There was once a monastery of monks in the hills near a lively town. These monks were renowned for their singing voices. Every day they sang for hours to perfect their craft. Their voices dazzled the town. One the youngest monks was Sam.


Sam was gifted. Everyone knew that. But on his 19th birthday, he sang a perfect note of pure magic. Everyone who heard him froze, their souls stirred by the pure bliss of the tone. Sam was the first person in history to hit one of the rumored Magical Notes that musicians theorized must exist. And now Sam had hit what they called Note One.

On Sam's 20th birthday, it happened again. The town below was so touched that no one moved or spoke for several minutes. As the golden sound finally faded, they knew Sam had found the Note Two...

By the third year on Sam's birthday, the town could see the pattern. All of the townspeople were present in the monastery's nave, waiting in awe, as Sam hit the glorious Note Three. People wept with joy as the note grew to its glorious crescendo. The town flourished as Sam's singing changed lives for the better.

This continued for the next few years, the Magical Notes growing sweeter and more glorious. Then came Sam's 25th birthday. All was normal until Sam hit the next Magical Note. From the start, Sam seemed very uncomfortable. This new sound was not beautiful at all! It was jarring and discordant. Sam's face turned red, and he began to sweat profusely but he kept singing.

Suddenly, to the horror of all, Sam spontaneously combusted! The closest monks on stage were burned by the pyre erupting from his body. The church caught fire and people rushed to extinguish the flames. Miraculously, everyone made it out except for poor Sam.

The townsfolk walked away in sad, stunned disbelief. The mayor approached the chief monk. "What happened?" he asked.

The old monk shook his head, fell to his knees, and wept. "Isn't it obvious?" he wailed. "Sam sung Note Seven."