#fenixtj

She takes the ocarina from her little purse. "That was my bad dream, but Jonas had a magnet and he saved the Pale Lady's paramour."

Piper takes a seat and motions for the girls to join her. "I would love to hear you play."

Ariel comes out and peeks

"I can't do the whole song yet..."

"I had a tune in mind about the Pale Lady..." She snaps her fingers. "I hope Zane remembers. Today has my brain all a jumble." And a wave to Ariel!

"PIPER.." A grin From Ariel then she looks around "I missed a lot. I can. oooo" her eyes light up at Ellie's instrument

Ellie proudly toots - perhaps two bars of the refrain from "I See The Light." Slow, but all the notes are there!

Ariel claps..which annoys the cat she was carrying

"Oh, lovely!" Piper nods, and digs into a pocket. "I brought this for you, too. I learned the song just recently, but wish I'd had it when I was learning woodwinds. It's a lovely one, but super easy to play. And Ariel, if you wanted to sing along, you could help Ellie with the tune." Offering over a rather cryptic looking paper covered with small circles...

"Oooo " Ariel says

"Ohhh..."

"Do you get it?" A small grin. "It's like a secret code..."

Salma leans in, an ear flopping over her eye, and shakes her head to clear it. "It's her round flute." She says, a touch smugly.

"Oh.. like.. fingers closed and open?"

And Piper smiles at them both. "I knew you'd get it. Ariel, do you know 'Aura Lee'?" And she whistles the first few notes.

Ellie tries to copy the chart. She flubs a few, and her rhythm is off the first time through.

Piper is nothing if not patient, though, and whistles the correct note to help where she misses.

Ariel helps too "It's okay... practice makes good"

And Jonas returns with a slim booklet

She tries again, gaining some speed and confidence.

Ariel nods along with each note done right

Piper notices Salma looking somewhat left out, and offers, "If you take your hoof and can tap along, it helps. Sometimes people use a metronome, but a friend works just as well." A blink, and a shy smile to the satyr, and Salma tries just that.

Jonas waits then, holding the booklet he was going to give in wait

Salma notices and tilts her head, looking at Jonas. "Is that for the Princesca?"

"No, it's for you" He says "Here, open a page" he offers a slim book with the pattern of a donkey hoof on the otherwise undeceroated cover "I hope you like poetry"

"Para MI?" Salma colors, and tugs at one of her ears as a girl might play with a braid. And shyly accepts it. "I have never read a poem, but I will try if you recommend it..." Retreating behind the safety of Ellie.

"Ooo, a book?"

"Different poems every other page or so," Jonas says "With a theme"

And...Salma opens to find...

Peering inside...

Flight of the Donkey
Over the gate
And into the air
The Donkeys go flying
The wind in their hair,
They kick up their heels
And pose just right
Like hummingbirds paused
To a flower,
Donkeys catch the open air
In their flight.
Their heads not bowed down
To the land so green
But held forward and upwards
As they float the air stream.
I so want to believe
That the legends are true,
Muhammad flew with a Donkey
Circling lands that were new
Turning thoughts towards sacred
Wheels turning peace,
And Gonfaron's Donkey
Did not stumble and fall
But flew with the grace
Of fabled Pegasus with ease.
Let no one say that Donkeys can't fly!
They run with the clouds if they choose
To give chase
These acrobats of space will carry
You away on their backs
In a Donkey race!

Salma hugs it to her chest, her cheeks flaming. "It is... horrenda." Hiding her face.

"I translated the poems into Spanish too so you'll have both ..." he says "They're all about Donkeys."

"What a nice present!"

The Donkey
BY G. K. CHESTERTON
When fishes flew and forests walked
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood
Then surely I was born.

With monstrous head and sickening cry
And ears like errant wings,
The devil’s walking parody
On all four-footed things.

The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,
I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour;
One far fierce hour and sweet:
There was a shout about my ears,
And palms before my feet.

"Maybe Ariel can make them fit music..."

"Es demasiado... it is too much. I will keep it though, to read to the Princesa, if she wants." Salma whispers through her blush.

LITTLE DONKEY©

My donkey doesn't pull a cart
He's much too small to ride.
And when he sees the vet drive up
He always runs and hides.

He's not much good for packing a load
Upon his tiny back.
But in so many other ways
He makes up for what he lacks.

He is the best alarm clock
Out here on this farm.
He'll tell you when it's feeding time
And meet you at the barn.

He knows just how to look at you
With those big brown eyes.
To make you see inside his heart
And know he's very wise.

He doesn't waste his energy
By running here and there.
And when I'm out fixin' fence
He's always in my hair.

He walks off with the hammer.
He walks off with my glove.
And when I am not looking
He'll give the wheelbarrow a shove.

Folks say, "Why do you keep him
If he's no better than that?
He's sure not very pretty
And his tail is like a rats!"

That's when I tell them the story
About my little friend.
Of how he made a lady smile
And helped her heart to mend.

I took him to a nursing home
Not too long ago.
To try and cheer the people up
Because their spirits were so low.

He walked up to a lady
Who was sitting in a chair.
He placed his head upon her lap
And there was magic in the air.

The lady reached and touched his neck
And a tear rolled down her check.
And when she smiled her eyes lit up.
It was the first time she'd smiled in weeks.

So see my donkey's special
And he has a job to do.
Because of his gentle nature
He made an old lady's heart feel new.

by Kathy Dynge

Piper sings in a lilting tone, "When fishes flew, and forests walked... oh, there is potential there! You're embarrassing the poor girl, Jonas. I think she likes it, though" She grins to the troll.

"YOU have brown eyes!" As if Salma doesn't know that. But it is said with affection. "And you are also wise."

"She is!" Ariel says but is listening to Piper "It could work"

"And you are my old lady." Salma pokes Ellie, but gives her a smile.

Ariel giggles at that "Old lady Ellie"

A giggle.

"Ohhhh dearie, do you want a butterscotch?" She squints and makes her voice creaky.

"Now now.." Jonas says "I'll trust you will all keep it in gentle humor, and Salma, I hope you do like it. You don't have to like them all. Sometimes just one poem is a treasure you can keep in your heart forever." Then to Piper he says "I think my mission here is done. The youth are both mortified and delighted. I leave you to them . I have a shower to see to."

Ariel is breaking out with laughter at the creaky voice

Piper covers up a bit of a grimace at the mention of Butterscotch, but manages to hide it!

And she smiles to Jonas. "I'll see you both later, before you head out anywhere?"

Ellie mimes adjusting glasses.