The False Note

A day in the life of an organ grinder, down on his luck, who wanders the streets of Paris, dreaming of what might be. He can’t help but crank out the occasional false note, just often enough to enrage his listeners and discourage any donations. He dreams of playing a large pipe organ. The juke box drowns him out at a cocktail bar, a church organ drowns him out on a street, pinball machines drown him out at Luna Park. The city’s neon lights and commercial posters overwhelm his small art. At the end of the day, he captures the tear of a calliope horse – his sole earnings for the day – which may prove magical.