The Surprising Story of Alexa’s Horn
by T. A. Barron
PDF
Below is a short story that I wrote for a friend:
Created in the year 1677 in the small Bavarian village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber — handmade from rare metals, mountain spring water, and the musical song of a nightingale — it was the creation of the gifted craftswoman Anneliese Magischefrav. Revered for her unique ability to infuse her musical instruments with the magic of nature, Anneliese cherished her Horn above all the rest.
Legends tell of Annaliese blowing the Horn during a time of severe drought, which brought weeks of gentle, restoring rain to the hills and valley around Bavaria. Another tale speaks of the time she blew the Horn to bring back to life the last surviving apple tree in all of Europe. When blown by its creator, or by someone else whos whose soul radiated deep wisdom and love, the Horn’s call resembled a faraway breeze that could magically bring dreams into reality…or turn suffering into liberation.
Before her death, Anneliese gave the Horn to her beloved friend Daniel Bastian, a sea captain known for his bold adventures and evocative poetry. For many years, the Horn accompanied Daniel on voyages to Africa, the Americas, and (some believe) to Antarctica.
Sometime in the 1700s, the Horn was stolen by a band of pirates. For over a century, the Horn was lost to the world… many believed it had disappeared beneath the ocean waves along with the doomed pirate ship.
Many years later, the Horn floated ashore on a slab of driftwood, washing up on a shell-strewn beach on a remote Polynesian island. An indigenous shaman, Mã ohi, immediately perceived the Horn’s remarkable power. For the rest of his life, he blew it graciously, bringing peace and prosperity to his people.
A powerful tropical storm swept across the Pacific in 1831, carrying away the Horn. No one knew whether it might have survived or where it might have landed… although Må ohi told his daughter
that it would one day return to the mortal world.
Almost a century later, a young shepherd named Sangia heard a mysterious, alluring call from somewhere among the high peaks of her homeland, a Tibetan realm called Bhutan. Following the strange music, she climbed high into the Himalayas. Finally, she came to a secret valley that seemed to radiate its own ethereal light — and she knew that the wondrous music came from somewhere in the valley. Suddenly, she discovered a fierce-eyed eagle with huge talons who guarded that place from all intruders. Empowered by the music, Sangia courageously stepped closer. The eagle, perceiving her true heart, screeched and flew high into the air, allowing her to pass and find the Horn.
Sangia became a wandering priestess who brought the love of nature to all people, as well as to the wider family of animals and plants throughout the Himalayas. Near the end of her life, she gave the Horn to a monastery perched high on a cliff.
The following spring, a powerful avalanche destroyed everything in its path, including the monastery. The legendary Horn was swept away. Most people assumed it was lost forever.
Yet the next summer, a great Himalayan stag emerged from the mountains, wearing the Horn in his antlers. Whenever he loped, the wind made the instrument play haunting, bittersweet songs.
In the year 1972, a wandering bard in Kashmir saw something gleaming in a rushing stream. The Horn! In time, he learned how to play it — so well, it was said, he could transport faraway lands so sensuous the travelers believed they had found their true homes at last. again
Years passed before the Horn appeared again. Then it was found in a bazaar in the ancient city of Samarkand. Traded by merchants who knew nothing of its powers, it changed hands several times. Finally, in a dilapidated shop of curiosities in Paris, it was spotted by someone who sensed its magic… someone named Alexa.
Alexa brought the Horn to her home in Aspen, Colorado. To this day, whenever a mountain breeze blows through an open window, the Horn vibrates with magical music, filling the home with goodness and grace.
