Another prompt from my instructor....the prompt is in red; the rest is my creation.  Had a difficult time with the segue into my part, as well as the focus of the piece.

Once there was a puny little Czech concert violinist named Rudolf, who lived in Sweden. Some of his friends thought he was not the best of musicians because he was restless; others thought he was restless because he was not the best of musicians. At any rate, he hit upon a way of making a living, with no competitors. Whether by choice or necessity, he used to sail about Scandinavia in his small boat, all alone, giving concerts in little seaport towns. If he found accompanists, well and good; if not, he played works for unaccompanied violin; and it happened once or twice that he wanted a piano so badly that he imagined one, and then he played whole sonatas for violin and piano, with no piano in sight.

This vagabond way of life suited him for several years, but eventually he longed for stability and permanence.

Although at 25 he was still a young man, he was lonely and physically exhausted. After giving the matter considerable thought, he decided to find lodging in the next town, and sailed into the night with a sense of peaceful resolve.

After finding a suitable apartment, he continued with

his concerts. But even after several months, his life was just as lonely as it had always been.

Returning home after a concert one night, Rudolf saw a young lady descending the stairs. He could see she was crying.

Days later, he learned her name was Anna and she lived upstairs with her stepfather. At first, she spoke very little, but before long, a friendship of sorts developed between them.

One evening, Rudolf heard a commotion coming from the apartment above. "I'm not goING TO tell you again to BE QUIET!!" roared the stepfather. "And stop that crying'! I told your mama I'd look after you, but you've been nothing but a pain in the arse since she died! You better be careful or you'll find yourself out on the street. And we both know you haven't the ability to take care of yourself!"

"This is none of my business!" Rudolf silently told himself. And he knew full well it would be problematic should he wish to play the hero. A poor, puny Czech with features you could hardly describe as handsome; the thought was laughable even to him. Anna's stepfather would "squish me like a bug," he thought out loud. "And what would Anna think of me THEN?"

The next time he heard a commotion from above, he peered out the door in case Anna should go out, as was her custom in such situations. When he heard her footfall he intercepted her before she reached the door.

"Please. Come inside. You can compose yourself and give your stepfather time to cool down." She hesitated then, eyes downcast, followed Rudolf into his apartment.

This ritual continued until Rudolf could bear Anna's tears no longer. When she next took refuge in his apartment, he expressed his fear for her safety. But stopped short of declaring his feelings for her. Rejection was something he'd experienced frequently in his life.

She assured him she had somewhere to go if she felt in danger. And when she left, although not convinced by her words, Rudolf felt somewhat reassured.

Rudolf continued his life of loneliness, occasionally playing concerts. Eventually however, the audiences began to dwindle and feeling a change was necessary, he decided to return to his boat and once again sail from harbor to harbor.

It had been four long weeks since his last conversation with Anna, and although he was relieved at no longer hearing her cry on the stairs, he couldn't help wondering if all was well. He'd hoped to see her before he left, but this was not to be. With a heavy heart, he silently wished her well.

The next day, Rudolf made his way back to his boat, and after checking that all remained in seaworthy condition, he climbed aboard. When he was well clear of the harbor, he heard the sound of music.

Upon hearing slight movement under his bunk, he looked for something to use as a weapon, grabbed a metal bucket and yelled "COME OUT!"

"It's me! Anna!"

"Whaaaaa...?" "How did you......??"

"I followed you once. I knew it would be the perfect place to be safe."

"How long have you been here?" he asked.

"For the better part of the month. When things got too bad, I would withdraw into my mind and imagine I was playing a piano, but somehow, he could hear it. He always got very angry when I did that."

After he'd begun drinking early one day, he became more violent than usual. I was used to his yelling, but this was different, and I became quite frightened. It was then I sneaked onto your boat. I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to go."

Rudolf spent the next hour assuring her that he was not angry. He knew returning to her stepfather was not an option so they would decide something more permanent when they reached the next town.

While making the small quarters comfortable enough for two people Rudolf realized how ridiculous he must have looked holding a bucket as a weapon, and began to laugh. "What did I think I was going to do with a bucket?"  Which caused Anna to laugh along with him.

This was a sound which had never been heard on his boat, and they laughed until they had no breath left.

Rudolf dropped anchor, then fashioned a bed of sorts for himself, and surrendered the bunk to Anna.

Finally feeling completely safe, Anna soon fell asleep.

Rudolf, however, was unable to do the same. On one hand, he feared his emotions, on the other he felt happy for the first time in a very long time. He knew there was little chance of anything more than friendship with Anna, and that would have to do; at least for now he was no longer alone and lonely.