of basic training.
Although his family, and indeed the Lord Holder Bastom, too, had
expected him to return to Tillek to teach, Clisser had argued hard that
anyone could teach the basics to hold children: he would supply a
suitably trained candidate. But Jemmy must be allowed to continue at
the College Hall, benefiting the entire continent.
What no-one at the Hall mentioned beyond their most private sessions was
that Jemmy seemed intuitively to know how to fill in the gaps left by
improper copying or damaged records. His notations, short and concise,
were models of lucidity. The College could not afford to do without his
skills and intelligence. He wasn’t a good teacher, being frustrated by
mental processes slower than his own, but he could, and did, produce
manuals and guides that enhanced the basic texts the settlers had
brought with them. Jemmy translated Earth’ into Pern’ If his peer
group did not enjoy his company, he enjoyed that of his mentors and was
fast outstripping all of them in knowledge and practical applications.
It was also well known if tacitly ignored, that he idolized Bethany. She
was consistently kind and encouraging to everyone, but refused to accept
any partner. She had long since decided never to inflict her deformity
on offspring and refused any intimacy, even a childless one.
Clisser wondered, though, as he and Bethany made their sedate way to the
stage, if Jemmy might not breach the wall of her virginity. He was
certain that Bethany cared more for the Tillek lad than anyone else in
the thirty years he had known her – student and teacher. She was a
lovely, gentle woman; she deserved to be loved and love in return.
Since there were ways of preventing conception, her prime concern could
be taken care of. Clisser thought the age difference was immaterial.
And Jemmy desperately needed the balance that a fully rounded life
experience would give him.
Clisser and Jemmy provided support for Bethany to ascend the un railed
steps to the stage and then, with a swirl of the long skirts that
covered the built-up shoe she wore, she settled herself in her chair.
She placed her flute case and the recorders where she wanted them, and
the little reed flute in the music stand. Not that this group of
musicians required printed sheets to read from, but the other groups
did.
Danja lifted her fiddle to her chin, bow poised, and looked at Jemmy who
hummed an A’ with his perfect pitch for her to tune her strings.
Sheledon softly strummed his guitar to check its tuning and Lozell ran
an arpeggio on his standing harp. The continent’s one remaining piano –
his preferred instrument – was undergoing repairs to the hammers: they
had not yet managed to reproduce quite the same sort of felt that had
been used originally.
Clisser nodded at Jemmy, who did a roll on his hand drum to attract
attention and then, on Clisser’s downbeat, they began their set.
It was several days before Clisser had a chance to discuss the project
with Jemmy.
I’ve wondered why we didn’t use the balladic medium to teach history,’
Jemmy replied.
It isn’t history we’ll be setting to music.
Oh yes, it is,’ Jemmy had contradicted him in the flat and tactless way
he had. It had taken Clisser time to get used to it.
Well, it will be when the next generation gets it – and the next one
after that.
That’s a point, of course.
Jemmy hummed something, but broke off and sprang across to the table
where he grabbed a sheet of paper, turning it to the unused side.
He slashed five lines across it, added a clef and immediately began to
set notes down. Clisser was fascinated.
Oh,’ Jemmy said offhandedly as his fingers flew up and down the lines,
I’ve had this tune bugging me for months now. It’s almost a relief to
put it down on paper now that I’ve a use for it., He marked off another
measure, the pen hovering above the paper only briefly before he was off
again. It can be a show piece anyhow. Start off with a soprano – boy,