Fiona walked out the school doors, books in hands, with her friend Hannah. It was an average day in the community.
The bicycle rack was crowded with students, talking and laughing. Fiona grabbed her bicycle and set her books in her basket. She pedaled quickly to the House of the Old. When she arrived, she saw her mentor Penelope's bicycle on the rack outside the House.
Inside, she changed into the tunic required by the workers at the House of Old. Penelope smiled at her. "Can you help out in the kitchen? You know what to do, right?" Penelope said. Fiona nodded. She had to help clean up the eating area and dishes. She headed to the back, where the kitchens were located.
The eating area was a large room with many tables and chairs, with the kitchens behind it. A few of the Old were sitting at a table farthest from the door, talking to each other. The rest of the area was empty.
Jonathan, one of the older workers here, greeted her warmly. He was washing dishes when Fiona had entered the kitchen. She immediately grabbed a brush and began scrubbing plates and bowls.
"How was school?" Jonathan always asked her this, but Fiona didn't mind.
"It was fine, thanks. How was work?" she answered.
"Can't say. Still working." he said with a smile. Fiona laughed. Penelope walked in suddenly, and Fiona stopped laughing.
"Are we working in here?" Penelope asked. Fiona and Jonathan both nodded vigorously. "Good. Remember, evening meal's in an hour. You might want to get working." She glanced at the pile of dishes they still had to wash.
"Yes, Penelope, we will get working." Jonathan said. Fiona nodded again, seriously. Penelope spun on her heel and left the kitchen. Jonathan smiled at Fiona.
"Well, let's get to it. We don't want to be here all night, do we?" he said.
"No, sir." she said, and picked up her brush again. At the House of Old, the evening meal was served at five o'clock sharp. There were always tons of dishes afterwards for the staff, and if some were left over from the midday meal or snack, it meant about another hour or so of work. There was usually only two people washing dishes, and often it was the new workers, mostly Twelves, like Fiona.
Fiona and Jonathan were halfway done with the stack of dishes when the clock struck five. Jonathan looked up from his work to Fiona.
"If we hurry, we can be done with this before dinner ends." he said. Fiona nodded once and began scrubbing faster. She hoped they could get done with this stack before the one from dinner came in.
Just as the last plate was finished, Fiona heard a sound. It was quiet, though, so she didn't know if she was just imagining things or perhaps it was the sound of something outside the building. She had convinced herself it was only in her head when Jonathan nudged her shoulder.
"Do you hear that?" he asked. "What is it?"
"I don't know. Is it something outside?" she said. They listened for a second.
"No," they said in unison. "That's not outside," Fiona added.
"Then what is it?" Jonathan repeated. "I'll go ask Penelope. Maybe she knows."
The sound had been getting steadily louder as Fiona and Jonathan talked. Fiona stood there, not knowing what to do. She chose to stay where she was and listen to the sounds. They were pretty and soothing, and were still getting louder. Fiona couldn't tell if they were coming from the House of Old or outside, on the bicycle path. Before, she had thought children might have been playing a game outside. Now she knew it wasn't true: kids couldn't make sounds like the ones she was hearing, especially while playing.
Fiona pushed open the door to the eating area, to see if it was only in the kitchens. It wasn't. It was louder out here, clearer. Many of the Old looked confused. Others were swaying, with smiles on their faces. The sounds were different now, quicker. They were less serious, somehow.
Jonathan rushed back, first entering the kitchen before realizing Fiona was sitting on a chair in the eating area. He was out of breath.
"Penelopesaysit'severywhereandshe'." he said quickly.
"Can you repeat that, please?" Fiona asked. She got lost after 'Penelope'.
Jonathan took a few deep breaths before answering. "Penelope says the sound is everywhere, and she's going to go get the Receiver and ask him what the sound is."
"Who's in charge?" Fiona said.
"Penelope never said. Maybe she'll be back soon enough that we don't need anyone in charge." Jonathan said. "I think--"
He was cut off by an announcement. "EVERYONE IS TO BE INSIDE A BUILDING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. REPEAT: STAY INSIDE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE."
"Is this because of the sounds?" An Old named Steven asked. He was eating his evening meal at the table Fiona and Jonathan were sitting at. Fiona shrugged.
"I don't know. There might be something happening that we don't know about." she said. Steven nodded and went back to his food. Jonathan looked at Fiona.
"What do you suppose might be happening?" he asked.
"I don't know." Fiona said again. "Maybe something happened, like a few years ago with Caleb."
The sounds seemed to have reached their zenith, but they would change every few minutes to something that was completely different. One moment it was lively and fun, the next, serious. Most of the Old were still wondering what it was, and were beginning to ask Fiona and Jonathan. They would answer the same way every time: "I don't know, but Penelope is coming back soon with information, so be patient, please."
Penelope ran in, followed by someone: The Receiver of Memory. Fiona was shocked; wasn't Jonas the new Receiver? But she ignored the thought. Perhaps the old Receiver was coming because he had more experience.
"Okay, people! May I have your attention." The eating room fell silent. "Thank you. The Receiver is here to explain a few things about these sounds." Now, they were melancholy and slow.
The Receiver cleared his throat. "This sound you have been hearing, my fellow people, is called music. It is used to express emotion or create a picture for the listener." He walked out the door, presumably to inform others of the music.
Some of the Old looked a bit surprised from the abrupt end to the speech. Fiona was a bit surprised, too: wouldn't it take longer to explain a concept such as this? The sound--no, music, Fiona reminded herself--had changed again. It was grand and strong and exalted. Fiona found herself swaying slightly to the music. It was so beautiful…
And it ended. Just like that. All its grandeur, gone.
"ALL CITIZENS ARE NOW ALLOWED TO LEAVE THEIR BUILDINGS. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF." An announcement sounded over the community. The community was now back to its usual quietness, but Fiona would never forget the sound called music.
THE END