The Maestro

Elizabeth (former fiancee)

The Maestro is a character in the short film Ghosts. He is a mysterious, reclusive being who dwells at Someplace Else, an old dilapidated mansion on the outskirts of the town of Normal Valley.

First appearing in the early 20th century, the Maestro became known to the local children, whom he would entertain with magic tricks, music, and dancing. In recent years, he came under fire by the parents of the children who, under the leadership of Mayor Winston, attempted to run him out of town. While they were unsuccessful, the children's visits to the mansion began to dwindle.

## Biography

### Amnesia and the Wolfe Family

The Maestro woke up in the attic of Someplace Else in the year 1882. Suffering from amnesia, he had no memory of his origins or how he came to be there. With nowhere else to go, he chose to stay in the house.

Soon after, the Maestro became involved with the nearby Wolfe family, consisting of the widowed John Wolfe and his two children, Will and Hannah. Hannah befriended the Maestro, often sneaking away from home to visit him.

In 1897, after the murder of a local woman, Will Wolfe took it upon himself to exact justice and unwittingly became a pawn of the vampire. Once he stopped killing, Will was attacked by the vampire, but managed to escape. The vampire went on to kill Hannah. The Maestro joined with the grieving John Wolfe and attempted to stop it, but John was killed and the Maestro was locked in the Wolfe family's cellar, which the vampire had been using as a resting place.

The next morning he was freed by Will, who was suffering the effects of vampirism. Rather than flee, the Maestro chose to stay and watched from the woods as an angry mob broke into their house, only to find Will had hung himself. Once the crowd dispersed, Maestro entered the house and found Will's ghost caught in a loop, repeating the events of his suicide. He promptly disrupted the loop, snapping Will out of his trance. Will became distraught when he realized he was trapped on Earth as a ghost, but accepted the Maestro's friendship and went with him to Someplace Else.

### Becoming a Legend

Beginning in the 1900s, the Maestro would entertain the local children at the mansion. He would summon his ghouls to dance for them or perform magic tricks, such as peeling off his skin or morphing into whimsical and monstrous creatures. In exchange, he made the children vow never to tell an adult what they saw there. However, in the late 1920s one of the children told his mother, who then spread the word throughout the town. Concerned parents addressed their grievances to Mayor Winston, who promptly led a lynch mob to the mansion. There they encountered the Maestro, who refused to leave his home. When threatened by Winston with forcible eviction, he locked the doors, trapping the townspeople inside, and subjected them to a show of his power. Amazed and frightened, the parents agreed to allow him to stay, but Winston continued to refuse. In response the Maestro singled him out, terrorizing him in various ways, including possessing him, forcing him to dance, and deforming his face. This continued until Winston fled from the house.

### The Child Murderer

Despite having "won over" the parents, the children eventually grew up and stopped visiting Someplace Else altogether. In 1932, a string of child murders reawakened the townspeople's suspicions, and Winston paid the Maestro another visit. After revealing what had been happening, the Maestro assumed he had come to accuse him of murdering the children and once again chased him away.

Shortly after Edith Keller, one of the children whom he had entertained, arrived with her husband. Edith, whose daughter had been killed, convinced Maestro to help them find the murderer. He agreed, and the next day they went to the town hall to speak to Winston. Unbeknownst to them, Thomas Fritz, a young streetrat, had followed Father Howard, a priest called by Winston to assess the Maestro, into the town hall and overheard the ensuing conversation. Father Howard was noticeably frightened of the Maestro, but claimed he was not "of the Devil".

After departing for Someplace Else, Maestro realized he was being followed and discovered Thomas. Thomas revealed that he had seen the murderer and asked to help. Maestro agreed and took Thomas with him to Someplace Else, introducing him to Will Wolfe. Will revealed that the murderer was one of the children Maestro knew.

After Thomas pointed out the murderer, the Maestro discovered it was Peter Lang. Maestro confronted him with photos of his victims, and Peter broke down, begging to be taken to the police. Realizing his pleas were futile, Peter claimed that he had learned all his tricks to luring in children from the Maestro himself. Enraged, Maestro possessed his body and forced him to dance to the point of exhaustion throughout the town. At the old town bridge, however, he either slipped or was pushed by the Maestro off the ledge and was killed on the rocks below.

The townspeople, having heard the ruckus caused by the ghouls, witnessed the event. Winston accused the Maestro of taking the law into his own hands, and the Maestro responded by saying he wanted nothing more to do with the living. He returned to Someplace Else and was confronted by Will, who pointed out that he had made the same mistake in life. The Maestro went to sleep in one of the mausoleums.

### Events of "The Maestro"

Fifty years later he was rudely awoken by a demolition crew come to tear down Someplace Else. After chasing them away, he visited the town hall and confronted the new mayor, Arthur Whipstaff. Whipstaff claimed he had no choice, as the house was considered a safety hazard.

Back at Someplace Else, Will Wolfe, who had left the mansion to travel the world in Maestro's absence, returned. After discussing the major historical events of the last half-century, Maestro came to the conclusion that he would have to remember his past in order to move forward. Hoping he could figure out a way to die once and for all, he began his quest for answers. However, he found that all attempts to force himself to remember resulted in crippling pain.

Three children, having heard of Maestro's return, ventured up to the mansion. Among them was Henry Bolet, a foster child under the control of Joseph Carmichael's spirit. Joseph, who had become addicted to mortal life, became frightened when he realized the Maestro could sense his presence. After the other children left, the Maestro spoke to Joseph sternly, but didn't force him to leave Henry's body.

A few days later Mary Muir, a new resident who had become obsessed with the mansion and the Maestro, showed up on his doorstep. Claiming she wanted to write a book about him, she asked for an interview. The Maestro, seeing it as an opportunity to assess his memories, agreed.

After just two "interviews", Henry Bolet was kidnapped by the vampire, in possession of an elderly Thomas Fritz, and forced to lure the Maestro into a trap. The vampire revealed Henry was possessed by a spirit, and claimed he could return the Maestro's memories to him. Unable to resist the offer, Maestro managed to convince the vampire to leave Thomas' body and follow him inside.

To be continued...