Hats, Hair, and the Sound of Dublin

Dublin on a Tuesday smelled like rain and chip shops, and Moonie loved it.

She marched up Grafton Street with her baton tucked under her arm, her white bun pinned tight under her band hat, her platform shoes clicking against the wet cobblestones like a snare drum on a slow beat.

"You're going to poke someone's eye out with that thing," said Claire, falling into step beside her.

"That's what it's for," Moonie said cheerfully.

Claire rolled her eyes but grinned. She played clarinet, same as Melody, Lyric, and Harmony, and together they called themselves the Clarinets, which Moonie thought was deeply unoriginal but also kind of perfect.

Behind them, the percussion lads — Ronen, Rifen, Arlo, Elio, and Billie — were arguing about something. Loud, as always.

"It's not a big deal!" Billie shouted.

"It absolutely IS," Ronen shouted back.

Moonie glanced over her shoulder, curious but not yet concerned.

The Announcement on the Notice Board

They made it to the band hall just as the rain started properly — the kind that came sideways and meant business.

Miss Lu was already there, standing at the front with her clipboard and a look Moonie recognized. It was the look that meant something had been decided.

"Right," Miss Lu said, clapping once. "I rang Jolene and Harper this morning. They're coming Friday. Everyone's getting a trim before the parade."

The clarinet players — Claire, Melody, Lyric, and Harmony — barely blinked. Lyric shrugged. Melody checked her phone.

Then Ronen dropped his drumstick.

It hit the floor with a sharp crack. Rifen grabbed the edge of a chair. Arlo went completely still. Elio made a sound like a deflating balloon, and Billie — loud, confident Billie — turned the color of notebook paper.

"Friday?" Ronen said, in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Friday," Miss Lu confirmed, already writing something on the board.

The whole brass section — trumpets, tubas, flutes, saxophones — glanced at each other. Something was very wrong with the percussion kids. Nobody could tell what.