(Archive = Oct. 2012 and before!) The House of Crescendo

Mona sat contemplating her size, she was now, perhaps the biggest kender she herself had ever seen.  She rocked back and forth in her rocking chair to the soft music the house that her husband's ancestors made.
 The House of Crescendo was not only a dwelling but also a compilation of instruments constructed out of the tree that was the house itself. As the gentle breeze blew Mona listened to the thrumming of the wind sails on the window strings. The recorder vents on the side of the building created a hollow wooden fill to the tune that was the life of the place itself.
A quick look inside would show you movement throughout the house, driven by the wind sails, nothing stands still for long, even the cupboard thumps in time. All this activity and Mona in the middle, resting her swollen feet on what looks like a footstool or drum, until she looks up with what can only be surprise.
She roots through the cupboard until she find the green apple she has been saving, and grips it as she toddles out of the house to find her husband.
   Mona yells to her man,"Hurry up Quill, call the quartet, I got the apple,the baby is coming!"
She thinks perhaps she might die of excitement before the performance starts, she notices that she is breathing funny and wonders if it will effect her voice.

In the hours that followed, Mona lived up to her name and a mighty Opera ensued. Crescendos from ALL over came for the birth of latest of the Asia Crescendo line. She had been the founding matriarch and the designer of the musical house. Asia was a bard of unparalleled talent, as well as a maker of instruments. It was said she looked like a storybook princess, her hair as black as night, her lips as red as the rose and skin as white as milk. Asia let directions on what to be done at every birth to ensure proper tuning for the next Crescendo bard to have all the blessings that their family could bestow.


The time came for Mona's highest solo,(for Mona herself had the voice of an angel, which may have been what stole dear quiet Quill's heart so...) and all of the relatives waited with held breath for the sign of the next bard (they had in their minds that only a girl with perfect pitch in her cry and raven's hair could be the one) and when the babe's sweet midnight curls are finally exposed, they all gasp...


Mona's mother lifts the child for all to see and the babe's lusty exclamation makes the kender jump. She holds the note for an eternity before someone remembers to strike the tuner...the infant mirrors the sound perfectly and the sweetness is only broken by the screams of joy that spill out into the yard.


Moira Lintest (Mona's mother) speaks in a loud clear voice when she says," This is the babe which we all wait and toil, the Great Great Great Great granddaughter of Asia Crescendo, may the sweetness of this first taste of life give her Asia's bardic gift and her mother's of voice.( at this point Moira gives the babe a slice of apple to suck on ) May this promise be in her very name...the perfect page in the book of the Crescendo family...we shall call her...Paige Lintest'AsiaCrescendo!"

Moira sighed gently as she ties Paige's shoes for the three hundredth time. While her grandmother does this tiny little Paige taps the other foot, rubs a little finger harp that she has made from cat whiskers she "found", tries to see what is in her Gama's pocket with the other hand while she hums a tune and tries to roll her tongue, all at the same time.

Just then the miniscule voice peeps up,"Gamma, does the cat miss its whiskers? Do rats hear whispers? Do you have any sisters? How do you cure blisters? Have you ever been up in a twister? " . Then the sweet rhyming tot said,"Gamma, why is the sky the color blue? Why do the cows say moo? I know you always tell me true, Gamma, WHY do I wear such big shoes?"

Moira smiled as she fastened the old adult sized red leather shoes tightly onto Paige's tiny foot."You better get used to it baby Paige, you got big shoes to fill!" she tweeks the bity nose to get a laugh from her Granddaughter.

Later in the night, as Paige listens to the music of her special house, she looks at Asia's shoes with the laces tied all around to bind on to her own wee feet and wonders out loud ,"How am I ever going to fit in these shoes? I'll just practice until I have 'great's in front of my name ! Just like Asia....the great great great great great Gamma of all!" At that, the sweet black curls hit the pillow and the smallest bard in training...sleeps.

Paige's class was VERY large, it took 14 Grown-ups to wrangle the 7 kender youngsters. From the beginning of snatch-pockets, it was clear, Paige did not fit in. Try as she might, she always ended up the one with empty pockets,and oh, how the others would laugh. Paige tried to fit in during locks and unlocks, but somehow her's always ended up wrong. Whenever these things started to bother her, she stroked the tiny secret finger harp she built as a baby, it put her at ease...so she kept it tight in her pocket at all times. (which took most of her concentration, because the others were always trying snatch-pockets and she was poor at it)

One afternoon, Missy Paige was asking a few questions and noticed her big shoes were untied
and tried to tie them(which she did) but while she did so someone "borrowed" her finger harp. It took her a while to notice, but then the effect was quick...this was the first time she could remember that she didn't have an instrument to play, ever! Never one to panic, she started to sway and hum, to reach for a tune to help her...



Oh...I never saw a sillier craze, ever since my first born days.....then to search your friends, a means to an end...but if you think I've come round the bend, then you best not hear me count to ten ...for you will find your mind a maze...and look at me in such a daze!


So she sang, and so it was...The kender large and small, froze that day, and did not move again until she was far away, having taken her sweet time searching their pockets and picking the lock on the kendergarten door. Missy Paige skipped home with all her new shiny things, happy, that she finally won a game at school.

Moira just happened to be looking out the window when Little Miss Paige LintestAsiaCrescendo came beaming up the path of the little artist kender village dragging her booty behind her. For a moment, her heart stopped with a feeling she could not describe, for she was recalling a similar head of black curls dragging herself down the same path( only back then she was standing on a chair to see through the window). A strange dream played through her head and soon her mind was fixed on what must be done and she was sorry for little Paige again, and not for the last time.



Little Moira had the most beautiful Grammy in the world, when she spoke music happened, she wasn't sure how old she really was , cuz' everybodys called her Grammy! Grammy Asia was outside the house and going down the path away from the village, Moira's heart leaped as the idea came to follow her (just in case something sparkley might happen), and so she did. Moira followed Asia into the woods , and towards the lake where Grampa Penn liked to fish. But on this day there were no songs and dancing lights, no enchanted flowers swaying to Grammy Asia's perfect playing, when this little kender girl reaches the water she sees Grampa on the ground and Grammy Asia screaming with her curls standing wildly on end. Asia is singing a terrible dirge, it makes Moira cover her ears and tears stream down her face, but the tiny thing is frozen...starring at a monster and wondering why the monster is yelling at Grammy Asia instead of eating her.

Asia heard a tiny scream over the din of her own horrible tune, and turned to see her Great Granddaughter at the same time the cloaked Lizard man does, Asia is determined to give her life if she needs to kill it...not one more of us dies...not one more . So Asia reaches into her self and focuses all her energy into one rolling firey ball. The man-creature grabs Asia and she smiles and a great explosion occurs.

Tiny Moira sees the great explosion and stares as Grammy Asia comes out of the cloud with Grampa Penn's sword, Grammy takes her hand and brings her home to the music house. On the way Grammy says it might hurt people's feelings that they weren't there to help so Moira should not tell anybody about what she saw, it would be their little secret, and Moira agreed.

Over the next three weeks Grammy Asia was very busy, and one day, took Moira back to the spot of the big rolly fire ball, she showed her the rocks that used to be the monster and Grampa Penn's sword sticking out of the rocks, she told the girl to read the books hidden under the rocks if she goes missing for more then a moon. She tells Moira that a man in a cloak is following her and she may have to go for awhile, Asia promises her sweet Great Granddaughter that she will return soon...she never does.

For a long time Moira waits for her adopted grandmother to come back to the musical house, and then she frankly,forgets. Years pass. Moira only thinks of Asia when getting married and wishes that her grandmother knew that she was watching out for the Crescendos even though she knew she was a Lintest now, not a REAL Crescendo. Asia does not return.

Not long after little Mona is born Moira goes to the place where she saw the battle between the monster and Asia. She is drawn there after a dream in which Asia tells her to watch out for babe with perfect pitch..that babe effects all of the world with just her little song...
And looking for guidance Moira wanders there only to find a grizzly scene...Asia had returned to the place of her husband's rest only to find her own...the stone statue with a surprised face and Asia's perfect curls as the proof.

Moira assumes that the magic was responsible for Asia's death, just like her husband's and must stop all magic to keep other kender from being turned to stone, so she burns Asia's books and saves only an old pair of shoes used by Asia for performing. She dances, relieved, back to her babe...having done the right thing.

Every day Paige made magic with her music. and every day Moira tried to unmake it, the older woman would tell the girl to practice music ONLY. This was impossible for Paige, she loved the way music and magic danced together. She woke with a beat in her movement and the world seemed to respond to her time. This was joy to her, the promise of the adventures she could have that day with what tight melody...bliss. What wonder was it when her shoes tapped in time before she was in them? all to come to a screeching halt when Moira would enter the room


During the day, Moira reigned over a tight (if distracted) ship...with Paige as her first mate...Moira kept a tight eye on Paige and tried to keep the girl on track and off magic by keeping her busy, very busy. The child was so tired at night she could barely finish her bedtime aria before her eyes fell, red shoes still hanging on. One night in particular, Paige started to believe Moira that magic was trouble...that was all she got when she used it, trouble. As her hope, her head and her tears hit the pillow, she drifts off to a strange dream, startlingly real and colorful.

When dawn hits Moira's window she is aware of the stillness, the birds do not sing in harmony, then she realizes that the kitchen shutters of the musical house beat out of time. *her eyes open wide*she thinks to herself,"Could it be that Page has slept in?"but by then her feet have hit the floor having found the truth of it in her heart. The girl is gone. Her bed is made, red shoes and a note lay on the pillow. It is for Moira, while she is reading the note, Moira sees a piece of paper under the bed, with rhymes and scribblings and wonders what it all means while she stares at the drawn heart over a note full of love and gentleness and good bye...

Paige's dream started with much more darkness then ever could have come from the tiny girl's mind. At the beginning, it was Moira (or some sort of Moira-monster,for Paige knew from the start that this was not her beloved grandmother) that Paige saw, she was standing next to the statue of Asia and she was laughing, in a horrible way. The Moira-thing pointed to another statue, this one was of Paige herself, then this strange woman's voice told Paige to look up and despair. When the small bard does, she sees something she cannot believe, across the sky comes a streak of red and then the fire comes and Kendermore is burning ...burning. Paige barely hears her own voice straining as the woman laughs and slowly strangles the life from her body.


"Paige" Is all she hears, a gentle male voice and a smiling face to go with it when she opens her eyes. The wizard is not much bigger then her, and his while hair and beard make her smile in spite of the pain in her throat. "Little one, "he says,"rest your voice for a bit,for you have much to see and I have much to tell you . You should understand that I have interrupted an attempt to stop your great life's Opera, that woman would do anything to keep you and others like you from seeing the hope in the dark times to come. And they will Paige, many will die and much will be lost on Krynn, for many years. This woman of my aquaintance is very dangerous and you must be wary for her influence is everywhere. I have a most important job for you though, well, perhaps seeing is better for believing!"


Suddenly Paige is flying, the wind through her hair, she is riding a flying beast, a gold Dragon! Before her on the ground a darkness is spreading, looking closer she sees Dragon men, so many she cannot count...and dragons with them, a giant army of evil.
But as the beast she is riding sparkles in the sun as it turns she sees a much bigger army marching toward the moving darkness...one of men, elves, dwarves, Gnomes, and kender . Her mount takes her behind the army of knights mixed with the forces of good from ALL over Krynn. He sets down and it is as if she no longer has control over her own body. She walks over to a group of four waiting for her with instruments tuned and ready to ride...they nod to each other, Paige ties her hair back and mount her own Pony with Purple barding that matches not only her own clothes, but also the band's as well. They separate and surround the army...and in perfect time , the music starts...Paige yells out in a voice that carries over the crowd, " We are the O.P.P. , it is time to move this army! The Army with Harmony!!" . The mass of people scream and then start to walk in time...heads bob to the beat and topknots and helmet tails sway identically. The magic sweeps over the crowd and hope is lifted ...

"Paige just one more thing,(she hears the soft voice of the wizard in her head) you must leave now...this very night...so you will need shoes of your own that fit, for you will never be Asia, and that is alright, you will always be The perfect Paige of the Crescendo family by just being yourself."

When Paige awakens, it is still night , but there is a beautiful pair of long purple leather boots at her feet. She only says one thing to herself as she leaves...

"I'm going to need a bigger band!"