Amanda on the Danube: The Sounds of Music Read Free Page B

Klaus.”
    Amanda shook his hand. “I’m Amanda and this is Leah.” She nodded toward her friend.
    â€œWhere are you girls from?”
    â€œI’m from Canada.”
    â€œAnd I am from England.” Leah shook his hand. “Lovely to meet you, Mr. er…Klaus. Where are you from?”
    â€œOur home is in Munich, but my wife and I travel all over the world.”
    A woman with curly grey hair walked toward them, shaking her head. “Now, Klaus, I hope you aren’t teasing these young women. They are far too smart to believe that you are Santa Claus. I’m Enid Schmidt, the wife of Klaus here. I am not Mrs. Klaus.”
    Everyone laughed.

    Once in their room later that night, Amanda remarked, “For a minute I thought perhaps that man was the real Santa Claus.”
    Leah looked up from texting and rolled her eyes. “Please, don’t tell me you believe in all that.”
    Amanda shrugged. “You never know. Saint Nicholas was a real person. He could have been related or something.”
    Leah continued texting. She didn’t seem to want to talk.
    Amanda pulled out her notebook and jotted down a few new things she had experienced.
    Later, after Leah fell asleep, Amanda got out of bed and crept to the dresser. She quietly opened the bottom drawer, reached under her clothes and pulled out the violin case. She unlatched it and carefully opened it. Inside, nestled in red satin, lay a reddish-brown violin, gleaming like a freshly polished apple.
    Amanda drew in a breath. She slowly lowered the lid, protecting the violin from light as if it was a vampire in its coffin.
    She sensed this was a very special instrument she harboured.

5
    T he next morning, Amanda jumped out of bed and pulled open the curtains. The boat stood still. Outside the window, she noticed a green slope leading up to an old stone wall with a large sign that read:
    Regensburg
    â€œLeah! Wake up!” Amanda shook her friend. “We’re in another town and it looks way cool.”
    â€œMmmm.” Leah snuggled deeper under the covers. “I want to sleep some more.”
    â€œYou wouldn’t be so tired if you hadn’t been texting late into the night. Who were you texting anyway?”
    â€œUm, nobody.” Leah sat up and stretched. She swung her long legs over the side of the bed. “I am sort of hungry. We should see what they have for breakfast in this floating hotel.”
    Michael beamed when he saw the girls enter the dining room. “Did you sleep well?”
    â€œYes, thank you,” said Amanda.
    Leah smiled and nodded. They filled their plates from the buffet and found both sets of parents at their designated table.
    â€œI see you finally decided to get out of bed and join us,” said Amanda’s dad. “There’s a walking tour of Regensburg in an hour. Will you both be joining us?”
    â€œOf course,” said Amanda with a mouth full of blueberry pancakes. “I can’t wait to see this place.”
    Leah looked up from the cell phone on her lap and mumbled, “Sure. All right.”
    Mr. Anderson frowned. “Leah, put that phone away while we are eating. I’ve told you before, it is rude to text while sharing a meal.”
    â€œIt’s just breakfast.”
    â€œLeah, we agreed you could have the phone only if you used it responsibly and politely. Now please, put it away.”
    Leah scowled, hit a button and surrendered the phone to her jacket pocket.
    Later, walking into town, Amanda asked, “Who is so important that you need to text constantly?”
    â€œJust a friend.” Leah looked down as if watching her footing on the uneven cobblestones.
    Karin, a local young woman, guided the tour. She shared funny stories and interesting facts about thetown. She explained the town was very old, dating back to 170 AD and pointed out an original Roman wall.
    Amanda reached out and felt the stones. She thought about how many