The Drinkard and his wife pack their belongings and set out for an unknown place to find his tapster. A few miles into their journey, the wife remembers she left a gold trinket at their former home, which the Drinkard had burned down. Despite his warnings, she insists on going back. As she sifts through the ashes, a half-bodied baby emerges, speaking in a low voice. The couple flees, but the baby commands their eyes to be blinded and their breathing to stop, forcing them to return and take him. The baby rides on the wife’s head, whistling loudly. When they stop for food in a village, the baby swallows their meal and all the food-seller’s stock in a single gulp, causing the villagers to run them out of town. This happens in every village they enter. They are forced to travel through the bush, unable to put down the baby, who grows heavier and never sleeps. One night, hearing music, the baby commands them to go toward it.

They arrive at a clearing and find three living creatures: Drum, Song, and Dance. The half-bodied baby climbs down from the Drinkard’s head and joins them. When the creatures begin to perform, their music is so compelling that the Drinkard, his wife, and others are forced to dance along for five days straight without rest or food.