(Flashback) Your voice is like the sea.... (Part I)

[Anu]

15th of Summer, 506 AV The days Anu wasn't with her mother seemed rather boring to her since at home nothing interesting really happened. Both her father and mother knew that, so at times, she would be taken to Riverfall, where she'd spend time with her brother, talking and trying to learn about things they did... Which usually ended with her going home confused and wishing he hadn't told her anything. That though, wasn't a permanent solution, so her mother decided to find one. It was well known that this little Konti had talent, when it comes to singing, so the first thing her mother was suggested was to get a singing teacher for her, which seemed as a good idea. Anu liked it right away, especially since she really enjoyed in singing, so knowing more about it would be a true blessing. Getting a teacher for such art wasn't all that hard, especially not on the Konti Isle, so less then a week from when she heard the idea, she was having her first class. By what her mother said, the teacher was supposed to be an older lady that was really nice, calm and friendly... But then again, weren't all Konti like that? Well, either way, Anu was about to find out since it was a lovely, sunny morning in Mura, a perfect beginning for the lessons Anu will have, during the next two years. Anu's little fingers moved over her hair, pulling it back and tying it with a white, leather strap. Feet gracefully moved over the sand in front of her home, her back bent and soft, pale hands took a white, apparently wooden dish. Her body moved gracefully, one foot moving in a perfect line, right in front of the other one. Hips swaying, shoulders remaining perfectly still with the fish in her hands. A calming murmur of water finally reached Anu's ears. It was such a beautiful morning. Those pale hands moved the dish lower, back bending once again, bare feet almost touching the puddle of crystal clear water before her. The liquid of life filled Anu's dish and she, with a big smile on her face turned around, walking her way back to right into her home. In there, she spent a couple of minutes washing her body and face before putting her favorite white dress on. Quiet footsteps were heard in front of her home, making her smile as she rushed to clean up the last of her clothing and sheets. Those footsteps went silent, but then the knocking began, followed by a soft voice adding questioningly "Anu? Are you there?" Her big, blue eyes moved towards the door, her smile was as wide as it could be, feet rushed towards the entrance, and fingers moved the curtain away. Yes, it indeed was a lovely, slightly older lady standing at the door. One wouldn't notice her age though, if one didn't know what to look for. (Looks like this) Especially not when she flashed one of those, to Anu well known Konti smiles, making her blush and smile back. "Your mother was indeed wright... You are a lovely little flower. You will make such a beautiful wife and mother, hopefully to an Akalak, like your father and brother!", the woman added in a cheerful tone, making Anu grin. Why was it that women always talked about that first?? Anu didn't understand one bit of it, but not like she bothered to too much anyway. Moving to the side, she politely bowed before the woman, showing her that she is welcome inside"Please come inside Miss Luna, it's such a pleasure to meet someone as talented and amazing as you are! My mother had said soo much about you! I can not wait to actually see it all myself!", Anu couldn't help herself but to sound all squeaky. It indeed was a pleasure.

[Anu]

Luna stepped in, lightly nodding to Anu and then taking her by her hand and pulling her along as well "Don't be silly girl, there is no need to bow before me. Come, come, I want to teach you so many things, and we only have a few hours before it is time for you to go and meet your mother!" The older Konti was wright, they only had a few hours and Anu didn't want to waste even a second of it, even though they were supposed to meet tomorrow and every day from then on. "Yes, yes of course Miss Luna! I do not wish to waste even a second of our time together, please, let us start right now!, the girl squeaked again, making Luna giggle. Anu really wanted to know a whole lot, and with so much time ahead of them, Luna never once doubted that the girl will become everything she is hoping to become. The sun is sleeping quietly Once upon a century Wistful oceans calm and red Ardent caresses laid to rest For my dreams I hold my life For wishes I behold my night The truth at the end of time Losing faith makes a crime I wish for this night-time to last for a lifetime The darkness around me Shores of a solar sea Oh how I wish to go down with the sun Sleeping, weeping With you Sorrow has a human heart From my god it will depart I'd sail before a thousand moons Never finding where to go Two hundred twenty-two days of light Will be desired by a night A moment for the poet's play Until there's nothing left to say I wish for this night-time to last for a lifetime The darkness around me Shores of a solar sea Oh how I wish to go down with the sun Sleeping, weeping With you... was the only thing Luna said, or well, sung, before giggling at the way Anu's face looked. The girl was shocked, and not in a bad way. Still trying to catch her breath, she quietly added, barely being able to form words "Such beauty... That song is... the most beautiful thing I've heard in my life, Miss Luna, and the way you sing... I do not think that there is anyone out there who would give more justice to that much beauty then you"

[Anu]

The older Konti just laughed, shaking her head at Anu and sitting down next to her. Her arms were pale, fingers soft and touch seemed like a feather on Anu's skin. Everything about her was so gentle, so emotional, so artistic, even the way she was breathing... everything "Now, now, there are a few things I want you to understand here. First of all, there is no need for you to call me Miss, second, the song you've heard was chosen for you.. YOU, my dear are the one who will give it more justice then I, in time... and third, let's get to work now, shall we?" Anu just ginned, nodding happily and waiting for further instructions by, what she thought was the most talented and amazing singer on earth! "Ok, now, the first thing I want you to do is stand up with me and follow every move I make", Luna added before standing up and lightly parting her feet. They were in a shoulder width position and her knees were relaxed, not too much so she would fall over though. Her waist moved slightly back, not so she is arched, but just enough to give her space in the abdomen area. Those beautiful, pale shoulders moved slightly back, yet again, not too much. Luna's chin moved slightly up as if she aligned it to the floor before adding calmly "This, my dear, is your optimal position for singing now... We will learn how to move around later on, but for now, this is the easiest way. Did you manage to follow me?", she whispered, turning around to take a look at Anu. The girl was a natural, it was obvious from the first moment. Her chin, shoulders, knees and feet in a perfect position. It matched that huge smile on her face like nothing Luna has seen in her life before "Very well, my lovely little flower... Now, listen to me closely.... This is one thing you will always need to remember. Your voice is like the sea. It can not be tamed, do not EVER make that mistake, but you can, by giving the shores a shape, mold it into something so beautiful that the human's eyes and ears shall not believe it exists." Anu's eyes were open wide, her head turned to the side, trying to understand what the woman had just said. Like the sea? Why would she compare one's voice to the sea? When the sea is something no man can tame, something no man has ever fully explored... something that can be so scary, but so beautiful at the same time.... Could it be that? Yes! It was.... It is! Anu's lips once again were curled by a big smile, her body took the same old position before adding quietly, as if slightly embarrassed she took so much time to understand it all "I understand now, thank you for explaining that to me... It really does help... That is so connected to what my mother used to tell me.... Never seek for perfection, it is not half as beautiful as the perfectly imperfect thing in front of you. It would be the same way with the sea... if we managed to tame it, it wouldn't be so beautiful anymore" Luna smiled at this, nodding and lightly letting her fingertips move over Anu's cheek. She was a bright little flower as well.... but a bit too adventurous for her own good.... talking about such great thing as the sea made her eyes sparkle pretty bright. The woman though, didn't allow this to distract her, in fact, she took the same position as Anu and added softly "The next thing we will be practicing is breathing while you sing... most people do not understand why is that so important, but I will show you why." After this, the girl just nodded, not really seeing any difference in the way people breathe, but knowing that after what she has heard, there must be something pretty important in it. "Now, the most important thing about breathing correctly is the fact that you will be able to hit each tone, ONLY, and I mean only if you know how much breath to take in, how much to let out and when. First here, we will practice how to take a deep breath just before you start singing."This all seemed and sounded so strange to Anu, but she once again just nodded as a sign that she was following what Luna was saying. Her body was still in the same position, when the older Konti decided to walk in front of her and with a big smile on her face take the same position she required the girl to.

[Anu]

"Very well... First, I want you to look at what I do, than I will explain it to you and than you will try and do it yourself, is that fine?"Luna said, looking at Anu first. The girl nodded, smiling wide and watching at the older Konti with her eyes wide open. It was obvious that she wanted to learn everything right now, which at first was slightly worrying to Luna, but she was baring with it. Lightly moving her hands to her stomach, just over her abdomen muscle, the woman parted her lips lightly, breathing out all the air she had. It was rather evident since her stomach practically moved in for almost half an inch. Her gaze was now on Anu's face, after which she had to try hard not to start laughing. The girl was in shock again. After all of this, Luna parted her lips a bit more, taking a really deep breath. Her shoulders did not move, her whole body frame remained still, the only thing that moved was her abdomen muscle, making her stomach first go into the regular position and than slightly forward. That was it. Luna just exhaled, this time not too much though, looking at Anu before her lips parted, allowing the same melodic, beautiful voice to form words "This was the way a singer should breathe, before they actually start singing. First, you exhale ALL the breath and then, inhale as much as you can, without moving your body frame of course. That is one of the biggest and most annoying mistakes with the beginners. Moving their shoulders like they are being pushed around. After you do this once, you will not have to exhale all your breath, nor inhale that much, since this is just for the beginning and it will become more subtle in time" Anu smiled, nodding again and slowly moving her hands onto her abdomen area, like Luna did before and whispering "I understand. I will try and do this now, but I think I might need a bit of exercise" After this, the young Konti smiled and too the same old position, exhaling all the air from her lungs, or well, what she thought was all of the air before taking a deep breath. Yes, she managed to keep her body frame still, but she didn't take near as much air in as Luna did, which of course the older one noticed. Her fingers lightly moved along the abdomen area, nodding to Anu as if she said to do it again. Anu understood this, exhaling again, but this time much more, since the woman's hand pushed on her abdomen muscle lightly, making it go higher. It surprised Anu quite a bit, so her gaze was locked on Luna, but that didn't stop her from inhaling, and once again, this time much more since the woman pushed onto her abdomen muscle, making it go slightly lower. Luna just nodded, smiling warmly and whispering "That was well for your first time Anu, but you still have a long way to go there... You shouldn't practice for more than an hour without a break, just remember that" Anu smiled brightly, slowly letting her hands move over where Luna was pressing a second before just as she whispered "Wow, that felt strange.... Yes, I understand, not practicing for more than an hour without a break. Is there anything else I should know, since you are not going to be here much longer, are you?" Luna tilted her head lightly, not even noticing how much time has passed. It was way past noon and Luna was probably already late for her next meeting. She bit her lip and giggled cheerfully though, taking Anu's chin in her hand before whispering "You are such a thrill girl! Practice hard, but remember, no more than an hour without a break, ok? I need to leave now, but I will see you first thing in the morning tomorrow!" And then, the woman just rushed out, not even allowing Anu to say goodbye. It was surprising, but the young Konti just smiled at it all, moving into the same old position. Her fingers moved down onto her stomach and she exhaled once again, this time pushing the abdomen muscle herself. It felt even more strange than before, but she did notice that she was exhaling more air each time she did it.Inhaling was a struggle, since her lungs never did anything like it. After about ten or fifteen attempts Anu felt slightly dizzy, stopping herself and rolling her eyes. It took her less than half an hour to feel exhausted. How bad was she at all of this?

[Anu]

She was never a quitter though, so she decided as soon as she catches her breath that she will do it all over again. Luna said to practice hard, so it must have meant that she needs to get really good at it all. The girl stood up once again, letting her fingers move over her stomach, exhaling as much air as she could and then taking a deep breath. Her eyes opened wide as she actually noticed that she took more breath in then ever before. Doing the same thing ten times more, she became much better at it. So it was time to test it, Anu thought, closing her eyes and trying to remember the words from the song Luna was singing before "The sun is sleeping quietly Once upon a century Wistful oceans calm and red Ardent caresses laid to rest For my dreams I hold my life For wishes I behold my night The truth at the end of time Losing faith makes a crime , yes she struggled through finding words, but at least she hit most of the notes. It was slightly shaky, since her voice ended up breaking from time to time, but the notes were there, mostly, and Anu was very proud of herself. A loud clapping of one palm against the other was heard just behind her. An older Konti woman was standing there, not Luna though, just as beautiful, but not her. This woman was also very pleased with what she heard, and when Anu squeaked "Mom!", everything was as clear as a day. The lovely, proudly smiling woman was Anu's mother, with whom she had to meet later that day. Taking a bit to explain what she was doing with Luna to her mother, Anu was practically glowing. There was nothing in this world that could make her more happy then singing now, which of course, made her mother smile and tell her she can stay at home, to practice some more. The young one just jumped into her mother's arms, hugging her and thanking before, without any particular effort, she started singing again, a song her mother taught her as a little girl, actually liking the way she sounded this time. "I can sing better mother! It actually sounds decent! I need to practice more! My muscles are not moving as much as they should... please excuse me.." she added in a cheerful tone, moving away from her mother, taking the same, old position and starting to practice her breathing skills again. It was quite a bit of a sight, Anu practicing there with a huge smile on her face while her mother watched it all proudly.... One could not wait to see what will happen when the practicing actually goes on with Luna End of the part I OOCFor the sake of copyright, the actual singer of this song is Tarja Turunen, at that point lead singer of the band Nightwish

[Alice]

Anu

Experience: 1 Hospitality, 2 Listening, 3 Singing
Lores: Beauty in Music, The Correct Singing Posture, Perfection That Lies in Imperfection, The Correct Breathing for Singers, Singing with Passion

Comments

I greatly enjoyed reading the thread. Anu seems to be a very passionate and energetic girl, and I’m sure she’ll become an excellent singer in the future. One thing: the background image made the text hard to read, so I had to highlight it. Next time you use an image, it’d be nice if you could make sure that the text is still readable. And thanks for adding the song's origin.