Maja steps in her yellow rubber boots towards Colorful Square. She whistles: la-la-la. The melody is soft like cotton candy and jumps like a ball. Nevertheless, Maja stops.
– Something is missing – she says to herself. – I need a bim-bam!
From beside the hedge rolls Simi, the hedgehog. He wears a red ribbon around his neck, and in his paw, he holds two wooden spoons.
– Knock-knock! – smiles Simi, and clacks the wooden spoons together. – I gladly accompany you!
– How good! – laughs Maja. – Let's try!
Knock-knock-knock. La-la-la. The rhythm of their steps tip-taps under the rubber boots.
In front of the bakery stretches Cili the cat. A tiny bell shines on her neck.
– Ting-ling-ling! – purrs Cili, and walks over to them. – Can I come too?
– Come! – waves Maja. – We will be three: song, knocking, tinkling.
Next to the gutter waddles Borka the frog. He drums on a small bucket worn on his head with two sticks.
– Boom-boom-boom! – trumpets Borka, and jumps so high that the water drops laugh.
– This is very good! – exclaims Maja. – The song is almost ready!
On top of a grass clump teeters Tobias the cricket. He puts two blades of grass in front of his mouth and plays it: twee-twee-twee!
– Listen! – he shouts. – I can grass-whistle!
– Great! – claps Maja. – This way it is even more danceable!
The little procession starts. Maja counts:
– One-two-three!
La-la-la! Knock-knock! Ting-ling-ling! Boom-boom-boom! Twee-twee-twee!
The street smells of fresh croissants and flowers. The sun sends a warm caress. People wave from the windows; dogs wag their tails. A stroller also bounces to the rhythm: tip-tip.
Maja suddenly stops, squints her eyes.
– Still need the bim-bam – she sighs. – A round sound that really rocks.
– My bell tinkles – says Cili –, but that is more of a 'ting' than a 'bim-bam'.
– My bucket bangs – nods Borka –, that is more of a 'boom'.
– The grass whistles – chirps Tobias –, that's a 'twee-twee'.
– Hm – grumbles Simi, and knocks on a lamppost. – Bong? – he asks.
– Still not it – laughs Maja. – Maybe we find it in the square.
Colorful Square is spacious and colorful. Colorful scarves hang on the benches, and kites flutter between the trees. Up on a tower, a big clock sits like a round cheese.
– When does the clock sound? – asks Maja.
– Almost noon! – shouts the baker uncle from his booth. – Get ready!
Maja stands up on the bench. Simi steps next to her. Cili winks with her tail, Borka adjusts the bucket, Tobias strokes the blades of grass.
– One-two-three! – counts Maja softly.
La-la-la!
– Knock-knock!
– Ting-ling-ling!
– Boom-boom-boom!
– Twee-twee-twee!
People gather around them. They clap softly: clap-clap. Maja sings:
– Wind runs, shoe knocks, heart laughs and sings. Wooden spoon drums, bell tinkles, frog boom-boom, cricket with twee-twee.
Then the tower clock takes a deep breath and chimes:
BIM–BAM! BIM–BAM! BIM–BAM!
Maja's eyes light up.
– That's it! – she shouts. – We have the bim-bam!
The BIM–BAM joins the song. The knocking clicks into place, the tinkling smiles, the boom-boom rocks, the twee-twee tickles. The square breathes with the rhythm. The dog beats 'woof-woof' as if it were a small drum.
When the clock falls silent, the magic still lasts. The audience claps: clap-clap-clap!
– What music-making! – says the baker uncle. – What do you call yourselves?
Maja looks at Simi, Cili, Borka and Tobias. They all smile.
– Colorful Band – answers Maja. – Because every sound is colorful and has a place in it.
– Do we play tomorrow too? – asks Simi.
– We play! – laughs Maja. – As long as there is knocking, tinkling, boom and twee-twee, the bim-bam finds its way home too.
The Colorful Band heads home. The rubber boots tip-tap, the wooden spoon knock-knocks, the bell tinkles, the bucket bangs, the grass whistles. The song doesn't miss a thing anymore: it is full of friends and sounds.
The end
