esmeiolanthe

The prompt for this story was “Did you just hear what I just heard?,” submitted by rosefyre. This story fits into Chapter 1.2 of 100 Days of Awesome.

Rating: R, for implied woohoo (Hey, these are the official MPAA ratings rules I’m using!)

Dramatis Personae

Abhijeet McClellan, fireman and no relation to any other Abhijeet. (Roughly a third of my male townies are named “Abhijeet.” I think the name generator is broken.)

Anastasia Tsvirkunov, Romance Sim of the “notch on the bedpost” variety.

Setting

The sauna behind Anastasia’s house.

ABHIJEET-THE-FIREMAN: Did you hear that?

ANASTASIA: Hear what?

ABHIJEET-THE-FIREMAN: That tinkly music thing. (sings) “Rock-a-bye baby – ping!”

ANASTASIA: You’re nuts.

ABHIJEET-THE-FIREMAN: I am not! I totally heard it.

ANASTASIA: You must’ve heard the ice cream truck going past.

ABHIJEET-THE-FIREMAN: No, the ice cream truck plays “Turkey in the Straw.” This was definitely “Rock-a-bye Baby.” Like (sings) “Da da da da da DA – ping!”

ANASTASIA: If you’re having auditory hallucinations at a time like that, it should be a choir of freaking angels, not a damn ice cream truck. And if it was a real ice cream truck, you should still be paying attention to me, not it. Either way, you can damn well put on your clothes and go home.

Note

“Turkey in the Straw” is a popular bluegrass song in America. (At least insofar as any bluegrass song is popular.) Small children also know it as “Do Your Ears Hang Low?” However, I think it’s a fairly American phenomenon, so for any non-American readers, here’s a nice version without the kid’s lyrics.