Some of you know Fonso. His story is very bittersweet, so please proceed with caution.

Fonso grew up part of a traveling Romani caravan in the northern part of Italy, and slowly moved south as opportunities for survival dried up. He learned at an early age to play a stolen violin and busk in the street to help put food on the table for his family. It was enough, at least until he reached his early teens. That was when the curse struck. No one from the caravan knew where it came from or why, but misfortune after misfortune hit the large Ricci family, slimming their numbers at an alarming rate. It was too consistent to be coincidence and too varied to be explained away. When only five members of the original caravan remained, Fonso left in hopes of escaping the curse with his life.

It wasn't easy adjusting to working alone. He took to pickpocketing, digging through the trash for food, and living only a little better than an animal when he was chased out of town with only his trusty violin to keep him company. At the age of twenty-five he met an associate of L'Omino, The Coachman of the notorious island of legend, Il Paese dei Balocchi. Starved and desperate, he agreed to take the ferry across the sea and work as a stable hand. It wasn't long before he realized that the rumors about the island were true. Worse, it was his job to take the poor boys-turned-donkeys to be shipped away to lives of servitude.

L'Omino assured him that the boys' curse was not permanent, and that it would simply last until they learned the value of hard work and integrity. Fonso wanted to believe him, but knew it wasn't true. He knew that every time he shepherded a crying colt to the stables, a fresh coat of blood was on his hands. He broke down one night when the weight of it became too much to bear. He begged anything that would listen for help, drowned his pain with wine, and passed out. The next morning his violin felt warm to the touch. It soothed the soul when he played it. He knew something had listened to his plea.

He played his violin every time he came to fetch one of the boys and made it his mission to make the transition as painless as he could. He played until his curse came calling, having found him when no other member of the Ricci family remained. It caused his heart to swell little by little every time he played his enchanted violin, but he never stopped bringing comfort to the boys. When his heart finally burst and the violin's strings finally snapped, he died with a smile on his face.