Diary, today has been a very eventful day. After father
though me out of the house for not “loving” him enough. I do not think he
understood my message. I have been traveling to try and find somewhere to work.
I worry that no one will want to hire me in my fine clothes so I have decided
to disguise my beautiful clothes with mud and brush from the earth.
Diary, I found a castle today and the master of it agreed to
let me live here and work as a servant. Sine I did not give anyone my name,
they have started to call me Cap o’ Rushes, because of my dirty attire. Everyone
is very nice here, especially the master’s son, Sterling. But I am sure he is a
spoiled brat with all of the wealth and privilege he has grown up in.
Diary, I feel regretful for saying that the son was only a
spoiled brat. From hearing the other servants talk he is a respectable man who
is generous and kind to everyone no matter what they do or make. I think this a
very admirable trait for a man to have, he will make a beautiful maiden very happy
one day.
Dairy, it has been announced that a dance will be held
tomorrow night and everyone is invited. I want to go but not in my clothes of
mud and brush. But if the master and his son find out that I am not really a
servant they might through me out. I cannot decide what to do.
Diary, I have pretended to be very tired and unable to go to
the dance tonight. But instead I am going to wash my clothes and attend the
dance looking like myself.
Diary, I cannot believe that it worked! No one recognized
me. And you will never guess who wanted to dance with me all night, Sterling. We
did not have much time to talk but there is another dance tomorrow, maybe we
can talk them.
Diary, again I pretended to not feel well, but left later as
myself to go to the dance. Sterling was waiting for me. We actually got to talk
tonight. He has such a kind heart and we have so much in common. I am starting
to feel guilty for not telling him who I really am.
Diary, tonight is the last dance. I have not decided if I am
going to tell Sterling my real identity. I am afraid he will be upset with me
and then not want anything to do with me. What if his father than kicks me out
of the house. I have nowhere else to go.
Diary, Before I left the dance Sterling gave me a ring. I
did not tell Sterling who I was and it was the last dance. I think it is for
the better. He seems to be moping around the castle but I am sure it will go
away with time.
Diary, Sterling has become very ill and will not leave his
bed. I have decided it is time to tell him who I am. But how do I tell him?
Diary, I put the ring he gave me into a bowl of soup for
him. Now I just need to wait and see if he can figure out who I am.
Author’s Notes: This tale is based off of the original tale
of, Cap o’ Rushes from the English Fairy Tales by Joseph
Jacobs. In the original tale, the girl’s father asked her how much she loves
him but she does not give an answer the father is happy with so he though her
out. She travels along and covers herself in brush and mud and gets a job
working for a man cleaning in a castle. None of the other servants know her
name so they refer to her as Cap o’ Rushes. The storyline precedes in the same
where she goes to three dances and the master’s son falls in love with her. I
had read a previous story where someone had rewritten a tale to reflect what the
character thought by having it written in a diary form. This is where I came up
with the idea of having a diary by Cap o’ Rushes. I only added a name for the
son, Sterling and gave him some character triats that I thought a woman would
want in a man. I also ended it with her last entry hoping that the Sterling figures out who she is. In the original he does and they are married almost immediately. I choose not to put this in the diary because I felt that after they were together she would no longer be writing in a dairy but talking with her man about her day.
Hi Ashley! I read Cap 'O Rushes too and thought it was such a great story! I really struggled with thinking of a good way to retell it, though. Retelling it as diary entries was such a good idea! I like that you can see things from Cap 'O Rushes perspective and really get inside her head. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley! I read the original story a couple weeks ago, and I really like the way you've retold it! You were able to explain her motivations and worries very well, and you also expanded a little bit on the love story, which is nice. I think it was great to end the story with some mystery! It leaves the audience feeling the tension and suspense that she must feel as she waits for Sterling to discover who she is.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley!
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you retold the story in a diary. That was so clever. I have never read that story and you did a good job of retelling it. There was a word issue throughout the story as you kept spelling "throw" or "threw" as "through". That is a common mistake though and an easy fix. Other than that I enjoyed the story. Best of luck!
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI love when people write in a diary type style. I think it really makes everything personal and it helps draw in the reader. I kept wishing I could read more of your writing. I wish I had a little bit more background on the main character just so I could know exactly what is going on around her. Good Luck on finals and keep writing!
Hello Ashley! I like how you told the story in diary form. It makes it more personal, and you are able to easily talk about the character's hopes and fears in it. I also like how you ended the story with her waiting to see if Sterling can figure out who she is. Good job overall.
ReplyDelete