One Hundred!
Virgil awoke to the familiar sound. He groaned and pulled his pillow over his head in a vain attempt to block the noise out.
He was surprised when it worked.
Cautiously he removed the pillow and looked about him.
Everything seemed as it had been when he went to bed in the early hours of the morning.
He looked at the clock.
It read ten thirty.
He'd slept in. It was a wonder someone hadn't been in to see if he was okay. Scott had probably told them to let him sleep.
He smiled to himself. Despite the late night he was pretty sure that Scott would have been up at his usual time of 5 am. Maybe he would have allowed himself the luxury of an extra half hour sack time, but that would be all.
He wondered if Scott had turned the light on this morning.
Virgil sat on the edge of the bed and in doing so knocked his book to the floor.
It fell silently and lay there, pages exposed. He picked it up and put it back on the table.
As he did so he experienced a strange sensation. Almost as if he'd heard something.
He dismissed the idea, deciding that he was still half asleep and went into the bathroom to try to wake himself up.
He turned on the tap.
The sound of running water greeted him.
He stared into the hand basin, not believing what his senses were telling him.
He looked at his reflection. "Am I hearing?" he asked himself.
He couldn't hear the words.
He knocked on the mirror.
His image knocked silently back.
He picked up his toothbrush and tapped the glass.
He definitely heard something.
He tried tapping other things. The metal taps and enamel basin produced the desired result, but wooden and plaster fixtures were silent.
He dropped the toothbrush back in its holder and thought.
He needed a more scientific test. Something that could produce different pitches...
***
"The police have tracked them down." John said. "The Officer who called me back was very apologetic... and grateful that we were willing to help."
Everyone else in the family were looking at him and starting to relax.
"That's good, John." Jeff said. "Glad to know we're not required this time..." He noticed that his son didn't appear to be listening. "John?"
John appeared to be staring over their heads. "What's he..."
The piano began to play a scale.
As if they were one person they turned to face the instrument.
Virgil was sitting there. He played the length of the keyboard from bass to treble and then reversed his course. He reached a note midway down the treble scale and played it a few times. "No. I lose it there." He said to himself.
"I think he's lost it, full stop." Alan looked horrified. "I've seen it coming since he went mad at Scott."
"Alan!" Scott admonished him, worried that his brother's words were true.
"Alan! Don't be mean!" Tin-Tin scolded.
Virgil looked up. "Tin-Tin! Say that again."
"What! I-I said... Why?"
"Tin-Tin!" Virgil ran over to her, picked her up in a hug and twirled her round. "I heard you! I heard you speak!" He started laughing. "I love you! Forget Alan, marry me!"
"Virgil Tracy!" She laughed, blushing. "You're being silly. Put me down! I won't marry you!"
He put her down. "That's got to be the most wonderful thing I've ever heard," he said, smiling.
Scott tapped him on the shoulder and Virgil turned. His eldest brother had a grin that stretched practically from one ear to the other. "You can hear?"
"I can't hear you." Virgil admitted. He went back over to the piano and sat down. "I can hear these notes clearly." He played a scale. "The tinnitus muddles them from here. And I can't hear anything below this note." He played another and turned back to Tin-Tin. "Your voice is the right pitch for me to hear. So's the klaxon. That's what woke me..." Suddenly he frowned. "Shouldn't you guys be heading off? I'm holding you up..."
"Tell him Tin-Tin." Gordon said. "He's not going to want to watch any of us sign."
"It was a false alarm, Virgil," she told him. "Some youths thought it would be funny to call in International Rescue. The police have caught and arrested them."
"That's good."
Brains stepped in. "Tin-Tin. T-Tell him I'll want to m-make some tests later."
Tin-Tin translated. Virgil screwed up his face at the thought. "Nothing that involves needles is there?"
"No." Brains shook his head.
"Good!"
Grandma Tracy stormed into the room. Her face wore a frown. "Own up! Who's eaten my chocolate cake?! We were going to have it for morning tea!"
Scott looked guiltily away from his grandmother.
Virgil didn't have any such inhibitions. "Grandma! I can hear you too!" He left the piano stool and gave her a kiss. "This is great!"
"What! Virgil? You can hear?"
"I can hear you and Tin-Tin. The guys voices are too deep."
"That's wonderful!"
"Isn't it!" he was beaming.
His father came over to him. His eyes were shining. He looked relieved too. I'm happy for you.
"Not as happy as I am!"
"Mother. Tell him to get dressed and he can have breakfast."
"Virgil, go get dressed. You'll have to have a normal breakfast. You could have chocolate cake but someone's eaten it all."
"That's okay." Virgil looked at Scott and winked. "I've had enough chocolate cake for the moment anyway."
Scott returned the wink before Virgil left the room to get changed.
"What did he mean by that?" Grandma asked. "Does he know who's stolen the chocol..."
"Don't worry about the chocolate cake." Jeff told her gently. "I think it's done more good than you could imagine. We'll find some other way to celebrate tonight."
Virgil awoke to the familiar sound. He groaned and pulled his pillow over his head in a vain attempt to block the noise out.
He was surprised when it worked.
Cautiously he removed the pillow and looked about him.
Everything seemed as it had been when he went to bed in the early hours of the morning.
He looked at the clock.
It read ten thirty.
He'd slept in. It was a wonder someone hadn't been in to see if he was okay. Scott had probably told them to let him sleep.
He smiled to himself. Despite the late night he was pretty sure that Scott would have been up at his usual time of 5 am. Maybe he would have allowed himself the luxury of an extra half hour sack time, but that would be all.
He wondered if Scott had turned the light on this morning.
Virgil sat on the edge of the bed and in doing so knocked his book to the floor.
It fell silently and lay there, pages exposed. He picked it up and put it back on the table.
As he did so he experienced a strange sensation. Almost as if he'd heard something.
He dismissed the idea, deciding that he was still half asleep and went into the bathroom to try to wake himself up.
He turned on the tap.
The sound of running water greeted him.
He stared into the hand basin, not believing what his senses were telling him.
He looked at his reflection. "Am I hearing?" he asked himself.
He couldn't hear the words.
He knocked on the mirror.
His image knocked silently back.
He picked up his toothbrush and tapped the glass.
He definitely heard something.
He tried tapping other things. The metal taps and enamel basin produced the desired result, but wooden and plaster fixtures were silent.
He dropped the toothbrush back in its holder and thought.
He needed a more scientific test. Something that could produce different pitches...
***
"The police have tracked them down." John said. "The Officer who called me back was very apologetic... and grateful that we were willing to help."
Everyone else in the family were looking at him and starting to relax.
"That's good, John." Jeff said. "Glad to know we're not required this time..." He noticed that his son didn't appear to be listening. "John?"
John appeared to be staring over their heads. "What's he..."
The piano began to play a scale.
As if they were one person they turned to face the instrument.
Virgil was sitting there. He played the length of the keyboard from bass to treble and then reversed his course. He reached a note midway down the treble scale and played it a few times. "No. I lose it there." He said to himself.
"I think he's lost it, full stop." Alan looked horrified. "I've seen it coming since he went mad at Scott."
"Alan!" Scott admonished him, worried that his brother's words were true.
"Alan! Don't be mean!" Tin-Tin scolded.
Virgil looked up. "Tin-Tin! Say that again."
"What! I-I said... Why?"
"Tin-Tin!" Virgil ran over to her, picked her up in a hug and twirled her round. "I heard you! I heard you speak!" He started laughing. "I love you! Forget Alan, marry me!"
"Virgil Tracy!" She laughed, blushing. "You're being silly. Put me down! I won't marry you!"
He put her down. "That's got to be the most wonderful thing I've ever heard," he said, smiling.
Scott tapped him on the shoulder and Virgil turned. His eldest brother had a grin that stretched practically from one ear to the other. "You can hear?"
"I can't hear you." Virgil admitted. He went back over to the piano and sat down. "I can hear these notes clearly." He played a scale. "The tinnitus muddles them from here. And I can't hear anything below this note." He played another and turned back to Tin-Tin. "Your voice is the right pitch for me to hear. So's the klaxon. That's what woke me..." Suddenly he frowned. "Shouldn't you guys be heading off? I'm holding you up..."
"Tell him Tin-Tin." Gordon said. "He's not going to want to watch any of us sign."
"It was a false alarm, Virgil," she told him. "Some youths thought it would be funny to call in International Rescue. The police have caught and arrested them."
"That's good."
Brains stepped in. "Tin-Tin. T-Tell him I'll want to m-make some tests later."
Tin-Tin translated. Virgil screwed up his face at the thought. "Nothing that involves needles is there?"
"No." Brains shook his head.
"Good!"
Grandma Tracy stormed into the room. Her face wore a frown. "Own up! Who's eaten my chocolate cake?! We were going to have it for morning tea!"
Scott looked guiltily away from his grandmother.
Virgil didn't have any such inhibitions. "Grandma! I can hear you too!" He left the piano stool and gave her a kiss. "This is great!"
"What! Virgil? You can hear?"
"I can hear you and Tin-Tin. The guys voices are too deep."
"That's wonderful!"
"Isn't it!" he was beaming.
His father came over to him. His eyes were shining. He looked relieved too. I'm happy for you.
"Not as happy as I am!"
"Mother. Tell him to get dressed and he can have breakfast."
"Virgil, go get dressed. You'll have to have a normal breakfast. You could have chocolate cake but someone's eaten it all."
"That's okay." Virgil looked at Scott and winked. "I've had enough chocolate cake for the moment anyway."
Scott returned the wink before Virgil left the room to get changed.
"What did he mean by that?" Grandma asked. "Does he know who's stolen the chocol..."
"Don't worry about the chocolate cake." Jeff told her gently. "I think it's done more good than you could imagine. We'll find some other way to celebrate tonight."