The Music Box
"It's my favorite toy," Miranda whispered. "at night, it sings to me."
"What does is sing, Miranda? What song does it sing?"
"Oh, they're not really songs. They sound all wobbly, and sort of, I don't know, backwardy?"
"Have you tuned it recently?" The old blind Gypsy woman asked.
"No! I haven't!" Miranda squeeled, grabbing the music box, and turning it's handle a few times. A cobbled toogether series of notes played.
"My dear child, when I said tune, I didn't mean winding it up." The Gypsy woman said.
"Oh." Miranda said, deflated. "Do you think you could do it?"
"In order to tune it you should take it to someone who understands such things. A toymaker, or clockmaker perhaps. They could fix your Music Box."
"Really, do you think so?" Miranda asked.
"Yes, I'm sure of it Miranda." She said.
"Oh, but I'd probably have to, like pay them, right?" Miranda asked.
"That is the general way of things." The woman said.
"I don't have any money." Miranda said, whining softly.
"Surely you could ask for some pocket money from your parents?"
"I'm an Orphan." Miranda said sadly.
"Oh. Oh well, that won't do, now will it? A girl all alone with a broken Music Box? Here take these." With that, the blind Gypsy reached into her pocket, and deposited five gold coins into Miranda's little hands.
"For me?" Miranda asked. "But don't you need it?"
"I make enough to get by." The old woman said. "I think you need that money more than me. But only spend it on fixing that music box, that's what I gave it to you for."
"Wow, you're a lot nicer than- oh!" Miranda said, catching herself.
"Nicer than what? Nicer than what you're friend said?"
"Yes." The small girl said guiltily. "How did you know?"
"Having an arguement outside the monster lair is a good way of waking it up." The Gypsy woman said. "You thought I ate children?"
"Sorry!" Miranda said.
"It's okay, there are many old woman in the world who find small little girls such as yourself to be quite the delicacy."
Miranda gulped. "R-really?"
"No not really." The Gypsy answered. "There are many horrible things in the world, Banshees, Trolls, Bandits and Highwaymen. But no such thing as old women who enjoy eating children. Or at least if there are, I've never met one of them."
Miranda gave a nervous laugh.
"By the way, I believe you still haven't asked me my name yet."
"Oh, I'm sorry, what is your name?" Miranda asked.
"Theresa." She answered.
"It's nice to meet you. Theresa."
"Good, good." Now, I believe it's time for you to depart. I believe your friend is waiting outside that door to see if I'm going to eat to spit out you're bones."
"Oh right." Miranda said, getting up from her chair, and grabbing her round music box.
"If you're interested, I could tell your fortune next time you visit me." Theresa said as Miranda grabbed her woolen scarf.
"Really?"
"Yes, I'm quite good at it, or so I hear."
"I'll do that!" Miranda said, opening the door, only to have Ben fall into the caravan, and fell flat on his face.
Miranda quickly grabbed Ben's hand, and soon exited the Gypsy caravan, and back into the wintry air. Miranda quickly led Ben away from the Caravan, and into some snowy street.
"What were you doing?" Miranda asked, suddenly very cross with him.
"You were in there a long time, so I thought you might have been eaten." Ben explained.
Miranda rolled her eyes. "That's just a stupid, stupid myth. You were just trying to scare me."
"Honest I wasn't!" Ben said. "So, uh, did she fix your music box?"
"No, but she gave me some monies to fix it someplace else."
"Really, oh sweet!" Ben said excitedly. "Alright, let's go fix it then."
"One thing though." Miranda said. "Could you show me how to get to the toy shop?"
After much walking, the pair reached one of the Brownstone Toyshops, one of the smaller ones, tucked away into an underlit street. It was a small shop, with icicles hanging off the windowsill, with a large teddy bear, a porcelain doll, and a small figurine of a knight being warmly lit in the window behind the glass.
The two entered slowly and cautiously, Ben, because he was here on official business, and Miranda because she had never stepped foot into a toy shop before.
But the moment Miranda got her bearings, she was off like a tempest.
She went through the shop three times, exploring every nook and cranny, she wanted to buy everything, every bear that she hugged, every toy gun that she shot, every boat that she held in her hands, and dozens of other things.
However she stopped when the grumpy storeowner gaver her a shout.
"Right, unless you intend to buy the whole dang shop, keep you're dirty mits off o' the merchandise." He said in a gruff voice.
The Storeowner was a large man, with more hair on his face then on his head.
"Sorry, she just got overexcited." Ben said.
"Yeah, sorry!" Miranda said.
"Yeah, well, if you're going to buy something, get on with it."
"Uh, well Mister, I was hoping you could fix my Music Box for me." Miranda said, walking up to the counter, and placing her Music Box on top of it.
The Storeowner grabbed it with his meaty hands, and turned it over a few times. "What's wrong with it?" He asked.
"It's song come's out all wrong." Miranda answered, standing on her tiptoes to peer over the counter. "They're wobbly and uh... backwardy."
"Ya got money?" The man asked bluntly.
Miranda dug into her pocket, and put her five gold coins on the counter. The owner picked them up to see if they were real, and he soon decided they were. "Wait here." He stated simply, and left for the back of the store, Music Box still in hand.
The man stayed there for a while. At least long enough for the two kids to get bored, and to stage an elaborate play involving a Noble Hero, and a trapped princess. Well, at least it was elaborate for two children their age.
The storeowner came back just as the princess was about to slay the evil dragon. He was not amused.
"Alright, off with you, and take your music box, and your money, and go." He said grumpily.
"Did you fix it?" Miranda asked hopefully.
"Couldn't tell heads or tails from it." The man said, as Miranda took back the money and Music Box.
"Well thank you anyway." She said. The storewoner gave a simply grunt as a response.
The next destination the two was further down the street to a more open and brightly lit section of the city to a clockwork shop.
It was bigger than the toyshop, but just as devoid of people. The two entered, and were greeted by chorus's ticking and tocking. The two entered just as slowly and cautiously as before, except this time Miranda kept calm.
Miranda came up to the counter once more, and rang a bell that she believed would bring someone to help her.
The man that appeared was just as thin as the last man was large. He appeared to be reaching his forties, his greying hair and tired look being good indicators. He peered over the counter a the two children.
"Yes?" He asked them.
"My music box is working funny." Miranda said, propping her music box onto the counter once more.
The man put on a pair of thick glasses on his bony face and looked over the box. "And what is the problem?" He asked.
"The song doesn't play right." She said.
The man put his spidery fingers on the box, and turned the handle, which caused the thing to play it's jumbled and discordant tune. "I'll go get my tools." He said, briefly heading to the back of his shop, and soon returning with a box of tools, deciding to work on the toy right on the counter.
"So." He said, opening his box of tools, "What are your names?"
"I'm Miranda, and that's Ben."
"Nice to meet you." He said.
"What's your name?"
"Horatio Peel." He muttered, opening up the box.
"That's an odd name." Ben noted.
"That's because my family is from a far away place." He explained.
"Oh I see." Ben said.
Mr. Peel opened up the music box, and peered inside.
"This is the most complicated, convuluted, and intricate childs toy I have ever seen in my life." He muttered.
"Can you fix it?" Miranda asked.
"Maybe. But's it's gonna make me regret becoming a clockmaker."
"What would you rather be doing?" Ben inquired.
"A gunsmith. Much more exciting." Mr. Peel inserted a miniscule tool into the small box. "Fixing the box won't be problem. Gettng to problem will be problem."
"What's that mean?" Miranda asked worriedly.
"Means come back tomorrow." Mr. Peel said. "Fixing it will take too much time."
Miranda looked mournfully at her Music Box, it's innards laid out for the world to see. She felt guilty for leaving her most prized possession in the hands of a stranger, but she deemed it necessary.
So, she and her friend left the steady ticking and tocking of the clockmakers store, back to the cold frosted streets of Brownstone.
Hello wonderful inhabitants of the earth.
This a short concerning Fable. Actually, it was orginally based off a prompt for my creative writing class. We were given a few lines to work with, and told to incorporate it into a short story, the beggining of a story, middle of a story, or the end of a story. I chose to do the middle of a story, and I decided to stick with it. It's why there's a sparse ammount of description for the city, the characters, and the caravan, I figured I would have gone over that earlier.
Anyway, the prompt I got are the first three lines of this story. I was originally dissapointed in the prompt I got, (we chose them randomnly.) but after a few minutes brainstorming, I was reminded of the Music box in Fable 2, and decided to fit my story into the Fable universe.
I tried not to make any overt references that'll lose the teacher, but I think if you know what to look for, you'll see a few references here and there. The story is about the backstory of the Music box. I figure it takes place probably a hundred years before Fable 2.
The story is unrelated to my other Fable story Rejoice, but if you want you can read that as well, it get's good reviews. However, I did use an idea I think I'll use in the story, the name of the town, Brownstone. A small rant about Fable, I lament how Bowerstone seems to be the only city to visit. In addition, I figure that the Monarchy didn't always reign from Bowerstone, considering the Monarchy had been around from before Fable 1, and Fairfax Castle was built between Fable 1 and 2. Brownstone is the former Capital of Albion. I figure there's this huge epic castle that can be seen from any point in the city.
Anyway, I managed to finish the story today, on paper, and I figured I may as well post this on the internet. I don't think I'll turn it into a full-fledged story, but who knows? If enough people ask I might, but I doubt that many people will be interested.
Anyway, as always tell me what you think.
-Sincerely SAmaster01