Amanda on the Danube: The Sounds of Music by Darlene Foster Page A

bent down to tie it. Her purse slipped off her shoulder and fell to the floor. As she picked it up, she spotted small red dots sprinkled on the beige and blue carpet.
    â€œWhat’s this? Do you think someone spilled ketchup?”
    Leah bent down to look closer. “Yes, it could be tomato sauce.”
    More red spots appeared further along. “Something must have dripped from a plate when theywere clearing the tables,” remarked Leah.
    â€œI think it might be…blood.” Amanda followed the spots to a set of stairs.
    Leah shook her head. “There goes your overactive imagination again.”
    â€œI think we should follow the spots. I have a funny feeling about them.” Amanda proceeded down the short flight of stairs. Leah followed her. The faint red dots led them to a closed door with STORAGE written on it. Amanda reached for the handle.
    â€œWait a minute, Amanda. I don’t think we are meant to go in there,” Leah said.
    â€œWhat if someone’s in there and hurt?”
    Amanda turned the handle. The door opened to a small, dark room. She could make out shelves packed with items like toilet paper, tissues, paper towels, soaps and shampoos. She was about to close the door when the sound of a groan stopped her. Finding a light switch, she noticed a shoe sticking out from under a shelf.
    â€œThere’s someone in—”
    â€œWhat are you girls doing? That room is only for staff. If you need any supplies, just ask any one of us.” A young man appeared behind them.
    â€œS-Sorry. We’re just finding our way around,” Amanda stammered. She closed the door.
    â€œIs this your first time on a river cruise?” askedthe young man with a kind smile.
    â€œYes,” said Amanda. “We should get back to our parents.”
    â€œEnjoy the cruise and remember if you need anything, just ask. I’m Michael, the cruise director.”
    When they returned to the cabins, the girls were happy to find out that they shared a room adjoining Leah’s parents’ suite.
    â€œOMG. We have our own entrance and our own keys!” Amanda looked around. The comfortable room with a large side window overlooked the peaceful canal and emerald green banks. “And look at that great view!”
    â€œThis is going to be an amazing trip. We’ll get to see all kinds of things for the first time. I’m so glad your parents agreed to it.” Leah grabbed Amanda around the waist and did a little dance.
    â€œI’m super excited too,” Amanda said when she caught her breath. “I just wonder who’s hiding in the storage room. Do you think he’s hurt?”

2
    T hat evening, after a delicious meal of
wiener schnitzel
, roasted potatoes and a dessert of plum cake called
pflaum kuchen
, everyone moved to the lounge for the entertainment. Young men in
lederhosen,
leather shorts with decorated suspenders, and young women in
dirndls,
colourful dresses with poofy sleeves and aprons finished off with a pretty bow, performed a vigorous dance called the
Schuhplattler
. Amanda enjoyed the lively music and the dancers who slapped their knees, thighs and soles of their feet while hopping around in a circle.
    Next, a man in a tuxedo with a violin tucked under his chin appeared. Amanda closed her eyes while he played a calm, peaceful tune. She imagined a deep, blue, slow moving river, as it passed by green pastures and quiet villages.
    She looked beside her and noticed tears in her mother’s eyes as she held her father’s hand. Amanda sighed. It made her happy to see her parents relaxedand content together, instead of rushing off to work or meetings.
    Michael, the young man they met earlier, stood in the centre of the lounge and spoke into a microphone. “Thank you, Jozsef, for that lovely rendition of
The Blue Danube
, by Johann Strauss II. Tomorrow, after a tour of the city of Nuremberg, we will leave this canal and head out onto the Danube. Is