The Music Guider
by Ron Qin Tsz Long 6C
This short story was written for the He(a)rd Zine, a Hong Kong-based magazine that showcases young student writers. The theme of this issue is Soundtrack.
Loki's voice rang out, “Please turn me into a master of music.” The mysterious voice replied, “Heh, finally? I have been waiting for this for such a long time.”
This all started on a scorching day. Loki was lying on his desk, tears streaming down from his eyes at the sight of a huge, scarlet F on his music test paper.
At home, Loki was like a star. Whenever he puts on his headphones to listen to his favorite rock music, he will sing too. He could use his finger to drum every song on his desk, singing the rhythm was as easy as flipping a palm.“Why is this happening to me?” he cried. He loved listening to rock and funk music. But reading those strange symbols on white paper? It was like trying to understand alien code. His teacher, Miss Kay, always said he had the rhythm of an old robot with rusty gears.
An electronic voice roamed in his mind, "Congratulations, host. You have awakened the Music System. Each time you finish a task, you’ll get an extraordinary skill.”
Loki looked around and asked, “Who said that?”
The voice said helplessly, “Check your earphones, dumbhead.”
All of a sudden, the teacher said, “Loki, stand up and answer this question. What is the smaller version of a Major 10th that fits inside an 8-note gap?”
But then, a strange thing happened.
A screen appeared in his vision, showing the rhythm and a glowing ‘PLAY’ button. He reached out and pressed it.
The teacher shouted at him, “What are you doing? Just answer the question!"
The classmates giggled at Loki.
But then, his mouth began to move automatically, “What is the smaller, 8-step version of a Major 10th?” He answered the complicated question without a single mistake. The class gasped in disbelief.
Then, the electronic voice said, “Host, you get a point for answering a question. You can trade a lot of skills using points."
The shop was like a video game store, with so many skills you buy. Loki scrolled through the skills. They cost thousands of points! But a basic one, was highlighted and blinking: Note Name Flash – Cost: 1 Point (New User Special!). The description read: Stare at any note for 3 seconds. The note name will flicker briefly. Only work 5 times per day.
Loki bought it immediately but through others’ eyes, he was just sitting there, spacing out.
He pulled out his music book. The page was filled with notes that usually looked like alien language.
He tried his new skill on the first note. Three seconds later, a tiny "G" appeared, then vanished. He grinned and tried the next note. "E" flickered. Note by note, the music notes slowly revealed itself.
"It is a music language index." Loki whispered while smiling. "It's like the notes are showing me their names."
The teacher asked again, “Who can answer this question? What do we call the 'hidden notes' that live in the tiny cracks between the 12 keys of a normal piano?”
Loki looked around but no one dared to raise their hands. Then the voice told Loki, “Host, this question is a bonus question. You get 10 points if you answer this question correctly.”
Loki slowly raised his hand and answered unsurely, “We call these "hidden notes" Microtones, right?”
Miss Kay clapped out of amazement, she asked Loki, “How did you answer that? If I recall, you got an F this time.”
Loki smiled and said, “ It’s a secret.”
Loki checked the Virtual Store, he looked at his balance,he has 10 points. This time he clicked on the “Sonic Codex”. He went through them and found the most suitable one-Visualizing Melodies, it only cost 10 points.
Over the next few weeks, Loki used his new skills every day. With Visualizing Melodies, the boring notes on his sheet music turned into a new entertainment. It was like playing a video game; he just had to follow the lights to find the right notes.
Instead of crying over alien code, Loki spent his lunch breaks in the music room. He practised music enjoyfully. Now, when Miss Kay played a chord, Loki could hear every note inside it. He felt the music was as easy as ABC.
The day of the final music test arrived. The classroom was so quiet that you could even hear a pin drop.
Loki looked at the hard questions about scales and intervals. Three weeks ago, he would have panicked. But now, he just smiled.
He looked at the test paper, waited three seconds for his Note Name Flash to enable, and began to write.
Loki clicked the air. No response. He clicked it again until he realized it didn't work. He summoned the Sonic Codex, but his vision didn’t turn out differently. He only saw the blank, white test paper.
He closed his eyes, panicked for a moment. But he quickly calmed down, he didn't hear an electronic voice. Instead, he heard the sound of the piano in his head. There was a few questions like “What is the relative major of F# harmonic minor?”
He didn't need the system. He knew the answer.
Slowly, Loki began to write. His pen didn't move with the mechanical speed of a computer, it moved naturally. He worked through the notes and described the rhythms.
“A major…”
For the first time, he was thinking for himself.
A few days later, the door to the classroom banged open. Miss Kay marched in, walking to Loki as she held a paper with a bright, surprised smile.
“Loki!” she shouted, her voice as loud as thunder. “I’ve never seen an A from you!”
The class turned, the giggles from weeks ago replaced by clapping sounds. Loki took the paper, but he didn't look at the mark. He looked at his hands. They weren't the hands of a rusty robot anymore.
He looked up at Miss Kay and gave a small smile. "I guess I finally learnt the language," he whispered.
As he walked back to his desk, he didn't need anyone to tell him he had won. He could already feel the music running in his blood.
The rusty robot disappeared, replaced by a new musician.