King Leo was a musician. He wore a tiny gold crown and carried a blue drum. Boom, boom, boom! He loved kind songs. He played them for sleepy mice, busy bees, and little lions.
One rainy evening, King Leo came to the Haunted Mansion. The mansion had tall windows. It had a creaky door. Crrreeeak! But King Leo was gentle and brave.
“I hear a sad sound,” he said.
From inside came a tiny tune. Plink... plink... plink.
At the door waited Lion, a fluffy young lion with a green scarf. Lion was big, but he felt scared of dark halls.
“Hello, King Leo,” Lion whispered. “The mansion lost its happy melody. Without it, the lamps blink, the chairs wobble, and the ghosts cannot dance.”
“Then we will find the melody,” said King Leo. “Together.”
They stepped inside. The floor said, “Creak, creak.” A friendly white ghost floated by.
“Boo?” said the ghost.
“Hello,” said King Leo.
The ghost smiled. “Hello!”
King Leo tapped his drum. Boom-boom. Lion clapped his paws. Clap-clap. The ghost twirled in a circle.
Then a voice came from upstairs.
“No music!” it shouted.
It was the Rebel Leader. He wore a black coat and a very silly hat with three feathers. He had taken the mansion’s Golden Music Box.
“I want everything quiet,” grumbled the Rebel Leader. “Quiet is best!”
But his nose made a loud sneeze. “Achoo!”
Lion gave a small giggle. King Leo gave a small giggle too.
The Rebel Leader stomped away. Thump, thump, thump! He ran into the Moon Room and locked the door.
King Leo looked at Lion. “Can we go on?”
Lion’s ears shook. “I am scared.”
King Leo put a warm paw on Lion’s paw. “It is okay to be scared. We can walk slowly.”
“Slowly,” said Lion.
They found three glowing buttons on the wall: red, yellow, and blue. Above them were little pictures: a drum, two paws, and a dancing ghost.
King Leo knew what to do. “We need our sounds!”
He played, “Boom-boom!” Lion clapped, “Clap-clap!” The friendly ghost said, “Boo-boo!”
The buttons shone bright. Red! Yellow! Blue!
Click! The Moon Room door opened.
Inside, the Rebel Leader sat beside the Golden Music Box. He looked sad. Very sad.
“I did not mean to make the mansion gloomy,” he said. “I just cannot sing. When everyone sings, I feel left out.”
King Leo sat beside him. “You do not have to sing. You can make your own sound.”
“What sound?” asked the Rebel Leader.
King Leo gave him two shiny spoons from a table. “Try these.”
The Rebel Leader tapped them together. Ting-ting!
Again. Ting-ting, ting-ting!
Lion roared softly, “Rrrr-oom!” King Leo played his drum. Boom-boom! The ghost floated in loops. Boo-boo!
The Rebel Leader smiled. “I can do ting-ting!”
“Yes!” said King Leo. “That is your music.”
The Rebel Leader opened the Golden Music Box. A bright, happy tune flew out like yellow butterflies. La-la-la! The lamps glowed. The chairs stopped wobbling. The old mansion was not scary now. It was cozy and bright.
All the ghosts came to dance. They wore tiny bow ties and shiny shoes. Lion danced with King Leo. Left paw, right paw, turn!
The Rebel Leader played his spoons. Ting-ting! Everyone cheered.
For being brave, kind, and clever, King Leo received a special treasure: a silver drum with a little moon on it. When he tapped it, it made the sweetest sound in the world.
Boom, boom, moon!
Lion received a green treasure box full of honey cookies. The Rebel Leader received a red music badge that said, “Good Friend.”
King Leo smiled under his gold crown. “Every sound can belong in a song.”
And in the Haunted Mansion, every night ended with music, dancing, and one very happy little boo.