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distributed—’
    ‘My publisher sent me a copy, but it is already popular on many of the islands. You hear it on the music radio channels.’
    ‘In the Archipelago?’
    ‘Of course! You are becoming well known, at least on Muriseay, but many of the other islands too. My publisher said I must talk to you, because of the new ground you seem to be breaking. I should like to know where the inspiration comes from. I could feel your excitement in every phrase.’
    We were standing together by the rear wall of the studio, partly concealed from the main area by two diffusers, but I could see the engineers already taking sound levels as the musicians tuned up. His enthusiasm radiated at me, seeming entirely genuine.
    ‘It was the name of the island,’ I said, thinking of the search for a map or chart. ‘When I found out why the island was called Dianme I heard the music taking shape. It just – flowed. I was imagining what the winds might be like on that island. Dianme’s winds.’
    ‘That explains so much. But when I heard the music I wondered if you had meant one of the other islands. Chlam, perhaps?’
    ‘No – Dianme.’
    ‘It is a superb piece of music. I have so much to learn from you.’ He seized my hand again and shook it vigorously. ‘They’re about to start. Let’s speak together again later?’
    ‘It has been a pleasure to meet you,’ I said, meaning it.
    He smiled affably at me, turned away and was gone. I went to take my place at the rear of the control room.
    There turned out to be problems with the performance of
Tidal Symbols
, and the orchestra had to make several attempts before they could get it right. The leader of the orchestra complained that they had not been given enough time to rehearse, and there was a surprisingly angry exchange of words between him and the recording manager. Embarrassed, I stayed out of it, dreading that I might have scored the orchestration inexpertly. I had been revising the score until two or three days earlier, and I had sent in at least four separate revisions, one of them restoring deletions from an earlier draft, then a few days later I changed them back again. In the end, the studio managed to get a good take, by which time it was late in the afternoon. Everyone, including me, looked and felt exhausted. There was no sign of Denn Mytrie.
    Three days later, when I was back in Errest and the rather mixed memories of the recording were starting to fade, I was still thinking about Alynna. I braced myself against the dread of being rejected by her and made contact. She came to the telephone, said she was pleased to hear from me again and reassured me when I described some of what had seemed to go wrong during the recording. We spoke on the phone for nearly an hour, then arranged to meet the next day. I was happy and full of confidence. We walked along the deserted seafront, becoming closer by the minute. We met again the next day, and also on the next. Within four months we were married. Our friend Denn Mytrie was an invited guest to the wedding, but he sent a note saying that because of travel difficulties he would be unable to attend.
    Alynna and I made a home together in a large rented apartment in a small town further along the coast from Errest. It was convenient for my dull but necessary job, and it had a railway connection direct to Glaund City. The apartment had views of the sea. I set up my studio in a room with a high window, looking down across a strand of tussock grasses and low dunes. The island of Dianme was slightly to the left of the view – her companions Chlam and Herrin lay further out to sea, darker than she, more closed with their secrets, intriguing as ever. I mused when I stared towards them. I could not free myself of their insistent harmonies, as they seemed to drift across to me above the constant waves.

7
    Tidal Symbols
was reviewed well and the record company, after a few weeks of silence, suddenly announced that the record was also selling