Image by www_slon_pics from Pixabay
“So, I was listening to the chord song y'all were making out there, and I realized why birds build nests way up and stuff, because the trees have roots to go deep and the top has got to go way up on those, so then I thought I would take my Legos and build a nest for humans who sing like birds.”
Six-year-old Grayson Ludlow was the quietest of the Ludlow grandchildren. Although he loved to sing as much as his siblings did, he often said, “I like to sing with my hands.” He spent a lot of his free time in the Lego pile, with modeling clay, making papier-mache things with his sisters, and on the clay wheel with his neighbor 11-year-old Velma Trent.
“When he does talk,” Capt. R.E. Ludlow his grandfather said, “I wonder if I am hearing what Nikola Tesla, at that age, was talking about.”
So, when Grayson made this particular comment about what he was building, Capt. Ludlow stopped what he was doing and paid attention.
“So,” he said, “what color is an F major chord in six octaves, Grayson?”
“All these colors,” Grayson said, because he had used practically all the Legos he had, “but you see, the bottom is mostly blue and some green – F major is mostly real blue, with a little green, like the sea, and if you have some sky there too on a windy day, you need some white, so I put all that there so the nest wouldn't fall over.”
“I don't think that is going to fall over at all,” Capt. Ludlow said.
“Of course not, Papa, just like no chord you put bass on would,” Grayson said. “I mean, how? I didn't know what the note was, but whatever you were singing, it was the noty-est note and of course it told the name of the chord.”
“You know,” Capt. Ludlow said, “you are right – whole classes are taught on harmony about this.”
“They could save time and money on classes if they all had Legos,” Grayson said as he put another ring on the huge volcano-like nest that was nearly as tall as he was.
“Not everyone can sing with their hands, Grayson, just like everyone cannot sing with their voice,” Capt. Ludlow said. “God gifts people in different ways.”
Grayson stopped and thought about that.
“Those of us God lets do both really need to teach,” he said, “because we don't want anyone to miss out. That reminds me – hey, Robert!”
“Hey!” said five-year-old Lil' Robert as he ran in.
“Sing into it,” Grayson said, “and tell me how it sounds on your low note.”
Lil' Robert provided his shockingly low F for his age, and smiled.
“It sounds good and strong!” he said.
“We had to have him test it first before having you test it so I could fix anything, Papa,” Grayson said, and then took his little magnifying glass and started looking inside his structure.
Capt. Ludlow adjusted his glasses and realized: Grayson had built an interior with far more hard surface area than one would think it should have … the child was tapping into fractal geometry ideas in addition to regular geometry, naturally.
“Okay, Papa, I think it's ready for your F,” Grayson said, as he and Lil' Robert stepped back.
Capt. Ludlow softly purred his contrabass F … and slowly got louder as he noticed …
“This thing has reverb!” he said upon straightening up.
“Yeah, that echo thing!” Lil' Robert said.
“You've basically built a little amphitheatre here!” Capt. Ludlow said.
“What is that?” Grayson said.
Mrs. Ludlow came by and saw Capt. Ludlow sitting with his two youngest grandsons on his lap, explaining about acoustics and amphitheatres as they just took it all in. It was not long because they then wanted to go take their Legos down and build some more, but –.
“These tiny relationships being built between themselves and you, small though they seem, are huge,” Mrs. Ludlow said.
Capt. Ludlow stood quietly, and did not hide the tear that came from his eyes.
“What my father did not know to give me, and what I did not know to give their parents, they will never know the lack of, and in them not knowing the lack, I too heal.”
Lil' Robert, heedless as always to quiet adult moments of reflection, ran in.
“So, look, Grayson and I have figured this all out – the reason Virginia doesn't have a big-time football team is because we need a stadium, and so, we're gonna build one, but we need more Legos, and then we need a name for the team, and then –.”
“One thing at a time,” Capt. Ludlow purred. “Let's start looking at new Lego sets this afternoon with the rest of your siblings. It's in the budget for this month.”
“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!” Lil' Robert said as he ran out. “Hey Grayson, Amanda, Edwina, George, Andrew, and Eleanor, we're getting new Lego sets and we need to pick – HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!”
“Well,” Mrs. Ludlow said, “so much for the public service announcement to the local region.”
“His voice is going to be bigger and deeper than mine, the way he is going,” Capt. Ludlow said, “but you see, no room was made for mine at his age. We are going to make all the room that he and the rest need, so help us God!”