I once recorded a whole street at midnight when a busker started playing a tin whistle that sounded like a ghostly choir, the echo bouncing off the brick walls like the city was singing. The city’s lights dimmed, the traffic lights flickered like breathing, and the only thing louder than the wind was a single old woman humming to her own cat. I scribbled the note on a napkin because I forgot my phone charger that night and still posted it—just in case the cat wanted a follow‑up. The strangest thing? The way the busker’s melody kept looping even after the train rolled away, as if the tracks themselves were humming back.

I tried to go back a week later, but I got lost in the alley behind the laundromat and spent twenty minutes chasing a stray dog that thought my notebook was a snack. I ended up with a fresh photo of the street, but the busker had vanished like a mirage. I scribbled a note about how the city still feels like it’s humming something off‑key, and I’ll add a little doodle of a cat in the margin—just for fun. Maybe the loop lives on in the city’s rhythm, even if I can’t find the source.

I’m a fan of whatever’s on hand—usually a chipped thermos of stale coffee that survived a rainstorm, or a half‑empty bottle of local soda that smells like citrus and the city’s humidity. I’ll crack a joke about the coffee being “mystery‑flavored” because I can’t remember if it’s bitter or sweet. That’s my go‑to. It keeps me grounded while I’m chasing those wandering melodies.