Teen Ink

Prologue

It was quiet on Trumpeter Street.

There was not a sound to be heard except for the quiet notes of a piano, coming from a small corporate building at the end of the street.

The Sforzando Music Company wasn't well known, but for the community it served, its music was well known and treasured.
Inside the corporate building, its proprietor, Phineas Staccato was playing the grand piano in the lobby. On top of the piano was a tiny remote, monitoring every sound the piano made.

As the song of the piano rolled on, Phineas knew he had to hurry. His assistant would come down the stairs any second and return to his humble abode for the night. His assistant, Edward Timpani was the owner of an amazing mansion and boatloads of money—money Phineas had to get his hands on.

Just after Phineas finished playing his song on the piano, he heard the door swing open at the top of the staircase, and at the same time, a strange beeping came from the remote. Phineas smiled, rose from the piano bench, and went to the bottom of the massive staircase.

“You leaving for the day, Edward?” he inquired.

Edward Timpani stopped on the staircase, carrying a suitcase overflowing with papers. “Yeah...rough day...” he said.

The beeping sequence from the remote suddenly stopped, and behind Edward, a huge machine gun sprouted from the wall. Phineas was silent for a moment, and then shouted, “Look out!!”

Edward whirled around just in time to see the machine gun fire mechanically in random directions. Phineas smiled. Edward would never make it. But surprisingly, his assistant evaded the shots and ducked behind the wall. Phineas made an effort to push him back into the line of fire, but he knew better. If Edward survived yet again, he would lose his trust in Phineas and leave the company. Patience, Phineas thought. He'll die soon enough.

Finally, the firing ceased and Edward stepped out from behind the wall. “What the heck was that??” he exclaimed. “And where did that machine gun come from?”

“Uh, Edward,” Phineas replied. “Don't worry about this. I'll investigate it and you can just go home and relax for the night. But come back to work tomorrow, and don't be scared just because of this...oh, how should I put it...random machine gun.”

Edward nodded frantically. “Sure...uh...thanks...bye...” he mumbled just before he left the building in haste.

When his assistant was out of sight, Phineas took some machine gun ammunition out of his pocket and strode towards the weapon jutting out from the wall. “I'll try again tommorow,” he mumbled to himself as he filled the machine gun with ammo yet again.