Chapter Text
The sun starts to lower and the people on the streets have decreased. I look at the content of my guitar case. Today was a good day when it comes to generous spectators.
I lazily start to pack my stuff and want to make my way home. Maybe I should try my luck at this place more often. In fact, today was the first time I played in this part of the city.
It’s getting darker and I have some difficulties finding the right way home.
At one moment I swear I’m lost. Tired, I put my guitar case and backpack down on the cobble stones.
I decide to actually look at the map I brought with me for once.
‘Hm, this doesn’t look familiar’, I mutter to myself as I inspect the map.
Then I become conscious of the fact that I’m holding the map upside down. Annoyed by my own stupidity I slap myself on the head.
‘Argh, you idiot!’, I curse before turning the map in the right direction. Suddenly I hear a weak laugh coming from somewhere. I look around me but I don’t see anyone.
The voice of a kid shouts something at me. The voice comes from one of the houses.
When I look up, I see a kid standing behind an opened window.
I wave at the boy and he waves back. He says something in a language I don’t understand.
‘Sorry, kiddo, but I can’t understand you! Not understand!’, I shout back. The boy shrugs his shoulders and simply smiles at me.
The kid disappears only to reappear a few minutes later with a piece of paper in his hand.
I frown as I wonder what he is doing. He is staring at the paper and then I understand he is mimicking my previous actions on my attempt to read the map correctly. He laughs and I laugh back.
‘Shouldn’t you be in bed by now? It’s already ten PM!’, I ask him even though I know there’s a language barrier between us. To explain what I mean, I put my hands together and bring them to my left cheek. I tilt my head a bit and pretend to sleep. Afterwards, I point at him and repeat my previous gesture.
The boy heavily shakes his head. He points at his room and does the same sleeping pose as me.
I still don’t know what he means. I scratch the back of my head and say: ‘I have to go now. Sorry.’
My finger points to the end of the street. I also point at my watch.
Luckily the boy understands and waves me goodbye. I say my goodbye too and walk off.
--
The following day I go back and when I walk passed the house of the boy, I make a quick stop.
I put my guitar case down and look at the window. My eyes glare over at my watch.
‘Hm, it’s still early in the morning’, I murmur to myself.
Then I see the curtains get shoved away and the window gets slightly opened. This time I see a woman behind the window. From what I can see, she’s wearing a nurse uniform with the traditional cap on her head.
When we make eye-contact we share an awkward smile.
A bit disappointed, I walk away so it doesn’t look like I’m some kind of weird stalker.
But during noon, I take a break from being a street musician and decide to pay the boy a visit.
This time there is no nurse to be seen at the window.
‘Hey!’, I yell but there comes no response from the boy. After I shouted five times, I get some weird looks from other pedestrians. I huff.
To draw new attention, I pick up my guitar and start to play a little. And as expected the window opens and I see the boy. He waves at me and I wave back.
His eyes look dark. He has his hair almost on shoulder length. The kid’s skin is quite pale and now I realize he must be very sick and that’s the reason I saw a nurse earlier this day.
‘Hey!’, I greet the boy.
‘Hey’, the kid says back and he now points at my guitar.
‘This is my guitar. Guitar. I perform on the streets’, I tell him. I take off my hat and point at the inside of it.
‘People throw money in it or in my guitar case’, I explain as I tap my foot against the open case. The coins make a rattling sound.
The kid nods understandingly. He does a thumbs up and disappears from the window. I decide to keep playing. A passer-by nods at me and gives me a coin.
‘Thank you very much, stranger’, I thank the woman.
Suddenly I feel something hit my head. A clink is heard when the object hits the stones. I see it’s another coin. I pick it up and now I hear laughter coming from the window.
I point the chip at the boy who quickly puts his hands against his mouth. ‘It was you, wasn’t it?’, I snort.
He shakes his head and stammers something which sounds like an apology.
‘Thank you, though’, I grin and make a little bow. ‘But I don’t need your money’, I state afterwards. I throw the coin back but soon after I get the thing catapulted back to me.
The boy insists I keep the money.
He gestures to me and I understand it as: keep on playing. And so I do. I sing a new song while keeping eye-contact with him. He lets his fingers drum along on the window frame.
Happily the kid claps his hands. When I’m done, his clapping intensifies until he needs to cough heavily.
‘Whoa, take it easy, kid!’, I out my concern.
Then he points at himself and says: ‘Jari.’
‘Your name is Jari?’, I guess and the boy nods.
‘Nice to meet you, Jari! I am Jaska. Jaska!’, I reply.
‘Hey, Jaska’, the youngster says.