Three Blind Mice [knife‑drag; war drum two punches; tagelharpa C drone; guitars/bass press] [female lead, flat] Three blind mice come running to the bucket at night; tails cut to stumps, wives test the salt‑crust with a lick before they let their mouths work; three tongues learn the seam of a thigh, milk passed lip‑to‑lip until the snore returns. [male growls] Thigh… [female lead] Quiet house, quiet knife, no names. Old Lady in a Shoe [shoe‑push, belt‑drop; war drum heel; tagelharpa bow‑weight] [female lead, flat] Old lady in a shoe, laces chewed white, keeps a palm on head‑count and a different palm for coachmen; boys go out back for rent‑hour, return warm, coins in the same pocket; when the shoe’s full she fists it empty and hums down the hallway. [male growls] Warm… [female lead] She locks the door with a spoon. Jack and Jill [bucket‑drag, gravel; war drum four hits] [female lead, flat] Jack walks Jill up the hill for water, hand set low at the sacrum, teaches the rhythm first; she falls forward, he means after, crown‑crack hides her cursing, briars know her tempo by the scrape; the pail stays clean at the top, both come down dry. [male growls] After… [female lead] No one fetches anything. Mary Had a Little Lamb [slat‑squeal, desk‑drag; war drum punch] [female lead, flat] Mary had a little lamb but the teacher sends it out and keeps Mary after, sums spoken against her throat, skirt catching the desk vibration; the lamb waits at the sill, clueless, while Mary’s answer gets cut off by the bell. [male growls] Out… [female lead] Wool at the window, chalk on her lip. Little Boy Blue [reed‑gurgle, straw‑press; war drum heel] [female lead, flat] Little Boy Blue under the haystack while the shepherdess sets his embouchure, thumb for pitch, saliva for seal, she grades the drone and ignores his gag; cows chew, reed gurgles, no one calls his name. [male growls] Drone… [female lead] Horn‑work, not nap‑work. Little Miss Muffet [spoon‑press, curd; war drum rim‑clicks] [female lead, flat] Little Miss Muffet lets the spider make eight slow lines up the inner thigh, bowl tipped by accident on purpose, whey on skin while she counts legs twice and calls it fright. [male growls] Twice… [female lead] Curds cool; he waits. [*Outro*] [war drum 40‑BPM, bow‑wood drag; guitars/bass feedback] [female lead, worn] Nursery rhymes [female lead, flat] Are intake notes
