#fallal

She could hear faraway sounds of passing students; none nearby. Tentatively, she cleared her throat and quietly, very quietly sang one note. No... that wasn’t it. She tried again, roughly an octave lower. No... still not there. Once more, higher this time. That sounded... okay. But the next one...?

She carried on like this for a while, chaining anything up to three notes before changing her mind and starting again. Just as she was beginning to get frustrated with herself, a voice floated down from above.

  “Can’t you remember it?”

  “Who’s there?”

She stood up, searching, but saw no one. 

  “Up here, Meri. Do you have a last name? No, I suppose not. A wise decision; I have trouble enough with one, myself.”

Squinting into the darkness, Meri could see nothing; until this mystery figure shifted, and something silver glinted momentarily in the light. Once her eyes found that and pinpointed his position, the shape of him began to emerge from the darkness; a stranger who knew her name, reclining along a low tree branch, dressed in black. All that stood out was the whiteness of his face and fingertips as they played with a flute in his hands.

  “Have you been here...?”

  “The whole time? Not the whole time, I’m certain there are events in your history that I have not witnessed. Regrettably, I missed the inaugural speech of Madam President Adel, for example; I suppose I shall forever wonder what sort of noise comes from a mouth so grotesquely formed.”

Meri laughed, head tilted, more confused than anything else.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know you... have we met?”

  “I should say so. On the crossing from somewhere brighter.”

She frowned. Was this some sort of joke? 

  “ID number, please, cadet.”

He paused. “Seven, three, nine, five, zero, eight, eleven, two, four, one. Six. Eight.”

She tapped her foot, opened her mouth to speak--

  “... Nine.” he finished.

He shifted a little and looked down at her.

  “Was that too long?”

  “Yes. By eight digits.”

  “My apologies. Of all things, I’ve never been a cadet before. Military life never suited me.”

She ought to fetch security; something clearly wasn’t right here. But he seemed... Harmless would be the wrong word entirely, while he sat up there like a nightmarish Cheshire Cat, grinning at her from the darkness, but if he meant to hurt her, he would have done so while she was distracted. Against her better judgement, she climbed up onto the log she’d been sitting on; followed it to a branch within reach on a nearby tree; and climbed from there to one near enough opposite him. It seemed pointless to question him about how he knew her name; and truthfully, there were more pressing questions she wanted to ask.

  "You’re right,” she sighed, “I don’t remember that song. It’s always in my head, but... do you know it?”

She nodded at the flute he held. If he was a musician, perhaps that was what prompted him to speak. 

  “I do,” he said, “But it’s not a song for now, I’m afraid.”

Meri kicked her feet a little, staring down at the dirt track below her.

  “Will you tell me what it’s called, at least?”

  “You know it better than I,” he replied, “I’ll make you a deal. If you can tell me its name, I will play it for you.”

  “But I don’t remember.”

  “Memories are all much the same; things we recall at the worst possible moment. In the meantime -- charmed as I am by the sterile way of life you keep here, I am, in fact, in search of information.”

  “What kind of information?” Meri replied, narrow-eyed and ready to call for Faculty.

  “The sort that can only be passed from one master to another; put simply, I’m in the market for a magic tutor, and would be quite tolerant of you in the role.”

  “Oh, would you, now?”

  “Between you and that dreadful Trepe woman? Certainly. Does it seem a fair trade to you?”

  “Hardly. You get the payoff immediately, while I have to perform an impossible feat to make you hold up your end of the bargain.”

He waved a hand and grinned. “Then drag it out. I daresay my presence is an improvement on no company at all.”

  “Don’t flatter yourself.” Meri replied, though she was trying not to return his expression.