The lullaby singer

The man could not sleep
He had been trying for over an hour
to fall asleep,
but thoughts continued to plague him
relentlessly

♫ ♫ ♫

At about eleven he decided to call
the lullaby singer
He had heard of her from a friend
who also suffered from sleeplessness
now and then

Hello

Hello
Are you the lullaby singer?

Yes
Are you having difficulty
getting to sleep?

I am
I haven’t slept well in weeks

I’ll come right over

The lullaby singer wrote down the man’s address,
put a few instruments in her bag
and soon she was on her way,
riding her bicycle
through the autumn night

♫ ♫ ♫

Thank you for coming
I can’t seem
to turn off my mind

Lie down, friend
Soon you shall sleep

The man lay down
and the lullaby singer
then took out her violin
and began to play
music so beautiful
that the man’s mind lost
its ability to think
for a while

♫ ♫ ♫

And when the man
was on the edge
of sleep,
the lullaby singer stopped
playing her violin
and began to sing
the most enchanting melody
the man had ever heard,
and soon he was asleep

♫ ♫ ♫

She continued to sing
for a little while,
and then she left her card on a table,
let herself out
and rode home,
humming along the way

♫ ♫ ♫

Heirloom seeds can be sent
to: Lullaby Singer
13 Jacaranda Way
or deposited here:
Flower Bank
Account # 336699

That was what was written on the card

I’ll do both,
thought the man

He then got on his bicycle
and rode to the heirloom seed shop
He selected a number of his favorite flowers
as well as some fuit and vegetables
Then he went to the post office
to mail some of the seeds
and to Flower Bank
to deposit the rest

♫ ♫ ♫

Good evening

Good evening
Are you the lullaby singer?

 Yes
What can I do for you?

The crickets and toads
are not singing tonight

Would you like me to sing for you?

Yes, please
The animals usually sing me to sleep,
but tonight they are elsewhere
or silent

Where do you live?

The lullaby singer
wrote down the woman’s address
and soon she was on her way again
riding through the night

♫ ♫ ♫

You have a beautiful teepee

I prefer to sleep outside
so that I can hear the animals better

Are you ready for bed?

Yes

As the woman lay down on her blankets
the lullaby singer took out her vargan,
and then she began to play,
imitating the sounds of nature
as she had learned to do
in Yakutsk

♫ ♫ ♫

The telephone rang again

Good morning

Good morning, my friend
I’d like to treat myself
to a lullaby
tonight

What time would you like me to come over?

Would ten o’clock be possible?

Of course
Do you have any special requests?

If you could bring your guitar tonight,
that would be wonderful

I’ll bring my twelve string

Thank you
See you tonight

See you then

And so the lullaby singer arranged
to visit one of her regular customers

♫ ♫ ♫

I love power cuts
The town becomes quieter
and darker

Only moonlight
and the stars

And the crickets and toads

Are you ready for bed?

Yes

And then the woman got into her hammock
and began to swing
back and forth
while the lullaby singer played her guitar
and sang
a lullaby

♫ ♫ ♫

Good afternoon

Good afternoon
Are you the lullaby singer?

Yes
How may I serve you?

A friend recommended you
She said you sing beautifully
Could you come
and sing for me tonight?

I’d love to
What time would you like me to come?

I like going to bed early,
at around seven or eight
would be great

I’ll see you at seven

Thank you

And so the lullaby singer
wrote the man’s address in her book,
put a kalimba in her bag
and then went to her garden
to sing to her plants
for a while

♫ ♫ ♫

Thank you for coming

Thank you for inviting me
Are you ready to sleep?

Yes

And so the lullaby singer
took out her kalimba and began to play
slowly and gently,
and after a while
she began to sing

♫ ♫ ♫

And long after the man had fallen alseep
the lullaby singer continued to sing
to the delight of the owls
and the other beings nearby
until she felt
like riding home

♫ ♫ ♫