The Peachwood Flute

Noriaki is a ronin--a masterless samurai--and his flute-playing days are behind him. But when he and his companions wander into a cursed village, his forgotten skills may be the only thing that can save them.

Fantasy short story set in medieval Japan. Originally published in The Shimmering Door, edited by Katharine Kerr and Martin H. Greenberg, HarperPrism, August 1996.