Nikolas's Scherzo

In a frigid lake just off the coast of Kelsey Cove, there lived, in a rotting wooden shack, and aged and whithered hermit Nikolas, who derived his income solely through his decrepit nets and spears. And, on one unusually warm day, he mustered up his strength and ascended from his great throne on the wood, and it promptly collapsed. Paying it no heed, he journeyed onto his front porch, or the space where it had once been, as time had taken all but a few scattered planks. Upon surveying the landscape, a sudden inspiration, buried in his labyrinthine brain crept slowly into his consciousness.

A Scherzo!

Nikolas leapt into the lake and savagely tore off his clothing, bracing himself for the ice-water, penetrating his flesh with vicious cold, and turning his skin black. As he sank to the depths, his body exploded in a flash of light, and then all went blank.

When he woke up, he was deep in the heart of the city of the Fish-Men, who wrote many a great scherzo for the great composers, most notably Beethoven, with his Pastoral Symphony, (No. 6), the third movement, and the second movement of his Piano Sonata No. 18. Nikolas desperately needed the help of the Fish-Men if he was to write the wonderful Schzero of his dreams!

Searching his pockets, he found 12 gold pieces (he had collected them from a treasure chest on the way down), a comb, and a piece of ancient rock candy. The Fish-Men, of course, would not accept such a poor offering for their services. So Nikolas wept.

Upon reaching his hut, he was startled to find a note of parchment on his doorstep. One intrepid Fish-Man, (chiefly out of sheer boredom) had scribbled a few notes and threw it up for poor Nikolas. He was overjoyed, of course, and worked many months composing the rest of the Schzero. After all was said and done, he unveiled it to the populace. It was immediately hailed as a work of genius! With this spark to his self-confidence, Nikolas went on to compose several more pieces, culminating in his masterpiece, The Lonely Fish-Town, a tribute to that brave little Fish-Man who started it all.

He died a week later...

Or did he?