We may believe that music always have existed, but that is not the case. Long ago, there was no music. There was sound of course, and noise, but no music. The people who lived then did not sing, did not play instruments, did not hum while they worked the soil, did not listen with awe to the wind blowing gently through the grass. And since there was no music, there was no dance, only the slow methodical body movements used for practical work.

One day however, a girl was born, who brought music to the world. It did not happen immediately, for when she was born she was completely silent, not screaming as other babies. Her parents first thought she was dead, but realized with joy that she was breathing and moving. The girl grew as other children, but remained silent for a long time, leading her parents to believe she would never utter a sound.

But when she had grown a few years older, past the point that other children had begun to talk, she suddenly opened her mouth one day. And instead of speaking words, she sang. And thus her parents were the first humans in the world to hear song.

There are those who say that this girl was special, in that she had magic powers in her blood. Other stories claim that she was possessed by a divine spirit or by the spirit of the Earth. But I like to think that there was really nothing special about her: she was merely listening before speaking, and when she finally decided to speak, she did not want to just speak. And so she sang instead. Anyone could have done it, but no-one did until she decided to. And so she became the bringer of music to the world.

Her parents were at first delighted at hearing her song, but soon they became worried. What would other people say? There was no denying their daughter’s song was beautiful, but it was an unknown beauty. And then, just as now, humans fear what is unknown to them. And what humans fear, they destroy.

Thus, her parents hid her and warned her never to sing so that others could hear. And for several years, she did as she was told. But within her, the power of music grew until it could not be contained. Finally, the girl decided to sneak away into the forest. And there she would open her mouth and sing, and she would play on the twigs of bushes and trees to accompany her song, and the creatures of the forest would listen with awe. And they would not judge her.

So it went on for a time. But in time, wanderers in the forest started to hear the strange and beautiful sound, and stop in amazement to listen. And word spread about the sounds of the forest. People would travel there and listen, and start humming along, and start moving to the rythm of the music.

In the end, word of this spread even to the Elders, who ruled the lands of men. They grew worried. Not only was this new and strange, but people did not seem to fear it. Instead, they sought it out. And in doing so, they stopped their usual work. Certainly, this loss of workforce was only marginal and temporary so far, but who knew where it could lead if the sounds of the forest were allowed to spread? The Elders had to act, but how? Different ideas were articulated, but none seemed effective enough, until the Senior Elder proposed that they should release the Silent Watchers.

All of the Elders were fearful of the Silent Watchers, as they were terrible to behold and driven by their intense hunger to devour all sound in the world. Would this not deprive men of the ability to speak at all? But the Senior Elder spoke:

- The Watchers are indeed terrible, and they will without doubt cause terrible damage. Perhaps we will be deprived of all sound, even our voices. But the sound of the forest is still a solitary phenomenon. If we stop it now, before it spreads, we will save the stability of our society from all future threats of this kind. And is not the possible loss of our voices a bearable price to pay for safety?

The Elders were convinced by his words, and decided in favor of his proposal. The Senior Elder presented an ancient key, and walked into the deepest chambers of the House of the Elders, opening the most ancient door in that ancient house.

And the Silent Watchers came.

After being locked away for untold millennia, the Watchers were ravenous with hunger and feasted on the tiniest noise they could find. As the land of humankind fell silent, the Watchers directed their gaze toward the forest.

When the Silent Watchers came, the girl fled for her life. Music filled her entire body, and if the Watchers caught her, they would suck her dry. So she ran, long and far, with the Watchers ever in pursuit, relentlessly sucking the noise from the world as they followed her.

The girl did not have the strength to run from the Watchers forever. Finally, she fell to the ground, exhausted. In desperation, she cried for help. She cried to the Heavens first, for humans have always thought the Heavens will protect them. But the Heavens did not answer. Perhaps they had already been sucked silent by the Watchers, or perhaps they never really did care.

Secondly, the girl asked for refuge with the Ocean, the source of all life. But the Ocean, vast and terrible, did not answer either. Finally, choking on her tears, the girls asked the Mountain for help. And the Mountain answered:

- Go away, human! Stop pestering me with your pleas.
- Please, my dear Mountain, the girl said, please save me from the Watchers, for if they catch me they will kill me!
- What do I care for a human life? grumbled the Mountain. I have stood here for aeons, ever since the first humans walked the Earth. I have seen countless generations of your kind fade into oblivion. Why would I care one whit for yet another?
- Please, dear Mountain. Will you save me if I sing you a song?
- A song? I am old, and tired, and incredibly bored. But maybe, just maybe, this song of yours will amuse me for a moment. I tell you this: if you sing this song, and if you manage to move my emotions with it, then I promise to do what I can for you.

So the girl drew breath, and she sang. She sang with all the power of her heart of her mounting grief as the world around her fell silent. And all who could hear her song wept. The animals of the forest wept silent tears, and the trees and flowers joined them. The earth itself heaved with sobs, and the Ocean rolled and splashed about, and even the heavens burst into a heavy rain. And finally, even the Mountain reacted. He rumbled, and one tear dropped from him. It was so huge that it cut a hole where it hit the ground, creating an unusually deep lake that still exists to this day: alone among lakes, its water is salty instead of sweet.

The Mountain, thus moved by the beauty of the girl’s song, then burst asunder, revealing a deep chasm.

- I cannot save you from the Watchers. But I can hide you from them. I can save something.

The girl, without fear, stepped over the cliff and fell into the chasm. And the mountain rumbled and closed itself over her.

Long did the Watchers search, but not even they could gaze through the Mountain’s stone. They went about their work, swallowing every sound in the world, but the Mountain remained unbroken. And when the world was void of sound, the Watchers left for other places. Then came the long winter, and the Elders and their silent society was buried under the snow.

Much later, the snow melted away. Water began flowing, trees and flowers grew again, and animals returned to the once-frozen lands. And with them did the noises return, but there was no music in the world.

And then, and only then, did the old Mountain move again, revealing the deep chasm. Of the girl who once had hid there, no trace remained. But a tiny bird, a nightingale, flew out of the chasm, and started to sing the most beautiful song.

And with that bird, music returned to the world.