Week 14 Story: Where are the parents?

Hi, my name is Ella. I am ten years old, and I have a little brother that is eight years old named Kit. This is the story of how our parents left us. While it was scary, to begin with, we figured out how to survive, and even though our parents eventually returned, we still have a hard time while they were away. All of the events that I am about to tell you can be traced back to playing a game of hide-and-seek.  
----------------
It was a normal morning; our father was out hunting in the woods and our mother was busy sowing clothes in the house. I had decided it would be fun to play hide-and-seek, so I made Kit close his eyes and count. While he was counting, I went behind my father’s chair and was planning on hiding underneath it when I noticed that some of the boards on the wall behind his chair were loose. I pushed them to the side and had the perfect hiding spot inside the wall. While I was hiding in the wall, I felt something soft. Curious I abounded my hiding spot and brought the item out with me. It was a robe made of feathers, while it was a little dingy, it seemed like it had once been a lovely robe. I called out to Kit telling him the game was over and showed him the robe. We thought it was best to show Mom; it looked to be her size.

When we showed our mother the robe, she became excited and hurriedly slipped it on.  Then she knelt down and gave both of us a kiss and began to walk outside. We had never been left alone before, so Kit and I followed her outside, and I asked, “Mom where are we going?”

She turned around with tear filled eyes and told us, “I am going home. Tell your father if he wishes to see me again, he must find me in the Land East of the Sun and West of the Moon.” She then flew off in the feather rode.

I could not believe what had just happened and when our father returned that night I told him precisely what mother had told me. He then got up and left the house leaving Kit and me alone.

The first night I kept going to our parent’s room to check if they had returned. Finally, I became so tired I passed out. In the morning, I had hoped it was all a dream, but Kit woke me to reality by asking, “Ella what are we going to eat? I don’t think Mom and Dad are coming back? How are we going to live on our own?”

Kit eyes were welling up with tears. Quickly I told him, “Why don’t we play a game? You be the father and go out and see if you can catch or trap any animals. I will be the mother and fix breakfast while you are away. Remember not to wander off too far.”

So, Kit and I learned how to survive on our own. At first, the food wasn’t very good. But over time I learned how to cook, and Kit was able to bring back larger prey the more he practiced hunting. It seemed that this was how we were to spend the rest of our lives when one night while we slept, we heard someone trying to open the front door. Terrified I woke Kit, and we grabbed some weapons and went to check out the noise.

When we readied ourselves for the intruder, we found Mom and Dad standing in the front doorway. They started coming towards us wanting a hug. Kit was overjoyed to see them. He dropped his weapon and ran to them hugging them with all of his might. Then they turned to me.

The first thing I did was DEMAND to know where they had been? Why had they left? Why hadn’t they taken us with them? I began to sob and fell to the floor. My mother and father came over to me, gently picked me up and started the tale of where they had gone.

A swan on the lake. The robe the story is made from swan feathers. 

Source:WikiMedia Commons by Yerpo

Author’s Notes: This is a tale based off of a story found in Joseph Jacobs book, Europa’s Fairy Book. In the story, The Swan Maidens, a hunter is entranced by a beautiful woman who can fly with a rode made out of swam feathers. The hunter decides he wants to marry the women so while she is playing in a lake with her sisters, he steals her robe. He then makes her marry him and hides her feather robe from her so that she cannot return to her homeland. The married couple ends up having two children who play hide-and-seek and one day the daughter finds the feather robe. When her mother gets her robe back, she leaves and goes to be with her family telling her daughter to let their father know where to find her. When the father returns home, and the daughter explains to him what happened. The hunter leaves in search his wife. He spends a considerable amount of time looking for her, but finally, he finds her homeland. It turns out she is a princess and the youngest daughter of the king. The king test the hunter to make sure the daughter is his wife. When the hunter passed the test, the king then grants the hunter permission to marry his daughter (the women that was already his wife), and they return home to their children. I kept my story parallel to the events in the original story. What the original story did not explain was what happened to the children while the parents were away? I decided to create a story explaining what the children did to survive while the parents were gone. I thought it was best to show the daughter as being the stronger sibling since I had pictured her as the older sibling. She attempts to make the best of the situation even though she is angry with her parents and shows that when they return by not forgiving them immediately like the brother. I hope you have enjoyed my story and would love to hear feedback! Good luck on finals!!

Week 13 Story: Cap o’ Rushes Diary

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. 

A picture of a diary. Source: K. Whiteford

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. 

Week 12 Story: The Foolish Deer that Lost

There once were two deer named Beauty and Brownie, who were the sons of a very intelligent father who ruled over an exceptionally large herd. When the sons were finally old enough their father wanted to divide the heard so that everyone would be able to get enough food during the sparse winter months. The father called for Beauty and Brownie to come with him so he could explain what their duties would be when they were in charge of their own herd.

“Sons, please listen carefully. As you know, it is time for each of you to take your own herd away during the winter months so that everyone has enough food to eat. But there are dangers on the journey. You must make sure to only travel at night and to keep away from the human villages or the hunters will follow your herd and kill as many members as they can get,” their father explained.

Beauty and Brownie both promised to follow their fathers warning and the next night set off with their herds. After two nights of travel Brownie began to grow tired of traveling at night and preferred to travel during the day. Beauty told him, “Brownie, remember what father told us? The hunters will find your herd if you travel during the day.”

But Brownie did not listen and told Beauty, “Nonsense, I am fast and strong the hunters will not mess with me!”

Beauty noticed that Brownie did not mention the safety of his herd but was only concerned about himself. Beauty could not sway Brownie to heed their fathers warning. So, the herds broke up, half following the foolish Brownie in the day by the villages and half following the wise Beauty at night away from the humans.

Brownie’s herd was the first to reach the high hills because his way was faster. Sadly, only half of his herd had made it through the journey. His herd began to despise him for taking them down such a dangerous path and losing so many loved ones.

Beauty’s herd arrived much later to the high hills but all of the members of his herd had made it through the journey.  When Brownie’s herd saw that all of Beauty’s herd had made it safely to the high hills, a mutiny was formed.

Brownie’s herd went to Brownie collectively and told him that they were no longer going to follow him. Brownie laughed and said, “That is fine. All of you are not strong enough to go during the day. Be cowards and join my bothers herd. Only brave deer should be in my herd.”

All of the deer joined Beauty’s herd. When the winter season was over, the herd could go back to join the other deer left in the forest. Beauty prepared his herd. Beauty told them, “I know it will take much longer but it is safer for us to travel at night. We must also avoid all of the human villages on the way. We will leave tomorrow night.”

Brownie laughed at the other deer and began his journey back to the forest alone that very day.

In time Beauty’s herd made its way back to the forest. When his father saw the herd coming he went to greet both of his sons, but all he could see was Beauty. The father exclaimed, “Welcome back everyone. Save travels I hope. Where is my other son Brownie? I see his heard is here but where is he?”

Beauty told his father, “Brownie herd did not want to follow him back. Half of his herd was caught by hunters on the way to the hills because he did not follow your warnings. He left on his own before us and traveled by day the fastest way here, through the human villages. He should have beat us here.”

All of the deer took a moment to hang their heads in memory of Brownie, because everyone knew that his foolishness had cost him his life.

A smaller herd of deer in the forest. Source: Pixnio by Addison Mohler

Author’s Notes: This story comes from original tale Beauty and Brownie found in the Jataka Tales by Ellen Babbit. I really enjoyed the tale so I kept most of the plat from the story the same. In the tale of Beauty and Brownie two deer are put in charge of two herds to take to the high hills so that there will be enough food for all of the deer. The father warms the sons of the dangers of traveling during the day and traveling close to the human villages but only one of the deer listen, Beauty. The tale ends with Brownie’s herd only having a few members left when he returns to the forest. I was not a fan of this ending because the only ones that seemed to be punished for Brownie not following his father’s advice were the innocent herd members. I changed the tale to where Brownie’s herd decides not to follow him once they see that he should have taken them a safer way and was not being a good leader. I also created the ending of Brownie being one of the deer that the hunters were able to catch since he seemed so cocky about his own abilities. I hope you have enjoyed my story and would love to hear feedback and ideas!