Quick One Shot- Happy Barricade Day!
Everything looks slightly distorted out a glass window, Jehan noticed. Maybe it was the glass, or maybe the window was dirty. Either way you could write a poem about it. Out the window there is a tree hanging over a cobblestone road.
The door of the room swung open. A little old woman walked in carrying a big green floral-patterned bag. "Jean Prouvaire?" She asked, slowly making her way to a little wooden chair corner of the room.
"Jehan," Jehan corrected. "With an h."
"That's not what it said on my paper," the woman said.
"I know," Jehan said, still looking fastinated out the window. A cart had broken down on the street and two men were arguing over it. "I changed it."
The woman squinted through her thick spectacles. "You changed it?"
"Yes," Jehan said. "Jehan with an h is much more poetic than just Jean, don't you think?"
"I've really never given it much thought," the woman said. "But it's nice to meet you Jehan with an h. I'm Madame Lundier."
"Nice to finally meet you," Jehan said, reaching out his hand towards the woman. "At first I didn't want a lesson, but then I heard about how good you are. Mother said you played for the Dutch opera. She said that you have to be very good to play with the Dutch opera. She said that maybe someday I could play with an opera, but I don't think I could do that. I detest sheet music."
"If you don't like sheet music, then why are you taking a flute lesson?" Madame Lundier asked.
"Because I like to play the flute," Jehan says, wiping his finger across the window sill collecting dust on it. He blew on his finger sending little pieces of dust flying in every which way. Even dust could be beautiful, he thought to himself.
"How do you play the flute with no sheet music?" Madame Lundier asked.
Jehan turned towards her. "I play where my fingers take me. I make up my own melodies. Sheet music is just someone else's feelings, and though sometimes they are beautiful, I prefer to play the music I feel inside."
Madame Lundier looked at Jehan, utterly confused at why he was there. She opened her bag and looked out her flute case. She began putting it together.
"You have a lovely home," Jehan said, walking over to a painting on the wall. "It's a very beautiful place. Terrible drive up here though. I live at the other side of the city. We had to go through neighborhoods of absolute poverty to get here. It's so sad to see the poor people. It's also sad that probably none of them can write. I'm sure they all have tragic stories to tell."
"I'm sure they do," Madame Lundier said. "Now sit, we'll begin your lesson."
"Alright," Jehan said, sitting in the other chair in the room. In his hand he held a shiny silver flute.
"Do you know how to play scales?" Madame Lundier asked.
"No," Jehan said.
"Well, you have to learn," Madame Lundier said. "If you can play scales, you can play anything."
"Okay, teach me," Jehan said.
"The first scale you learn is a C scale. It has no sharps or flats. Play every natural note from low C to high C."
Jehan studied his flute. "How do you do that?" Jehan asked.
"Do you not know your notes?" Madame Lundier asked.
"Oh, I know them," Jehan said. "I just don't know what they are called." He got up again and moved towards the window. Another man was outside now trying to fix the broken cart. The branches of the willow tree hit his head when he stood.
"How do you- oh nevermind," Madame Lundier said. "Do you want me to teach you the notes."
"Not really," Jehan said. "As I said before, I really don't want a lesson. But Mother told me that if I was to continue playing the flute all of the time I had to take a lesson. It's my Father's. Mother says he was quite good at playing before he died. He was a soldier. I just like to play with the flute and make up melodies. When I'm sad I play sad melodies and when I'm happy I happy joyous melodies."
"Why don't you just play for me what you like," Madame Lundier said.
Jehan put his flute to his lips and began to play soft graceful notes. His song was slow and reflective. Then he played loud harsh notes, that didn't go together. He continued into a long trill going from loud to soft, loud to soft. The trill got softer and faded away. He went back to the soft melody at the beginning.
He took the flute off of his face. "That piece was based on the activity out the window. It started off with just the peaceful willow tree but then the cart broke and there was argument. Then the cart got fixed and there was peace again." He looked out the window as the cart drove away.
"I have taught many children in my day Jehan with an h," Madame Lundier said. "But you are by far the most interesting."
"I'm glad," Jehan said.
"I don't think you need me to but I'll give you a quick lesson anyways," Madame Lundier said. "Put the flute higher up on your lip when you play." Jehan did this and played a long tone. The sound was a bit clearer.
"Anything else?" Jehan asked.
"Keep your fingers closer to the keys," Madame Lundier said. "You can play faster notes that way."
"Alright," Jehan said.
Madame Lundier looked at the little clock on the wall. "We still have fifteen minutes before your lesson is over."
"Why don't you play me something then from your sheet music? I'd love to hear you play," Jehan said.
"I can do that," Mrs. Lundier said. She opened her bag and took out a book of music.
Jehan took out a piece of paper and a pencil from his pocket. "You play, I'll write," Jehan said. Madame Lundier nodded and began to play.
Beautiful music, beautiful song,
Singing without any words.
She is an angel, her flute is her harp, her gleam in her eyes is her halo.
She loves the music, she feels the music, those feelings come to you.
She takes you away to her land of melodies,
The woman and her flute.
Madame Lundier finished her song. "You're wonderful," Jehan said.
"Thank you Jehan with an h," Madame Lundier said.
Jehan reached into his pocket and took out five francs. "Here is your payment for the lesson" Jehan said.
"Thank you very much," Madame Lundier said. "It's been my pleasure teaching you today."
Jehan smiled and looked again out the window. The willow tree now was at peace. "I don't think I'll have another lesson for a while. Maybe my Mother will make me- I don't know- but I don't think it's for the best. Maybe one day will want a lesson. If that happens I'll be sure to come to you."