The Dolphin Bell

Telear applauds Varoni, "Ah a volunteer!"

Varoni checks the tuning carefully, then looks up to see if his audience is attentive.

Tullick says "Hello Claradin. No, Jemai, I haven't seen anyone around Balan lately."

Kerowyn attends, even if she does seem overly involved with sweetening her klah mug.

Anise leans her head back against the wall and closes her eyes.

Lorianne puts an arm consoling around Anise.

Jemai shakes her head and sighs. "Oh, well. Guess I missed him.

Telear goes up to the Harper Hall Wine and Ale Casks and takes a Glass of Benden Red.

Varoni looks around again, searching for something. "Shira, toss me that bell beside you, will you?"

Telear lifts his glass of Benden Red and takes a slow sip.

Lorianne tilts her mug back and drains off her cider.

Jemai takes a sip of the aromatic cider.

Bilmis looks about the room, hoping for some dance music...

Shirana takes up the bell, and walks it to the edge of the stage, handing it to Var with some reverence. "Are you going to make my heart hurt _again?_

Uma has arrived.

Uma smiles and waves to you all...

Shirana waves to Uma!

Telear turns to listen to Varoni, whose playing he still hasn't heard.

Uma crosses the Hall, to sit near Shirana..

Telear swirls his glass, then takes another sip.

Arelle leaves to the south.

Arelle has left.

Varoni smiles faintly to Shirana. "No more than mine does." He sets the bell into place near his foot. "Now, this song was salvaged from the archives at Ruatha, and was supposedly written by someone called David, but the surname on the scroll was obliterated. I think it is a very old song, because it uses ancient styles of composition."

Var plays a curious plucking pattern, using his foot to tap a bell on certain beats. After a moment, he sings softly, in a near-monotone.

Beyond the sea currents of the place we lived when we were calved
In a world of humans and the dragons
Our fins strayed constantly and without boundary
The ringing of the Dolphin Bell had begun

Varoni strums louder, striking more of the strings, adding the effect of backup instruments joining in.

Along the long sea and on down the Currents
Do they still meet us by the pier

Var stills the strings back to the original haunting plucking.

There was a ragged pod that followed in our finwake
Swimming before thread took our tongues away
Leaving the myriad small shellfish trying to tie us to the sea
To a life consuming falling thread

Var strikes the strings again, his voice rising a bit, the sound reverberating around him.

The kelp was greener
The light was brighter
With friends surrounded
The nights of wonder

Var plays the intro again, with the curious bell sound in the background.

Looking beyond the embers of fireheights glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was in the other hold
Swims taken forward and finwalking back again
Dragged by the force of some inner tide

Var plays the stronger portion of the tune again, the sound swelling around him.

At a higher sea-depth with fins uncurled
We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed-of world

Varoni launches into the complex solo, plucking out a slew of notes that accent the main melody, until it dissolves into a repeat of the haunting intro, bell tolling on the beat.

Encumbered forever by desire and tradition
There's a duty still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though 'long this pier we've swum so many times

Var plays the full breadth of strings again, the sound rising around him.

The sea was greener
The light was brighter
The fish were sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist glowing
The water flowing
The endless river

Forever and ever

Varoni launches into an empassioned outro, his gitar alternately wailing piteously or murmuring softly for several minutes, strings vibrating under the constant barrage. Finally, the solo drifts into a soft and mournful silence, and only the tolling of the bell remains.

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The Dragonriders of Pern is c and tm 1967 Anne McCaffrey. The Pern theme is used with her permission.

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