73 One Year Later

One Year later... Little-Bit pushed the hatch. It opened with a loud creak and a shower of dust drifted down onto her forehead. She wiped it away and hauled herself into the attic. It smelled exactly like the old bike shed at school, the one that no one ever used because they thought a troll lived in it. A pungent mixture of damp wood and old sock. It was also very dark up there. The one shard of pale light that had fought its way in through a small window in the sloping ceiling wasn't doing its job very well. How am I supposed to find the sewing machine in these conditions? she thought. She walked around the musty room looking for

something with the word SINGER written on it. Ever since the Markmakers had told Peanut and her that the new-and- improved Nerys had become an exceptional quilt-maker while in prison back in Chroma, Little-Bit had been determined to give sewing a try herself. When Mum mentioned that Auntie Jean had a machine that Gran had left for her when she'd died, Little-Bit decided to try to find it. She didn't realise that she'd have to brave the dreaded attic to do so, however. She was in the darkest corner of the room, rummaging through a pile of old Just Seventeen magazines, when she found something curious hidden beneath an issue with a young Leonardo DiCaprio on the cover. It was a flat, green leather case, with a small handle and tarnished brass hinges and clasps. It looked very old, its surface peeling and flaking around the reinforced corners. Little-Bit picked it up. Then she walked over to the shard of pale light, knelt on the floor and put the case on her lap. It was much heavier than she had expected it to be. She pressed the two clasps with her thumbs and they flipped open with a satisfying thunk. Slowly, she opened the lid. Inside were three of the most beautiful objects that Little-Bit had ever seen, each one solid silver, highly polished and elaborately ornamented. It was a musical instrument of some sort and, to her eyes, it looked brand new. But it couldn't

have been. The case was ancient. And it was buried under loads of old magazines. It must have been up in the attic for years. 'It's a flute,' she said aloud, when she noticed the lip-plate. Just like the one Marley uses in Junior Orchestra, but a lot cleaner.' She picked up the long, gleaming barrel and the smaller foot joint and slotted them together. She then inserted the neck piece into the other end. As she did so, a single exquisite harmonic rang out. Little-Bit smiled. She had never played a flute before, but something compelled her to try to get a tune out of this one. She lifted the lip-plate to her mouth and held the instrument out to the side, like she'd seen Marley do at school. Then she took a deep breath and blew.

Suddenly, her fingers began to dance across the keys and, to her complete surprise, the most beautiful melody filled the room. Little-Bit almost dropped the flute with shock. How did that happen? she wondered. And then she saw it. A thin, vertical strip of white light had appeared in the opposite corner of the attic. It seemed to be... floating in mid-air. Little-Bit stood up and walked towards it. As she got closer, she saw that it was some sort of... rip A tear in space, almost. She blinked hard and slapped her cheeks with both hands to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Then she lifted the flute to her mouth, took another deep breath and blew again. This time, the tune was even more beautiful than it had been before. She continued to play, and as she did so, the rip got wider. And wider. Soon it had become a hole, big enough for her to climb through. Little-Bit recognised what it was. She, of all people, knew a portal when she saw one. She moved closer to the rip and looked through. On the other side was a bright white landscape that looked like it was made entirely of light. On the floor was a pathway comprised of five thick, parallel lines which led to a large wooden sign. Little-Bit squinted, but she couldn't quite make out what the words on it said. She needed to get closer.

Perhaps the decision had already been made for her, or perhaps she made it herself, there and then. Either way, Little-Bit stepped through the portal and walked along the path towards the sign. Five steps later, she could read the words clearly. And when she did, she found herself at the beginning of a whole new adventure. WELCOME TO SONATA CITY OF MUSIC