Now that it is spring, while I’m sitting in front of my computer planning lessons for school, I keep the door to the balcony open. Today I returned from a short trip to see a friend for her birthday. So, I’ve been doing a bit of train travel. To see how the weather is coming and going from my balcony, I usually judge by the emissions from the factory on the outskirts of town. Romanian train station announcements are preceded by a bit of a computer generated sound (you know, like in airports.) Tonight I’m sitting here listening to Mike Malloy talking about fake Democrats and I hear something… its not so loud that I immediately recognize it but my brain does register it. So I pause Mike, wait half a minute, and then, wafting over from the train station, a 15 minute walk from my apartment, is the sound. I’ve never heard it here before. It must be a good sign.
When I was living in Japan years and years ago – 1986? – there was a place that would play a tune every night at around ten. I seem to remember my mom saying it was a school somewhere, and this was their departure music, which they played every night when the late classes ended. I still remember the music. It was just like the train announcement sound – tinny and probably computer generated. Every night as I was going to sleep, I’d hear this very faint, haunting melody coming from somewhere far away.
I was about five at the time and for reasons that I still don’t understand, that music really freaked me out. I started having nightmares about it. I don’t remember associating any bad experiences with the song, I guess there was just something really eerie about hearing unfamiliar music late at night.