[Interludes Vol. 1.5] In which we meet Figurine, a goblin who moves to her own beat.(3/3)

Next was something called a oh-kah-ree-nah, now called a blow-shell. It had a hole to blow in, and holes that sound came out of. Depending on how his finger pressed on a hole, different sounds could be made! There were two other kinds of blow-shells. One was a blow-box and a blow-stick which he called a har-mon-ee-kah, and re-kor-dur.

I was already thrilled seeing this many that Dad had made for me, but it wasn't all of them yet.

There were some that were made with fur and bones that really had me excited. They went around my wrists and ankles and had balls of bone that had small stones inside of them. When I shook my hands or my feet they would make noises as well. Dad didn't have a name for them, and said I was free to come up with one if I wanted to. The last major item was something that looked like Melon's apron, only there were thin pieces of wood sewed into the front. Dad then had me push my fingers into the dirt and after pulling them out he did some kind of magic and there were now thin stone finger-coverings which he called Thim-bulls. He put them on my fingers which made the sharp tips of them round like his, and told me to run them against the wood on the apron.

When I did, many flat sounds came out.

He then told me there were many many more kinds of instruments, but for now this was all he had the ability to make for me. Certain other ones needed metals of certain shapes and thickness which couldn't be found or made here in Goblinhome… yet.

I couldn't use all of them at the same time, so I went through using them one by one with Dad joining in using the blow-stick and played more music. Songs he called the ground-bird dance and shiny-star which were fast music and slow music, but both equally enjoyable to listen to.

Vera, who lived in Dad's cave-hole together with him had sat down and listened to us making music together, with me trying to find the right moment to use a shake-shake or a clack-clack or even to use the scrape-scrape (the apron with the wood sewn onto it). I don't think I ever felt as good as I did in my entire life than I had in this moment with Dad.

But he had reached his limit.

I hadn't realized it, but we had been making music together for almost the entire day! Dad looked more pale than usual, which was a hard thing to do since he wasn't green-skinned like most of us goblins.

"Figurine… learn what need?"

Ah, it's not that he was having the same amount of fun that I was… he was teaching me what he knew by having me make music together with him. Dad was exhausted, lying on the floor. Vera had me help her drag him to his cave-hole next to hers where he could lay down on his straw bed.

"Husband. Rest."

Vera hardly ever said more than one word at the same time, which meant that she felt Dad really needed to lay down and rest. Dad reached out to me, grabbing my arm and pulling me onto his body, giving me a powerful hug.

"Still most important thing teach Figurine music. Listen, yes?"

"I'm listening, Dad."

"When make music, never think job. Never think what must do for tribe. Music powerful magic. Not less strong magic Me, Vera, Glace, Ebony have. Music Figurine magic. Always important know how feel make music. Music power come from how feel. Make music happy, make music sad, change what magic music power have. Dad proud. Want listen music Figurine make. What special music hide here since come into world."

He poked his finger into the side of my head, to the place behind where I saw.

And I began to cry.

He knew.

What am I saying? Of course he knew!

Dad always knew and understood me the best.

At times better than I understood myself…

"How… did you know music was what I was missing?"

"Not know music. Only know something. Believe one day Figurine find. When happen, Dad promise Doll do everything can for strong-one. Not fix everything. Not need fix anything. Figurine not broken. Figurine special goblin. Way do thing special, way think special, now way make music special."

After giving me a kiss on the forehead, he let go of me and wiped away my tears with his not-pointy fingers.

I wound up leaving his cave-hole, but not without being told to take all the things that he made for me to make music with. Vera helped me carry them to my cave-hole, where Doll was already sitting down being lazy, drinking blue water with Berry.

"What is all of that?" Doll asked me.

"What Dad made for me. What was missing from my life this entire time."

"Is that for hunting?"

"No. It's for making music."

"Music? The thing Prima has that Husband uses?"

"It's different from the Lute, but these all make sounds in a similar way."

"Hmm… and you know how to use them?"

"I'm learning. Dad says making music is my magic."

"Magic? You can use magic?"

"That's what Dad said."

Doll took a drink of her blue water and leaned back.

"If you can use magic, then you don't need to help me chop trees anymore."

I shook my head.

"No. I'll keep helping you chop trees. Until I know how to use it properly, I still need to be useful in some way."

Doll only nodded.

"Vera, want to join us for a drink of blue water?"

Vera took a seat and joined Doll and Berry while they drank for a little while, as I put all the instruments except the shake-shakes onto the shelves inside my own cave-hole. Those I held onto as I laid down on my straw bed and shook them softly and as quietly as they could, listening to the sounds they made and what ones I found pleasant to hear.

I couldn't wait for tomorrow to come, when I could tell Button all about everything that happened…

~~** ??? **~~

"How was it this time training with her?"

"Different. Way body move change since find music. Think can be hunter now if want. Figurine strong."

"I've never doubted that she is."

"What thing Tricky Husband want show Button today?"

"Something I want you to pass on to her. A new… martial art meant for her, but one you might appreciate as well. You might be able to fill in the missing parts that I've forgotten."

"What called?"

"Capoiera."

"Kah-poh-ed-da?"

"That's right. It involves a lot of moving, tumbling, flips, and kicks… you can think of it like a swirly-whirly kind of combat."

"Sound fun. Want see."

"Okay, but first I need to teach you the singing music that goes along with it."

"Button listen."

"Repeat after me: Paranauê~, paranauê, Paraná!"

"Banana way?"

"Close enough."

"Different from Human way or Goblin way?"

"L-let's not worry about the details. Now, watch my legs closely, this is how it's supposed to go…"