Chapter Text
The sonatas and partitas for solo violin are a set of six works composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. (...) The set consists of three sonatas da chiesa in four movements and three partitas (or partias) in dance-form movements.
“Let’s see, Johann, what will you be playing for us today?”
“Bach’s first sonata for solo violin. Presto.”
The Sei Solo a Violino senza Basso accompagnato (Six Solos for Violin Without Bass Accompaniment), as Bach titled them, firmly established the technical capability of the violin as a solo instrument.
Johann stared at the letter in her mother’s hand, as she held his hand with the other. He couldn’t read it from where he was sitting, but that didn’t matter. Johann already knew what it said.
“It doesn’t matter,” his mother said in a reassuring tone. “You’re still the best to me, Jo.”
Johann let go of her hand and walked away.
“Wait, Johann…”
“I’ll be in my room.”
Correct Italian would be "sei soli". Some believe the literal meaning of the title's "sei solo" (You are alone) is an intentional reference to the recent sudden death of his wife. This theory is popular among musicians but not among Bach scholars, though the exceptional indication of the year of completion on the title page does seem to indicate a payment of homage to his wife.[1]
***
Scouting the school grounds for a good place to practice was harder than Johann thought. Saint Robert of Her Holy Benevolence High School, also known as the Bob by it’s students, was bigger than most schools in the area, and it prided on its sports and science programs and infrastructure, but fine arts, on the other hand, weren’t that important for the curriculum. Johann’s expectations were low, anyway, he didn’t care about soundproof rooms, he just wanted privacy.
There had been a room at the end of the hall in the third floor, so small it was one square meter away from legally being a supply closet. It was perfect, but most important, it was free.
Or, at least, it had been yesterday.
“Well, today is occupied.” The human boy’s tone and stance were those of someone who thought himself better than everyone else by some arbitrary rule of authority, like good grades, or a parent with an important job.
“I talked to the vice principal yesterday, he said I was free to use it after class.”
“Well, my mo- I mean, Professor Miller,” there it was, “has already inscribed this room for the Voidfish Committee.”
“What the fuck is “Voidfish”?”
“Excuse me.”
Johann turned around. He saw a giant jellyfish.
No, to be exact, he saw a giant fish tank holding a giant jellyfish. And pushing it towards him, a human girl.
“ That ,” said the jerk behind him, “is a Voidfish,”
And so, violin still on his back, Johann was locked out of his only option so far.
Now he wandered outside. This late in the day, and early in the semester, everything was empty. Nothing to study, no sports training, at least not until tryouts started next week…
Paf!
“Come on!”
Oh, there was someone else.
Alone in the football field, a stranger trained. He kicked a ball and yelled when it landed in front of the goalposts, which Johann assumed was bad? He didn’t really know much about football. The boy picked another ball from the ones scattered around him, and repeated the process.
Not really sure why, Johann stood where he was and watched as the boy failed his kicks time and time again. It was like a metaphor to his own useless crusade. Or maybe he was just tired and his brain latched onto the first repetitive pattern it saw to take a rest. Either way, Johann found himself rooting for this stranger stuck late at school with him. If he could keep on fighting like that, maybe even Johann-
The stranger screamed. “Fuck this shit!” Well, life was hard for everyone. “And fuck this piece of shit game!”
He kicked the last ball next to him to the side of the field. It hit a lamp post, then bounced right on the boy’s face.
He fell to the floor.
“Holy shit!” Johann ran towards the boy and kneeled next to him. “Dude, are you okay?!”
The boy wasn’t responding. Oh shit he wasn’t responding . What if it was serious? What if he- oh he was coming back thank god.
The boy blinked a couple times before his eyes focused on Johann. “D-did I die?”
“I hope not?” Johann said in mild panic. His heart was still racing. “Okay. Um. Listen, you hit your head pretty bad.”
“Oh, fuck.”
“Yeah, and I don’t think- I mean, I don’t know shit about first aid…”
“Don’t move. Call help. Fingers.” The boy seemed to have trouble articulating.
“What?”
“First aid,” he managed to say.
“Oh! Okay, don’t move, call help, fingers?”
“Like, how many.”
“Oh. Okay.” Johann held up two fingers. “How many?”
The boy stared at his hand for a long, long moment. “Man, cartoons are right, you really see stars.”
“I’m gonna get help.”
***
Dr. Highchurch, the school’s medic, was an old Dwarf with flowers on his beard and all around him in his infirmary. He was calmer than Johann while he tested around for symptoms of a concussion. That was a good sign, right?
“What’s your name, young man?”
“Avi. I mean, Abraham. But please just call me Avi.”
The doctor nodded, then proceeded to not use any name anyway. “And your age, son?”
“Fifteen.”
“Do you know what day is it?”
“Friday.”
“Very well.” The Doctor then pointed at a sign hanging on the wall opposite from where Avi was sitting. “Can you tell me what’s on that poster?”
“Uh, sure. There’s like, flowers vines… oh, they form letters. ‘Zone of Truth’?”
“That’s right, it’s the number one rule of this infirmary:” the Dwarf held up one finger and enunciated with practiced ease, “Always say the truth, and nothing but the truth. I won’t snitch, but I can’t help you if I don’t know what happened.”
Avi and Johann exchanged looks. That’s when Johann noticed Avi’s nose was red and his right eye was starting to turn an ugly shade of blue from the ball bouncing on his face earlier.
“Wait. We weren’t fighting or anything.”
Dr. Highchurch raised an eyebrow. “Who said anything about fighting?”
“He’s right!” Avi rushed to support Johann’s claim. “I was practicing my kicks alone in the field, he just happened to walk by when I hit myself with a ball.”
The doctor gave Johann’s hands a (badly) concealed look to check for any signs of a fight. He snorted and said, “And how did you kick yourself with a ball?”
“I…” Avi thought about it for a moment. “I don’t remember,” he finally admitted.
“It bounced on a lamppost,” Johann said.
“Man, really? I’m a terrible kicker.”
“You should be thankful,” the doctor said, “the impact of the ball wasn’t strong enough to break your nose. Being bad saved you this time!”
“Geez, thanks doc.”
“But I’m afraid the fall was strong enough to give you a concussion.”
Avi and Johann hissed in unison.
“Be honest, doc,” Avi said, “will I be able to play again?”
The doctor laughed. “Of course, of course. But football players wear helmets for a reason, you know?”
Avi sighed in relief. “Lesson learned.”
“And you need to take it easy for a couple days. Lucky for you it’s Friday! Now go lie in bed while I call your parents.”
“Oh, I’m not tired anymore…” but when he got up and almost fell down into the chair again, Avi reconsidered. “Woah, yep, everything’s turning around.”
As Avi did as told, Johann approached the doctor.
“Say, is this place busy? Like, after hours? Because I’m looking for a place to practice with the violin and-“
The doctor pointed at another, smaller sign in the wall. It read, “Rule 2: Keep It Quiet.”
Johann sighed. “Right.” He picked his violin and backpack and left.
***
The second week of class came and Johann was as hopeless as the first. He made the mistake of talking to the vice principal again, who only suggested Johann joined the band. Johann didn’t have the patience to explain why he couldn’t join a fucking marching band with a fucking violin.
So there he was now, looking at the board in case an orchestra had formed in the weekend and was looking for players, even though he joined this high school fully aware that, as far as the school plan went, he wasn’t going to get musically educated here.
He had also given up on carrying the violin with him until he found a good place to play. The last thing he wanted was for people to approach him out of a sudden and-
“Hey! You by the board!”
Johann froze. What were the chances of him being the only one staring at the board right now? He looked to the sides, saw no one, and cursed under his breath.
When he turned around, the boy from the field was approaching him. Fuck, Johann didn’t remember his name.
“I’m so glad I found you, man! I never thanked you for helping me the other day.”
“Oh! It was nothing. Um, you feeling better now?”
“Yeah! It was just a scratch, anyway,” he said smiling. It was a bright smile, not the kind you’d expect from someone talking about getting a concussion, whose face was still kinda swollen from getting hit with a ball.
It soon turned into an embarrassed smile, though. “Hey, this is kinda awkward, but my memory of that day is still a little fuzzy and I totally forgot your name.”
Of course, Johann had never told this guy his name because he wasn’t counting on seeing him again after Friday, but he didn’t need to know that. “It’s Johann,” and while he was at this, “and it’s no problem, dude, you were so out of it you didn’t even tell me your name.”
“Damn, that’s so rude of me! I’m-“
“Avi!” Called a guy from the other end of the hall.
The boy from the field turned around. “Yep, that’s my name.”
His friend pointed at some other place around the corner. “You coming?!”
“Just a sec!” Avi yelled back. “See you around, Johann!” He waved good-bye and left. Johann waved back at him and hoped he heard his name right.
Now, back to the board. How hard would it be to start an orchestra on his own? But that involved asking people around to join…
Johann decided to give up for that day.
***
Johann didn’t forget Avi’s name after that day, and neither did Avi forget about him. He would wave at him every time they passed each other on the halls, or try to make small talk with him before math, which was the only class they shared.
“Crazy game last night, right?”
“Hm?”
“I’m talking about the touchdown in the third quarter, when the quarterback-“
“Ah, I don’t really follow those.”
“Oh.”
Johann wasn’t really good at small talk.
Avi didn’t seem to mind, though. “Well, you’ll have to trust me, it was amazing!”
At least he wasn’t pushy, so those small instances of socialization before class weren’t unbearable. Persistent is what Avi was. Class after class, he approached Johann with a new subject to talk about, like baseball, basketball, rugby. He seemed to like sports. Johann didn’t have the heart to tell Avi he didn’t. The only thing they had in common, it seemed, was their commitment to lost causes.
Johann still had no place to play in peace, and as much as he hated the idea of starting an orchestra himself , part of him still wished someone else would do it. The board was the same every time he checked on it.
Until, one day, a sign caught his attention. It was a printed photo of a jellyfish in black and white, with the words, “JOIN THE VOIDFISH COMMITTEE” slapped on top of it.
“What the fuck does a Voidfish committee even do?” Johann whispered.
“I’ve heard people say it’s some kind of cult.”
Johann almost jumped out of his skin. Avi was standing right next to him, looking at the jellyfish sign with curiosity. It’s important to notice Avi wasn’t a small guy, and after the third week of class he started wearing the football team’s white and blue jacket everywhere, so he wasn’t exactly stealthy, but Johann was so deep in his mind it took him by surprise. “Dude, you scared me!”
“Oh, sorry! I just wanted to say hi.” He smiled sheepishly.
How was Johann supposed to stay mad at this guy? “It’s okay, just make a sound or something next time.”
Avi smiled again, but before he could say something else, a strong voice interrupted. “Bro, there you are! I was telling Carey and the guys about the time you and I sneaked a dog into school in eight grade!”
It was the same guy that Johann saw with Avi all the time, plus a bunch of other people he didn’t really remember. Just like Avi, he and rest of the group were wearing the football team’s jacket too.
“Oh, that’s a great story! Johann might want to hear it. Hey, Johann, you wanna grab lunch with me and the…”
But Johann had already sneaked away. One jock was fine. A whole group? Not so much.
***
After a month of walking around the school and the subject, Johann decided on starting an orchestra. He didn’t like the idea of playing in front of other people, but clubs got their own classroom to themselves, and if the weirdos at the Voidfish committee could get one, then so could he. Besides, he had a math test tomorrow, and any excuse not to study was well received.
Johann went to the vice principal’s office. Mr. Davenport was a Gnome with the most perfect mustache Johann had ever seen, and he never forgot a name. “Johann, my boy! How is the band going?”
“I’m not…” Johann sighed. He still didn’t have the patience to deal with that. “I want to start a club.”
“Hm, I see!” The vice principal stood up, disappearing behind the table for a moment before coming out of the side, and climbed the little stairs on the bookshelf. “You know here at St. Robert we always encourage the students to follow your dreams! Any hobby can be an instance of learning if you commit to it,” he finally found the binder he was looking for and made the way back to his desk with it. “Now, what do you have in mind?”
“I want to start an orchestra.”
The vice principal hemmed. “I don’t think we can allow that.”
Johann was disappointed yet not surprised. “Why not?”
“Well, for starters, I don’t think we have the infrastructure for an orchestra at this moment. It would make a lot of noise.”
“One violin doesn’t make noise.”
Mr. Davenport raised an eyebrow. “The minimum number of members for a club is three.”
Fuck, right, he was trying to con this man. “Of course! I knew that! Anyway, what about the marching band? They get to make all the noise they want.”
“Yes, but they have the music room.”
“Then why can’t I- we use the music room? Can’t we share?”
“Unfortunately, the schedule for the music room is already packed between band practice and music class. And that’s the other matter: you would need a supervising teacher, and our music teacher is already full between class and the marching band.”
Johann leaned back against his chair and groaned. He didn’t stop groaning until he left the vice principal’s office.
And that’s how Avi found him, because of course he would. “Woah, dude, you okay?”
“Peachy. How about you?”
If Avi didn’t think Johann looked peachy, he didn’t mention it. “I was heading to the library to study for tomorrow’s algebra test.”
Johann groaned again. “Right, there’s also that. As if this day couldn’t get more awful.”
“Do you want help with it?”
Johann looked at Avi like he just noticed he was there. “From you?” He realized how that sounded two seconds late. “I mean, not that I think, you know, it’s just…”
Avi raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. “What, just because I’m a jock I must be a muscle head?” His tone wasn’t serious, though, and he looked clearly amused.
“Sorry, I’m not exactly in a position to criticize other people’s brains.” Johann admitted. “I could really use the help.”
Avi looked at him in that fake offended expression, until he finally uncrossed his arms and smiled again. “Alright, but only because I owe you my life from the other day.”
It was a contagious smile Johann couldn’t avoid. “That sounds about right.”
It was still too early in the semester for people to worry about studying for tests, so they had the library just for them. Johann was still thinking about his failed attempts at finding a place to play music. This would be perfect if it weren’t for libraries’ usual ban on noise.
“Look at this,” Avi said, pointing at the left side of an equation, “what does it remind you of?”
Johann looked at it and shrugged.
“You have two variables squared, and twice their product. It’s a perfect square trinomial.”
Johann nodded.
“And this,” Avi pointed at a section on the other side, “it’s a difference of two squares.”
Johann nodded again.
“So now we can factorize them like this,” he did some… number magic. “And then we can also take that four from inside,” he turned two nines into a three, for some reason, “now we divide the common factors,” he stroked one parenthesis on each side, moved some stuff around, and said, “and we have that three equals x plus y over x minus y! Did you get that?”
Maybe it was the expression of complete confusion on Johann’s face, maybe his brain was visibly fuming; it only took Avi one look at him to know Johann was lost.
Fortunately, Avi was more patient than Johann would be in his place. “Don’t worry, I’ll go slow this time. So, these three terms here correspond to a perfect square trinomial, right?”
Johann was still lost.
“Let’s go over the notable identities one more time.”
Avi was way more patient than Johann.
It was a slow process, math was hard enough with numbers. Johann looked at all these letters and felt his brain overload again.
“Sorry for taking time of your study,” Johann said, a little embarrassed.
“It’s fine, teaching you helps me study. Besides, none of my friends share this class with me, and studying alone is boring.”
By friends, he probably meant the guys from the football team. The idea of that noisy bunch sitting in silence in the library was… fun.
“Congrats for making it into the team, by the way,” Johann said. “At least you didn’t get a concussion in vain.”
Avi laughed. “Thank you! It’s fun being in the team, even if still can’t kick to play in official games yet.” He shrugged. “Not everyone is Magnus Burnsides,” Avi said, like he expected Johann to know who he was talking about.
Johann tried to guess. “Is he a… professional player?”
That, somehow, took Avi by surprise. “What? No, he’s in our grade. You haven’t heard about him?”
Johann shrugged. “I don’t really follow the ins and outs of school gossip.”
Avi laughed. “That’s fair. Magnus was a really big deal when we were in middle school, he practically got accepted in the team before signing up for this school.” He crossed his arms and said, proudly, “Also, he is my best friend.”
Well, that was a non-creepy explanation to why Avi knew so much about this guy. “He’s the big redhead that’s always with you, right?”
“Yep, that’s him!”
“Must be a really cool kid if you joined the team for him.”
Avi laughed nervously. “Haha, what? That’s not why I joined, I mean, he’s my best friend , I want to play with him but I didn’t join because of him-“
“Avi, I’m fucking with you.”
“Oh. Of course! Haha, good one, dude!”
The he proceeded to look down to his book like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
“So, you like him?”
Avi’s face went red. “Maybe that’s none of your business!”
“ Shhh !” Said the librarian, who had been looking at them for the past five minutes with the meanest stare.
“Sorry,” Johann and Avi whispered in unison.
They each focused on their own books for a while, until Avi was the first to break the silence.
“What about you?”
Johann raised an eyebrow. “I don’t like anyone.”
“Not that!” Avi said, his face going the lightest shade of pink. “I’m talking about the thing you were doing the other friday, how is it going?”
Johann’s eyes went wide. “How did you-?”
“Know you’re plotting something? Well, first,“ he raised a finger, “you and I were the only people left on school that day; I was training for the team, you must’ve had a reason too.” He raised a second finger. “You spend a lot of time looking around the school.” He raised a third finger, “Today I saw you leaving the vice principal’s office. And finally,” he raised a fourth finger, “It may or may not have something to do with that Voidfish cult?”
Johann glared at Avi, but if he was truly angry with someone, it was himself for being so obvious. He sighed, too tired to come up with a believable excuse. “I’m just looking for a place to stay after hours.”
Avi looked surprised, not at the answer but the simplicity of it. “That’s it? I thought you were planning a heist or something.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Like there was something of value in this school I wanted.”
Avi shrugged. “Some people do that sort of stuff for the adrenaline, you know? Like that one time Magnus and I sneaked a dog in school and-“
“It’s not a heist,” Johann reiterated.
“Then why do you need somewhere to stay after class?”
“I just have to work on…” Johann stopped himself from revealing too much, “stuff.”
“Sounds pretty suspicious, if you ask me.”
“Maybe it’s none of your business.”
Avi raised his hands in defeat. “Alright, I’m not gonna pressure anymore.”
“Thank you very much.”
“But just saying, if you told me what it was about maybe I could help you find a place. I’ve found a lot of hidden gems fetching the ball for the seniors.”
“It can’t be outside, too much noise.” And people could see, though he hoped that part was implicit without him having to say it outright.
Avi hummed in thought. “What kind of place are you looking for, then?”
“It just needs to be indoors.”
“Like an empty classroom?”
“I thought of that at first, but they lock those after school, and only lend you the key if you have a staff approved club.”
“That’s why you were talking to the vice principal earlier?”
“Yes, but he didn’t approve my idea. Of course, the weirdos at the Voidfish Committee get a room all for themselves because one of them is the son of a teacher.”
Avi laughed. “You have a vendetta against them?”
“I don’t! They just-“
“ Shhhh! ”
“Sorry!” Johann and Avi said.
Johann continued. “They just piss me off. I was told I could use the room they have now, but of course they need it more than me, since they need to keep that big ass jellyfish somewhere, I guess.”
“Wait, did you say jellyfish?”
“Yeah, it’s like, the size of a door.”
“Woah.”
“I know.”
Avi crossed his arms and hemmed, deep in thought. Johann looked down at the sheet of algebra problem still left, still confusing.
“Why don’t you just join the Voidfish Committee?”
Johann stared at Avi. “What?”
“Then you could use the room, right?” Avi spoke like he had just solved another algebra problem.
“That’s not how it works,” Johann said. But then, he really thought about it. “Or is it?”
“You can try,” Avi said.
Johann must’ve been really desperate, because he was actually considering it.
“But first,” Avi said, “we need to do good in this test.”
Johann groaned, but at least the prospect of talking to those assholes at the Voidfish Committee didn’t seem as bad in comparison.
***
“You again?”
On second thought, at least algebra didn’t talk back to him in that tone. But he was already there, violin on his back. No turning back now.
“Lucas, who is it?” Came the voice of a woman inside the room. Johann recognized it as Professor Miller, from Natural Science class. She was holding a camera tripod in place while the girl from the other day stood in front of the jellyfish tank, taking notes.
The guy, Lucas, answered her in a much more nicer tone than he had used with Johann. “No one, m- I mean, Professor Miller.” Johann was wondering how long would it take for him to slip and call the teacher mom, if that hadn’t happened already.
Lucas turned back to Johann and said, “As you can see, Professor Miller and us are working, so why don’t you go bother someone else?”
“I want to join the Voidfish Committee.”
Professor Miller and the girl turned around at the same time.
“That’s wonderful!” Said Professor Miller. She moved past Lucas and opened the door fully. “Come in, come in! We were just about to start an experiment!”
“Mom!” There it was. “You can’t just let people inside, what if he contaminates the- the samples!”
“Oh, don’t be like that. You know we can use all the help we can get.” She turned to Johann. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“It’s Johann.”
“Johann! It’s a pleasure having you here with us. I’m Professor Maureen Miller, this here is my son Lucas, and Lucretia is over there with our test subject.”
Lucretia nodded in acknowledgement. The Voidfish didn’t do anything.
“He’s not help!” Lucas insisted. “He’s just some guy who comes here to be a nuisance.”
“Are you this friendly with everyone?” Johann said sarcastically.
“Only to people who come into my projects and mess with my experiments.”
“ Lucas ,” Professor Miller warned.
“No,” Lucretia said, for the first time in their conversation. This took even Professor Miller by surprise, who stopped her tour around the room to listen. “Lucas is right. You’re not here to help, are you?”
And now everyone was staring at Johann.
He sighed. “Fine, I’m just looking for a place to practice with the violin after class. I don’t really care what it is you need me to do as long as I can stay.”
“I knew it!” Lucas pointed at him accusingly. “You’re just an opportunist, I bet you don’t even like jellyfish!”
“What do you play?” Lucretia asked.
Johann shrugged. “A bit of everything.”
Lucretia walked to the end of the room, where an old radio player sat. She opened it, took the CD inside of it, and walked back with it to show Johann. “Do you know any of these?”
Johann read the label: classics of violin, featuring big names like Mozart, Vivaldi, Corelli and, of course, Bach.
“I know some of these, yes.”
“Then chose one and play,” Lucretia said.
Johann stared at her with wide eyes. Was this girl for real? But neither Lucas nor Professor Miller thought her request was strange. In fact, they all seemed expectant now.
This is why Johann hated having his violin out in public. Well, what other choice did he have?
He took his violin out of his case and stood in position while everyone watched. He breathed in, then out, and played the first movement of Bach’s first partita.
Something magic happened.
“Oh my god…” Lucas said.
“Hot diggity shit.” Lucretia whispered.
As for Johann, he had no words.
The Voidfish was glowing.
“I’m getting the camera!” Professor Miller said, running to the side. “Lucas, kill the lights. Lucretia, the curtains. And Johann, whatever you do, don’t stop playing.”
“Yes, ma’am!” The three of them said.
In the dark, the glow of the Voidfish was indescribable beautiful. Johann didn’t know jellyfish could do that, but he didn’t care at this point.
Sure, he could play for a jellyfish. At least it had good taste in music.
***
Their next math class, and for the first time ever, Johann was the one to start a conversation. “It worked!”
“Hm? Oh, you’re in a good mood today!”
“Don’t act so surprised,” Johann said, but he couldn’t find it in himself to frown at that. “I joined the Voidfish Committee.”
“No way! You sold your soul to the cult?”
Johann thought about it. “Kinda, yeah.”
Avi laughed. “Well, I’m happy for you! Your mission is over now.”
However, finding a place to stay after class was the first step. Johann still had a lot to work on.
Which reminded him, “How is your training going?”
“Well, you know,” Avi shrugged, “It’s a process.”
“Because I’ve been thinking, you kicked that ball pretty strong when you hit yourself.”
Avi blinked a couple times. “... Did I?”
“It had to be a good kick to bounce on the lamppost and knock you down like it did.”
“Huh.”
“Good morning class,” the math teacher entered the classroom with a stack of papers in hand. “I have your results here. Don’t forget to study what you got wrong for the next test.”
When Johann was handed his test, he grimaced.
“We can study together for the next test too,” Avi said.
Johann took that offer.
***
The deal was, then, that Johann would get the Voidfish room for himself on Tuesday and Thursday after class. He didn’t have to feed the Voidfish, only record it and take notes on any strange behavior and report later to Professor Miller.
It was a beautiful creature, there was no denying that. When he saw it, Johann felt the need to reach out to it. To try and understand it…
But the Voidfish was a shy creature, and it would swim away every time Johann tried to approach it, which was fair. He was still a stranger.
The sound of cheers and yelling came from the window. The Voidfish room wasn’t made with sound quality in mind. From this side of the building, the football field could be clearly viewed. The team was cheering on something Magnus had done, if the small crowd of people high fiving him was any indication. Avi was among them, of course.
Johann took out his violin and sheet music to decide what to play that day. He would need to get a music stand.
Another sound from outside caught his attention. It wasn’t as loud at the last one, but it was one he recognized. Avi was on his own corner in the field, trying to kick the ball into the goalpost. Something was different from the last time, though. He was standing with his left shoulder to the front, ready to kick the ball at an angle. He looked determined.
Before he even understood his own gut feeling, Johann got his phone out, started a video, and waited.
Avi took a step forward and kicked the ball with the side of his foot. It didn’t cross between the goalposts, but it fell pretty far.
Avi stood in disbelief for a moment before shouting to the sky. “That’s it!”
No one was around to see his achievement, but he looked happy, and it made Johann happy too. You couldn’t help rooting for Avi.
Johann stopped the video and went back to his own work.
***
What’s the difference between a marching band and an orchestra, anyway? The instruments you can play in each aren’t very different. In fact, you could find a place for every band instrument in an orchestra if your repertoire allowed it. However, the same couldn’t be done for the opposite case. The violin is an important piece in a symphonic orchestra, for example, but the sound of it would get lost amongst all the winds and percussion in a band. There was also the fact that marching bands played in open spaces, not ideal acoustic for an orchestra, as well as during sports matches, where there was even more noise around.
Avi was used to the noises of a game, the yelling, the running, the sound of his own foot hitting the ball. He focused on those sounds as he trained to keep himself grounded.
After practice ended, he checked his phone while the coach told them about the plan for next week’s training session. Johann had sent him a video.
Oh.
Huh.
Avi looked up, trying to guess at the source of the recording, until his eyes fell on the last window on the third floor. The curtains were drawn, but a faint glow could be seen from inside.
If Avi listened carefully, and everything else kept quiet for just a second, he could hear a violin playing.