Story Planning: Rockabye Baby

I have already planned a lot of my story in the previous reading notes post, but I am going to be more specific in this one. As I said before, I am writing a modern rendition of the story "The Dead Mother" from the book "Russian Fairy Tales" by W. R. S. Ralston. This story caught my eye, however Ralston does not go into detail about the characters or the background of the story. These things are very important when trying to reel in the reader.
The first paragraph will be set in Moscow, Russia in December 1889. I want to write in the form of diary entries so that the reader can get a behind the scenes view on the action. The first diary entry will be written by the mother's husband. It will describe the entire day of the birth, from beginning to end, and how both characters were feeling during the time. Feelings are so incredibly important when connecting with a character and when trying to put yourself into the story.
The second paragraph will be a diary entry set in America in December 1890. It will be written by the child's adopted mother and will discuss her and her husband's feelings throughout the adoption process and after the child comes home. I want to make this story scary and descriptive and I think it could be my best story yet. I decided to hold off on writing it because I didn't want to rush myself. This story has potential and I want it to be as best as possible.


cute child

Russian Fairy Tales by W.R.S. Ralston

Story Planning: The Lion and the Fox

In my story, I want to capture the positive energy of the stories for a children's audience like in the original. Meaning, I want to target my stories to a younger audience to incorporate the complete opposite types of stories than what I read last week. The fights between animals still happen in the children's tales, they just aren't described as in depth, which includes the gruesome vocabulary that some authors use in Native American tales. In my story, I am going to include two main characters, the Lion and the Fox. Lions and foxes typically do not get along in the wild and I plan to write about the history behind this famous feud. Many myths and stories that we read in this class, especially in those of the Native Americans, don't give the main animal characters specific names. This is very different from children's stories today, because most of them are made up of fictional characters that eventually end up as a figure on their lunch box. Modern day children don't get the history and knowledge of the life of animals and I want to be able to offer this in my story.
The Lion is the king, so you know he is going to be cocky. He lays on top of the highest rock and watches over his beloved kingdom while his wife does all the work. Keep in mind that lions get very angry when other animals encroach on their territory.
The Fox is sly and sleeps under a rock. He and the Lion are very different, but they are also both predators so they share similar DNA. The Fox is constantly antagonizing the other animals, but his favorite in particular is the Lion.
Since they prey on some of the same animals, this can create tension on the land. Other animals will have to choose sides if they want to survive.


The Lion and the Fox; anonymous.


When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends retold by Florence Stratton.

Story Planning: Unnatural Uncle

The story "The Jealous Uncle" from the book Tales of the North American Indian was the most interesting to me. It talked about an uncle who would murder his infant nephews and how one of the nephew used unlikely objects to avoid his own murder. It is important to know that the nephew's aunt dressed the boy like a girl for his entire childhood to protect him from his jealous uncle. In the story, the nephew used sour cranberries, eagle-down and a piece of a knife in creative and useful ways. In my story, however, I would like to create three of my own odd objects that the boy will use in his escape. I want to incorporate a broken caribou antler, a corn husk and a fur coat into my story because they will prove difficult to use when the boy is trying to escape. The caribou antler will be used to misdirect the uncle towards another part of the forest. The nephew can burn the corn husk to summon his ancestors to protect him from his uncle. Lastly, the fur coat when worn, has the power to turn the nephew into the animal who's fur it belongs to. In the original story, the nephew escapes to a land where the people can turn into eagles by simply putting on their skin. This is an interesting idea because I have never read anything like that in this class. I also want to include the close-knit culture of the Native American tribes and how they value family and their traditions.


Native American mother and child.

"The Jealous Uncle" from Tales of the North American Indian by Stith Thompson.

Story: Dream of a Queen

A long, long time ago, a baby girl was born into a servant family. Her name was Amelia and she was different from the first day of her life until her last. She grew up at the bottom of a giant mountain, which had a castle on the top. Her mother told her stories about the royal family that lived there and about the young queen who lived there who happened to be the same age as Amelia. As she grew older, Amelia saw the poverty that filled her village and that overcame her parents everyday. She, her mother and her father had to work in the fields from sunrise to sunset every single day, just to each be able to buy a bowl of soup. Although Amelia loved her family and wouldn't trade them for the world, she wanted their lives together to be more rewarding and less stressful. She saw the way that her mother and father were affected by their financial problems, and not to mention the health issues that arise from working daily in a field. Amelia wanted to change her and her family's fate, but she didn't know how.


Castle on a mountain.

One night, Amelia went into a deep sleep and had the most vivid and realistic dream of her life. She and her family lived in the elegant castle on the top of the mountain and ruled over all of the land they could see. Her bed enveloped her and the canopy above her head was made of the most beautiful woven cloth she had ever seen.
She sat up and immediately a woman scurried over to her and asked, "Good morning, your majesty. Would you like to fetch you some water?"
Amelia was beyond confused and overwhelmed. Just when she thought things could not get any weirder, her mother walked into the room wearing a gown and dripping in priceless jewelry.
"Hello, darling. I hope you slept well! We have a busy day ahead of us. The girls will get you ready and tell you about the appointments you have today." Before Amelia could respond, her mother was floating out the door. Dozens of women swarmed her and started to prepare her for her "busy day," whatever that mean! Amelia had millions of questions, starting off with "Where am I?"
One of the younger girls seemed confused and responded with a shy, "Your castle, your majesty."
Amelia immediately realized that she was the queen of the mountain!

The day went by in a blur, with hundreds of villagers coming in to the castle speak to the queen herself. At the end of the day, the new queen lay in bed and shut her eyes. That night she dreamt about a quaint life in a village. She and her parents worked in a field from dawn until dusk, but Amelia had never been happier.

Author's Note: My story is based off of the chapter called "The Vanishing Wife." The main character Buite was very unhappy and one night had a dream; and the next day when he woke up, it was true! This idea for a story reminded me of the movie "Bedtime Stories," but it is obviously more historical. It can create a plethora of unique stories, but that all focus on the same theme. I noticed that this magical power to dream something to life was recurring in the Stories from Congo, and I wanted to memorialize this. I decided to end the story with an interpretive ending, meaning the reader can make what they want of it. I didn't want to have to decide whether Amelia was dreaming the entire time, because, in my opinion, that is not important. Many stories are open for complete interpretation, but this one has a basic plot. Dreaming is a very interesting topic of conversation and in stories so I am glad that I got to share this story with you.
Richard Edward Dennett's Stories from Congo "The Vanishing Wife"

Story: The Mountain of Flowers and Fruits

The only species of talking monkeys have lived on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits for thousands of years. Scientists label them as more advanced than normal apes, but not as advanced as human beings. Everyone who has tried to kick this species off the mountain has failed miserably, with help from the Monkey King himself. His powers made him unstoppable and he could create a tremendous army of monkeys from nothing quicker than he could snap his fingers. The newly implemented government that had political supervision over the region, which included the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, had discovered the inhabitants of the mountain and decided they were a threat to society. They planned to wipe out the entire species, but this would be impossible with Sun Wu Kung's presence. However, something stood in the way of the monkeys' plans to save their village. Their beloved Mountain of Flowers and Fruits that the monkey species had been living on was in fact an active volcano that would erupt in a week's time.

Ape village on the side of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits; anonymous.

Long before, the saint called "The Discerner" bestowed magic powers on the Monkey King, Sun Wu Kung, unlike any other king in the history of their existence. He had the power to transform into any creature and he could make the impossible possible by merely reciting an incantation. One thing he was specifically proud of was if he chewed on a piece of his own hair, spat it into the air and yelled "Transform yourself," a plethora of little monkeys would appear. He also used a floating cloud to get from one destination to another, "somersaulting" across the Earth in a second. "The Discerner" granted these powers to the Monkey King because he was worthy of the saint's time, unlike past kings who have begged for that gift for over thousands of years. But now, the government supervised everything that happened on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits.
After days of fighting the humans, Sun Wu Kung fell into a trap and woke up in a government facility. He tried to make a cloud appear to get him out of the tiny cell, but nothing happened when he recited the incantation. Then, a man with a tiny American flag pinned to his suit opened the door to his cell.
"I heard you reciting an incantation. However, this vault has been designed to restrict your magic."
"What is going on? What am I doing here? I am Sun Wu Kung, the king of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits and I demand you let me go immediately."
The man stepped closer to the Monkey King and told him about the underlying geology of the king's precious Mountain of Flowers and Fruits. He told Sun Wu Kung how the mountain was in fact a volcano that would erupt sometime in the upcoming week.
"We cannot let you and the rest of your kind live on this planet anymore. You have had your chance, but you are a danger to society. This volcano will result in something the government has been trying to accomplish for years." With that, the man in the suit left Sun Wu Kung and didn't return for what seemed like months.
Sun Wu Kung could not let the other apes die and he had to escape the facility, no matter what the cost might be. The king's favorite power that he possessed was being able to make an army of apes appear by pulling out a single hair from his head. He was unsure how this would happen since his powers were useless, but he would find a way. All he needed was to step outside of the facility even for a second to recite the incantation and swarm the building with his army of apes.
Little did the guards protecting his cell know that the king had been practicing martial arts for as long as he had been alive. He stuck his hand through the three bars in the cell door and pulled the guard up against the bars. He grabbed the keys from his belt loop and slipped out the cell before anyone else could spot him. Once Sun Wu Kung was outside of the cell, he somersaulted to the summit of the volcano.
The Monkey King once told someone, "'All the elements are subject to me, and there is no place where I cannot go.'" This was absolutely true. He pulled out a hair on his head and yelled "Transform yourself!" Seconds later, an army of apes stormed the prison where the king was kept and left no survivors. By merely reciting the specific incantation, he sealed the volcano and trapped the lava underneath.
Sun Wu Kung had saved his people once again and appreciated his powers now more than ever. The US Government made a deal to leave the sacred species alone as long as they stayed on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, and so they did.

Author's Note: I based this week's story off of Richard Wilhelm's "The Monkey King" from The Chinese Fairy Book. There are many different chapters that involve various characters and plots, but my story line specifically focuses on Sun Wu Kung's magic powers. The original story ends with Sun Wu Kung having so much power that he decides that he is fit to be Lord of the Heavens. Buddha cast him back to his mountain and put a giant pile of scraps to keep him there. He was released after many years and then served for eternity under a Monk who kept him on a tight leash. I included some characters from the original story and kept most of the settings the same. Sun Wu Kung lived on the side of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits with all his children, family and friends. The name of this mountain sounds like a pleasant place to live, but I wanted to give a modern spin on the original story. The mountain wasn't a volcano in the original, but it added a sense of urgency to my story by including it. I decided to make the government the enemy and to incorporate evolution into it as well. I also made sure to incorporate a quote from the original story. "All the elements are subject to me, and there is no place where I cannot go," caught my eye immediately when I was first reading the story. It is such a powerful statement by the king and I thought it proved relevant in my rendition.

Roger Wilhelm's The Monkey King

Story: Scarlet and Flynn

It's August in Los Angeles and the heat is unbearable, not to mention it's the first day of school today. One person in particular who has been dreading this day ever since she moved to LA in the beginning of the summer is Scarlet. She rolled over and hit the snooze button for the fifth time on her alarm clock. It was her senior year at a new school where she knew no one. Scarlet is shy around new people, so she is especially nervous for a walking into a school where she knows no one. Her mom always told her that she got her looks from the Greek Gods and not from her parents. But do looks really matter if no one wants to be your friend?

A few streets down a boy named Flynn was getting ready to leave for his first day at a new school too. There were so many thoughts going through his head as he walked out the door to meet his sudden fate at a place where he knew nobody. He wants to make friends, but it's so hard considering it is senior year. He has always been told that he was a beautiful child, but that didn't seem important because Flynn was lonely all the time.

Scarlet walked up to the front doors of the school and pushed them open. Everyone turned and looked at the new, exotically beautiful girl. Her wavy red hair draped all the way down to her lower back. She had no makeup on; her mom always told her that her natural beauty was enough. Scarlet walked through the hallway with everyone's eyes on her, but then all of their eyes shifted back to the front door. Out walks Flynn, a long, chiseled face hidden behind curly brown hair. The girls couldn't keep their eyes off him, and the boys couldn't keep their eyes off Scarlet.

The first bell of the day rang and everyone bolted to class. Scarlet and Flynn bump into each other as they both try to make it inside the classroom before they are counted late. Scarlet dropped her books and Flynn quickly bends down and picks them up in one fell swoop. They sat at desks next to each each other in the back of the room, but neither of them spoke a word the entire hour. As they walked out the door to go to their next classes, Flynn calls to Scarlet. "Hey, I'm Flynn by the way." He walked away and little did they know that would be the start of these soulmates' story together. 

This picture of a statue of Psyche and Cupid represents the love that they share and the love that Scarlet and Flynn share.

"Psyche Revived By Cupid's Kiss" by Antonio Canova.

Author's Note: I based this story loosely on the story of Cupid and Psyche. Psyche was the most beautiful girl to ever set foot on earth, yet no one wanted to marry her. It wasn't until Cupid came along and shot himself with his arrow that Psyche met the love of her life. Scarlet and Flynn represent Psyche and Cupid and although their story is much more modernized, it still is a romance story about two young lovers.


Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche; http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-apuleiuss-cupid-and.html

Story: The Dog and the Rabbit

Author’s Note

Based on the fable “The Dog and the Shadow”. I decided to elaborate on the journey home from hunting through the woods, and the obstacles he had to face on the way home. The dog is confused by his reflection in the water and mistakes it for another dog. The greedy creature lunges for the piece of meat in the other dog’s mouth, only to be splashed in the face with a cold surprise.

Bibliography. “Aesop’s Fables” by Joseph Jacobs. The Dog and the Shadow. Web Source: https://archive.org/stream/fablesaeso00aesouoft#page/28/mode/2up

There is a dog named Max. Max is loved by his owner and is always ready to chase the next squirrel. Everyday Max runs into the woods and helps his owner hunt. Some days it’s small animals like birds and rabbits, but other days they hunt deer. Max loves to run as far as the eye can see and then he runs right back to his owner. On this day, Max and his owner were hunting for rabbits. Max ran over the log, past the brook, and sat down behind a tree with his owner. They waited patiently and finally his owner stood up. They heard a rustling in the bushes near by and out hopped a rabbit. Max’s owner gave him the command and off he goes. Max is rolling on the grass and is soon up in a flash with the rabbit hanging from his mouth. His owner runs over to him and bends down to receive a lick from Max. They start back for the house, passing over the brook; except this time, Max sees his reflection in the water. He sees the rabbit hanging from what he thinks is another dog staring back at him. He lunges towards the water and peeks his head back above water. The rabbit is nowhere to be found, but Max’s owner pulls him out of the brook. He gives himself a shake and he and his owner go back out and catch another rabbit.

Picture of a dog holding a rabbit. By Sir Edwin Landseer. http://madamepickwickartblog.com/2012/03/back-to-the-salon-trititude-and-tritism/