Written by Margot Heijnsbroek
Translated from Dutch by Anne Porcelyn
“Hi Mum, I’m home” Bobby called when Fleur, his sister, had opened the front door for him.
“Hello dear, would you like an apple and something to drink?” his mother waved and called from the dining room. But Bobby shook his head and ran up the stairs to his room. Once there he jumped onto his bed. First he just wanted to read quietly. It was so busy and noisy at school, his ears were still buzzing from it all!
Fifteen minutes later Bobby felt a lot better. He quickly picked up his sketchbook. Yesterday he had drawn two butterflies, and now he wanted to color them in. The biggest butterfly would have purple wings with orange spots along the edge. The other one would have yellow wings with a white spot here and there.
Meanwhile, he wished he was a butterfly. Then he wouldn’t have to go to school and he could spend all day flying from one flower to the other. Bobby really loved butterflies very much, almost more than birds. Butterflies and birds were his favorite creatures.
When he’d finished coloring he looked around his room. What did he want to do now? In a corner there was a huge pile of clothes and there were various toy cars scattered about. I’ll tidy these up first he thought to himself.
There we are, that’s done. All the small cars were in a box, and the bigger ones were lined up against the wall. Mum will be very pleased with that! The blue racing car was on the right and next to that was the red racing car and the yellow lorry. All the way to the left his music car was parked. It can play all sorts of tunes. Bobby turned it on …lala die la ladie la…. he sang along.
“Hello Bobby, can you at last come downstairs?” he heard his mother calling. Oh dear, she sounded a bit impatient. Perhaps she’d called more than once. It often happened that he forgot the time.
Mum called again, “Bobby….! For the last time, will you come downstairs? Daddy and Fleur have been sitting at the table waiting for ages!”
Bobby scrambled up. “Yes I’m coming!” With a sigh he shut down his musical car and put it back next to the yellow lorry.
While he walked slowly down the stairs he hummed the beginning of his favorite tune, ‘Laladie la la la….’ He doesn’t know how he knew this tune. Perhaps he had heard it at some time on Dad’s car radio, on the way to music lessons. Or in the park, a robin or a blackbird singing. No idea!
The tune began with a long high tone, followed by a series of short tones. Every time three tones one after the other, and at the end a long low tone. All the high or low tones are called notes, his music teacher had explained to him. A strange name thought Bobby. What people write down in note books and diaries are also notes, but different.
Bobby often hummed his favorite tune, but never when there was anybody else nearby. Because then they would discover his Big Secret! And that would ruin everything.
What was his Big Secret then?
OK, if you promise not to tell anyone I’ll tell you! Every time Bobby started to hum his tune something strange happened. The first time was a long time ago on a Wednesday afternoon near the pond. He was watching the ducks and the butterflies and humming quietly to himself when Mum suddenly appeared behind him. She really made him jump, he hadn’t heard her coming.
“Hi Bobby, here you are’’ she said, “What a beautiful melody, where do you know that from?” “It’s not a melody!” said Bobby angrily. But when Mum had gone again he had to think about what she had called it. A beautiful melody. That was really a very good name for his tune. And when he started humming it again he thought “so hello beautiful melody”. Then suddenly there was a flash of light and at the same time a tiny little girl appeared and she floated towards him. A sort of elf about three times bigger than a butterfly, with wings you could almost see through.
Bobby knew straight away what her name was. “Melody” of course! She belonged to his tune! Happily she flew through the air, just like Peter Pan in the film. But Melody was not only a lot smaller than Peter Pan but also much more beautiful, with her long dark curls and her blue dress full of silver stars.
Since that afternoon at the pond Bobby often saw the little elf. Sometimes more than once a day. In the morning, as soon as he started to hum his tune – ‘whoosh’ – the light flash appeared and Melody arrived and floated above his head and laughed at him with her shiny, blue eyes. She also often appeared in the afternoon and evening, every time he had the chance to hum his favorite melody. Whistling it worked as well. But, as soon as he stopped there was the ‘whoosh’ and a flash of light, and she disappeared again.
The elf never said anything and neither did Bobby. You can’t talk if you’re humming or whistling of course. But even so Bobby really liked her. She was much nicer than the children at school who were always shouting and pushing. After a few days they had become great friends. That’s why Bobby tried to be on his own as often as possible. Even though Mum and Dad didn’t think that was very good for him, just like the teacher at school. But if he can’t be alone he can’t hum his tune and his little friend won’t visit him.
Another good thing was that Melody always helped Bobby when he was sad. Sometimes it was because his sister wouldn’t play with him. Sometimes she didn’t feel like it and other times she had dates with her girlfriends. And, then the next day she had to go to ballet classes or swimming lessons. So she rarely played with Bobby. But since he’d known Melody he‘d never felt alone anymore. She came to help him if he’d hurt himself. Like yesterday, when he bumped his head on the edge of the table. Or when Dad was angry with him and Bobby didn’t understand why! He only had to hum or whistle his tune and – ‘whoosh’ – there was the elf again, and all his pain and sadness vanished!
One day she even helped him when he couldn’t find his shoes. Mum had already warned him to hurry up: “We’ve really got to go now – just put on your rubber boots. It’s your own fault if you have to walk around school looking like an idiot in rubber boots”. Bobby ran up the stairs fast as lightning, to go and look round his room again. Luckily, as soon as Melody heard him hum his tune she arrived, and with her laughing eyes pointed to the corner full of clothes and toys. And there, right underneath everything, were his shoes!
Do you know the very best thing? Melody also came if Bobby was standing on his own in his usual corner of the school playground, while all the children were having fun and playing with one another. He only had to hum and – ‘whoosh’ – there she was again. Luckily always just above his head so nobody else could see her.
But, one morning Bobby woke up with a bad feeling. He was certain that something awful was going to happen! A couple of seconds later he knew what is was. His melody had gone! He’d completely lost his tune, from beginning to end! No matter how often he tried he couldn’t remember a single note!
After Mum had called for the fifth time, Bobby stumbled slowly and hopelessly down the stairs to the dining room. Fleur had already finished her plateful, and his oatmeal porridge was of course cold by then. After a couple of mouths full Bobby put down his spoon. His throat was completely closed up, he couldn’t swallow anything!
“What’s the matter” asked Mum, ‘aren’t you feeling well?”
“There’s absolutely nothing the matter” Bobby snapped back angrily. “Just leave me alone! I’m just not hungry!”
Mum frowned but let him leave the table and go to his room to look for his school bag and his shoes. After a few minutes he heard her calling: “Bobby, are you ready? Otherwise you’ll be late for school again.”.
Bobby soon found his school bag, but his shoes were nowhere to be found! He searched everywhere, but when he eventually left the house he wasn’t wearing his shoes, but his rubber boots….
Of course all the other children were sitting in their places in the classroom when Bobby stamped in, with a face as red as a beetroot. And everyone looked at his feet in his boots and started to laugh. During break he was standing on his own in his corner of the playground. But now completely alone, without his little Melody….
For weeks Bobby tried everything to find his tune. When the other children left after music lesson he asked teacher Jos to play a few tunes on the piano. In the evenings he listened as often as he could to the radio. And in the afternoons he spent hours by the pond under the big old oak tree, listening to the blackbirds singing. At home in his room he tried out tune after tune.
After a few weeks and about a thousand different tunes, Bobby eventually gave up. That night he lay in bed crying. He couldn’t sleep. Life was so horrible without his tune and his little friend Melody.
Mum and Dad and even his sister Fleur all looked at Bobby from time to time, all with a worried frown on their faces. “What’s the matter, don’t you feel well dear?” they asked. “You’re so pale and quiet!” But Bobby only shrugged his shoulders. If he was to tell them about his lost tune and Melody he would definitely never ever see his little friend again.
Every day after school, Bobby went straight home to his room. “I’m going up to read” he said to Mum or Dad. But he actually just did nothing. Cuddling Grumpy the Bear in his arms he just lay on his bed! Every now and then Mum or Dad would go into his room to say “Come on Bobby, it’s a lovely day, come on outside!” But Bobby didn’t want to do anything, although he did drink his chocolate drink they’d bring him. He also read the joke book his sister Fleur had bought for him with her own pocket money. But Bobby couldn’t laugh at any of the jokes. Nothing and nobody could comfort him. All he wanted was his tune and his little friend Melody…..
Things weren’t going well at school either, even though the teacher did her best to put a smile on his face – and the children had all stopped teasing him about his rubber boots. Bobby just spent all day staring despondently at nothing in particular. Except during music lessons. Then he paid attention. Just imagine if the teacher were to play his lost tune on the piano, his melody!!
One morning while Bobby was getting dressed, Mum said “There’s no need to hurry, take your time. You needn’t to go to school this morning. You’re so pale and quiet, I’m taking you to the doctor. Perhaps she can think of something to help you.”
After a short wait they were shown into the doctor’s surgery, she was a very friendly lady. She said: “Hello Bobby, can you open your mouth really wide for me?” She demonstrated by doing it herself. After looking into Bobby’s throat she listened to his breathing by putting a stethoscope on his chest while Bobby had to breathe in deeply and sigh. Then she laughed: OK Bobby, that’s it!”. And she said to Mum: “I understand you’re worried about him, but there is nothing wrong with him. Perhaps he just needs more fresh air or some other distractions.” Mum nodded her head, very relieved.
After that, instead of going home they went to visit the children’s farm where four lambs had just been born. And in the afternoon, they went to the cinema to see Peter Pan and his friends. But afterwards, Bobby had turned even paler. Mum couldn’t know that the film had made him sadder than ever!
The next day everything was exactly the same. Still no tune and no Melody either.
But a few days later, when Bobby was standing in the corner of the playground, a little girl came up to him. She had only just joined his class and hadn’t yet made any special friends. “Hi there” she said laughing. “I’m Daisy and you’re Bobby aren’t you? Shall we play together?”
Daisy, what a lovely name! Before Bobby realized he’d nodded a yes! While they played, he looked sideways at Daisy. She didn’t look anything like his little friend Melody, she had blond curls that danced about in all directions, and amber brown eyes. But those eyes looked at him just as brightly as his little lost friend’s blue eyes!
From that morning on, Bobby felt a little bit better every day. In the playground he no longer stood on his own. Daisy was always there as well, and quite often other children joined them. And because Daisy lived quite near Bobby, he had now made friends with lots of other girls and boys who lived nearby.
Sometimes Bobby still preferred to play by himself in his room. Reading quietly or drawing butterflies. But more often than not, after about an hour, the front door bell rang and Daisy asked him out to play.
One Saturday Daisy and Bobby were sitting by the pond. First they played ‘I spy with my little eye’, and then who can catch the most tadpoles. When both of them had twenty in their jampots, they lay down in the grass, close to the tall old oak. They lay there for a long time looking up at the blue sky. High above them a helicopter flew over. Apart from that, all was quiet. Until a blackbird, sitting on a branch of the tree above them, started to sing. ’Twee – twee – tweet — tweet-tweet-tweet — tweet-tweet-tweet.’
Suddenly Bobby sat bolt upright….That was his tune, not the whole tune but the beginning!!! From his branch high up in the tree, the blackbird looked at Bobby, his head slightly askance as if to say “Now it’s your turn Bobby, finish the tune!”.
Hesitantly Bobby started to whistle. And as if the tune had never left him, it was instantly in his head! And when he stopped for a minute to gather breath, the blackbird took over while Bobby listened happily. Then it was his turn again. Bobby whistled loudly in enjoyment when he heard someone next to him say “Wow Bobby, that sounds wonderful!” With her bright brown eyes Daisy looked admiringly at him.
First Bobby was shocked to the core. Now that Daisy had heard his secret tune, the little elf Melody would probably never appear again.
But, strangely enough he didn’t feel sad at all, but happy. Because now he and his new best friend Daisy had a beautiful and important secret together, one that nobody else knew about!
The End!