The maestro - Judd Palmer

The Maestro is set in the sorrowful town of Hamelin, thirty years after its fateful encounter with the Pied Piper. Hannah is a very forceful character and she discovers more about herself and the world than she ever dreamt. Banished! And yet, with every step Hannah took, the bewitching music grew louder, even as the darkness closed over her, and the sun shone no longer on her passage. At last, deep within the river-cave, she reached the source of the glorious sound: a strange assembly of musicians, dressed in tattered tails and dirty collars, their faces grimy and their hair askew. All among them had their eyes closed as they played to the heavens with incredible concentration. There, prancing and leaping before the orchestra, a terrifying sight: a wild-man, mad conductor, stabbing the air fiercely with his baton. Hannah was overtaken; her knees swayed. Perhaps her exile was a great thing after all. "I'm here to learn about music," she cried out bravely. "You've come to the right place," he growled, his nostrils flaring. "Welcome to the Pied Piper's School of Music for Children. You may call me Maestro." Sometimes indeed preposterous, but it is delightful because it is so preposterous. How unusual it is to be me; how preposterous life is! In such times, it is good to remember it is altogether unusual to be a child.