Week 11 Story: A Rocky Rescue

Brother and sister Mat and Sharn walked through the forest. They were going to their secret hideaway, a beautiful spring deep in the trees. There was a clearing with a big, marvelous patch of grass, gorgeous flowers, a crystal clear pond for swimming, and a large flat rock for relaxing. 

“Come on, Mat. We’re almost there!” said Sharn to her brother.

“We’ve got plenty of time, Sharn. Mom and dad said we don’t have to be back until dinner.” replied Mat.

Mat and Sharn soon arrived at their quaint forest oasis. They rolled around in the grass, smelled the beautiful flowers, and enjoyed their time together by playing games.

“Catch me if you caaaan!” giggled Sharn. Sharn ran through the grass and flowers, desperate to put distance between her and Mat.

“I’m on your tail, you better run fast,” shouted Mat, sprinting to catch Sharn and tag her. Mat eventually caught up with Sharn, tackling her to the ground as they both started laughing. 

“It’s sooooo hot out here,” said Sharn. “Did you bring any water?”

“No,” said Mat. “But we do have our swimsuits, and the pond is nice and refreshing.”

Mat and Sharn changed into their swimsuits and jumped into the pond. They splashed, swam, and dove through the transparent water. The cool liquid felt revitalizing in the hot summer heat. An hour later, they got out of the pond to dry themselves off.

“Oh dang it,” said Mat. “We forgot our towels. How are we supposed to get dry?”

Sharn looked around and saw the big rock. “We could lie on the rock to dry off,” she said. “It’s perfectly positioned under the sun, and it’s big enough for both of us.”

Mat and Sharn laid down on the rock, basking in the sun’s rays. Soon after, they both dozed off in the comfort of the sun. After catching a long nap, Mat opened and rubbed his eyes to gain his surroundings. Strangely, he noticed he could see the tops of the trees and a few clouds in his sight. 

“Uh, Sharn…” he said hesitantly.

Sharn also sat up, and they both realized their dilemma. The rock grew to a great height, stranding them on top. 

“What do we do?!” said Sharn. “We might be able to get down, but I don’t see any path for climbing. We need mom and dad!”

Mat and Sharn yelled for their parents, but their efforts were useless. They were too far away. While they couldn’t get their parents, they did attract a few animals.

Bobby Bear emerged from the trees. “Don’t worry kids!” he yelled. “I’ll come get you.” Bobby began climbing the rock, gripping his claws into the slab. He managed to get halfway up before his claws broke, and he slid down to the ground.

Bobby’s ruckus attracted Sam the Squirrel. “I can try and climb it,” she said. Sam began scampering up the rocks at a quick pace. It looked as though she would make it, but she became very tired, unable to lift another finger.

“I can give it a shot,” said a mysterious voice from beyond. Bobby and Sam looked around frantically trying to find the source of the voice, before looking down to see a small snail. Both animals burst into laughter.

“Yeah right,” said Bobby and Sam. “Who the heck are you? Like you can do anything.”

“I’m Spencer. I can do it. Just watch me,” said the snail. Spencer then approached the rock and began crawling up the tower. Bobby and Sam watched in awe as Spencer scaled the tower, inch by inch, and eventually reached the top where Mat and Sharn waited. Spencer’s shell then grew to the size of a carriage and had Mat and Sharn hop inside. He then made his way down the tower before delivering Mat and Sharn to the safe ground.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, Spencer!” said Mat and Sharn. “We’re so thankful for you.” Mat and Sharn thanked all the animals for their efforts then ran back home.

“And we’re sorry for not believing in you,” said Bobby and Sam. “I hope you can forgive us.”

Bobby, Sam, and Spencer went back into the woods, bonded by the rescue attempt, and began a new friendship. Mat and Sharn returned to their parents, safe and sound. The large monolith in the forest still stands, now known to all of the animals as “Spencer’s Stem”, in honor of the snail’s brave and heroic actions.

“Brown Snail in Rule of Thirds Photography” via Unsplash

Story Source: American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned, with illustrations by John Rae (1921)

Author’s Note

I really liked this story because the underdog prevails when a bunch of powerhouses fail. In the source, animals like a coyote, a bear, and a fox all try to climb the rock, but a measuring worm ends up prevailing. I decided to also use a bear in my story because a bear is very ferocious and looks like it can do anything. I brought in a squirrel because they’re known for being good climbers, even though I have the squirrel fail. I substituted the measuring worm with a snail because they’re both known for moving slowly, so I thought it would be a good parallel. I gave the animals names to make everything easier to follow. In the source story, the “Big Rock” that the measuring worm climbs is renamed by the Indians to honor him, so I decided to also rename the rock in my story to honor the snail who helps the children.

Week 9 Story: Bite of the Bully

Johnny, Kendall, and Logan all sat down at their cafeteria table, unpacking their lunches they brought from home. 

“What’d you all bring today?” asked Logan to Johnny and Kendall. Johnny opened his lunch box to pull out a container of spaghetti and meatballs, a piece of garlic bread, and a bottle of Coke. 

“I brought some spaghetti and garlic bread from dinner last night,” said Johnny. “It has my mom’s special sauce and my dad’s secret meatball recipe in it. I made and cooked the garlic bread from scratch!”

“I have some steak tacos leftover from going to that new Mexican restaurant yesterday,” said Kendall. “It has some corn salsa and sour cream. I also brought chips and queso to go along with it.”

As Logan listened to Johnny and Kendall explain their lunches, he pulled out a turkey sandwich, a bag of potato chips, and a juice pouch. He also had a small cup of red sauce. Logan proceeded to take one piece of bread off his sandwich, open the cup of red sauce, and pour it onto the turkey.

“Dude,” said Kendall. “You should really see a doctor about your addiction.” 

“Yeah man,” said Johnny. “It can’t be safe to put hot sauce on everything like you do.”

“But it’s a special hot sauce today,” said Logan. “It’s ghost pepper hot sauce. My dad found it when he was travelling for work and bought it for me.”

“Hey, Logan!” said Janelle from the other table. She waved her hand, signaling for Logan to come over. Logan stood up, and strolled to the other side of the lunchroom to Janelle’s table. 

While Logan was at Janelle’s table, Brick lumbered over to Johnny and Kendall. Brick was the school bully. He was known for being a numbskull, and a jerk, especially to Johnny, Kendall, and Logan. 

“‘Sup nerds?” said Brick.

“Leave us alone, Brick,” mumbled Johnny.

“You losers enjoying lunch? I forgot to bring mine. Maybe you can share?” chuckled Brick.

Brick then proceeded to snatch Johnny’s garlic bread and one of Kendall’s tacos, engulfing both in a couple of bites. He noticed Logan’s sandwich sitting on the table and reached for that as well.

“Uhh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” said Kendall.

“Pfft, what do you know, idiot?” quipped Brick. 

Brick then grabbed Logan’s sandwich and took a gigantic bite. It only took a couple of chews before the heat kicked in. Brick’s face went white, and lips went numb, and it looked as though he would pass out.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Brick screamed, loud enough to be heard from the classrooms in the neighboring building. Brick bolted from the cafeteria, desperate to find a way to ease the pain. Logan came running back to the table.

“What the heck happened?!” asked Logan.

Kendall and Johnny looked at each other and smirked. “Let’s just say he learned not to mess with you anymore,” they said, trying to stifle their laughter.

“Crop Male Chef Serving Delicious Sandwich” via Pexels

Story Source: Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit by Joel Chandler Harris

Author’s Notes

In the original story, most of the characters are animals. I decided to make them all human in my story to help the plot a bit, as I felt that trying to introduce both animals and humans interacting in the story would be difficult to do succinctly. The bully in this story is parallel to the lion in the source story. However, I decided to make it appear more of an accident than trickery. Brer Rabbit tricks the lion to get into a barrel that ends up burning him. In my story, the bully did everything himself. Brer Rabbit convinces the lion to hop in the barrel, while Kendall actually tries to convince Brick *not* to hurt himself.

Week 5 Story: Robotic Riddle

Eric took a deep breath and stepped up to the microphone on stage. He was in the finals of the National Riddle Championship, about to be asked his question. “Okay Eric,” said the moderator. “If you can answer this riddle correctly, you will be our new champion.” 

Four scientists, Adam, Becca, Charlie, and Daisy worked to create a highly-intelligent robot. Adam was responsible for collecting the parts required for the robot. Becca was responsible for putting the robot together. Charlie was responsible for programming the robot, such as speech capabilities, mobility, and obedience to the scientists. Daisy was the supervisor of the whole project.

Adam took one week to complete his assignment. Becca and Charlie used two weeks each to complete their assignments, while Daisy worked all five weeks. After hours of hard work, the robot was completed. Before unveiling their project to the media and the world, they held a private test run of the robot in their laboratory. 

They all gathered together in their laboratory. “Are we ready?” asked Daisy. Adam, Becca, and Charlie nodded in eager agreement. Daisy walked behind it and pressed the button that would turn on the robot. The robot’s eyes lit up and he observed his surroundings. “Hello! What is your name?” asked Charlie. “My name is Frank,” said the robot. “How are you tod-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay…” Suddenly, Frank began stuttering. “Ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-attack!” spouted Frank, as he began charging at the scientists and destroying everything. He started ripping at wires, breaking beakers and test tubes, and throwing chairs at the others. The scientists ran around the laboratory, screaming at Frank to stop, but he would not listen. As Frank continued, bolts fell from his body, oil leaking on the floor. He began to walk rigidly, breaking anything in his path. After destroying the entire laboratory, his body fell apart, collapsing into a pile of metal parts. The scientists breathed a sigh of relief, despite their work having been for naught and all of their equipment ruined.

“Who is responsible for the project’s failure?” said the moderator to Eric. Eric looked down at his feet to ponder the question, then up to the ceiling to think some more. He then looked straight at the moderator with a beaming smile.

“Daisy is responsible,” said Eric confidently. “She saw the work the other three did over the weeks. While Adam, Becca, and Charlie did an insufficient job, Daisy should have noticed the issues with the others’ performances and provided feedback or fixed them. However, she failed to do so, resulting in the project’s failure.”

Eric threw open the doors of the building, proudly showing off his first place trophy to those around him. “Good job, Eric!” said Eric’s parents. “We are so proud of you. Let’s go get ice cream to celebrate!” Eric and his parents then loaded up in the car, and drove off to the ice cream parlor to Eric’s victory.

“Yellow and White Trophy” via Unsplash

Source: Twenty-Two Goblins, translated by Arthur W. Ryder

Author’s Notes

I wanted to make the story as realistic as I could. All of the stories in Twenty-Two Goblins revolve around answering various riddles. In the original story, four brothers each learned a different craft, and they came together to create a lion and bring it to life. The lion actually kills the four in the original, but I didn’t want my story to be as gory, so I altered it so that the robot destroys everything. I felt having scientists build a robot gave an opportunity for each person to work on a different aspect that would eventually come together to create one, presumably cohesive, project. I decided to use a “riddle championship” in place of a goblin and utilize a competitor instead of the king.

Week 3 Story: The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog

“Welcome to the Jerry Jackal Show! I’m your host, Jerry the Jackal!” exclaimed Jerry the Jackal. The animal audience shouts and hollers in excitement. “Today we have Concordia the Cat, who seems to be having problems with her former friend. What’s going on, Concordia?”

“Hi Jerry,” said Concordia. “I had this friend growing up, Doug the Dog. We were inseparable; we had all the same hobbies, we worked some jobs together, and we even shared an apartment for a time. About a year ago, Doug found some new friends. Then two months ago, he tells me he can’t stand me anymore, he’s done with me, and that I have to move all my stuff out so his friends can move in!”

The audience erupts in shock and anger. The monkeys begin screeching, the snakes start to hiss, and the lions roar in disbelief. They cannot believe Doug would treat Concordia like this.

“Wow, that’s unbelievable!” said Jerry. “What did Doug have to say when you confronted him on this?”

“That’s the thing, Jerry,” exclaimed Concordia. “Ever since he told me off, he’s blocked my number, is hardly ever around when I come by the apartment, and is completely avoiding me. I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on!”

“Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out,” said Jerry. “We have Doug backstage, here to set the record straight. Come on out!”

Doug walks to the stage, as the audience growls and shouts in rage. Concordia jumps from her seat, clawing and scratching at Doug. Doug reciprocates by snapping and swiping at Concordia. The bear security guards quickly pull them apart and set them in their seats.

“Doug, you’ve heard what Concordia has to say,” said Jerry. “What’s your side of the story?”

“I cannot live with her anymore, Jerry! Her anger is terrible, she’s constantly rude to me, and she’s even locked me out before. I just got lucky that night and found a wolf that let me stay at his place,” explained Doug. “I’ve had a monkey throw coconuts at me, and I’ve seen a herd of sheep get eaten while trying to find different places to stay. And none of this would have happened if it wasn’t for her insanity!”

The audience explodes in exhilaration. Dolphins commence whistling, bees begin buzzing, and the owls start hooting like crazy.

“So where do you go from here?” asked Jerry.

“She just needs to understand that I’m moving on with my life,” said Doug. “A couple weeks ago, I found this man’s house while I was wandering, really cold and hungry. He brought me in, fed me, and let me stay the night. I even helped him scare off some robbers that came into his house. He’s really great, and he only lives a few miles away from the old place; his name’s Adam.”

“Adam?! You’re living with my freaking cousin?!” screams Concordia.

Concordia once again leaps from her seat, while Doug jumps up from his, and they begin fighting on the stage floor as they kick, bite, bark, and yowl at one another. The audience is loving the action, half of them cheering on Concordia while the other half roots for Doug.

Jerry steps in front of the ruckus to look straight into the camera. “Looks like this fight won’t be resolved any time soon! We’ll be back with more of the Jerry Jackal Show right after these messages.”

                                    Etching of Cat and Dog Fighting, via the Untextbook


Source: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919)


Author’s Notes
I modernized the story by changing the setting to a tabloid talk show for animals. Instead of hearing the story from a third-person point of view, I wrote the story to where you hear more from the two main characters, the cat and the dog, personally. The story is also retold by the cat and the dog themselves, reflecting back on what happened in the past, which then reignites bad blood that lives on into the present. By setting the story in a tabloid talk show, I was able to intensify the emotions of the cat and the dog, showing just how much they really hate each other. I also added a little bit of irony with the cat itself. Concordia, the cat’s name, is the Roman goddess of peace and harmony. However, the whole story focuses on the lack of peace and harmony between the characters.

Week 2 Story: The Three Roses

It was a warm day in July in the village of Lardonia. Sunny, a light breeze, and it seemed like the perfect day. But 21-year-old Julia, lying on the floor, could not be more displeased. She was grounded, not allowed to go anywhere, forced to stay at home as her annoying 12-year-old twin brothers (and mom’s ‘perfect little boys’), Alex and Connor, played around her.

Her mom Elizabeth walked into the room, basket in hand. “I’m headed to the market. Do you all want anything?”

“A new storybook!”, exclaimed Alex.

“Another teddy bear!”, said Connor.

“How about you, Julia?” asked Elizabeth.

“Eh, I could use three roses for the flower vase in my bedroom, I guess. The vase would look better when there’s actually something in it,” muttered Julia.

So, Elizabeth headed to the market, quickly finding a book and a teddy bear for her sons. “Now, where do they have flowers?”, she wondered. She wandered for hours, walking away from the market, before finding a garden in the middle of nowhere.

“Oh, here we are,” she said, and picked a few roses. Suddenly, a giant black basilisk swooped in and landed in front of her. She immediately ducked her head, avoiding the basilisk’s gaze.

“You shouldn’t be here!,” he bellowed. “This garden is enchanted, forbidden from entering, or face a terrifying punishment.” Elizabeth was quaking in fear.

“What do you want?” she squeaked out.

“Bring me your eldest daughter, with milk and fruit in tow,” spoke the basilisk.

The mother returned home, roses, teddy bear, and storybook in hand. “Here you are,” she said to her kids.

“Thank you, Mama!”, exclaimed Alex and Connor.

“Thanks,” said Julia simply.

“Julia,” said Elizabeth. “I need you to do something else for me.”

The next day, Julia headed to the garden, walking with a basket of milk and fruit for hours, grumbling more and more as she continued.

“This is worse than being grounded,” she said. “Why the heck am I being forced to bring this stuff to a...basilisk? Whatever that is.”

She finally reached the garden. Soon after, the basilisk flew and appeared before her. Julia looked to the ground, refusing to gaze at anything but her feet.

“Are you the basilisk?” she asked. “Well, here’s your stuff. Bye.”

“Wait!,” the basilisk roared. “You must feed me. And you may not leave until you do.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Julia groaned.

After eventually feeding the basilisk, Julia gathered her things to begin home.

“You will bring me the same tomorrow, and do so for three days,” the basilisk said just as she was leaving.

Julia rolled her eyes and started the walk home. Over the next three days, Julia did as she was asked, and fed the basilisk tons of fruit and milk. As Julia was leaving the last day, the basilisk stopped her.

“I need one more thing,” he said, as a sword emerged from the ground. “I need you to cut my head off.”

“Now THAT I will gladly do,” Julia said curtly.

Julia strided towards the sword, picked it up with ease, and beheaded the basilisk with one quick swipe. She tossed the sword aside, picked up her basket and started to walk away. Abruptly, the ground and garden bushes began to shake. She turned back around to see a bright light emerging from the basilisk’s corpse. A blinding flash burst from the basilisk, and a handsome prince appeared. Julia looked at the prince in shock, mouth agape.

“Finally, I’m free!”, exclaimed the prince. “I’m Shaun, the prince of Lardonia and its surrounding villages,” he said. “Last year, I had this girl infatuated with me, trying to get me to fall in love with her. After I rejected her, she chased me into this garden and turned me into that horrible creature.”

“Well,” said Julia. “Glad to see you’re back to normal, but I have to get home.”

“Wait!,” said Shaun. “You know, since I am already 22, I’ve been looking for someone to love, rule alongside for when I become king. And you just cared for me, even as a horrible, ugly basilisk. Will you...marry me?”

Julia’s jaw dropped to the floor, but only for a moment. “I never thought I’d consider marrying a prince that used to be a giant snake, but…”

One week later, Julia and Shaun were married, and the village of Lardonia and the others nearby celebrated at the prince’s castle, complete with decor, cake, and music. Shaun stood in front of all of the guests, and clinked his glass to gain everyone’s attention.

“Thank you all for coming to celebrate this wonderful occasion,” he said. “We hope you all enjoy the festivities tonight. But most importantly,” he said as he turned to Julia, smiling from ear to ear. “Thank you for saving me, and giving me a new lease on life.” Shaun leaned over and kissed Julia as the crowd cheered and tossed roses into the air, thankful that the prince, soon to be king in a couple months, returned, and now had a princess alongside him to help the growth and prosperity of Lardonia.




“White Concrete Castle” via Unsplash


Author’s Notes
I tried to add more personality to the characters, who don’t even have names in the original. I specified what exactly the kids wanted their mom to get from the store, and how Julia feels as though she is less important than her brothers, or “mom’s perfect little boys”. I also went from three daughters to one daughter and two sons. I wanted to show how Julia is more alone and somewhat disconnected from her family by being the only daughter. Julia is given a somewhat sarcastic and displeased attitude, but becomes happier by the end of the story. Everyone has a specific name to give the story a more human element.

Bibliography. “The Three Roses” from The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis. Web source.