While he walked back home, Ralph examined the
drum. It was a beautiful thing, painted with mysterious Native designs
depicting stylized ravens. He had the beater in his right hand, and the drum in
the circle of his left arm. It only seemed natural to start to play a little pattern
on the red, black and white birds painted on its top. He had never handled such a thing before.
“This thing has potential, Maeve,” said Ralph. “It makes my feet feel different. They want to do fancy steps!"
“It’s making my feathers fluff up a little bit,” said Maeve. But she was giggling.
When he got near Ramona's fire, he called to her. “Hey, look Mona, I have the very drum you were hearing all day!”
“How did that happen,” said Ramona.
“After I convinced her that she didn’t need to drum herself numb, the girl gave it to me!” said Ralph. “She had a funny name. Never heard that one before.”
“How?” said Ramona.
“I made her open her eyes! That’s about it! And I shook her hand,” said Ralph. “She thought that if I had kids, the kids might like to have a drum.”
“It is a pretty thing. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Ramona, running her hand over the painted surface of the drum. She rapped her fingertips on it softly, listening for the sound it made.
“Maybe Twigg would like it,” suggested his mother.
“Maybe so,” said his father. And Twigg did like it. For a couple of days he beat out little rhythms on it, singing some songs of his own devising at the same time. Then, on the third day he didn’t pick it up again. He had gone to visit the bees in his little sapling house, just to see how they were getting on, and maybe be offered a piece of honeycomb.
Cherry found it abandoned in the cave near Twigg’s new bed. She loved how it looked but didn’t show much interest in playing it. She did play with it though. She turned it upside down, placed it beside her little bed, and put her little bits of this and that inside it. And there it stayed until Ralph noticed. It made his a little sad to think of Ophelia’s drum being used in such a careless manner. It was a pretty thing after all!
So, Ralph spoke to Ramona about the drum. He said, “Hey, Mona, why don’t we give the drum to Uncle Bob. I bet he would like it. It might help him think! Maybe he could do some drumming with his songs! What do you think?”
“I think he might,” said Ramona. She didn’t sound all that happy about the idea, but she could see the sense of it. “Why don’t you take it up to him. Say ‘hi’ to Suzy for me too!”
So, Ralph took all of Cherry’s little keepsakes out of the inside of the drum, and he knocked the dust off of it. He had to look around the cave for the beater, but finally he located it on the puma bros sleeping ledge. It looked a bit chewed, like maybe Berry and Bob had been playing with it.
Having gotten both pieces together, he walked up past his log and out into the open looking for Uncle Bob at his Stump House. It was a misty day. The horizon sort of blended into the sky, all a soft dovish grey. It looked like it could rain after a while.
Bob and Suzy were both sitting by their little fire, letting the flames dissipate the mist in the air. But they had a fine veil of dew covering their backs, not that it bothered them.
As he walked up carrying the drum, Bob saw him and he said, “Whatcha got there, Ralphie?”
“Well, Bob, old buddy, it’s a drum. A girl who opened her eyes gave it to me, because she didn’t need it anymore!” said Ralph. “It was funny, she thought she was seeing somebody with her eyes closed. I had to shake hands with her to prove that I was real!”
“I know the type,” said Suzy. “One sees them attempting to commune with the Universe here and there..” She laughed and shook her head. “Poor kids, really do have their eyes closed.”
Ralph plopped down on the other side of the fire and placed the drum on the ground in front of his legs. He showed them how the beater made it sound, by beating out a plain little rhythm. “See, the design is a raven, done in Native Human style!”
“It’s so pretty, Ralphie. I’m almost afraid of it. What if I break it?” Bob looked worried.
“It’s not too pretty, Bob. You could sing your songs and drum with them!”
“OK, Ralphie. I’ll see how it works next time I go up on the stump to think up a song,” said Bob.
Two days went by. Down in the Home Clearing a little bit of soft drumming was heard from time to time. Nothing too definite, one way or the other. Two morning passed and two nights.
Early, early, early on the third morning, everybody was asleep except Ramona. As she worked to get her fire up and awake, she looked up in the direction of the Stump House because someone was coming down the path. It was Uncle Bob. He carried Ophelia’s drum in his left arm.
When he got close, Ramona said, “Is everything alright? Is Suzy well? You’re very early Bob! This is a first, as far as I know!”
“Hi, Ramona. Yeah, I know. I never wake up this early. But I had to do something,” said Bob. He looked pretty serious, for such a sleepy type of guy.
“Do you want me to wake Ralph up?” Ramona stood up to go do that.
“No. No, Ramona. What I have to do is for you. You see, I knew this drum wasn’t for me. Suzy agrees. It’s not good for inventing songs. I think it goes with very old songs, that are so well known that they are like a heartbeat. Do you understand what I’m saying?” said Bob.
“Not for sure, Bob,” she said, smiling a little, making him say it.
“Ramona, the drum is for you! I know it. Suzy knows it. The forest knows it! It’s for you, Ramona,” said Bob. He grinned confidently at her.
“It is very beautiful, dear friend. Yes. I will take it!” said Ramona.
“Good, I think I’ll go up and go back to bed. I feel much better,” said Uncle Bob. Then he walked back up the way he had come.
When Ralph woke and came out of the cave a while later, he found his Ramona sitting on one of those convenient sections of log with her eyes closed. But she wasn’t talking to imaginary people, she was singing one of her old Firekeeper songs, taught to her by her mother. Firekeepers had been singing these songs for unknown generations. It was a morning song, to greet the dawn of another good day. And she was beating out a little series of drum beats almost like a beating heart, on Ophelia’s beautiful raven drum.
“This thing has potential, Maeve,” said Ralph. “It makes my feet feel different. They want to do fancy steps!"
“It’s making my feathers fluff up a little bit,” said Maeve. But she was giggling.
When he got near Ramona's fire, he called to her. “Hey, look Mona, I have the very drum you were hearing all day!”
“How did that happen,” said Ramona.
“After I convinced her that she didn’t need to drum herself numb, the girl gave it to me!” said Ralph. “She had a funny name. Never heard that one before.”
“How?” said Ramona.
“I made her open her eyes! That’s about it! And I shook her hand,” said Ralph. “She thought that if I had kids, the kids might like to have a drum.”
“It is a pretty thing. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Ramona, running her hand over the painted surface of the drum. She rapped her fingertips on it softly, listening for the sound it made.
“Maybe Twigg would like it,” suggested his mother.
“Maybe so,” said his father. And Twigg did like it. For a couple of days he beat out little rhythms on it, singing some songs of his own devising at the same time. Then, on the third day he didn’t pick it up again. He had gone to visit the bees in his little sapling house, just to see how they were getting on, and maybe be offered a piece of honeycomb.
Cherry found it abandoned in the cave near Twigg’s new bed. She loved how it looked but didn’t show much interest in playing it. She did play with it though. She turned it upside down, placed it beside her little bed, and put her little bits of this and that inside it. And there it stayed until Ralph noticed. It made his a little sad to think of Ophelia’s drum being used in such a careless manner. It was a pretty thing after all!
So, Ralph spoke to Ramona about the drum. He said, “Hey, Mona, why don’t we give the drum to Uncle Bob. I bet he would like it. It might help him think! Maybe he could do some drumming with his songs! What do you think?”
“I think he might,” said Ramona. She didn’t sound all that happy about the idea, but she could see the sense of it. “Why don’t you take it up to him. Say ‘hi’ to Suzy for me too!”
So, Ralph took all of Cherry’s little keepsakes out of the inside of the drum, and he knocked the dust off of it. He had to look around the cave for the beater, but finally he located it on the puma bros sleeping ledge. It looked a bit chewed, like maybe Berry and Bob had been playing with it.
Having gotten both pieces together, he walked up past his log and out into the open looking for Uncle Bob at his Stump House. It was a misty day. The horizon sort of blended into the sky, all a soft dovish grey. It looked like it could rain after a while.
Bob and Suzy were both sitting by their little fire, letting the flames dissipate the mist in the air. But they had a fine veil of dew covering their backs, not that it bothered them.
As he walked up carrying the drum, Bob saw him and he said, “Whatcha got there, Ralphie?”
“Well, Bob, old buddy, it’s a drum. A girl who opened her eyes gave it to me, because she didn’t need it anymore!” said Ralph. “It was funny, she thought she was seeing somebody with her eyes closed. I had to shake hands with her to prove that I was real!”
“I know the type,” said Suzy. “One sees them attempting to commune with the Universe here and there..” She laughed and shook her head. “Poor kids, really do have their eyes closed.”
Ralph plopped down on the other side of the fire and placed the drum on the ground in front of his legs. He showed them how the beater made it sound, by beating out a plain little rhythm. “See, the design is a raven, done in Native Human style!”
“It’s so pretty, Ralphie. I’m almost afraid of it. What if I break it?” Bob looked worried.
“It’s not too pretty, Bob. You could sing your songs and drum with them!”
“OK, Ralphie. I’ll see how it works next time I go up on the stump to think up a song,” said Bob.
Two days went by. Down in the Home Clearing a little bit of soft drumming was heard from time to time. Nothing too definite, one way or the other. Two morning passed and two nights.
Early, early, early on the third morning, everybody was asleep except Ramona. As she worked to get her fire up and awake, she looked up in the direction of the Stump House because someone was coming down the path. It was Uncle Bob. He carried Ophelia’s drum in his left arm.
When he got close, Ramona said, “Is everything alright? Is Suzy well? You’re very early Bob! This is a first, as far as I know!”
“Hi, Ramona. Yeah, I know. I never wake up this early. But I had to do something,” said Bob. He looked pretty serious, for such a sleepy type of guy.
“Do you want me to wake Ralph up?” Ramona stood up to go do that.
“No. No, Ramona. What I have to do is for you. You see, I knew this drum wasn’t for me. Suzy agrees. It’s not good for inventing songs. I think it goes with very old songs, that are so well known that they are like a heartbeat. Do you understand what I’m saying?” said Bob.
“Not for sure, Bob,” she said, smiling a little, making him say it.
“Ramona, the drum is for you! I know it. Suzy knows it. The forest knows it! It’s for you, Ramona,” said Bob. He grinned confidently at her.
“It is very beautiful, dear friend. Yes. I will take it!” said Ramona.
“Good, I think I’ll go up and go back to bed. I feel much better,” said Uncle Bob. Then he walked back up the way he had come.
When Ralph woke and came out of the cave a while later, he found his Ramona sitting on one of those convenient sections of log with her eyes closed. But she wasn’t talking to imaginary people, she was singing one of her old Firekeeper songs, taught to her by her mother. Firekeepers had been singing these songs for unknown generations. It was a morning song, to greet the dawn of another good day. And she was beating out a little series of drum beats almost like a beating heart, on Ophelia’s beautiful raven drum.
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