artist and pupil begin their life together / artist demonstrating how he makes his paintings / boy sitting at the table one evening after making and eating the evening meal / making a flute out of an old reed pen / the artist had given him / blocked one end with a cylindrical piece of cork off which he’d cut a slice lengthways / this made the windway / then he cut a nick at the point where cork ended inside the reed / in line with the windway / measuring with his gentle little fingers he spaces the seven holes drilled with the point of his enormous knife / covering the holes he puts the pen to his mouth and blows / sound frayed and mellow / removing the finger one by one / sound higher / still frayed / mellow / increasingly more penetrating / insistent / the artist sketching this / wondered if he could play / boy’s smile rises / breaks sad / sinks eyes downcast / of course! / can’t hear the flute / thoughtful child motions to the artist to pass him one of the drawings / taking shard of charcoal writes / my brother plays / they think his music beautiful / that I see / he sees nothing / so picturesque! / blind flute boy / old man imagines / pupil following his thoughts correcting details / guessing game / older? / no-headshake / younger? / no-headshake / puzzled / twins? / yes-smile / might have guessed / yes-smile / where? / more the merrier / Angelino draws a goat / Fishface drools / a goat-boy! / write / ask him to visit / they get out a clean sheet of paper / boy takes flute / end still pen-shaped / dips in ink / handwriting of a child / unpracticed / free of the elegant deformity of fluency and carelessness I seek / letter invites brother / come visit me in the city / my master has requested you come and play for him