Dave Casler
PO Box 98
Ridgway, Colorado 81432
Young Adult Novels by Dave Casler...
I've been told by publisher after publisher that there's no market for Young Adult novels. I think they're wrong! So I'm putting my novels on-line for you. Forget the publisher! Read to your heart's content--it's free! And, I'd like to hear from you, too! Contact Page.
You're reading About Dan. Be sure to check out About Phillip here.
Dan is a normal kid who loves his soccer. Except everything goes wrong. Everything.
About Series Home
About the About Series
Index to All Chapters
Here are all the chapters, disguised as asterisks. Hover your mouse over an asterisk to see the title of the chapter. Click on the asterisk to go straight to that chapter.
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(About Dan Home) (Last) (Next)
Words to Sing
"I haven't written a new tune. Was thinking maybe something using the same tune, but with new words."
"That's fine. Do you have the words?"
"No. Can you help me?"
Mike was silent for a moment. He leaned back on the stool until his back and head touched the wall. "Well," he began, "I'm sure we can come up with something. You know that's not a new problem, Dan. Do you want to just use something already written?"
"No, I want something that comes from me."
"Ok, what kinds of things do you want in the song?"
Dan turned to face Mike and sat on the windowsill, his hands beneath him. I’m talking about my mother to my dad’s gay lover, he thought. This is really weird. "I want to say I love her. I want to tell her I'm lonely. I miss her. I want to tell her I'm sorry I didn't show her more respect. But I also want her to know I'm getting along ok now and I'll try to make her proud. You know, something like that."
Mike smiled. He shook his head slowly back and forth. "Dan, that's universal. I'm sure you can come up with something. Think of something and just say it. Here, let me play along." He crossed the room, picked up the Martin and went back to his perch atop the stool. Its lovely resonance filled the room with a rich harmony that penetrated Dan’s senses and set him at ease.
Mike continued. "Dan, I think you were playing in G when I saw you last. That’s a little low for your voice. Let's try C and see what happens." Mike did an effortless transition from G to C to get Dan used to the new key. He strummed and picked through chords in C while Dan thought out loud.
You went away so quickly, I couldn't say goodbye
Here one minute, gone the next, and then you seemed to fly
I tried to hold you back but you slipped from my grasp
I looked all 'round to find you, but the Lord did take you back
Oh you are gone and I miss you; I wish I had you back
But time only goes on forward, and we cannot have it back
I hope this message reaches upward, to where you fly with wings
To tell you that I love you, that I wish I had you back.
"Good, Dan, good!" whispered Mike. "Keep going. This is good. We'll work out the details."
"Doesn’t rhyme," worried Dan
"Doesn’t have to," reassured Mike.
Dan stared out the window again. The wind was blowing; leaves swirled across the brick pavement. People wore jackets now; the orange sun was shining its last.
Our last words together were harsh and hurt us both
I ran with anger to the night, not thinking it would be our last
Oh please come and hear me say, I take it all back
Forgive my ingratitude, please let me sing—I’m sad
"And then the chorus," said Mike. "You're on a roll. Keep going. This is a great start." Mike picked out a solo. Dan looked out the window again, this time at the red, cloudless sky glowing in the west and darkening to the east. The dim light filtering through the window was affecting his mood, especially since Mike had no lights on in the room. Dan turned in the half darkness to face Mike. He looked in his heart again.
And so I'm on my own now, without your guiding hand
I guess I'll do ok, but I really am too young
You left me more than I thought you could, I'll sing this now to you
Look down from your perch above, I'll make you proud of me
"Well, it's not much," said Dan at last. "Do you think it’ll work?"
Mike stopped strumming. To Dan's relief, Mike reached over to switch on the room lights. He put down the guitar and went to his desk, pulled out a few sheets of paper and handed these to Dan along with a pen.
"Quickly, before you forget, write down what you just said."
Dan did so while Mike watched. Mike had to prompt him a few times for forgotten words. Finally, it was on paper.
"Well, I have some repeated words here and there, and the rhyming is nonexistent in most places, but I think I like it. We'll have to stretch some of the words out to make them fill," said Dan. "Can we try singing it?"
"Sure," said Mike. "Do you want to do the guitar?"
"Maybe next time. You do it first."
Mike began playing, still in C. Dan began to sing using his old tune. He had to start over a couple times, modifying the tune as he went to fit the words and the mood.
"Dan, sorry, it's too high for you. Let me try in G and capo up three frets. That would put it in B-flat. That's down a full step from what you just sang."
They tried again in the new key. "Nope," said Mike, "we need to go down another half step." He capoed back one fret to A. "There, that's better," he said after another try.
Dan tried the lyrics again, this time making it all the way through. The key of A was just right for his voice, he thought. Why hadn't he tried a capo before?
"Ok, let me see those lyrics," said Mike. Dan handed him the sheet. "Let's begin with three chords. Here, start playing in G. Here in D, here in C, back to G. No, I don't like that. This is a solemn song. Can you do E-minor and A-minor?"
"Yes, no problem with those," replied Dan.
"Ok, here, put E-minor here and here and here, and A-minor here and here. Can you do B-minor?"
"Ugh! That's a barre chord, isn't it?"
"Yeah, ok, forget B-minor. Try it now, using essentially the same tune."
Dan tried. It took several tries to get through the first verse. He was surprised how effective the E-minor and A-minor chords were at making the song more interesting, especially when it came to the chorus. It took him a while to get used to fretting them with the capo in place, since his fingers were now closer together.
"Your guitar sure sounds better than mine! I'll get new strings. Will that help?"
"It’ll help. But every guitar sounds different," replied Mike. "Here, give my guitar a try."