But before I’d taken more than a few steps, an eerie sound stopped me in my tracks. A spooky stream of notes, wheezy and piercing, was coming from the house. “What’s that?” I said in a hoarse whisper. Without missing a beat, Mom answered matter-of-factly, “Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, unless I miss my guess.” Dad sang along. “Duddle-la . . . deedle deedle deet deeeeee. Remember, Lars, when we saw 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? That’s the pipe organ piece Captain Nemo played on board his submarine.” “Oh yeah,” I gulped. “Captain Nemo on the Nautilus.” “It’s only Cass playing her pump organ,” Mom said. “Go in and introduce yourself, Lars. You’re the one she’s most anxious to see. Besides, I have a surprise for her I have to dig out.” Suddenly I wasn’t too keen about walking into that creepy old place by myself. Swallowing hard, I marched to the door and tried the handle. It didn’t budge.
-The Riddle of Penncroft Farm © 1989 by Dorothea Jensen
Once I envisioned Aunt Cass working the foot pedals of an old-fashioned organ, it occurred to me that this was a bit like an exercise machine. That made me think of the Nautilus, very popular. This in turn made me think of the Nautilus in the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea movie I saw as a child.
Here's a link to a video of me reading this part of the story. (I posted a number of excerpts of The Riddle of Penncroft Farm videos on PBS and other websites during the 2020 shutdown.) Enjoy!
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