be healthy.' 

The sign at the end of the letter was her mother's. Her mother has always been one good example of a tiger mom and she was probably the only reason why Gale was a little glad to be pushed into this dormitory music school out of her comfort zone. However, Gale also knew this was her way of expressing her love and concern for her. The fragrance of all the medicine bottles made her feel homesick so Gale closed the bag and laid down in bed, anxious for tomorrow's class. 

Then the music - 

Gale's ears perked up. The sound was coming outside from the balcony. She closed her eyes. Soft violin notes danced among the curtains, almost like a feather. Then the rhythmic waltz brought by a more playful stroke of bows. 

'The Blue Danube Waltz, by Strauss,' Gale recalled. It was one of her favorite pieces since she was little.

The air was enchanted, submerged in peaceful waves of the Danube river. As if caught in a spell, Gale was paralyzed in bed, craving all the strokes of the bow. She could almost hear the ducks quacking in the distance, answering the rhythmic poetry. 

Who is playing the piece? Maybe she will be able to find the person tomorrow? 

The humming of waltz eased Gale's anxiety. She closed her eyes and let herself completely drowned in the music, leading her to deep sleep. 

***

Gale was absolutely terrified for her first violin lesson the following day.

"Is this seat taken?" Gale asked shakily as she entered the classroom. 

"No, have a seat," a student smiled at Gale, offering her a handshake. 

"Thank you," Gale sighed in relief. "Nice to meet you, I'm Gale Smaragdos." 

"Gale Smaragdos? Are you saying you're from the Smaragdos family?"

"Uh-" 

"Wow, I've heard the Smaragdos family has the youngest daughter who plays the violin but I didn't know it was true. I thought it was just a rumor."

"Yes, hard to imagine with all the brutal family images, right?" Gale chuckled nervously.

"This year's Meldovern matriculants are quite a population. With you and... him," the student signaled slightly to a boy sitting at the corner of the room. 

"Heard a commoner is sponsored by the Anderson family this year. Can you imagine that?" 

Gale looked at the boy. He was a tall, slender guy with short brown hair that covered his right eyes. So this was a boy that just got his violin yesterday, Gale recalled. 

"His name is Newton Frost. Heard he's straight from the street. I wonder Anderson family just sponsored him to receive better publicity for their funds to build the opera hall... who knows?" The student shrugged.

Gale stared at the boy with curiosity. The boy looked up from his music sheet and tilted his head to meet Gale's gaze. Meeting the boy's stare, Gale quickly looked away, blushing. 

"So, did you prepare a piece to play today?" The student asked Gale. 

"Yes.. a Mozart piece. Nothing special," Gale replied. 

Today was the first day where all the violin students were supposed to play a piece in front of the class as an audition. The professors were at the front desk, assessing the skill levels in order to assign each student to different mentors. 

Just the thought of playing to everyone in the room made Gale anxious. She put more rosin on her bow nervously, praying that she will be called last. Soon, the first student was called. He played an excellent Brahms piece, earning an applaud from the faculties. The next student was called and the next. 

"Next, Gale Smaragdos. Mozart Divertimento No.1 in D major." 

'Ok, you can do this, Gale.' 

Gale took a deep breath as she walked on stage. She nervously adjusted her bow and closed her eyes to not look at the audience. She began to play. She focused on making a crisp honest sound of Mozart, a pure divine melody that reached sky-high. When she was done, a small clapping came out from the audience. Gale was happy she didn't make any significant mistake. She thought she did alright, some shaky bow from nervousness at first, but it was better than she's practiced for a few days. 

"Thank you for listening," Gale murmured and took a seat. 

"Last, Newton Frost. Paganini La Campanella." 

The boy at the corner stood briskly and walked up the stage. The audience stirred, curious about this commoner boy and all the rumors he has been generating at Meldovern. 

Newton stood on stage and slowly put a bow on his violin. 

And without warning, with a small tap with his shoes, Newton began to play. It was feverish and clean as if the notes were cut up by the devil himself. Oh the sound, it resonated in the air and pummeled to the ground like arrows. The music struck like lightning, its maddening and playful bow streaks juggling the complex notes like toys. 

"The Blue Danube Waltz..." Gale whispered under her breath. 

Gale knew the kind of music only belonged to him. The boy was a prodigy, one in a million years, there was no doubt about it, and the room was completely silent even after Newton reached the last note.

Newton slowly lowered his violin and took a deep bow to the audience.

"Newton Frost, sponsored from the Anderson family. A pleasure to study with y'all.... noble families."