The night the Rhymer went whack

34

Sound travels best through hard, tough and rigid material. That’s why The Soundman and Straffe became friends.

So he told his friend as they sat as on many occasions discussing the possibilities. The “then whats,” and the “what ifs,” not with skepticism but just covering all bases and The Soundman was all for it. Shoot, that’s why he created the booth in the first place. Earlier in his life he had sensed the wrong way that the world was turning and decided that he wanted no part of it. He vowed to live frugally, peacefully and simply and not let the materialistic desires predominated by money rule him. So aside from his early upbringing when he needed his family, his older sister specifically, he’d been living that way independently ever since. Being born blind, it was that older sister that guided him through life those early years preparing him for his future.

And it was rough at first. He remembered joining her when she went begging for food and walking for hours just to get a slice of bread. Not able to remember anything before the age of about six. It was around that time when he realized that his hearing was impeccable. He could hear his sister’s moods, and if it was frightful, which it often was, he’d go hide outside leaving her yelling and searching for him until she gave up. He knew to stay outside just long enough to garner sympathy. A moment too soon and she’d whip him with anger.

That’s how and when he learned that the outdoors didn’t bother him; it actually intrigued him, the crickets, the slithering snakes, the possums and the squirrels kept him company. He’d enjoy their sounds and the environment until they were interrupted by her whimpering, sadly, fearing that she had lost her brother until he’d suddenly appear at her feet with a bouquet of flowers.

He actually didn’t even know if she was his sister. She told him as such, but how could he really know? He had no parents, no aunts, no uncles, cousins or any other family that he knew of. So she just made sure he ate and slept and he never asked about anything else. He wouldn’t call it “love,” what he had for his sister, more like a companionship, but what he loved was being outdoors. Listening.