https://Voice.club - “Let’s start with the Mozart,” Natalie says as she tucks her violin under her chin and signals the others with her bow.
Strains of music roll across the meadow and rise to the sky. Antonia’s viola and Natalie’s violin play on each other’s harmonies while the notes of Fredric’s cello weave a thread between them, and Julio’s piano provides grounding.
Four friends from four different backgrounds made music together for years; today may be their last session. Julio just received word that his parents have been detained in Nicaragua and, although facing arrest himself, decides he must return home.
“My sister Isabella and her husband Mateo say they can get me over the border if I make it to Tortuga Park in Costa Rica.” He hurriedly throws clothes and passport into his backpack.
“We’ll join you,” Natalie insists. "We’ve been together too long and gone through too much to separate now.
Antonia agrees, reminding Julio of the many nights they had hidden him from border patrol. “If we made it safely through Santa Fe, we will not desert you now.”
The next day, Antonia brings home four tickets to Costa Rica. “We leave tomorrow for Tortuga. When our group leaves for the night tour to see the sea turtle nests, Isabella and Mateo will meet us and slip us into Nicaragua. Pack lightly. I’ll take our quilt.”
The past year has been spent creating a quilt which symbolizes their friendship. Its border incorporates musical symbols surrounding a river of undulating blues. An island in the center of the blue holds a violin, a viola, and a cello being played by Natalie, Antonia, and Fredric. The exact center has not yet been quilted, but it is reserved for Julio and his piano.
It is darkest night on Costa Rica’s shore. Isabella and Mateo do not come. Fearful of capture, the four friends must hide from patrols. Protected under the love of the quilt, they lie down on the beach to sleep.
When morning comes, all four friends are no longer to be seen on the beach, but are instead joined together on the quilt, making music, never to be parted.