Ghastly Groove
Mikey was a brave little boy with messy brown hair and lots of freckles. He loved exploring and wasn't scared of anything - not even the spookiest places in town! On Elm Street, there was an old music store with dusty windows and a creaky door. The store had been closed for a very long time. But every night, something strange happened. *Plink... plink... plink...* Sad piano music would float out of the old store. The music sounded so lonely and mysterious. "That store is haunted!" said Mrs. Johnson from next door. "There's a ghost playing piano in there!" whispered Mr. Pete from across the street. "Nobody should go near that spooky place!" warned all the grown-ups. But Mikey wasn't scared. He was curious! "I want to know what's really making that music," he said. One evening, Mikey took his flashlight and walked up to the old music store. The windows were so dusty he couldn't see inside. He tried the front door - *creak!* - it opened! Inside, everything was covered in dust and cobwebs. Old guitars hung on the walls. Drums sat quietly in the corners. And right in the middle of the store was a big, old piano. *Plink... plink... plink...* The piano was playing all by itself! The keys moved up and down like invisible fingers were pressing them. "Ahh!" yelled Mikey. "It's a ghost piano!" Just then, he heard a voice from the back of the store. "Who's there?" Mikey, scared, fell backward on the floor. Out shuffled an old man with kind eyes and a gentle smile. He had gray hair and wore a cozy sweater. "Oh my!" said the old man. "I haven't had a visitor in years! I'm Mr. Harmony. I own this store." "I'm Mikey," said the boy. "Everyone thinks you're a ghost!" Mr. Harmony chuckled. "A ghost? Oh dear, no! I'm just a lonely old man who loves music. That's my player piano - it plays music all by itself when I wind it up." "Why does it only play sad songs?" asked Mikey. Mr. Harmony's smile faded a little. "Well, I've been sad for a long time. Ever since people stopped coming to my store. I only have sad music rolls for my piano now." Mikey felt sorry for Mr. Harmony. "I love music! Can you teach me to play?" Mr. Harmony's eyes lit up. "Really? You want to learn?" From that day on, Mikey visited Mr. Harmony every afternoon after school. The old man taught him how to play the drums - *tap-tap-tap!* He showed him how to strum the guitar - *strum-strum!* He even let Mikey try the piano - *plink-plink-plink!* As Mikey learned, they made music together. Happy music! Fun music! Music that made them both smile and laugh. *TAP-tap-PLINK-strum-TAP!* The more they played, the happier their songs became. Mr. Harmony even found some cheerful music rolls for his player piano. People walking by on Elm Street started to notice. Instead of sad, spooky music, they heard joyful tunes coming from the old store. "Listen!" said Mrs. Johnson. "What beautiful music!" "Someone's having fun in there!" said Mr. Pete. Soon, curious neighbors began peeking through the windows. They saw Mikey and Mr. Harmony making wonderful music together. "Excuse me," said a little girl one day, opening the store door. "Can I learn to play music too?" "Of course!" said Mr. Harmony with the biggest smile. More and more people came to the music store. Children wanted to learn instruments. Parents wanted to buy guitars and drums for their families. Mr. Harmony cleaned up his store and put fresh flowers in the windows. He hung up a bright new sign that said: "HARMONY'S MUSIC STORE - WHERE EVERYONE CAN MAKE MUSIC!" The old music store wasn't spooky anymore. It was filled with laughter, learning, and the most beautiful music on Elm Street. And it all started because one brave little boy named Mikey wasn't afraid to discover what was really behind the mysterious music. The End
About Ghastly Groove
Ghastly Groove Story Meaning & Lessons
Sometimes things aren't as scary as they seem!: Everyone thought the music store was haunted, but Mikey discovered it was just a lonely man with a special piano. Sometimes we need to look for ourselves to find out what's really true.
Being kind to someone who is lonely can make both of you happy: Mr. Harmony was sad because he didn't have any friends, but when Mikey became his friend and learned music with him, they both felt much happier!
When you're brave enough to try something new, wonderful things can happen: Mikey was brave enough to go into the mysterious store, and because of that, he made a new friend, learned to play music, and helped bring the whole community together!
Did You Know?: Player pianos are real musical instruments that can play songs all by themselves! They were invented over 100 years ago and work by using special paper rolls with holes punched in them. When air blows through the holes, it makes the piano keys press down and play music - just like Mr. Harmony's piano in the story! Some museums and old-fashioned places still have these amazing self-playing pianos today.
Sign up for early access
Twirl your very own tales
Enter your email and be the first to twirl your very own tales when we launch your personalised story creator.