Chapter Six

Try as he might, Timmy could not get back to sleep. The previous night’s sound was stronger than before, and had woken him. He tried to resist the pull, but finally gave up and went to the window and stared out. The snow that had begun as he was walking home from the bus stop had left a thin blanket of white over everything. Off to the right the light by the barn cast a small pool of light, and aside from a few lights from neighboring farm houses, there was simply the night and a sky full of stars.

He stared as the deep resonance filled him. Stared at a sky of stars and wondered again. Could it be?

That star over there, or maybe even something behind it seemed to be singing. Not like any song he’d heard before, but more like one note, long, continuous and pure that seemed like it was part of something. Into his awareness broke other sounds, other notes that seemed to be coming from all across the night sky. Some seemed to be coming from the stars themselves, others from the spaces between the stars, where all was darkness.

He listened for a long time, while clouds slowly rolled in and blocked the stars. It began snowing again, a soft, lazy snow that seemed to provide a soft melody, playing off the night sky song. Strangely, he didn’t seem to be hearing it for the first time. It felt more like pulling cotton balls out of his ears and hearing something that had been an underscore his whole life.

It was wonderful. It was driving him crazy, but it was wonderful.