through one, he added. To be truthful, I was surprised you were still on
your feet, Saint-Germain muttered as he dropped the cables. you've slept
for about fourteen hours.
Josh knelt alongside Saint-Germain. What are you trying to do?
I moved a monitor and the cable fell out; I m not sure which one it is.
You should color code them with tape, Josh said. That s what I do.
Straightening, he caught the end of the cable that was attached to the
wide-screen monitor and jerked it up and down. It s this one. The cable
twitched in Saint-Germain s hands.
Thanks!
The monitor suddenly flickered to life, displaying a screen filled with
sliders and knobs.
Saint-Germain climbed to his feet and dusted himself off. He was wearing
clothes identical to Josh s. They fit. He nodded. And they look good on
you. You should wear black more often.
Thanks for the clothes . He stopped. I don't know how we re going to be
able to pay you back, though.
Francis laughed quickly. They weren t a loan, they were a gift. I don't want
them back.
Before Josh could thank him again, Saint-Germain hit the keyboard and Josh
jumped as a series of heavy piano chords thumped out from hidden speakers.
don't worry, the attic is soundproofed, Saint-Germain said. It ll not wake
Sophie.
Josh nodded at the screen. Do you write all your music on computer?
Just about. Saint-Germain looked around the room. Anyone can make music
now; you don't need much more than a computer, some software, patience and a
lot of imagination. If I need some real instruments for a final mix, I ll
hire musicians. But I can do most things here.
I downloaded some beat-detection software once, Josh admitted. But I could
never get it right.
What do you compose?
Well, I m not sure you d call it composing . I put together some ambient
mixes.
I d love to listen to anything you have.
It s all gone. I lost my computer, my cell phone and my iPod when Yggdrasill
was destroyed. Even saying it aloud made him feel sick. And the worst part
was that he really had no idea exactly what he d lost. I lost my summer
project and all my music, and that was about ninety gigs. I had some great
bootlegs. I ll never be able to replace them. He sighed. I also lost
hundreds of photos; all the places Mom and Dad took us. Our parents are
scientists they re archaeologists and paleontologists, he added, so we ve
seen some amazing places.
Lost everything! That s got to be tough, Saint-Germain sympathized. What
about backups?
The stricken look on Josh s face was all the answer the count needed.
Were you a Mac or a PC user?
Both, actually. Dad uses PCs at home, but most of the schools Sophie and I
have gone to use Macs. Sophie loves her Macs, but I prefer a PC, he said.
If anything goes wrong, I can usually pull it apart and fix it myself.
Saint-Germain walked to the end of the table and rummaged around underneath
it. He pulled out three laptops, different brands and screen sizes, and lined
them up on the floor. He gestured dramatically. Take one.
Josh blinked at him in surprise. Take one?
They re all PCs, Saint-Germain continued, and they re no use to me. I ve
completely switched over to Macs now.
Josh looked from Saint-Germain to the laptops and back to the musician again.
He d just met this man, didn't know him, and here he was offering Josh a
choice of three expensive laptops. He shook his head. Thanks, but I
couldn't.
Why not? Saint-Germain demanded.
And Josh had no answer for that.
You need a computer. I m offering you one of these. I would be pleased if
you took it. Saint-Germain smiled. I grew up in an age when gift giving was
an art. I have found that people in this century really do not know how to
accept a gift gracefully.
I don't know what to say.
How about thank you? Saint-Germain suggested.
Josh grinned. Yes. Well thank you, he said hesitantly. Thank you'very
much. Even as he was speaking, he knew which machine he wanted: the tiny
one-inch-thick laptop with an eleven-inch screen.
Saint-Germain dug around under the table and extracted three power cords that
he dropped onto the floor alongside the machines. I m not using them.
They ll probably never be used again. I ll end up reformatting the hard
drives and giving the machines to the local schools. Take whichever one you
like. You ll find a backpack under the table too. He paused, blue eyes
twinkling, and tapped the back of the machine Josh was looking at, then added
with a grin, I ve a spare long-life battery for this one. That was my
favorite.
Well, if you re really not using them
Saint-Germain ran a finger across the back of the small laptop, tracing a
line in the dust, holding it up so that Josh could see the black mark on his
fingertip. Trust me: I m not using them.
OK thanks. I mean, thank you. No one s ever given me a present like this
before, he said, picking up the small computer and turning it over in his
hands. I ll take this one if you re really sure .
I m sure. It s fully loaded; got wireless, too, and it ll autoconvert the
power for European and American current. Plus, it s got all my albums on it,
Saint-Germain said, so you can start your music collection again. You ll
also find an mpeg of the last concert. Check it out; it s really good.
I ll do that, Josh said, plugging in the laptop to charge the battery.
Let me know what you think. And you can be honest with me, Saint-Germain
added.
Really?
The count took a moment to consider, and then he shook his head. No, not
really. Only tell me if you think I m good. I don't like negative reviews,
though you d think that after nearly three hundred years, I d be used to
them.
Josh opened the laptop and turned it on. The machine whined and flickered to
life. Leaning forward, he gently blew dust off the keyboard. When the laptop
booted, the screen flickered and showed an image of Saint-Germain onstage,
surrounded by a dozen instruments. You have a picture of yourself for your
wallpaper? Josh asked incredulously.
It s one of my favorites, the musician said.
Josh nodded toward the screen and then looked around the room. Can you play
all these?
Every one. I started on the violin a long time ago, then moved on to
harpsichord and flute. But I ve kept up with the times, always learning new
instruments. In the eighteenth century, I was using the latest technology the
new violins, the latest keyboards and here I am, nearly three hundred years
later, still doing that. This is a great time to be a musician. And with
technology, I can finally play all the sounds I hear in my head. His fingers
brushed a keyboard and a full choir sang from the speakers.
Josh jumped. The voices were so clear that he actually looked over his
shoulder.
I load up the computer with sound samples, so I can use anything in my
work. Saint-Germain turned back to the screen and his fingers danced on the
keys. don't you think those fireworks yesterday morning made some great
sounds? Crackling. Snapping. Maybe it s time for another Fireworks Suite.
Josh walked around the room, looking at the framed gold records, the signed
posters and CD sleeves. I didn't know there was one already, he said.