A FRENCH HORN that once lived in a music school had gotten very tired from the many rehearsals and started thinking of ways to let off steam. “Why don’t you pick up cycling?”, the trumpet suggested, “it’s a very good sport, but always be mindful of the traffic, especially at night”.

The horn gave it some thought and decided that it would indeed be a very nice way to relax after a music lesson. He, then, asked the trumpet to teach him how to ride the bike. She agreed: first, she asked him to ride with training wheels and only in streets with no cars or motorcycles. A couple of weeks later, however, and as he learned how to keep balance, he thought he could take it to the next level.

“You know how to spin the pedal very well, yet it’s important that you learn how to properly use the bicycle horn when needed”, the trumpet told him, and added: “the simplest thing to do is avoid streets with cars or motorbikes altogether”. She then led him to a bigger street and explained to him how to respect traffic lights and pedestrians. Furthermore, she asked him to try his bike horn to make sure everything was ok. They also agreed that the French horn would ride ahead and the trumpet would follow on her own bike.

The French horn spinned the pedals smoothly at first. Seeing he was doing well, he took courage and started spinning quicker and quicker, his wheels turning faster and faster. So proud did he feel that he could eventually ride free, that he forgot the trumpet who was following him on her own bike to look after him. He ran and ran, and as soon as he saw a pedestrian or another bicycle, he sounded his horn to avoid bumping onto them. The trumpet tried to catch up with him, but in vain: a few streets later and with the dark of the night kicking in, they were both lost.

The French horn got really scared when he realized he was too far away from the trumpet. So, he thought of turning back. He switched his bicycle lights on, and took the long way back to the music school, through streets that he had not treaded before. So scared was he, that every time he saw a bicycle, a motorbike, a car or a pedestrian, he instantly sounded his horn just to make sure he would be noticed. He kept pedaling through the darkness, hoping that he would eventually make it back home, yet the bicycle lights proved to be insufficient only a few minutes later, as the streets lacked proper lighting.

“Hopefully all will go well”, the French horn said and kept on his way. On the other side of the road, however, a motorbike appeared that sped up at his direction.

Frightened, the French horn sounded the bicycle horn and flashed his lights so as to be seen by the motorbike’s rider, yet to no avail, as the bike kept approaching him in a threatening manner. Seeing he wouldn’t stop, the French horn then thought of playing music from his tube as loud as he could: he let out a sound so deafening and melodic as if coming from an orchestra, to the point that the unsuspecting motorbike rider froze right on spot. As soon as he saw the French horn riding the bike, he came down from his motorcycle and apologized.

“Now you know that one must not only know how to ride a bike”, said the trumpet that found him on the next square underway, “but also to know how to sound his horn loud especially when others don’t hear him”.

Then, they both returned safely to the music school and told the other musical instruments the story. From that day the French horn became a great cyclist, and enjoyed peaceful rides in streets with lights and little traffic, so his horn could be best heard.