Over the Darkened Landscape - By Derryl Murphy Page 0,22
to hopefully keep the ogre from hearing the sounds and coming to investigate. “That voice! It must be her! You whose name is Jack, you must do everything you can to save her!”
Jack sat bolt upright at this, almost banging his head against the top of the box. He hadn’t understood anything said before now, and had certainly never heard his name before. The harp was loud enough that he felt safe in whispering, and so he said, “Who are you? And what do you mean?”
“We tried to warn you, but could not find the right tongue in time. But now that you are there, you must help. It is the right thing to do.” By now the voice was fading. “Just save her,” it whispered, and then there was background hiss before the volume tapered off again.
The harp sang for a long time, perhaps two hours or more, although Jack had not thought to check the chronometer when he had first hidden himself. So he sat and waited, frustrated with being stuck in this position, but ecstatic at having a chance to listen. He never understood any of the words the harp sang, but he connected with the emotion; it sang of lost hope, music always seeming ready to soar away into the stratosphere before crashing back with agonizing constriction.
But the ogre appeared unaffected by the music, seemingly enjoying the melodies but not paying attention to the underlying passion. And slowly, Jack watched as the ogre first leaned back in his chair, then leaned forward again, resting his head in his hands, before finally slumping down, asleep. The harp kept playing, albeit quieter than before.
Jack waited for a few minutes, but the sleeping creature did not stir. He opened the lid to the breadbox and tentatively stepped out onto the counter. The harp turned her head and looked at him, surprise showing on her face and voice catching for a brief second, but then she nodded and kept singing.
He quietly pulled the camera activus from his bag and took some images of the kitchen, the harp, and the sleeping ogre, zooming in tight so that the high foreheads back home could see the hideous face and know why he hadn’t made any serious contact. Then he put the camera away and jumped as lightly as possible to the floor and walked quietly to the table.
Standing on his toes he found he could just reach the base of the harp where her feet were located. He grabbed it and pulled it over to the edge, looked up and was greeted with the warmest, most melting smile he had ever witnessed in his life.
Top four hands still playing music, the bottom pair reached out for his own, making it easier for Jack to get her down to the floor. The harp was heavy, although not too bad in the light gravity, and so he managed it all right, only one minor chord being struck in the process, sounding a touch dissonant alongside the music accompanying this rescue.
“I’m Jack,” he whispered when she was standing beside him. “I guess I’m here to save you.” He glanced up at the ogre, but by now the monstrous being was snoring in fits and starts.
The harp stopped playing with a cadenza followed by two simple chords, still smiling. “You’ll have to carry me outside,” she said, “and unpin my wings there. I can not fly in here, and my wings would only get in the way.”
Jack nodded, then bent down and slid his arm around her waist. The harp was a little harder to carry from this angle, awkward enough that he half-dragged her as well. But he managed to stagger his way to the front door without dropping her, then stopped and gently let her down when they reached the door.
The old woman had slammed it shut, and the handle was high above Jack’s head. He stood on his toes, but it was still beyond his reach.
“Bring me to the door,” said the harp. “I can lift you up.”
Jack slid the harp over beside the door, then stepped into her cupped hands. Leaning out a bit, he managed to grab hold of the handle. The door was impossibly heavy, but with a straining grunt he was able to pull it open a bit more than a crack. He jumped back to the floor and leaned into it then, pushing and heaving until it was open wide enough to let the two of them out.