Hey all! This is my first attempt at a semi-short story of any kind, so I'm rather new to all this... Comments and criticisms always appreciated!
Rock N' Roll Gnome
By: Hooklynn N. Synquer
Prologue
The morning sun shone through the windows of the tree-burrow, covering everything in a soft golden hue, including the hammock in which the gnome, Pallabar, slept, gently rousing him from his dreams. Well, gently being a matter of perspective, of course…
As soon as the morning sun crossed Pallabar's face, he hastily rubbed the sleep from his eyes and reached for his workbook, which was on the table just a few inches father away than his short arms could extend. Accidentally over-balancing himself in the hammock, he tumbled sideways, blankets and all, hitting the floor of his tree-burrow with a muffled thump. Not to be deterred, he quickly got up and grabbed the workbook off its perch, then made towards his desk. Sitting down and opening the leather-bound volume to a blank page, he plucked a quill out of a nearby inkwell and started writing down the contraption he'd envisioned in his latest dream.
"A set of five differently sized wooden cylinders and four tapered metal disks. The cylinders are tightly covered at both ends with hide. Arranged so that the largest, laying sideways on a metal stand, was connected to the smallest and the second-smallest by metal supports attached to the top of the larger cylinder and the sides of the smaller cylinders, the smaller cylinders being angled diagonally and slightly inwards. A pedal-type apparatus is attached to the largest cylinder, so that if you press the pedal a soft wooden mallet strikes the hide on one side of the cylinder. The two remaining cylinders are somewhat different, being the same diameter across but one is only a third the height of the other. The larger of these is set vertically on a metal stand to the right and behind the three connected cylinders, and the smaller is set on a taller stand behind and slightly to the left of the connected cylinders, being at the same height as its larger counterpart. The discs appear to be slightly conical, moreso at the center where it forms a slight bell with a hole at the center. The two larger disks are mounted on thin metal pole-stands, near the top of which there are small metal circles welded so the disks won't fall. One of these is placed in the corner made by the three-cylinder apparatus and the large cylinder on the right, and the other in the corner made by the smaller cylinder on the left. The smaller two metal disks are placed on a similar stand as the other two, one inverted so that the inside of the bell is facing up and the other placed on top of it. This apparatus is placed to the left of and slightly behind the cylinder on the left. There is a stool placed in the midst of the cylinders, from which one would 'play' them and the disks as percussive instruments."
Pallabar thought for a moment, then drew a quick sketch of the apparatus as seen from the point of view of one who would operate it. Setting down the workbook, he pulled on his work clothes and made ready to leave for that day of his apprenticeship under Maester Woodlawn, a renowned bard and inventor. On a whim, he tucked the workbook into his pack to show to the Maester during their midday lunch. Perhaps he could shed some light on how such a contraption could be made.