The Stone Piper

    Stanfauld the Stone Piper traveled up and down the trail along the Cliffs of Seventeen Towers every day. He'd go down in the morning, and back up in the evening, playing his stone pipe all the while. His stone pipe was special. He'd spent hundreds of hours hewing, drilling, boring and tuning it, and through all that work it became polished and resonant.

    As he skipped along the path, he'd toot his pipe and anyone misbehaving would receive two smacks from the pipe. One for misbehaving, and one for making Stanfauld interrupt his playing. People quickly learned to be on their best behavior along the path.

    One fellow was particularly immune to Stanfauld's treatment. Burlquad had a thick head, and seemed to have experience being hit on it by blunt objects. He was mocking an old lady one day, and Stanfauld despised this behavior. He came up to Burlquad and knocked him hard on the head, but Burlquad didn't flinch. He continued mocking the old lady like nothing happened. Irritated, Stanfauld knocked Burlquad on the head again. And again. And again.

    Quite frustrated at this point, Stanfauld decided to try another tactic. He took to his pipe again, but instead of his usual merry tune, he played an aggressive, arpeggiated piece that made Burlquad's toes tap and arms flap. He started dancing like a foolish chicken, off from the path and out towards the cliffs.  Stanfauld made sure the drop wasn't too high, and the water below wasn't too shallow before moving the thick-headed fellow off the cliff.

    The old lady meanwhile had begun mocking Burlquad in retaliation of his treatment of her. She was so overjoyed at Stanfauld's intervention, and when he returned to the path from the cliff edge, she danced over to give him a big hug. When she reached him, she went to wrap her arms around him, and Stanfauld whacked her right on the head with his pipe. He despised mocking.

    Stanfauld skipped and piped along his merry way, leaving the old lady to rub the large bump on her head and think long and hard about her behavior.