Muse-ic.

Andy had come here to clear his mind while he was searching for a solution to the problems at home. He struggled to get the tune that kept running through his head right as he whistled and walked through the foliage on this tiny deserted world. At least he assumed it was deserted. The sensors had picked up some large carnivores, but the tiny dragon that trotted by his side would be more than a match for them. Each time he got to a certain place in the tune things would fall apart, and he would be forced to try again. He stopped to survey his surroundings. He was here for a rest. Out there he was a leader and faced hard decisions daily. Here he could take whatever time he needed to pursue his passions and breathe for a few days. It would be a welcome reprieve and might even allow his mind to come up with the solution to the affairs of state back home. So far his efforts had been futile.

As he moved deeper into the lush, forest with vibrant neon yellow leaves, and closer to the babbling brook that he’d heard when he left the tiny shuttle, he heard music unlike any he’d heard before. What surprised him more was that it was polyphonic. As he drew closer, he could tell that it was all from the same source, but the sounds didn’t resemble anything he’d heard before, natural or otherwise. Then he heard bell like giggling. He cautiously moved forward.

“You’re making it too hard,” the lithe, blonde woman with a silky gown and bright blue eyes said. The instrument she held was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. There were strings and tubes and slides, and a large heart shaped sounding board that flexed slightly each time she took a breath. “Let me show you.”

Andy watched in wonder as she took his tune and with the instrument added harmonies and counter-melodies he’d never imagined before. He watched in awe as her golden hair changed colors from gold to red and then to deep blues and purples, with each new phrase of the music. Then he noticed the effect her music was having on the tiny dragon at his side, and he could sense the influence of the music in the parts of his mind that allowed him to control the dragons, as well as the lighteningcats. “Your music is intense.”

“It’s your tune. I’m just enhancing it,” she whispered as she continued to play.

Somehow Andy knew better. This was a tune he’d only barely come up with as a means of soothing the lighteningcats. He felt his control slipping as she continued to play. “What is it you want?” Shaking his head as he recalled a story from his youth that his father had told him about a siren’s song that lead sailors to their deaths.

She shook her head without stopping. “I just want to help.”

Andy again suspected she was hiding something, but he was still struggling to clear his head. Finally his dragon nudged him and from broke her spell. He turned to leave.

“You don’t have to go,” her bell-like voice sounded as the music faded away. “I was just trying to help.”

If it hadn’t been for his dragon, he would still be in a fog, listening to her music. He continued walking.

  “You create music, but you have no idea of it’s power and don’t understand what you’re doing when you do use it.”

“I never claimed to be a musician. I’m exploring ways to help my people,” Andy said.

“Then why did you come here?”

“I needed a break from my duties at home,” Andy said as he finally stopped and turned to face her again. “It’s too easy to be interrupted there.”

“Here we won’t be interrupted, if you’d like to learn more,” she said

Andy considered her words carefully. The difference between a muse and a siren was the fine line of motivation, and he knew that he was dealing with one or the other. His position at home had made him a unpopular among groups both on and off of his home-world. If she was a muse, he would be fine, if not... He put that thought from his mind. He would learn what he needed to one way or the other.

“We will not be bothered here,” she said again.

Andy looked around and then back at the woman. “Tell me your name,” he said, stalling as he continued to struggle with his dilemma. He wouldn’t know if the name was the name of a muse or a siren, but either way, he would know what to call her. The tune he’d been working on began to play in his mind again as she spoke.

“Kia Wu Manica”

He looked at his feet where his pet dragon had finally curled up. Andy took a deep breath. “Show me more.”

Kia moved around a bend in the trail Andy had followed and stepped aside revealing a cascade of multi colored water that was falling from a cliff far above. Kia struck a note on her instrument, and the colors collected to create brilliant images that extended well beyond what most humans could see. As Andy watched the sounds resonated and the images changed and flowed.

“This is amazing,” he mused as Kia began playing and enhancing his tune in ways he could not imagine.

The patterns forming in the cascade were more familiar than he would like to admit, as he watched the cascade and allowed it to mesmerize him. He shook his head. Muse or no, he needed to keep his wits about him.

“I brought you here so you can learn,” Kia said, putting a hand on his arm. "You don't have to be afraid."

Andy nodded. There was indeed much to learn here.

It was almost a month later when Andy finally returned to the shuttle to leave. His people had sent several messages inquiring of his well being, but he knew that their displeasure at the length of his stay would dissipate when he showed them the new skills he’d learned. He would return with a solution to the problems his people faced, and memories and music that he would cherish for a lifetime.