Longer Joys …

Lucy is angry, Linus, too. Charlie and Sally are singing on the balcony of their apartment or maybe the fire escape ladder platform of their storey. And Schroeder is playing Beethoven on the piano. Sounds like 'Ode to joy', the fourth movement of old Ludwig's Ninth Symphony.

'New neighbours?'

I have the llama on speakers of my mobile phone.

'I don't know', I say. 'Maybe they've been living here all the time but we never noticed.'

'Together alone together', the llama says. 'United in distance. I wish I could play an instrument to join them.'

'Really?'

'I wish I could sing to join the Everything will be alright choir.'

'Really? Really?'

'No, dude! Not really', the llama is shouting. 'I can hear that Lucy and Linus are fighting from down here. Charlie's and Sally's singing sounds like somebody kicked a cat. And Schroeder's piano so out of tune that I am getting all disgruntled. Ode to Joy? Pfffffff. Wish they made it an Ode to Koi - a song for carps, under water, with no sounds and words at all.'

'OK, calm down, animal', I say. 'Have a cookie!'

And I throw some double chocolate cookies down the elevator shaft.

'Isolation sucks!'

Nodding and chewing is all I can answer to that.

Today is Saturday, the 11th of April 2020.