The Hat That Hums

Zola plays the guitar on a street corner in town. She plays there every afternoon. People walk by quickly. Most do not look at her. Her old cap lies open on the ground. Today it holds only two coins.

At four o'clock, an old woman stops. She wears a long coat and a soft grey hat. She listens to one song. Then she smiles.

"You play well," she says.

"But your cap is very small. Take my hat. It is better."

"I cannot take your hat," Zola says.

"It is not mine," the old woman says.

"It only visits me. Now it wants a new home."

She puts the grey hat on the ground. Then she walks away into the crowd. Zola looks at the hat. It is soft and warm. It has a little silver button. She puts her cap away. She sets the hat out. A man puts a coin in it right away.

That night, Zola sits on her bed and plays quietly. Then she hears a sound. It is a soft, low hum. It comes from the hat on the chair. "Hello?" Zola says.

The hum stops. After a moment, it starts again. It is a slow tune with four notes. Zola listens. Then she plays the same notes on her guitar. The hat hums louder, as if it is happy.

The next day, Zola puts the hat out again. She plays her usual songs. At two o'clock, the hat begins to hum. It is the four-note tune again. Zola looks up. A small boy sits on the step across the street. He holds a red toy car. His face is wet with tears.

She stops her song. She plays the four notes, slowly, one after another. The boy raises his head. She plays them again. He stands up and walks across the road. He stops in front of her.

"I like that song," he says.

"My mother sings it."

"Where is your mother?" Zola asks.

"At the shop. I waited, and she was slow. I was sad."

"She is not slow," Zola says.

"She is just in a long line. Sit with me."

The boy sits next to her. Zola plays the tune once more. Soon the boy's mother comes out of the shop. She sees her son and runs to him. She says thank you three times.

After that day, the hat hums at other times. Once, it hums a fast, funny tune. A man in a grey suit walks past. His steps are big, and his face is tight. Zola plays the funny tune. The man stops. He looks at her, then at the hat. He starts to laugh. He puts a coin in the hat. He walks away, much slower.

Another time, the hat hums a long, sleepy song. A girl sits alone on a bench with a book. She does not read it. Zola plays the sleepy tune from far away. The girl closes her book and listens. Soon she lies back and sleeps in the sun.

The hat never hums for money. It only hums for people who need a song. Zola learns to listen. She plays what the hat asks. The street corner grows warm.

One evening, the hat is quiet. Zola waits an hour. Nothing comes. She feels tired, and her fingers hurt. She puts the guitar on her knee. She plays without thinking. It is a song about one long day.

The hat does not hum. Its silver button shines in the last light. Across the street, the little boy stands with his mother. He waves and runs to her. "What is the name of that song?" he asks.

"I do not know yet," Zola says.

"Ask the hat."