The night the Rhymer went whack

74

Sound is the only perfect source in the universe. It’s exact always. Its power is in its reception but itself is unwavering.

“Guess what,” his closest aide relayed to him. This time Nick was home, testing a few new notes and deep rhythms, “it happened again.”

Nick looked up momentarily, for just a few seconds then continued his work. “Where?” he asked.

“East,” his aide replied.

It took a few days and again the town waited for Nick. This time an elderly man was strangled, gutted and set ablaze. The crime scene was horrible, but again, not off-key. Nick felt that renewed energy just like before, feeling as if he could float. A pure energy that cleansed his soul. In Appalachian country, a few of the mountains were peaked with snow, yet Nick ventured with no shoes, no coat and no warmth, just the glow of the energy he was feeling and an emotional high that being in the presence of the murder gave him.

Again, Nick had been there before, remembering the landscape and the people, and since he had no future concerts planned, he decided to stick around for the old man’s funeral. A beautiful ceremony and of course he was invited to perform. Mostly hums, sounds, clicks and mood tones were what Nick mainly performed, but for this funeral, he decided to sing. And he didn’t just sing any song, he sang his signature piece and never had he felt so right. So perfect. So One. And for the first time he ever sang anything, he cried.

Usually during an emotional episode, there’s an unexpected hiccup, a stutter or a voice crack, something, and knowing this, Nick would consciously prepare and adjust his breathing accordingly, but this time, he didn’t have to. His beat stayed steady. No correction was necessary. He took notice of this and actually tried to skip a beat and create a little disruption, but he couldn’t.

It was as if a higher power took over; a connection that was made that no human should achieve and so the sync stayed and his performance continued flawlessly. Once the crowd joined in and began to sing along, he stopped as they continued, some clapping and some dancing. Silently, like old times, he stood in front of the mic stand and surveyed the crowd.