Lord Leo and the Violoncello

When Lord Leo the Mad Musician discovers that a tragedy has occurred at Cello Castle, what does he do? Does everything turn out all right?

Once upon a time, long and far away, in the land of the Jamboree, lived a magnificent musician named Lord Leopold the Mad Cellist. He owned a great number of splendid instruments that he would order his minions to carefully tune and polish for three hours, five days a week. Then on the sixth day, he would choose his favorite cello, carefully pack it up in a specially padded black bag, put it in a fine coach that was driven by the fastest steeds and the most attentive footmen, and ride it all the way to another kingdom where people would come from far and wide to hear his splendid music.

Well, life went on for some time like this, with much enjoyment from everyone, and every year, money came pouring in so that Lord Leo, as his adoring fans lovingly called him, could purchase better instruments and finer music to practice. Also, songwriters from far and wide would come and beg Lord Leo to practice their music to see if it would stand the test of time. Sadly, not many songwriters were that good, but occasionally, Lord Leo would find someone that he greatly appreciated and hire them to come and help him improve his style. Such is the world of famous music, apparently.

Then, one unsuspecting day, tragedy struck, as most stories tell, because otherwise, stories would not be very interesting.

Lord Leo woke on the second day of the week, dressed in a splendid fashion, ate a leisurely breakfast, and then took a stroll out to his Piano Piazza where he was accustomed to climbing 88 steps to practice on his grand piano for one hour and forty-five minutes exactly. Then, when the bell struck, he rose solemnly, walked to the top of the stairs, and then turned giddy with joy as he cracked his knuckles with glee and galloped down the winding staircase as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Well, here was the best part of his day. Time to practice the violoncello! Lord Leo loved his Cello Castle best of all. It had four floors, and he would play a different kind of music on each floor. His favorite floor was the very top one since it overlooked all of his beautiful lands and he felt very noble and dignified, playing for his entire property. All the people would stop working, wherever they were in the fields, gardens, and buildings, and listen and smile, for they were happy to hear the music of Lord Leo.

But today, there was a problem. A servant met Lord Leo at the door of the Cello Castle, wringing her hands, tears streaming down her face. Lord Leo stopped and looked puzzled, and he felt awkward because he did not know what to do when servants cried.

“What is wrong, my good fiddle?” Lord Leo wondered, since he called all his servants silly names like that. The woman began to say something, but then she covered her face with her hands and ran away, past Lord Leo, down the path as fast as she could go.