Storytelling for Week 14: Morals Every 20-Something Should Live By

Morals Every 20-Something Should Live By

(A Picture of 20-Somethings!)

Have Empathy

Everywhere you go,
Everyone you meet,
Might be putting on a show,
Almost a performance in the street.
That is why,
We must try,
To counter their denial
With a loving smile.
Everyone is made
In their own special grade,
Of flesh and blood
And not one of us is a dud.

Have Humor

Life is hilarious
If not a bit precarious
And we must live
In order to give
A smile to
People that are going through
Crap.

Change is Consistent

Nothing remains the same
This does not require shame.
In anything we go through
And no matter what we do,
It will change again.
Change is the reason for growth
We as humans must endure both.
No need to fear the alternations
For it happens to even the greatest nations.
We must keep our chins up,
Buttercups,
And never let anything dull our sparkle.

Food is Good

Never diet.
Don't even try it.
Food is a gift to the planet
You want healthy? Do a pomegranate.
Don't worry about your weight
God made you great
It's our fate
To live beyond ourselves
So stop looking at your pantry shelves
Deciding what has fat
You have better things to do than that.

Author's Note: I decided to not base my Storytelling on any of the poems from this week's unit. They were all too short and simple. They all had morals at the end and I loved that. I also found this article, The 9 Morals Every 20-Something Should Live By by Lilliana De Ciantis  and I love it. I decided to use four of those morals in my version of La Fontaine's Fables. I rhymed everything and I feel like we, as 20-somethings can easily relate!

Storytelling for Week 13: Pester Hrynne

Pester Hrynne

(Pester Hrynne [Hester Prynne from the Scarlet Letter] before her and her brother's exile)

Charles knew he had a problem. His younger sister was always rather attractive to him. More attractive than she should have been considering the hereditary relationship. He was a priest as well, so this was an especially immoral situation to be in. He fought his urge to act on his feelings for his sister for many years. As she continued to grow into a young woman, though, resistance became futile.

One day Charles broke. I will spare you the details of the horrendous act he committed on his sister. I will tell you, however, that Charles and his sisters' lives were changed forever on that day.

Time went on and neither brother nor sister spoke a word of what had occurred. If words were to slip, both of their reputations would be tainted, if not destroyed, in a heartbeat and they would be sent into exile. Because of their silence, Charles relaxed as time went on and no longer worried about the ramifications of his actions. That is until two months after the act had been committed.

Charles' younger sister was with child. He panicked. His sister was distraught but slightly excited at the idea of having a child. Just not with her brother. Charles, not sharing in any of his sibling's excitement, sat down to create a plan.

He decided that the two of them were going to play the second Virgin Mary card. His little sister would claim to be a virgin in front of the entire congregation of the church during Charles' next service. Being the mastermind of this plan, he would not blaspheme the Lord because he would use a book instead of a Bible and use regular water during the ceremony than Holy water. This would make the ritual of his sister's testimony seem true to the congregation, she would be hailed the new mother of Christ, and Charles' would be the honored priest that officiated the ceremony. It was a perfect plan.

The day of the ceremony came and the little sister knelt at the alter with her large belly in front of her brother. He asked her to swear on the "Bible" (book) that she was a virgin and no one had touched her. She swore to this statement with "No man has touched me more than my brother would" and was washed with the "Holy water" (drinking water). The congregation, not considering incest to be an option, were instantly in awe of the pregnant woman and her belly.

There was one bishop in the sanctuary that held a spot of suspicion, however. The bishop could not get over the young girl's phrase of "No man has touched me more than my brother would". He had a gut feeling that the brother had indeed touched her in the way needed for a baby to be conceived. He acted on his suspicion and listened in on the pastor's conversation with his sister that night. What he overheard were the plans of the two siblings to keep their baby a secret.

"I will be our baby's father by assuming the position of adoptive father in front of the congregation. That way I can sincerely fulfill my paternal duties without guilt and under the approval of the congregation. All will be well."

The bishop with his newly acquired knowledge ran to inform the congregation of what he had heard. The next day during Charles' sermon, the congregation interrupted him and began the confrontation. Everything came crashing down and Charles was denounced as the church's pastor and the brother and sister were sent into exile with their incestuous child.

Author's Note: Yeah, I know this is a weird story...it's based off of The Virgin With Child in the Queen's Stories Unit. This was a very unsettling story to when I read it. I decided to switch it up a bit and let the audience know the entire time what was going on. The original story does not let the reader know that there is incest until the very end. I did not like that surprise, so I changed it! And the ending is different, too. In the original, the pastor just openly admits to his fraud when asked, which is dumb since he went through so much to cover the secret to begin with. I invented the bishop to eavesdrop in order to make the story more interesting.

Storytelling for Week 12: Girls Scout Nursery Rhyme Collections

Girl Scout Camp Nursery Rhymes:

(Picture of Girl Scouts!)

Miss Suzy had a steamboat

The steamboat had a bell

DING DING

Miss Suzy went to heaven

The steamboat went to—

Hello operator

Please give me number nine

And if you disconnect me

I’ll kick you from behind—

The refrigerator

There lies a piece of glass

Miss Suzy sat upon it and broke her little—

Ask me no more Questions

Tell me no more lies

The boys are in the bathroom zipping up their—

Flies are in the meadow

Bees are in the park

Miss Suzy and her boyfriend

Are kissing in the D-A-R-K, D-A-R-K

Dark, Dark, Dark—

Darker than the ocean

Darker than the sea

Darker than the underwear my mommy puts on me

Now I know I know my ma, and I know I know my pa

And I know I know my sister with the forty acre bra!

                               ~~~ 

Oh I wish I were a little juicy orange (juicy orange)

Oh I wish I were a little juicy orange (juicy orange)

I'd go squirty, squirty, squirty over everybody's shirty

Oh I wish I were a little juicy orange (juicy orange)

Oh I wish I were a little girly scouty (girly scouty)

Oh I wish I were a little girly scouty (girly scouty)

I'd go tramp, tramp, tramp through the boyscout camp
Oh I wish I were a little girly scouty (girly scouty)

                               ~~~

Out of my tent flap looking in the night
I can see my counselors, OOO what a sight
Cold cream on their face
And rollers in their hair
I can even smell their dirty underwear

Counselors, I would like to kick you out
I would like to kick you out, out, out
Counselors, take a swim out in the lake
You might get eaten by a polka-dotted snake

                               ~~~

(Circle of girls is formed and there is one person in the center. She skips around the inside of the circle while everyone sings the following song. When the song gets to "she stopped in front of me", the person in the center stops at a girl and does a jig. Then the girl in the circle switches with the center girl and does the dance. This is the new center person.)

Little Sally Walker, walking down the street
She didn't know what to do so she stopped in front of me
She said: Hey girl do yo thank, do yo thang and switch
Hey girl do yo thang do yo thang and switch!

                              ~~~

Grasping the neck,

I keep your finger in check

Holding so tight,

I make your hand gleam bright

(Answer: a ring)

                              ~~~

Beautiful sounds I can provide

The only catch is I must go inside

Keep me on low

Or your hearing will go!

(Answer: headphones)

Author's Note: I read Nursery Rhymes for this week's reading unit! A few of the first stories I told for the storytellings were completely in rhyme because I enjoy writing like that so much, so this unit was an obvious choice for me. All of these rhymes were from the British Isles so I decided to make my storytelling this week on the rhymes I grew up with in Girl Scouts! I can't believe I still remember all of these...guess it just goes to show you how much repetition can really engrave something into your brain!

Storytelling for Week 11: What Women Really Want

What Women Really Want

(The Favored Knight of the Kingdom: Source)

Once upon a time in a land far far away from here, there lived a King and Queen and their most favored knight. This knight was the royal couple's favorite because of his ability to uphold every knightly responsibility without fail until the fateful day when he disrespected one of the kingdom's fair maidens.

As the law told at this time, the knight who disrespected a maiden was immediately sentenced to death and no one would speak of his existence again. This punishment proved to be a problem for the King and Queen because of the accused knight's favored status in the kingdom.

The King was reluctantly ready to end the life pf his favorite knight, but the Queen begged and begged for her husband to spare him. The king fell to his wife's request and gave her the power to decide whether the knight lived or died, leaving the King out of the equation.

The knight gratefully visited the Queen and knelt before her as she spoke to him in a strictly disappointed tone, "Sir knight, you have not escaped the grasp of death just yet. I will allow you to live if, upon one year's time, you return and tell me the truest desire of all women." The knight, reveling in his life's span of an additional year eagerly accepted the task and set off immediately to fulfill his Queen's request.

All over the world the knight searched for the next year. He never found a definitive answer though. Some women said riches while other said security or happiness. Not one answer held true for more than any of the others. In sadness, the knight was forced to return to the kingdom with his head lowered as he thought about the noose that was awaiting him.

Upon reaching the outskirts of the kingdom's walls, the knight came across an old hunchbacked women sitting along the tree line. "Old maiden," cooed the knight, "May I trouble you with the burdens of my heart and mind?" The old woman nodded in agreement for she was of a kind hearted nature and wanted to help the knight. "I am on my way to my death for I have failed to uncover the desire of all women at the request of my Queen." The old woman pondered the knight's statement for a moment and with her ages of wisdom decided that she knew exactly how to help him. "I will tell you the desire of any women's heart to save your life as long as you do the very first thing that I ask of you." The knight, of course, agreed for his life was on the line and the old woman whispered the secret in his ear and he was off to the Queen's court.

After the Queen received the knight into her throne room, the knight proudly told her of the discovery he had made, "Dear Queen, the utmost desire of any woman on this earth is to have complete power over their husband." The Queen sat back in her throne with a smirk on her face, not able to deny this fact, and allowed the knight to keep his life.

The knight was overjoyed that the wisdom of the old lady had saved his life and just as he was turning to enjoy his freedom, he saw the old maiden in the doorway. "Dear Mother," the knight exclaimed, "You have saved me from the noose! Please tell me what it is that you desire of me. The very first thing." The old woman's mouth gave way to a toothless smile as she said, "Take me as your wife."

The knight stopped in his foot steps as he realized he had to keep his word to this old woman. "Please madame, do not do this. Choose another request, take all my riches, my house! But please do not take my freedom."

"You must marry this elder woman, sir knight," declared the Queen from her perch, "If you made a promise to her, you must keep your word, lest I decide to take your life once and for all for, yet again, disrespecting a maiden of this kingdom."

(The Queen that held power over her husband and the favored knight: Source)

At this, the knight reluctantly took the old woman to be his wife and was respectful to her for the rest of their years together.

Author's Note: This story is from the Canterbury Tales Unit and is based off of The Unknown Bride Tale. I really like this story because of the king and queen aspect, those always get to me! In the original story, the old woman turns out to be a beautiful maiden that had taught the knight a lesson before she revealed her true self after their marriage. I liked it that way in the original, but I really didn't like the fact that the knight had disrespected a woman in the kingdom in the first place, managed to have his life spared twice by the King and Queen, and still didn't mention being sorry for whatever it was he had done to the woman. I felt that he needed to be punished for a while longer by just marrying the old woman against his will. The old woman got to live with his fortune for the rest of her days, so it worked out for her!

Bibliography: Tappan, Eva, The Chaucer Storybook: The Unknown Bride, 1908.

Storytelling for Week 10: Canine Kids

Canine Kids

(The Five Puppies! Source)

I used to live in a village with my family and our tribe. We had a sufficient little tent that kept us warm in the winter and cool in the summer. There weren't children of my own age that lived in my tribe for my parents were older in age upon conceiving me. So my sole companion was my dog best friend.

We did everything together, day in and day out. He would always sleep at the foot of my bed to keep me company and my feet warm. I never should have allowed him to sleep in the bed with me for he ruined my future. Little did I know until the day my belly grew out that my dog best friend turned into a human at night and lied with me with I slept. I was pregnant with my canine's children.

Father, in a rage, killed my dog while mother held me back. My family was ashamed of me and hated me because of my condition. They told the entire tribe and decided to leave me to die in the embers of my people's old village.

Hearing my sobs of sadness, Crow happened to stop by to see what the trouble was. I told her all that had happened and she took pity on me and nursed me until I had my children: four boy pups and one female. Crow took her leave to tend to her family once the kids were born and I was left to raise my five non-human offspring.

I learned to take very good care of them and they grew so quickly to the point where I needed to leave the house to search for food everyday to keep up with their hungry stomachs. One day as I left the house, I heard giggling and playing from behind the door I had just closed. I opened it as quickly as possible only to see my offspring huddled by the fire. I closed the door again. More giggling. I knew something was a miss.

I decided to put my shawl over the handle of a shovel to make my figure appear to be digging for clams. I snuck around to the back door and peeked inside at my children whom, to my shock, were all human! Four little boys and one little girl! I flew the door open and scolded them for hiding this form from their mother. Raising human children is a lot more practical than raising canine kids.

From that day on, my children remained in their human form and I taught my boys how to hunt everything under the sun and sea. My daughter learned in the ways of the house and helping me and I did not allow her a dog as a friend. I learned that lesson the hard way.

My sons became so skilled at hunting that soon the beaches were covered with the whales they had harpooned and we were never hungry. Crow stopped by one night to see why there were so many carcases on the beach and I told her of my now human children and their capabilities. We fed Crow to her stomach's content and I told her to not tell my tribe of our prosperity for their abandonment was still freshly pained in my mind.

Crow agreed and flew home to her family which was also where my tribe had moved to. I came to learn that Crow disobeyed me and told my tribe of what she had found. I know this because my entire tribe came from across the bay the very next day to move back.

I had grown an independent woman in the strife and hard times caused by the dog and my family and tribe. I did not want them moving back here. I did not want their fake apologies now that they knew we were prospering. So I denied them. I told them to leave back to where they came from and never to speak with me again.

All I need is my children. We have everything we need and all the love we could ever want.

Author's Note: This story was based off of the Native American Marriage Unit with the story of The Dog-Husband. In the original version, the story is told from the third person view of a narrator. I chose to change the perspective to that of the young girl going through all this trouble! That only made sense to me to include her thoughts on this story. Also, at the end of the story the tribe returns and the woman accepts them back. I hated that. The tribe was just using her at this point! Not okay. So I had her deny their return in my version, serves them right!

Bibliography: Stith, Thompson, The Dog-Husband, Tales of the North American Indians, 1929.

Storytelling for Week 9: The Mandrill and His Bum

The Mandrill and His Bum

(Mandrill)

ONCE Mandrill reigned as the ruler of all the land. Many times a day animals would come to him for his seemingly infinite wisdom and ruling thumb. What the animals did not know, however, is that Mandrill was very selfish and misguided everyone that came to see him just so he could get a laugh for himself. Mandrill loved the power that came with his title of ruler. He abused it in every way he could. He spent his days perched on his bum in his golden throne and making life hard for everyone else.

Monkey came to Mandrill and asked why his stomach hurt after he ingested anything with milk. Mandrill knew that it was just a simple case of lactose intolerance, but he told Monkey that his stomach was hurting because all he could ingest were bananas. Monkey believed Mandrill and vowed to never eat anything but bananas for the rest of eternity. Mandrill cackled.

Giraffe came to Mandrill and told him of the difficulty he had in reaching the leaves of the trees for nourishment. Mandrill knew that Giraffe simply needed to just eat grass for that was within his reach. Instead, Mandrill told Giraffe to keep stretching and stretching his neck until the leaves were in his reach. Giraffe vowed to stretch his neck until he could not stretch anymore. Mandrill cackled.

Alligator came to Mandrill and asked why he was so cold all the time. Mandrill knew Alligator was always cold because he was a cold blooded reptile and that was just how he worked. Mandrill told Alligator, however, that if he wanted to get warm he just had to lay in the sun with his mouth wide open. Alligator took his advice and is still determined to this day to get warm by holding his mouth agape. Mandrill cackled.

One day, traveling Coyote watched the Mandrill sit on his throne and give the horrible advice to all the animals. He thought it peculiar that these animals so willingly do as they were suggested by this Mandrill creature. As he continued to watch, Coyote realized that Mandrill was being a horrid creature and tricking all the animals. He decided to do something about it.

Coyote went to Monkey, Giraffe, and Alligator along with all the other animals and told them of his observations. The animals were outraged and vowed to get revenge on their tyrant ruler.

When Mandrill slept in his tall tree one night, the animals decided to line the throne's seat with blueberries in hopes that Mandrill would sit on them and squish them all come morning. This would stain his bum blue, thus making Mandrill the laughing stock of all the land. Mandrill would not be the one laughing upon sunrise.

The next morning, Mandrill sleepily swung to his throne over the land and plopped right down in the chair without thinking twice. When his bum hit the seat, a gigantic squishing sound erupted and Mandrill froze in his place. His eyes widened as he watched his subjects trickle from the forest line in a booming cloud of laughter. Mandrill leaped into the air and looked at his now completely blue bum in shock.

Mandrill no longer ruled the land after this incident. He now is known for his blue bum and is often the laughing stock of all the animals upon glimpsing his rear end.

Author's Note: This story is based off of the British North America Unit but no single story in particular. I really love the personification of animals in general throughout Native American stories. I also love how each story explains at least one phenomena of the world. So I decided to combine my two favorite aspects of Native American stories into this original tale about the blue bottom of a Mandrill! I hope you enjoyed it :)

Bibliography: Judson, Myth and Legends of British North America, 1917.
 

Storytelling for Week 7: How Lena Passed the Test

How Lena Passed the Test

(Scholar. Source)

There once was a history professor named Larry that dedicated his life to creating two very difficult tests. Larry was very proud of his creations. He had spent many a year forming the most perfect questions with very specific answers. The level of difficulty was not necessarily hard, but the student taking the tests would need to know their stuff. Larry did, however, add one question to the end of each test that was near impossible to answer. Only a well-rounded, intelligent individual could figure both answers out. The answers to these two questions were "why?" and "why not?". Larry decided that anyone who wanted to take his tests would have to answer these two questions first; before taking the rest of the exam.

One day, a studying Ph.D. student came to the professor's doorstep. He had heard about the difficulty of the tests and was very sure of himself in being able to accept the challenge. He offered Larry a participation fee.

"I will only accept your participation fee if you can answer these two questions before the rest of the test."

The Ph.D. student looked at the questions and could not figure out the answers so he left in frustration to see how he could figure them out.

Then a well-known scholar from a neighboring city came to the professor's house with his dog for the tests.

"May I take your tests, sir? I have come to see your handy work."

"You may only take my tests if you can answer the last question of each test first."

The scholar looked at the questions and could not figure them so he left in sadness back to his city. The dog did not follow though, he decided to make his master happy and stick around with the professor. The dog managed to overhear the professor say the answers of the two questions and he scampered off to find his master.

Halfway home the dog was very thirsty and stopped to drink from a puddle. After drinking, he could not remember the answer to the questions! So he turned around and went back to the professor's house.

Upon hearing the answers a second time, the dog headed home in determination. This time he made it to his master and told him the answers and the two of them set out for Larry's house to take the exams.

Half way back to the professor's, the two grew thirsty again and drank from a stream. After drinking they forgot the answers yet again.

The master sent his dog to Larry's house to get the answers one final time while he hid outside in the bushes. The dog returned to his master with the correct responses. This time, neither drank anything nor ate and were determined to take the tests. The two knocked on Larry's door.

The scholar successfully answered Larry's exam questions and was able to take the test. He was deemed the most brilliant scholar in the state and received a reward.

The Ph.D. student found out about this and declared hatred against the scholar. The scholar heard word of this and defeated the student with his history project and the Ph.D. student was never heard from again.

Author's Note: This story is from the Congo Unit and is based off of How Gazelle Got Married. A lot of these story units are based off of women getting married and husbands taking care of them, but I decided to make it more relate-able to us! School. Test. Professors. This is our lives everyday, so the parallel in this story to the unit story works pretty well in my opinion! I hope you enjoyed it!

Bibliography: Dennett, Richard. Notes on the Folklore of Fjort: How Gazelle Got Married. 1898.

Storytelling Week 6: Cross-Dimensioned

Cross-Dimensioned

(The Alamo in San Antonio. Source)

Once there was a business man returning home to Virginia from California on a business trip. While in flight from Los Angeles, a terrible storm brewed and the flight had to make an unscheduled landing in San Antonio, Texas to wait for the gruesome weather to subside. It was late when the plane landed and the businessman did not want to sleep in the airport for the night, so went out into the city to find a hotel.

The man came across a Holiday Inn not too far from the airport and went inside out of the storm to see if there was a vacancy for him. There was a lot of resistance from the guests of the inn to allow the man to stay, but an elderly woman took pity on him and said that there was a little room available down the hall for him to spend the night. She had just finished preparing a meal for a troop of soldiers that had returned from a battle and she would not be able to feed the business man. The man, as exhausted as he was, accepted the offer and followed the woman to his room, not worrying about his empty stomach just yet.

The night went on and the man's stomach grew louder and hungrier. He tried to sleep it off, but the hunger was too intense, the storm outside was still in full effect, and there was an abnormally large amount of ruckus going on out in the hotel lobby. This trifecta was what brought the man from his bed and to the door to peek out into the hallway.

Through the crack in the door, the man was able to see that the brightly lit lobby was packed with soldiers eating food and drinking wine and discussing the war efforts that they had just completed, none of which the man had heard of.

After a while of watching and listening to the men, there grew shouts from the soldiers that the general was coming. The business man thought this odd because generals don't usually visit directly with the infantry. He watched as a parade of uniformed men marched through the automatic doors with flags and lanterns and the soldiers grew silent. The lanterns stumped him for no one used those anymore, he assumed they were for traditional effect and let his eyes fall on the general who was sporting a very long beard. This the business man could not get past for facial hair was not allowed in the military these days. In fact, as he thought about this, he saw that many of the soldiers around the room had beards. His curiosity and bewilderment allowed him to open the door a little wider.

The general's guards were at attention at the door while the leader feasted with his men and conversed quietly with his officers. Celebratory singing and intoxicated, slurred songs reverberated across the marble floor. The business man grew slightly irritated at the blatant lack of respect the troop was having for the guests of the hotel, but it was him against the possible 100 soldiers present and he knew he'd lose that battle.

Upon the completion of his feasting, the general stood up and the room silenced immediately. He looked at his officers and told them to return to their rooms for some well deserved rest and that he himself was going to lie down a while they waited for further instructions on advancement from President Jackson. This name drop astounded the business man. Barack Obama was president...Jackson had been president almost 200 years ago.

This discovery made the man slip completely out of his room and follow discretely behind the general to his room down the hall. The general's guards neglected to close the door entirely which gave the business man the opportunity to gaze inside.

 By the light of just the lanterns, the man watched as the general's guards helped remove his head and place it on the empty bed before him. The arms and legs came next, then finally the torso was laid to rest in the middle of all the appendages. A guard turned and looked directly at the business man in the door and the lantern blew out.

Terrified to death, the man fell back into the wall and scurried back to his room where he slammed the door and locked it tight. The fear that overtook him made him suffer in shakes and sweat all night. At last he saw the streaks of light that signal daybreak and sat up. After the adjustment of his eyes to the light, he saw that he was in the middle of a park. No hotel, no people, just trees and grass.

This realization resulting in yet more panic, the man sprinted down a street to another hotel where he burst in and clamped onto the receptionist's desk. The woman standing there asked if he was alright and what brought him to the hotel so early in the morning. The business man told the woman of his experiences of the night and inquired into what sort of place he had encountered. The woman looked at the man with a knowing face and said, "Sir, this is San Antonio! The battles for Texas independence came to a point here. Many of the Texan ghosts reside here and come out to play at night. They got you good." And the man's face turned as white as the ghosts themselves.
   
Author's Note: This story is based off of the Chinese Fairy Tale Unit's story of The Night on the Battlefield. I love ghost stories and therefore loved this fairy tale! I decided to change the time period from when it was told in older China and also change the setting to Texas since that's my home land! Ghost stories happen in the past and the present, so it works really well in both time periods I believe. I hope you enjoyed it!

Bibliography: R. Wilhelm, Frederick H. Martens, The Chinese Fairy Book, 1921.

Storytelling for Week 5- Inception: Persian Style

Inception: Persian Style

There once was a time where only God existed.

But there also was a young girl that was very accident prone and who lived in Norman, Oklahoma. One day she fell from her tree-house and cut her arm pretty badly. After a few days of healing, she went to her grandmother's house to use some antibiotic ointment.

The girl skipped her way to grandma's house only to be told that her grandma was all out of ointment! "Here my child," said Gran as she handed the girl two balloons, "Take these to the CVS on Asp and see if the pharmacist doesn't have any ointment you can trade him for."

(The Two Balloons Source: Balloons)

When the girl returned to her grandmother's house, this is the tale she told:

"I went to CVS, and on the way there I lost the two balloons. I was so upset, but I put my hands in my pocket and I found a penny. I wanted to get my balloons back, so I gave the penny to the pharmacist and he made a crow's nest out of a string.

"I climbed all the way up to the top of that crow's nest and looked all around Campus Corner to see if I couldn't spot the balloons. I saw one of my balloons had turned into one of the red telephone booths in front of Cafe Plaid, and the other was making donuts way far over in Hurts.

"So I told myself: "First, I'll go and get the donut worker balloon," and I went over to Hurts and said to the owner, "Give me back my balloon and his salary too, because he's been working unfairly for you." We discussed the situation at length and the owner agreed for me to have 200 donuts. I had no bag to hold my donuts, so I borrowed a cup from Chimey's and rode my balloon to Boyd Street because I wanted to sell my donuts.

(Hurts Donuts! Source: Om Nom Nom)

"Half way there, the balloon grew tired and I asked the people there what I should do to fix him. One of the men told me to rub grass on him and let him sleep a night. When I woke up I saw that a grass patch had grown on the balloon and that there was a huge apple also growing from the grass.

"I took my knife and cut the apple in half, only to have it fall into its enormous depths. Naturally, I put on my bathing suit and climbed into the apple to retrieve my knife. I was completely submerged in the apple and saw that there was an entire city there! I decided to grab a bite to eat from the local Pita Pitt and when I was done, I saw a piece of lettuce on my wrapper and I tried to pick it up.

"Upon picking up the lettuce, an entire train of schooner wagons came filling out! There were at least 8, but I didn't see any of the rest for I found my knife in my sun hat!"

And now my story has come to its end, but the chicken never crossed the road.


Author's Note: This week's Storytelling is based off of The City of Nothing In The World form the Persian Tales Unit. I found this story to be so extremely odd that I couldn't pass it up! You think my version is weird? Take the time to read the original!

Bibliography: D.L.R. Lorimer, E.O. Lorimer. Persian Tales: The City of Nothing in the World, 1919.

Storytelling for Week 4: Rhampsinitus Rhymes

Rhampsinitus Rhymes

Over Egypt, King Rhampsinitus once did reign,
He had so many riches, that anything he wanted, he could fain.
Next to his castle, the king built a room for all his treasure;
He needed to protect the things that brought him the most pleasure.

However, little did the king know that the people he hired,
Would construct a trick that would make his brain quite tired.
Secretly, one of the constructors made a wall nook,
So that he could come in and steal without the king knowing what he took.

After the building was complete and done,
The two sons of the constructor went out to have some fun!
Their father had fallen ill,
And told the boys about the nook so that they make take everything they willed.

So into the vault the brothers went,
Thinking of all the ways their new riches could be spent!
This went on for several nights,
Each time leaving the guards and king stumped by morning's light.

The king never could discover
Why his treasures were disappearing under night's cover.
To solve the problem, he decided to lay a trap
In order to give these robbers one good whap!

The next night, the robbers came in looking for the night's dealings,
But all of a sudden one brother was in a net at the ceiling!
"Brother!" he frantically bellowed,
"There's no way out for me,  you'll have to kill me, please don't be mellow."

The plan was for the free brother to slice off his kin's head,
Then run back out the nook, leaving the body unmarked and dead.
The free brother did as he was told
And ran away with his dead brothers head and three bags of gold.

The king awoke to the body swinging in the air
He was enraged that the other robber had gotten away, it just wasn't fair!
He had the corpse hung on the wall
To see if anyone would pass by to mourn at all.

Meanwhile, the mother of the corpse
Demanded her remaining son to retrieve the body in her remorse.
The son again did as he was told,
Went to the castle, tricked the guards with wine, and carried the corpse away, which was very bold.

Again the king was outraged that he had been fooled,
So he sent his daughter out to find this man and show him who really ruled.
The daughter found the robber and he confessed to her under false pretenses.
He managed to get away and the king almost lost his senses!

One final attempt to catch this thief,
He would hold a grand ball and if this failed he would forever angrily seethe.
The robber came and managed to schmooze them all,
So much so that the king's daughter married the robber the very next fall!

(Egyptian Bust. Source: Wikipedia)

Author's Note: This story is based off of the Egyptian Myth of the The Tale of King Rhampsinitus. This story was very ironic to me, it showed how the less fortunate are significantly more clever than the wealthy and that the wealthy can be fooled quite easily. I felt that this motif was simple that it needed to be in nursery rhyme form! And I also love to rhyme things, so that too.

Bibliography: Egyptian Myth and Legend, Donald Mackenzie, 1907.

Storytelling for Week 3: Eve's Eyes

Eve's Eyes

(God, Adam, and Eve after the fall from the Garden, Source: Wikipedia)

I was born into bright light and lots of noise. There was a figure standing near me, one I had never seen before. I had never seen anyone before. Let alone anything. I felt this weird sense of overwhelming awe at my surroundings and looked down to see that I had hands. I knew not where this knowledge came from, nor could I comprehend any thought that was going through my head. The figure was remaining by my side touched my shoulder and I flinched, for never had I experienced touch.

I looked into the figure's face and felt a feeling of immense affection, love, and gratitude. This was my Adam. I immediately knew his name. He was a tall, dark haired, dark skinned, and dark eyed man. He exhumed empowerment, strength, and a humbleness that could only be granted from God. God. My brain started swirling again. God created me. I knew in that moment that I was of Adam's rib. I was created to support Adam in all his days. He had named every creature on this land with God's guidance. God then spoke to us:

"I have formed both of you from the elements I created. I have great plans for you and all the generations that spring forth from you. You are the parents of the Earth; Father Adam and Mother Eve. Partake from all fruit in this garden, from every tree, but do not eat from the Tree of Knowledge. That is my one request."

We praised the Lord and took heed to His one rule. I ate all the fruit I could possibly stuff in my stomach and then more! We lived like this for days. It was wonderful in the beginning, but I grew rather bored of God's sole affection for my husband. I felt like a nothing. God told me He loved me all the time and I never doubted it, but I did not feel worthy of either of their attention. I let the emotions build up for a long while because I did not know what I was to do with them.

One day I just couldn't take it anymore. While Adam was praying by the tree line one morning, I decided I was going to go sit by myself underneath the Tree of Knowledge where Adam wouldn't think to look for me. As I sat and fumed in my anger, I heard a rustling in the shrubs to my left. As I looked into the shrubbery, one of God's creatures, the snake emerged on his two feet. He was a beautiful creature to behold and definitely a face to trust. Which I found out later, was the snake's hope from the beginning. He struck up a conversation with me about why I was alone and comforted me in my frustration. After a while the snake made me a proposition:

"Say, Eve, with all your anger you must feel the need to seek vengeance, no? You must let Adam and God know that you are worthy of their time and that you have a mind of your own, do not let them walk over you any longer. Why don't you pick a fruit of off this here Tree of Knowledge and take a vengeful bite?"

I looked at the trustworthy face of the snake and felt the urge to rebel. A fire of anger grew up inside my chest and before I knew what I was doing, the fruit was in my hand and headed towards my mouth. I took a bite. It was the most delicious fruit I had ever tasted. I looked to my left to find that the snake had disappeared and I ran back to Adam to show him my discovery.

I convinced my husband to taste the wonderful fruit that I had picked, forgetting that it was against God's rule because of the deliciousness. Adam fell in love with the fruit too and all of a sudden we realized that we were NAKED. Oh how embarrassed I was to be standing in the open like this. I couldn't handle it and neither could Adam, so we hid until the booming voice of God's voice entered the garden:

"My children, where do you hide? Why have you disobeyed me and eaten of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge? Emerge now." Adam and I reluctantly came out of our hiding spaces and God spoke again, "You hide because you disobeyed, you both have sinned. This requires punishment. You are banned from the garden for 5,000 years, fated to walk the land outside and work to live. All of your generations will work as well, and you Eve, child bearing will be difficult. The snake fooled you, and in his treachery I have sentenced him and his generations to slither on his belly for eternity."

(Adam and Eve after the eating of the forbidden fruit, Source: Wikipedia)

At these words, we fell to the ground in grief and a deep sleep came over us. When we woke up, we were in a strange place and the darkness was overwhelming. Adam grieved inconsolably for days; pulling himself to death multiple times, only to have God revitalize him. 

I messed up. I knew that. My husband's agony was my doing. I was so angry with the snake for fooling me, but I was angry with myself for falling for it also. I was determined to get us through this. I comforted Adam as best I could and took care of him in all ways that I could think.

We eventually grew used to the land and learned to work with it. Adam continued to love me even though I made the mistake that ruined our paradise. We were happy. Happy as we could be in this forsaken land. God had mercy on us a lot and saved us from many early fates. He wasn't kidding when he said child bearing was going to be painful, sheesh! I had a time with Cain and Able. God is truly the provider though; He loves us and always will.

Author's Note: This story was based off of Adam and Eve from the Un-Textbook. I wanted to shed some light on the creation story from the eyes of Eve. We don't ever get to hear a woman's side of the story, let alone a woman from the Bible, so I thought this would give a nice change of pace! Eve gets blamed a lot for her mistake of eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, but that snake had a heavy hand in convincing her! It wasn't just her fault.

Bibliography: King James Bible (1611) Genesis.

Storytelling for Week 2: Ode to Educators

Ode to Educators

On the planned-to-be most enjoyable day of her life,

A young teacher ran into intense strife.

For you see, there existed a troop of parents,

Who coveted the knowledge from scholars of merits.

In their thirst, these parents happened upon their children's' future teacher

And captured her from behind the bleachers.

Their intentions, surprisingly, were not to inflict pain,

But rather to make a knowledgeable gain.

So with the skunk and the veteran professor she stayed

And to dampen the woman's grief, the elder, a story she conveyed:

There once lived a young elementary instructor with her two roommates.

And because of their beauty and brains, the three friends always had dates.

Their beauty was evident throughout the land,

But the young teacher's vast knowledge gave her the upper hand.

The name bestowed upon her, Holly, was foreign to no one,

Yet however equivalent to the school principal's brains, her suitors were next to none.

Eventually, after young Holly's roommates had both been married,

Holly's reaction to their relationships became quite harried.

Holly decided that she needed to request the help of her mother,

For she wouldn't dare ask advice on this level from another.

Her mother foretold of a horrible thing,

A fate so vile, that Holly let out a scream!

Holly was to go on a blind date,

This sounded anything but great.

Her mother went on to say that this date would be horrible,

And the couple would be anything but adorable.

Holly scooped herself courageously up off the floor,

Showered, gussied up, and strutted out the door.

Holy encountered a very odd situation, once seated at the date's venue;

A man sat down across from her, shielding his face with a menu!

She thought it strange for the man, Ben, to not reveal his features,

But the charm and charisma he exhumed extinguished the concern of the teacher.

Ben was wealthy and they continued to go on dates,

So many actually, that Holly forgot about her roommates.

Holly's roommates were growing jealous of their friend's amazing brain,

And decided that they would find a way to throw Holly and the man's relationship down the drain.

The man had told Holly to never ponder about how he looked,

Holly was okay with this because she was hooked.

This being the case,

The roommates needed to act with haste.

The two girls finally convinced Holly that she needed to ditch the man

And return to the school before her children hit the fan!

Holly was convinced by her scheming friends

That she needed to see his face before the dates end!

Holly decided that she would knock the menu out of her crush's hand,

And when the menu hit the floor, his face she would scan.

Holly put her scheme into effect

When she hit the menu away, she was stunned at the affect.

The Ben she was looking at and loved a lot

Was the right hand man of the principal who thought her a snot!

The man, in saddened furry,

Got up and ran away in a hurry.

He had told her not to peek,

And now until things changed, his face she would seek.

Holly now knew that the principal would be out to get her.

The principal had a jealousy for Holly's smarts, for sure.

Everyone would always focus on her knowledgeable words

And act as if the principal was a passing bird.

Holly asked for help from many,

But the persons she sought aide from denied her plenty.

Finally, Holly went to the principal's office

To face the woman whose voice would snap at her like a craw-fish.

Once her fate was in the hands of the principal,
Holly hoped to regain the love of the woman's disciple.
Three tasks the principal assigned to the teacher,
The intensity of these tasks required prayer from a preacher.
With a lot of help from good Samaritans,
Holly was able to escape from her depression.
By overcoming the three tasks in a timely manner,
Holly and Ben were married and she moved into his manor!
The two love birds lived the rest of their lives together,
They had a precious baby and loved through whatever weather.

The old veteran concluded her story,

Just in time to see the young teacher's faded worry.

Refreshed by this fable,

Holly was suddenly able,

To escape the troop of parents nearby,

She snuck and creeped away like a fly!

The parents never caught her

And you wouldn't believe what that year taught her!

(Psyche and Cupid embracing, from the original story. Source: Wikipedia)

Author's Note: This poem is written after ideas from Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche. I really enjoy rhyming things and making words flow together, it makes me feel very creative! The original story by Apuleius is obviously longer than this, but I made sure to get the main sections in! I wanted to show how romantic this story truly is by writing a poem because poems are freaking awesome.

Bibliography: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche were written, I do believe, during the 2nd century.

Week 1- Storytelling by Hannah: The Band-Wagoners and the Fan

The Band-Wagoners and the Fan

   After the Saints vs. Panthers playoff game where the Saints lost their chance to go to the Super bowl, a group of friends who formerly claimed to be Saints fanatics were degrading and condemning the team of Cajun decent with great contempt.

“What a team of horribly disappointing players,” one of them blurted as he took off his Saints foam finger and threw it to the ground.

“Yeah, Brees didn’t even take his head out of the ground long enough to throw the ball farther than his nose,” another so rudely declared, throwing his hands in the air.

“I knew I should have been a Panther’s fan from the start. I’m getting rid of all my black and gold clothes as soon as I can. Goodwill can deal with them now,” scoffed the third. The conversation had been going on like this for quite a while and continued until a devoted Panther fan happened to hear the derogatory dialogue. The committed fan shook his head in disdain and decided he couldn't bite his tongue any longer. He stopped to interrupt the obvious band-wagoners to say,

"If those Saints had turned the odds in their favor and won that game, you all would be having a very different conversation." The group turned to look at the fan with ashamed faces and the fan continued with his hands placed firmly on his hips and a scowl on his face, "That team deserves your praise no matter the outcome; win or lose." The shame grew on the band-wagoners’ faces and they attempted to defend themselves,

“Well we just-,“ but before they could finish, the fan added,

“And the Panthers don’t need your support, so don’t think of jumping wagons.”

The ease of which one can add insult to injury and chose the better option is baffling. 

Author's Note: The above story is based on a story from Aesop's Fables: The Dogs and the Fox. In this fable a fox finds a pack of dogs feasting on a lion's corpse. The fox tells the dogs that if the lion had not been dead, they would have had to face the ferocity of the lion and not have had a feast. The moral being that it is extremely easy to kick someone while they are already down. 

Bibliography:

Story: "The Dogs and the Fox" by Aesop, from Aesop's Fables (2006). Web Source: Aesop's Fables

Image: The Dogs and the Fox. Source: Fox and Dogs