That evening, as soon as we finish dinner, Mom rushes to turn on the stereo.
“It’s time for Raoul’s show.” She turns up the volume and we hear the intro music to “Around the World with Raoul.”
“Good evening.” His voice is smooth and mellow. “Tonight we’ll be travelling along the Silk Road via the music of the group Turku. Imagine yourself on a flying carpet, floating from China to the Mediterranean Sea, making stops along the Caspian shore, the plains of Mongolia and the Persian plateau. We’ll be following the ancient trade route used to convey silks and spices. ”
Next, he introduces the different instruments that we will be hearing—an oud and a saz (which are kind of like lutes), zils (also known as finger cymbals), and the violin. He explains that the first song is a traditional spoon dance celebrating the grape harvest in Anatolia.
I wonder if there is a Japanese song for the indigo harvest. I wonder if my little seed would like this music. I hurry to my room to get my pot. Maybe the vibrations will cause it to sprout. I put it in front of a speaker.
“How’s it doing?” Mom asks. Although she doesn’t know of my farm girl ambitions, she knows about my plant. She even helped me find the seeds.
“Still waiting,” I say.
She sticks her finger in the dirt and loosens it up a bit. Maybe that’ll help.
We set the table to the next song, a melody that gallops like hoofbeats. Raoul explains that it’s a traditional Kurdish song from the city of Kermanshah in Iran. Note to self: check out a map later.
First thing in the morning, I take a look at my pot. Could it be? I close my eyes, then open them again. Sure enough, there is a tender green sprout peeking out of the dirt. It must love that Turkish music. Finally, I’ve found the secret! I’m on the verge of success!
I spritz the soil with water and rotate the planter again. It’s sunny already—a great day for growing indigo.
I’ve learned a lot about indigo over the months of this experiment. For example, in some parts of India, people used to drink juice made from the leaves of the indigo plant to treat rabies. Also, some people think that indigo is good medicine for epilepsy, bronchitis, premature greying, and depression. Who knows? Maybe it could even help my leg.
I don’t know that I’d want to drink the stuff, but if my plan succeeds, I’m going to harvest the leaves and dye a handkerchief or something. And then I’ll give it to my father.