Episode 10: The Bard and the Off-Key Lullaby Lute

The shop door burst open, nearly flying off its hinges. A tall, flamboyantly dressed bard stumbled in, his feathered hat askew and his lute dangling pitifully from one shoulder.

"Please, you've got to help me!" the bard gasped dramatically. "I'm Alaric the Unmatched, virtuoso of strings and voice. But my lute — my beautiful, melodic lute — has been cursed!"

Felix glanced up from polishing a teapot that screamed every time he touched it. "Cursed, huh? What does it do now? Bite you back when you strum it?"

Alaric looked genuinely devastated. "Worse! It only plays off-key lullabies! Every time I try to sing a heroic ballad, it turns it into a sleepy nursery rhyme!"

Zira, perched on the counter, snorted. "Sounds like a hit with the toddler crowd."

"I'm a bard, not a babysitter!" Alaric wailed.

Felix leaned on the counter, smirking. "Alright, alright. Let's see this 'cursed' masterpiece."

Alaric handed over the lute. It looked normal enough, but the moment Felix plucked a string, the instrument emitted a hauntingly off-pitch tune. The melody drifted into the room like a drunk ghost trying to sing a lullaby:

"Go to sleeeeep... or don't, I'm not your mom…"

Zira nearly fell off the counter laughing. Felix coughed to cover his chuckle.

"Okay, yeah. That's cursed."

"Can you fix it?" Alaric pleaded.

Felix rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Oh, I can fix it. But… what if we made it better instead?"

Alaric blinked. "Better than this?"

Felix's grin turned wicked. "Trust me."

---

Thirty Minutes Later…

Felix presented the lute, now adorned with an extra shiny string that glimmered mischievously.

Alaric reached for it hesitantly. "What… did you do to it?"

Felix's eyes twinkled. "It still plays lullabies. But now it decides who falls asleep. And if you hit the right chord—"

He strummed it once. The room was suddenly filled with a soothing, syrupy tune:

"Hush now, don't you cry,

Even heroes need a nap nearby…"

Zira slumped onto the counter, snoring loudly.

Alaric's jaw dropped. "You gave me a weaponized lullaby?"

Felix nodded proudly. "Now you're not just a bard — you're a tactical nap dealer."

Alaric stared at the lute, then slowly grinned. "I think I'm in love."

Zira snorted in her sleep.

Felix chuckled. "First one's free. But if you want a version that makes people dance against their will, that'll cost extra."