Magic instrument
In short: An instrument whose sound reveals something extraordinary or changes events.
Object
How does it work in the tale?
In Jacobs’s collection, the instrument is made from bamboo. Behind its sound lies the story of someone the listeners cannot see.
Does everyone hear the instrument the same way?
In the Santal tale, an instrument made from bamboo travels with a musician and reaches other households. To the girl’s brothers it sounds like someone crying. In another house she steps out of it while nobody is looking. As the instrument moves, notice how close each listener comes to finding the source of the sound.