Storytelling Week 6: Never Stray

(Dog and Cat: Image Source)

There once was a dog and a cat that became good friends and decided to go on adventures together.

One day, they decided to go on a walk to the Peach orchard outside of town. As they were walking it started to rain. This was a problem because the cat, who was the leader of the two, HATED the rain. They knew that if they could get to the orchard then they would be sheltered by the trees so they hurried on.

They had to cross a river in the pouring rain. The cat hated rain but hated rivers more so he demanded that the dog carry him across. The dog agreed because he was a very good dog but was also kind of a pushover. 

The dog waded into the river carefully. Just as they reached the middle, he turned to check on his friend. But as he turned he lost his footing and briefly went under the water.

When he spluttered back to the surface, he didn't feel the sharp claws of his friend desperately clinging to his back anymore. He frantically swam to the opposite shore and searched the riverbank for the cat.

The dog spotted the cat in the middle of the stream, but the current was swift and carrying the cat far away. In a panic, he ran to a tree along the bank and asked it to give him a long branch that he could then use to save his friend.

"Okay," said the tree, "but first you must get these chipmunks out of my bark, they are annoying and store their nuts in me and it really is rather uncomfortable."

"Sorry tree," the dog replied "I have to save my friend now, I don't have time to deal with your problems!" And off he ran, desperately trying to keep his friend in sight.

He next approached a horse with a lead rope still attached to her bridle.

"Horse!" he barked over the sound of the rain, "please! give me use of your lead so that I might rescue my friend from the river with it!"

"Neigh, I will not. Unless... unless you find the farmer and tell him to bring me my apples! I am hungry! Do this for me and I will give you my rope."

"My friend is literally drowning right now, I do not have time to get you apples!" yelled the dog and chased on after the cat.

Just when the cat had had enough and could not hold on much longer, the dog found a small peninsula and was able to snag the cat out of the water. He rushed his friend to the shelter of the orchard and waited till the cat stopped coughing up water.

"Thank you, friend," the cat croaked when he could finally breathe again, "I thought for sure I was a gonner. I saw you go ask the tree and the horse for help and then keep running after me. I feared you would be distracted like this one grasshopper I knew-"

"Let's not speak of unpleasant things, cat, let's just enjoy the sound of the rain," said the dog with a grunt as he settled in under their tree.

"Yes, yes, you're quite right."

The cat fell asleep curled into the dog and the dog diligently watched the storm until it finally cleared.

Author's Note:

This story is based on The Grasshopper and the Ant. In that tale, the main characters are a grasshopper and an ant. The ant falls in the river and the grasshopper intends to save his friend but gets caught up trying to please everyone he asks for help. It's one of those stories where he has to get one thing for one animal (or being) so the next will give him something else and so on and so forth forever and a half. Anyway, by the time he gets all the items to all the right animals and beings, the ant has died. The final lesson is "help is only valuable when it is given in time, that the earth alone refuses not to yield her gifts to him that asks, and that all other things exist only by reciprocal services."

I enjoyed the original story for the most part (I hate reading the same list over and over again) but I wanted to change it up a bit. I made the main characters a cat and dog and allowed for my lovable dog character to have the smarts to turn down stupid requests for things that were not in dire need.

I liked that the original story ended with the ant dying because that was realistic, but I couldn't let the cat die (even though I'm a dog person) so I saved him instead. I also alluded to the grasshopper and the ant in my story for those of you who read it this past week! I hope you enjoyed!


Bibliography: Georgian Folktales unit. Story source: Georgian Folk Tales, The Grasshopper and the Ant, by Marjory Wardrop (1894).

Reading Notes, Part B: The Grasshopper and the Ant

(Grasshopper: photo by dorth1)

I enjoy stories like this though I don't know if it'll be fun writing it. I think I want to change up the main characters though I like the idea of keeping them small like bugs. I hoped that the end would go exactly as it did! Even though that's sad that his friend died, it's realistic. I think realistic stories hold more weight. I might edit out a step or two because it gets quite boring reading the same thing over and over again.

I might also deviate totally from the story line and just have my main character ask help from a couple beings and then help him himself. I think I'll keep the death and the moral lesson at the end the same though.

Bibliography:  Georgian Folktales unit. Story source: Georgian Folk Tales, The Grasshopper and the Ant, by Marjory Wardrop (1894).

Reading Notes, Part A: The Priest's Youngest Son

(Gun: Image Source)

I want to keep it as a dad and three sons but this time with the oldest one being the favored son. Instead of horses, the dad leaves them guns but the younger boys are lazy and don't want to go pick up the guns. The oldest one acquires all three and uses them in a three day shooting contest to win a date with the homecoming queen or something. Somehow he wins a competition because of the guns that his dad left him. I don't really know how to incorporate the sick mom at the end. I'll have to think about it.

Bibliography:  Georgian Folktales unit. Story source: Georgian Folk Tales, The Priest's Youngest Son, by Marjory Wardrop (1894).

Week 5 Storytelling: The Folly of an A(purrr)entice

My pupil, well he's my apprentice really, came to me one day and asked, "Wizard, what is the trickiest thing you've ever done?" And I told him to call me Harry ,as that is my name, and not "Wizard" as he said and then I whispered in his ear, for that is the best way to share secrets, that the trickiest thing I'd ever done was change myself into something else and sell myself for money. I then change back into myself and escape long before the fool that bought me has any idea what's going on.

My apprentice, Josh, the young lad, thought this was great fun and wanted to see me in action. I didn't see any problem with a bit of show and tell, after all, I am supposed to be teaching him the tricks of the trade, as his mother pays me to do, so why not?

I told him I'd show him something simple, something he could copy later if he wanted to. I decided to turn myself into a guitar but I told him to hold onto the talisman that I had transformed into a pick as that would be the thing that called me back to humanity after a short while. If anyone else possessed that talisman during the time of my Change, I would not be able to Change back and come home. He said he understood and looked at me very reverent like so I changed into a guitar and watched him place the pick in his pocket.

He sold me at an auction down the road and I stayed with the fool that bought me till he fell asleep that night. He was still mad that the boy hadn't sold him the pick as well and had grumbled all day about having to wait till tomorrow to go buy one. I quietly Changed back into a human, crept from his house and returned home safely.

Well Josh was excited to see me safely back the next morning but I think he was even more impressed that we were a couple hundred dollars richer. He asked me if I could do it again and I said I reckoned I could so we drove to a neighborhood close to a college campus and advertised a couch for sale. I turned my talisman into a couch pillow and myself into said couch and Josh sold me for a good sum.

I endured several hours of partying before I was finally able to leave. The drunk couple that had fallen asleep on me probably woke up on the floor the next morning a little confused and a lot hung over.

By this time, Josh and I had gotten used to the inflow of cash so he suggested I turn myself into an iPhone and he'd keep the talisman as a charger. I thought it was a good idea so that's what we did.

Well, when I came back from that adventure, Josh was gone, my talisman carelessly tossed in the floorboard of the van we'd been living in for the past while. All our cash was gone so I scratched my head and wondered if something had happened to him or if he'd just run off.

I decided I needed to at least check around for him so I hopped in the van and headed into town. Almost immediately, I had to stop because a line of people blocked the road. It didn't seem to be moving very quickly so I left the van and walked to the front of the line to see what all the fuss was about.

Well you wouldn't believe it but there was a huge, brand-spankin-new Coffee Houz filled to capacity occupying a corner that had been a vacant lot only yesterday when I'd passed through town as an iPhone.

There was a girl sitting at a table all by herself, crakin' pink bubble gum and smiling to beat the band, an empty Coffee Houz cup with the name TIFFANY in front of her. She was twirling a set of keys around her fingers and seemed to be counting customers as they came in. I could practically see the dollar signs in her eyes.

Well I thought I'd heard Josh mention something about a girl, something about a Tiffany a long while ago. It didn't take me long to put two and two together. This coffee shop was none other than my young apprentice and those keys were his talisman.

I didn't think that was right, taking all the money I'd Changed myself for and then thinking he could go on and make more money without me, so I Changed myself into an attractive surfer dude and made my way over to Tiffany. Well she all but threw those keys at me when I asked to buy the place for more money than she'd ever seen and take her to my "condo in Miami" where she would never have to lift a finger in her life.

Josh felt his talisman change hands (it wasn't the smartest decision to give it to Tiffany, he should have seen this coming, really) and I guess he began to panic because, suddenly, the Coffee Houz disappeared and a bright little sparrow practically rocketed across the sky. Well he wasn't getting away from me that easily so I Changed into a hawk and quickly caught up with him.

I had just about closed my talons around his small body when he Changed into a donut and fell into a business man's lap. The man seemed to be on a diet based on the empty salad bowl, apple core and water beside him on the bench and was very pleased to receive a donut from the sky.

I quickly landed and Changed myself into a homeless man and shuffled over.

He seemed to be a pretty agreeable fellow with a good heart so I told him I hadn't had food in days and could sure use something to eat if he had something to spare. He didn't really want to give me the donut (Josh did make an incredibly good looking donut, I'll give him that) but he finally relented and tossed it over to me.

I nearly dropped him (the business man wasn't the most coordinated fellow) but I finally got a firm grasp on him and held him close. I moseyed on over to my van, the donut still in a death grip, and hopped in. I pulled his talisman out of my pocket and said a spell over it.

Josh changed into a grey and white cat (I'd always wanted a cat) and his talisman became his leash and collar. This would be a permanent spell, one he could not escape from. His mother would not be able to pay me enough to make up for his foolishness so now I had a life companion.

I allowed for him to talk because every Wizard needs a magical talking pet (it's probably in the job description somewhere). I reckon for the rest of our days, I've got me cat that'll warn my future apprentices about the dangers of defying me. What a future I've got ahead of me!






(Angry Apprentice Cat: Image Source)


Author's Note: 
I had a great time writing this (it's a lot more fun if you read it in an old man's rambling and vaguely southern voice). The original story deals with a wizard and his apprentice who cheat several people out of money by changing into things that are sold. I kept the element of something being left behind to come back to because I felt that fit into my story well. The apprentice eventually thinks he can outsmart his teacher and turns himself into a bathing house and leaves the keys with his mother. His mother doesn't realize the importance of the keys so when the wizard finds out what's going on, he is able to convince the woman to sell him the bathhouse and give him the keys.  In a panic, the apprentice flees and seeks refuge with the Padishah by turning himself into a rose. The wizard comes in as a minnesinger and eventually convinces the Padishah to give him the rose. Before he can grab it, however, the apprentice changes again into a millet pulp so the wizard changes into a rooster and eats him up but misses a piece so the apprentice changes back into himself and wrings his teacher's neck and kills him. He then goes back home and him and his mother live happily ever after and make all the money they want. 

I didn't think the ending was very fair, neither the wizard or the apprentice seem to be the best guys but the apprentice was shadier and a brat so I thought he should be punished. I made the things the wizard changed himself into a little more modern to relate to the current time period and, like I said, changed the ending. I also changed it from a story telling style to a first person stream of consciousness narrative from the wizard's point of view. I feel like this helps the reader get even more into the story. I hope you enjoyed!!


Bibliography:

This story is in the Turkish Fairy Tales unit. Story source: Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales: The Wizard and his Pupil by Ignacz Kunos, with illustrations by Willy Pogany (1913).

Reading Notes, Part B: Turkish Fairy tales: The Wizard and his Pupil

This story reminded me of the King Arthur Disney movie from forever ago! The one where Merlin takes Arthur under his wing and turns him into a squirrel and stuff! I think this would be a lot of fun to re-tell.

I like the idea of having to hold on to a piece of the changed person so they don't get lost. In the end though, I think I'll have the wizard capture his apprentice and keep him as a pet or something for eternity so he can warn other apprentices not to mess up or do wrong. I don't think the apprentice should have "won."

so first I'll have the wizard turned into a pawn shop item, then a piece of furniture, then an electronic device. Then I'll have the apprentice turned into a coffee shop and he'll give the keys to his girlfriend. The Wizard will trick her into giving him the keys by showing up as a super hot guy that's totally interested in her.

There will be a chase scene but, in the end, the wizard is able to trap the apprentice in one form (probs a crow or a cat) for eternity.

(Angry Cat: Image Source)

Bibliography:

This story is in the Turkish Fairy Tales unit. Story source: Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales: The Wizard and his Pupil by Ignacz Kunos, with illustrations by Willy Pogany (1913).

Reading Notes, Part A: Turkish Fairy Tales: Fear

I don't like the storytelling format of most of these stories. It feels condescending to me. I am not a child, I have outgrown this type of bedtime story. That is why I usually do not write in this style.

(What is Love?: Image Source)

Instead of fear, I want the young man to be in search of love. Throughout the piece, I'll have him look for love and he'll find it in different places.

for example,
- Bringing soup to his sick mother
- getting hugs from children
- owning and training an animal
- finally meeting a woman he falls in love with

I will probably have to use both parts of this story in order to tell the whole thing.
I think I'll probably write in first person or third person omniscient, I haven't decided yet.



Bibliography:
 This story is part of the Turkish Fairy Tales unit. Story source: Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales by Ignacz Kunos, with illustrations by Willy Pogany (1913).

Week 4 Story: Connor: Boy Legend

There is this one high school in the middle of nowhere where a small pack of boys think they have it all. Sure, they're all young and good looking and popular but they're all very stupid. Fortunately for them, though they don't know it yet, their leader's mom makes her youngest son tag along with the group. This young boy is wise beyond his years. He might be a little nerdy and not as good looking as the rest of them, but he has amazing manners and is pure of heart.

Now, this group of good-looking boys and their nerdy little tag along have gone on many adventures but my favorite of them all was when they went to the big park in town and encountered a pack of pretty girls gossiping by the fountain.

The girls were just a little bit older than the boys and, while they gossiped, they casually checked their beautiful reflections in the pond's surface.

When the boys saw them, they stopped in their tracks with their mouths hanging open. Never before had they seen such beautiful girls!

The oldest, their leader, grouped his friends and his little brother together to go over their game plan.
"Okay guys, lets yell things at them so they look at us and notice how cool and good-looking we are!"

The idea was probably foolproof so no one objected, thought the little brother, Connor, stayed behind the group and watched.

The boys catcalled at the girls from across the park for a good while, but the girls didn't look up. Finally, the oldest girl got very annoyed and called out "we don't know you, little boys, why don't you go home to your mommies and leave us alone?"

The boys scoffed and kicked at the ground and grumbled about how dumb those girls were. Connor, who had been watching diligently the whole time, got up off the ground, brushed off his pants, and calmly walked over to the group of girls.

"Excuse me, ladies?" Connor asked politely. "I'm very sorry about how my brother and his friends acted toward you all, our mother did not raise us to act like that. I think you are all very beautiful and would love to make your acquaintance."
He spoke so elegantly and sweetly that all the girls began to fuss and coo over him. They patted his hair and gave him hugs and invited him to hang out at the park with them the next day. Some even offered to babysit sometime (they were much older than him after all).

The group of boys stared at Connor and the girls in shock.

When the girls finally released Connor and all goodbyes were exchanged, Connor skipped back to his brother and their friends.

"Dude. How did you do that?" His brother asked him.
"Come on, I'll teach you all. Those girls need dates to dances later in the year!" Connor replied happily.

From then on, little Connor was a legend that taught boys how to respect women.

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Author's Note: 
The original story, Saint Comgall and the Mice, featured a wise monk, his disciples and some swans. Our story lines are pretty much the same other than the change in character's. The monk's name was Comgall but I changed it to Connor and made him a young, polite little boy. I found the original story quite funny, especially when I imagined it the way I told it! I hope y'all enjoyed!

Bibliography: Saint Comegall and the Mice. The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts by Abbie Farwell Brown (1900).

Image Source (This is actually the fountain at the Harbor in Rockwall, Texas! My hometown!)