5 The Bard’s Tale

CHAPTER 5

The Bard's Tale "Long ago, when I was a wee little bard, my mother misplaced my rattle. As I lay howling in my baby basket, she reached for the nearest thing she could find —a musical pipe. I grasped the pipe in my fist and put it straight into my mouth. From that day on, I played the pipe every day. I played for anyone and anything that would listen: cats, dogs, and field mice—even garden snakes. I discovered I could get animals to follow me just by playing music!

"When I grew up, King Ashwin of Meadowlark made me the minister of pest control. I led the kingdom's rats and snakes away with music. All was well until a deadly pest was found in the kingdom. It happened like this: "King Ashwin loved to fish. Every weekend, he fished on the Snake River, a river that squiggled across the countryside like its slithering namesake. There had long been a legend of an enormous beast that lived in the winding river, but nobody was sure if it was really true.

"One afternoon at dusk, the king and Sir Gavin, his closest companion, paddled home after a day of fishing. As they glided along, a huge snake swam up to the boat and lifted its head above the water. King Ashwin yelped in horror! He lifted his paddle and whacked the snake on its head. The snake bared its fangs and rose higher to attack them. It towered over the little boat. Sir Gavin waved his hands to confuse the creature. It shook its head wildly and then lowered itself into the water and disappeared.

"The king and his friend paddled to shore and hurried back to the palace. Little did they know, the snake watched from the river's edge. That night, the snake slithered through the farmers' fields. It glided across the schoolyard and through the village. The castle guards saw the serpent coming and summoned Sir Gavin and the knights.

"'It's too big for the knights!' Sir Gavin exclaimed. 'It must be more than a hundred feet long! And six feet wide! There is only one way to stop this savage beast.' "That was when Sir Gavin summoned me. And it was just in time too. For when we entered the king's sleeping chambers, I gasped at the sight! The giant snake stood over the king with its jaws wide open. He was about to swallow the king whole! I lifted my pipe to my lips and played. The snake turned its evil red eyes on