The Singing Crystal

By Laura Beegle

Zannie crouched on the barren tree branch and examined the human building, his wings tucked in close behind him.  There, on the edge of a great long trough hung the object of his search.  The light gray clouds swirled above him and a sudden wind tossed snowflakes at Zannie in his hiding place.  He moved to get the branch between him and the icy onslaught.  He grit his teeth at the cold, but he hadn't come this far to let a little wind get between him and the crystals.

Once the wind passed, Zannie focused on one of the smaller crystals near the end of the long trough closest to him.  It looked about the right size.  Zannie braced his bare feet against the branch, coiled back onto himself, then pushed off with all his might.  His wings burst forth in a transparent blur, carrying Zannie like a tiny missile directly towards the crystal.  The wind pushed his hair back as the shimmering crystal grew in Zannie's field of vision.

Zannie reached out his arms, intending to tackle the crystal and break it free, but at the last second, a fierce gust of icy wind caught one his wings and sent Zannie tumbling sideways through the air.  He tumbled and twisted in the air as the world bobbed and spun around him, trying to avoid smashing into the human building or the ground.  But Zannie was a good flier and he fluttered to a stop not far from his target.

The clouds lightened and Zannie heard soft, gentle laughter on the air.  He scowled and darted around in the air, searching for the source of the laughter.

"Good catch, young pixie," said a soft, high-pitched voice near him.  Zannie glared in the direction of the voice, but there were only the crystals nearby, no one else.

"Yes," said another soft voice, lower than the first, "excellent flying."

"Where are you?" demanded Zannie, looking for another pixie or even a goblin among the crystals.

More soft laughter, like the muted tinkling of chimes echoed around the human building.  Zannie put his hands on his hips and started to make his demand again when the sun came out from behind a cloud and the air was suddenly full of music.

Long, clear bass and a soothing melody hit Zannie like jumping into a pond in summertime: forceful, but immediately relaxing and all-consuming.  He felt the sun warming his wings, saw the pure blue of the sky beyond the clouds, and smelled the pine sap from a nearby tree.  For a moment, everything was right and beautiful with the world.

Another cloud crept in front of the sun and the song faded.  Zannie looked around to make sure no one had seen him so overwhelmed by the music.  The nearby crystal chuckled softly.

"Did you like our song?" it asked.

Zannie blinked in surprise.  His teacher had called them the Singing Crystals, not the Singing And Talking Crystals.  "Uh," he stammered, "yes?"

The crystals tinkled again in kind laughter.  "That's good," said the crystal.  "We sing even when no one is listening, but it's nice to have an audience sometimes."

Zannie suddenly felt foolish in his quest.  He looked around, trying to find a way to escape his awkwardness.

The crystal said, "you've come to take one of us home, haven't you, young pixie?"

Zannie blushed a brilliant red and started to fly away when the crystal continued.

"It's alright, we've come to expect it."  The clouds lightened and Zannie hoped they would clear again, but only a soft murmur of the song could be heard before the clouds grew thick again.

"We are so brief in this world," continued the crystal, "that we don't have time to grow attached to it."  A few of the nearby crystals laughed softly at the joke.  The crystals were physically attached to the world at their broad tops that tapered down to clear points.

"Do you mind if I take one of you home?" asked Zannie, embarrassed.

"Not at all," said the crystal closest to Zannie.  "Take hold of me and push."  Zannie wrapped his thin arms around the cold crystal and pushed, his wings fluttering madly for a moment.  Then with a sharp crack, the crystal broke free of the long trough.  The crystals called their goodbyes to the one in Zannie's arms as he flew the crystal away from the human building and back towards his home.

After a few minutes, the crystal felt smaller in Zannie's arms and his clothes were soaking wet.  "What's happening," asked Zannie.

"I'm melting," said the crystal.  "It happens."  Zannie suddenly felt bad and wondered if he should let go.  But, this was his prize, his proof that the singing crystals could be captured.  He was going to prove his teacher wrong!

"I'm sorry," said Zannie, "but I can't let you go."

"I know," said the crystal.  "Would you like to hear a song?"  The sun came from behind the clouds and the crystal sang a sweet melody, filling Zannie with delight as they zoomed through the air.  A giggle threatened to break free from Zannie's throat as he flipped and soared, dipped and weaved through the long-dead brown flowers in the vast meadow.  This was his best adventure yet.  

The sun warmed Zannie and made the crystal shrink even faster.

Slowly, the sun faded again and th.  "What a beautiful world," said the crystal as it hummed cheerfully in the diffuse light.

But Zannie slowed his pace.  Something wasn't right.  Why was he rushing?  To prove his teacher wrong!  But why?  Hadn't he already proven his teacher wrong?

"Does it matter if your teacher knows?" asked the crystal.  "You know, and that's what's important."  Zannie slowed his flight further, coming to rest on a small rock.  The crystal was melting almost visibly now.

Zannie looked at the crystal in his hands.  "But, I'm right!" he said.  "The Singing Crystals can be captured!"

The crystal shrank further, its soft laugh barely audible.  Zannie stared at his disappearing prize.  

"The Singing Crystals can't be captured," whispered the crystal as it dissolved into nothing.

"'They can only be experienced'," Zannie finished, quoting his teacher's lesson.  Zannie now understood what his teacher meant.  Frustrated at losing his proof, he flew towards home, resolving to tell no one of his adventure.  The sun came out and shone between the tree branches.  Zannie refused to let the memory of the song lighten his mood.

After a while, Zannie smiled in spite of himself.