Luna Learns to Whistle

A funny, hopeful story about trying again and finding your own sound.

Every morning, a magpie sat on the fence outside Luna’s window and sang a lovely song. Oh-lee-oh, oh-lee-oh, it warbled, like water bubbling in a stream. Luna wanted to sing it back.

She pursed her lips and blew. “Fff,” she went, which was just air. She tried again. “Pfff.” That was only spit. Her little brother laughed, and Luna’s cheeks went pink.

She went to ask her grandfather. He was sitting on the verandah with his cup of tea. “How do I whistle?” she asked. He smiled. “Make your lips small, like you are sipping from a very tiny straw,” he said.

Luna tried. Fff, fff, fffff. Nothing. “Keep going,” said her grandfather. “The tune is still inside you.” So Luna practised on the way to the shops. She practised in the bath. She practised while hanging out the washing.

A week later, she was brushing her teeth when something happened. A thin, wobbly note came out of her mouth. Fweeeeee! Luna jumped. “Did you hear that?” she shouted.

She tried again, and the note came again. She wiggled her tongue, and the note went up. She curled her lips, and the note went down. It was a real whistle, small and a bit squeaky.

The next morning, the magpie sang on the fence. Luna leaned out of the window and whistled back. The magpie tilted its head, and then it sang again, as if answering her.

From then on, they sang to each other every morning, Luna with her squeaky whistle and the magpie with its bubbling song. They were not the same, but together, they made a duet.

Print a habit tracker →