Adopted Son
By Karen M. Peters
Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Spring 2007

There was once a great sorcerer named Merlin who had many magical powers, and was very wise. He lived by himself in his house by the mountain. He was a lonely man, though, because he had no family or children of his own. One day, when Merlin was walking through the woods, he heard the sounds of a baby crying from a distance.

Thats strange he thought to himself. There is no village in sight. How could there be the cries of a young baby in these woods? He walked on, trying to locate the source of the cries, over fallen trees and shallow creeks he searched.

Finally, he cam upon a bundle of old and torn blankets resting up against a great oak tree surrounded by a pile of dead leaves and broken twigs. He brushed away a layer of blanket to reveal a small baby boy, hungry and scared. So Merlin took the baby boy into his arms and carried him back to Merlins home by the mountain to raise him as his own son.

The young boy grew and grew. Years went by. Merlin and the boy lived together as father and son. Merlin educated the lad in reading, writing, courage, chivalry, music and of course, magic. He gave the boy wisdom to understand the difference between right and wrong as well as the ways of the world.

The lad grew very fond of music, so as a present to his adopted son, Merlin gave the boy a mystical golden pipe. The boy learned to play it well. The soft sounds of the pipe could attract creatures of the forest of any shape and size.

One day, the boy bid his adopted father adieu to travel off into the world and make his own life. He drifted from town to town with his magic pipe, and rid the towns of animal plagues such as an overabundance of cats, rats and bats. He became a man of many nations, and dressed with a patch of color from each town standard sewn into his clothing. His collection of magical pipes grew until he had over 100 pipes, pans, flutes of many shapes and sizes. His skill went beyond Merlins teachings as he mastered the magical muse within each instrument, and became the master instead of the student. People called him The Black Pearl because his swarthy skin was dark, but his music was smooth and silky like the skin of a pearl.

For Reflection:
In recognition of Karens contribution, I would like to indicate that I altered her ending somewhat. While I could see that Karen was giving us perhaps a picture of where the Piper came from, I wanted to see a little mystery still remain. For instance, the man called The Black Pearl is he really the Pied Piper? Or perhaps he is the father, or grandfather of the Piper. In order to answer this question of identity, ask yourself this: When was Merlin around? What year/time frame? Does this coincide with 1284, the time frame of the Piper story? Also, what part of the European Continent did Merlin reside? Could the adopted son of Merlin have made his way to the German provinces?

In the beginning of Karens piece, she begins with a story of Merlin. Merlin is associated with King Arthur, so why did Karen pick Merlin to be the adoptive father?

What characters in German folklore, mythology, legend are comparable to Merlin in terms of magic and importance to the fate of a King or kingdom?

Can you write a story with The Black Pearl as the main character, and take him on a course of travel that can lead him to Hamelin? Who might he meet along the way? How would he travel? What would he do for money? Were there lots of animal plagues to keep him busy along the way? Would he have played his pipe at courts along the way?