Storytelling Week 12 : Alice in Rap Battle

"That looks terrible," said 5. 

"Well do you have a better idea to try and cover up this mistake?" said 7.

"No," replied 5.

"We don't have much time before the Queen comes. We need to hurry" said 3.

Alice

The cards were working frantically trying to pain the white roses red. The cards were instructed to plant white rose trees in the garden and red rose trees in the courtyard. However, a white rose tree was accidentally planted in the courtyard and the cards were attempting to paint the white roses red in order for the tree to blend in.

"What happens if she Queen notices that this isn't a real red rose tree," asked Alice, who had been curiously watching the cards paint.

"She will say ' OFF WITH THEIR HEADS' and we will be killed!" said 7.

Trumpets started playing in the distance. "THE QUEEN!" yelled the cards! They frantically threw their paint brushes to the side and attempted to blend into the grass.

The Queen of Hearts marched into her courtyard with her soldiers. "What is this!" demanded the Queen. 

"It is a rose tree, just like you asked," said 3.

"This is not RED rose tree! This is a WHITE rose tree that has been painted in order to fool me! OFF WITH THEIR HEADS" screamed the Queen.

Alice interrupted, "Wait! They were just trying to fix their mistake. There must be another way instead of killing them."

Queen of Hearts

"And who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Alice"

"OFF WITH HER HEAD!" 

"Wait! Please! I am only a little girl! Surely we can settle this civilly!"

The Queen pondered for a minute. "Okay, rap battle it is. Me and you in the courtyard. If I win then I get to take you and the cards' heads off. And if you win, you and the cards are safe."

The Queen, her army, Alice, the cards, and all the other animals gathered around the courtyard for the rap battle.

"You're up first, your majesty," said Alice.

The Queen cleared her throat.

Yo Yo Yo

I'm the Queen of Hearts,

I am very smart.

The cards painted the white roses,

And of courses I noticed.

They messed up my tree, how could this be?

For everyone knows that I'm the Queen bee. 

The crowd went wild! Alice grabbed the mic.

Queen bee? What do ya mean?

You definitely don't do the right thing.

Off with their heads!

You want them dead! 

Thats the definition of an airhead!

The courtyard in unison yelled, "OH!!!!" Alice killed it. The Queen had to think on her toes for the next verse.

You're just a little girl who fell down a rabbit hole,

You ate bread that turned you into a troll.

You crashed the tea party with the Mad Hatter,

And you talk to yourself in some kind of chatter.

Then say you're talking to the Cheshire cat, who's that?

I don't know but baby you're kinda WACK!

The courtyard went crazy.

The Cheshire cat is my friend,

Something that you wouldn't be able to comprehend.

 I fell from a rabbit hole into this world,

But I hate it here, it makes me wanna hurl.

You say someone stole your sweet tarts?

That's funny.

Why would anyone eat something that tastes like farts.

***Drops Mic***

The courtyard chanted Alice's name. The cards dog pilled her and hugged her in relief. Alice stared at the Queen, whose face was as white as a ghost.

"Come on cards, lets go home." And Alice and the cards left wonderland.

The End

Author's Note 
I based my story this week of the story, The Queen's Croquet-Ground, from the Alice in Wonderland Unit this week. In the original story, Alice wonders into the Queen of Heart's courtyard and finds cards (playing cards) painting white roses red. They planted the wrong color of roses and if they Queen found out, she would behead them. The Queen did arrive and yelled to her soldiers, "Off with their heads!" After Alice tried arguing with the Queen, the Queen asked Alice to play croquet. This is where I made a spin on the story. Instead of playing croquet, I had the Queen and Alice compete in a rap battle. The rhyming scheme for the raps go AA BB CC. I had the raps contain things from the other chapters in the unit such as the Cheshire Cat, falling down the rabbit hole, stolen sweet tarts, the Mad Hatter's tea party, and beheading the cards for painting the roses. I had Alice "drop mic" after her rap because that is a slang term that many people use and do when they "slay" in a rap battle. I had so much fun writing my story with a new approach! 


Source : Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865).

Week 11 Storytelling : This Little Piggy

"Alright, everyone settle down now," said Judge Bacon while pounding his gavel.

The pigs in the courtroom were arguing and oinking uncontrollably. It was mad chaos. A misdemeanor had been committed in the Oink City and Judge Bacon was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Yesterday at 3 o'clock, there was a speed chase through Oink City. Someone was speeding down the street in a John Deere tractor, going way over the speed limit. Unfortunately, the cops were unable to seize the traffic violator. In order to keep this town safe, we must find the perpetrator in order to prevent our pig citizens from being run over and turning into bacon strips." 

"With that being said, will the first victim take the stand?" said Judge Bacon. Porky walked up to the stand.

"Where were you yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock?" asked Judge Bacon.

"I was at the m-m-m-m-m-market. I was out of corn meal and had to feed my little p-p-p-piglets and my wife, Miss Piggy," said Porky.

"Can I see Miss Piggy on the stand, please?" asked Judge Bacon.

Miss Piggy waddled up to the stand. "Yesterday I was at home all day. A parent had to stay at home with the children while the other went to the store. We were out of corn meal and the kids were starving. You can ask all my baby piggies, I was at home with them while Porky went to the market."

Judge Bacon dismissed Miss Piggy from the stand. He then summoned Hamilton to the stand.

"Hamilton, tell me about your day yesterday."

"Well, I woke up around noon because the night before I was at the Farmhouse with some friends," explained Hamilton. (The Farmhouse was the most popular night club and bar in Oink City.)

"And obviously I woke up starving so I went to the Greenhouse, my favorite restaurant, to get some grub."

"Grub?" asked Judge Bacon.

"Yeah, you know like vegetables, grass, and maybe chicken strips."

The jury gasped. It was unheard of for pigs to eat meat. It just wasn't right and didn't make sense. The pigs from Oink City were allies with animals from other towns such as Mooville and Chicktown.

"Yeah, you can even look at my receipt if you want," said Hamilton.

"Next!" said Judge Bacon. Ollie, a younger pig, walked up to the stand nervously.

"Ollie, where were you yesterday at 3 o'clock?"

"Well... I didn't eat any meat. I didn't have any," said Ollie.

"You didn't have any?" said Judge Bacon. 

"No, Judge Bacon."

"So what were you doing?"

"I told you, I wasn't eating meat." 

Judge Bacon, frustrated from the trial, let out a big sigh. "Alright, can I please have the final victim to the stand."

Pinky strolled up to the stand. 

"Pinky, tell me what you were up to yesterday afternoon."

"Well, I was out at the Farmhouse the night before enjoying a nice pigtini and dancing the night away. I accidentally drank too many pigtinis and ended up falling asleep. When I woke up yesterday afternoon, I still felt happy from the pigtinis so I just squealed and couldn't find my way home."

"You were lost?" asked Judge Bacon.

"Yes! I was so confused where I was. So I just said 'wee, wee, wee' until I was able to find my way home." Pinky was not the smartest pig in the barn.

"How did you get home?"

"I just hopped on the big green tractor sitting outside of the Farmhouse!"

"Thank you, Pinky, that is all," said Judge Bacon.

The jury gathered together to make their decision and gave Judge Bacon the verdict. Judge Bacon banged his gavel.

Knock, knock, knock! 

"The jury has reached a verdict," announced Judge Bacon. 

"The court finds Pinky guilty of a traffic violation She is sentenced to two weeks in the barn. Court adjourned."

I decided to use a video instead of an image this week because this commercial is hilarious, it is one of my favorite Geico advertisements, and it relates to the story. Enjoy! 

Author's Note:
I based this story off of the Nursery Rhyme This Little Piggy. The rhyme is below.

THIS pig went to market;

This pig stayed at home;

This pig had a bit of meat,

And this pig had none;

This pig said, "Wee, wee, wee!

I can't find my way home."

I retold the original nursery rhyme as a courtroom drama. Each piggy in my story represents one of the pigs from the nursery rhyme. Porky is the pig that went to the market, Miss Piggy is the pig who stayed at home, Hamilton is the big who had a bit of meat, Ollie was the pig who had none, and Pinky was the pig who said, "Wee, wee ,wee" and couldn't find her way home. I decided to make the story more animal-like and gave my story different  "piglike" characteristics. For example, the judge's name was named Judge Bacon (since pigs are bacon) and all of the pigs lived in Oink City. Also, I thought it was comical to rename an adult alcoholic beverage an "pigtini" instead of calling it martini or another real beverage name.I put links to resources that talk about each character and the famous shows and movies that they originated from! I thought it would be cool to bring them all into one story! I had a lot of fun recreating this nursery rhyme into a story and hope everyone enjoys it!  


Story source: The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke (1897).

Week 9 Storytelling : ABC's The Bachelorette

Jojo - Season 20 Bachelorette 

Jojo, after losing Ben to Lauren B. in the last season of the Bachelor, is ready to take on her role as ABC’s new Bachelorette. She stood in front of the beautiful Bachelor Mansion in California, wearing her formal evening gown and patiently waiting for the 25 lucky contestants to arrive.

One by one, the men got out of the limo. When the news was released that Jojo was going to be the next Bachelorette, fans went wild. Jojo is gorgeous, fun, outgoing, caring, compassionate, and so many other qualities that a man would love to have in his future wife. Many male contestants auditioned and only 25 lucky men were selected to be on the show. 

All of the men were very attractive and handsome. Every girl viewing the show from her TV could only think, “Wow, Jojo is so lucky to be surrounded by so many attractive guys.” 

However, as the show progressed, Jojo continued to send home America’s favorite men. But why? Contestants with amazing qualities, physical attractiveness, and financial stability were having their hearts broken by Jojo each week.

Rose Ceremony 

As the show advanced throughout the season, Jojo continued to give roses to the men she liked and had connections with, and sent home the ones she couldn't see herself marrying. 

Week by week went by, and now Jojo was down to four contestants. 

Michael Jameson : Pro surfer from the coast of California, reigning National Surf Champion, enjoys romance novels, seafood fanatic, and graduate from UCLA.

Adam Long : CEO of his own software company in Dallas, enjoys vacations to the Caribbean and lazy Sundays in his Uptown Dallas condo.

Owen Stevens : 26-year old from LA, works 3 different jobs, and enjoys volunteering at the homeless shelter, animal shelter, and children's hospital in his free time. 

Ryan Smith : Successful lawyer in Chicago, golden-doodle owner, loves attending Chicago Bulls' basketball games in his suite, and enjoys taking joy rides in his Ferrari. 

When there are four men are remaining on the show, each contestant takes the bachelorette to their hometowns to introduce the bachelorette (possibly potential wife) to their families. 

Michael's Family's house in California

Jojo visited the homes of Adam, Michael, and Ryan. Each of these three men had  large and lavish mansions with a plethora of expensive art, designer furniture, and an incredible backyard pool and patio area.

When Jojo went to Owen’s hometown to meet his family, the experience was much different. Owen’s house was tiny. There were cracks in the walls, leaks in the ceiling, old creaky wooden floors, and old wallpaper on the walls since the family could not afford to repaint or fix the home.

Jojo’s visit in Owen’s hometown with his family was one of her favorites.Owen wasn’t a trust fund baby and didn’t live a luxurious life like the other contestants.

 “I had never felt so loved and welcomed into someone else’s home,” said Jojo after the hometown date. “Yes, Owen’s family isn’t as privileged as some of the other families. But their hospitality and compassionate hearts are something that makes them more privileged in my opinion.”

After the hometown dates, Jojo sent home Adam, the software CEO. The next week she sent home Michael, the pro surfer, who did not take the breakup very easily. He did not think it was "rad" or "chill" at all.

The next week was finally the season finale. Without a doubt in her mind or her heart, Jojo picked Owen over Ryan and Owen proposed immediately at the finale.

Jojo & Owen's Engagement

After the show, Jojo and Owen attended many interviews and made several guest appearances on different TV talk shows.

In one talk show, the host asked, “Now, Jojo, what made you chose Owen?” 

“Because he was the most genuine heart I have ever seen. He is the most beautiful person on the inside which in turn makes him the most beautiful person on the outside. I have never been happier with a decision.”

And Jojo and Owen remained one of the few couples from the TV show that remained married and in love for years.

The Bachelorette 

Author’s Note

This story was based on the story, The Child of the Evening Star from the American Indian Fairy Tales Unit. The original story had three parts, but I chose to retell the first portion of the story. A hunter had ten beautiful daughters who each were married off to prestigious  attractive, and skillful husbands. Oweenee, the youngest daughter, could not find a suitor who met her expectations. She turned down many suitors and none of her sisters understood why. They were all wealthy and attractive but yet Oweenee did not want to marry any of them. That is until a man named Osseo came along. Osseo was not the most attractive and he was very poor. However, Oweenee loved his genuine heart and chose to marry him.  I chose to retell my the story used the ABC's famous TV show : The Bachelorette / Bachelor (depending on if it is a woman or man). The last season just ended and Jojo Fletcher (yes a real person) was the runner up and was chosen as the next Bachelorette. Her season will air next January. I wanted Jojo to pick someone who was genuine and kind instead of someone who was rich and privileged. I described Owen's home the way I did to compare it to the mansions of the other suitors (comparable to the ones from the original story). 

Original story source :

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

Week 7 Storytelling : Captain Nate and his Teammates

It was a beautiful sunny Friday at Central High School. The CHS boys cross country team had just finished their afternoon run. The team returned to the bleachers, drank some water, and waited to be dismissed for the weekend.

The team was very talented, but their coach didn't have any running experience. He was the school's biology teacher and volunteered to coach, more like supervise, the boys cross country team after school.

"Okay, boys, great run today. I will see everyone after school on Monday. Enjoy your weekend!" said Coach.

Coach left and the boys stood around the water jugs, discussing their weekend plans. The team always got along really well, but since their coach didn't know anything about running nor competing, they had to coach and lead themselves.

"I propose we name a team captain," said Chuck. Chuck had always had a bold and outgoing personality and wasn't afraid to speak up.

"I agree. We don't have any type of leadership. I think our team could become even more successful if someone was our captain," said Dan.

All the other boys nodded their heads and said yes.

"But... how will we decide who is team captain?" asked Nate. All the boys were great runners, students, and friends. The decision would be hard but would have to be unanimous.

"I nominate Chuck," suggested Eric.

"Chuck is too fierce," said Dan. The team all agreed and Chuck stood there with a smirk on his face.

"How about Jonathan?" suggested Nate.

"No, not Jonathan," said Erick. Erick had served as vice president of the student body last year under Jonathan as president. He claimed that Jonathan was very unforgiving if someone made him mad. Jonathan glared at Erick and Erick quickly looked away.

"How about we go to the 10K in the city tomorrow and whoever finishes the race first from our team will be named team captain?" said Aaron. "The team captain should be the fastest runner on the team anyway."

The team all unanimously agreed and went home to get a good night's rest before their 6.2 mile run tomorrow.

10K

The next morning, the sun was out and shinning at 7 a.m. The team arrived early before the start of the race. Pre-race rituals are definitely a thing. Chuck wore his favorite running shorts with his initials embroidered on the bottom, Dan had his lucky laces on his shoes, Nate ate his favorite protein bar, and Eric wore a neon green hat and his lucky bracelet.

The boys stood at the start line, waiting for the start of the race. Joe walked up to the line last minute. Joe was last year's high-school State Champion cross country runner. Everyone knew that Joe was the fastest on the team. Joe was quiet, kept to himself, and was very humble for how talented he was.

"If only I could beat Joe somehow," Chuck murmured under his breath. Nate, overhearing Chuck's comment, thought of a brilliant idea. Nate knew that no one could ever truly beat Joe. It was impossible! Joe was always at least a quarter of a mile ahead of his teammates during cross-country meets and practices.

"I'm going to the little Nate's room before the race starts," said Nate.

"Don't be too long. The race starts in 15," replied Dan.

Nate walked toward the restrooms until his teammates were out of sight. Nate then slipped away to his car.

Having already received a map of the course, Nate drove towards the finish line and parked his car a mile away. Nate pretended to be a spectator handing out water, standing along the rope that blocked off the course.

Nate waited. He finally spotted Joe in the distance, about a quarter of mile away from the finish line. Nate jumped out of the spectator crowd and into the course. He sprinted to the finish line and crossed it with a feeling of exhilaration. A minute later, Joe crossed the finish line.

Joe in the lead

Completely breathless and exhausted, Joe fell to his knees. He checked his Garmin GPS watch. He had just run his personal best time for 6.2 miles. His legs were numb and weak, but he smiled with a sense of accomplishment and joy. That is, until he looked up and saw Nate standing in front of him.

"What...what are...you... doing... here?" Joe asked breathlessly.

"I finished the marathon before you did. That makes me team captain," smirked Nate.

Teammates finishing

Joe, in complete shock, couldn't find the words to say back to him. Joe did not see Nate ONCE during the 26.2 mile race and knew for a fact that Nate cheated his way to winning. Before Joe could gain the strength in his legs again to get up and punch Nate in the face, his teammates crossed the finish line one by one. All were exhausted and surprised to see Nate all chipper at the finish line.

"Congrats, Nate," said Chuck. "We all know this was a true win."

"See you in practice Monday, team captain," said Eric.

The rest of the team glared at Nate with looks of disgust. They knew he didn't actually run the race, but they were all to exhausted to put up a fight.

Nate was at first happy about his brilliant plan to achieve team captain status. That is until Monday at school, when his team ignored him all day. After school, the team didn't wait for Nate to finish changing in locker room. They started their Monday run without him and continued to avoid him the rest of the week. Ashamed and embarrassed, Nate quit the cross country team at CHS and decided to transfer high schools.

A team captain is no leader without a team to lead.

post run feeling

Author's Note
This story was based off the original story, King Chameleon and the Animals, from the West African Folktale Unit. In the original story, animals in the kingdom got along so well that there was no need for a King. One day the animals decided to name a king, but could not agree on one animal. The lion was too fierce and the wolf's nomination was refused by the sheep and goats. To solve this dispute, the animals decided to run a race and whoever reached the tree stump and sat down first was to be named king. The hare, the obvious fast one, was predicted to win. When the race started, a chameleon decided to hop on the back of the hare to "catch a ride." When the hare reached the tree stump, the chameleon jumped off and landed on the stool. The hare knew that the chameleon cheated but couldn't do anything about it when the rest of the animals reached the finish line. None of the animals were happy with the chameleon being named king. So they ignored him and the chameleon felt ashamed and decided to move away to the kingdom.
In my story, Nate resembles the chameleon, Joey resembles the hare, Chuck resembles the lion, and Jonathan resembles the wolf. I changed the kingdom of animals to a cross country team and decided to make the race a marathon. Of course, Nate being the chameleon cheated and his teammates were not happy with it and decided to ignore him. The chameleon was ashamed and moved away to the top of a hilltop.
At the end of the original story, the closing line is ,"A king without subjects is no king." I decided to create a similar line at the end of my story to create a parallel to the original. I had fun writing this story and recreating the characters as high school boys.

West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).

Week 6 Storytelling : The Stonecutter

"Alright honey, go get your PJs on and brush your teeth."

"If I do will you PLEASE read me a bedtime story?" begged the little girl.

"Honey it is WAY past your bedtime!"

"Please mom! Pretty Please! I can't go to sleep without one!"

The little girl's puppy dog face and big eyes gazed at her mother.  Her mother looked at the clock and let out a sigh. "Only one short one. ONE."

"YAY!" The little girl ran into her room, brushed her teeth, threw on her PJS, and jumped into bed. Her mom sat down on the soft pink comforter and opened up her Ipad. She scrolled through her list of favorite stories that consisted of mostly traditional fairytales. She came across the story, The Stonecutter and realized she had never read that one to her daughter before. She opened the story on the table and began to read.

Stone

"Once upon a time there was a man who was a stonecutter. He worked very hard to cut stones for a living. One day, after working very hard and feeling very tired, the stonecutter said, "I wish I was a rich man with a silky bed and gold tassels. I would be happy then." All of the sudden, the stonecutter heard a mysterious voice say, "Your wish is heard, a rich man you shall be!" The stonecutter went home that evening and found his house furnished with luxury and splendid furniture. The stonecutter thought he was happy, until one morning he glanced out of his window and saw a prince ridding in a carriage with servants shading him with an umbrella. "If only I was a prince with servants shading me with a fancy umbrella in my carriage, I would be a happy man!" The mysterious voice appeared again, " A prince you shall be!" The stonecutter became a prince and enjoyed riding in his carriage with his umbrella over his head. However, despite the umbrella shading him from the sun rays, the new prince's skin got darker and darker each day. He was angry about how powerful the sun was so he said, " The sun is mightier than I! I wish I were the sun!" And the spirit granted him his wish and the man became the sun. He would shoot his rays down on the people and the grass everyday, but eventually became discontent because of all the clouds that would block his view from the earth. "Oh how I wish I was a cloud, mightier than the sun!" And the spirit granted him his wish and the man became a cloud. He created rain storms that filled the lakes and rivers and destroyed all the towns and villages. The only thing that wasn't removed from his rain storms was the stone on the side of the mountain. The man said, "Is that rock mightier than I? I wish I was a rock!" The spirit said, '' Your wish is heard a rock you shall be!" The man loved being a rock. He could not be moved by the rain or the sun. "Now this is the life," the man said to himself. One day the man, now a rock, heard a strange noise and saw another stonecutter attempting to chop the rock in half. "Is this man mightier than a rock? Oh, if only I was a man again!" And POOF! He turned back into a man again. He returned to his old life again of hot, long, and sweaty work days, and never complained again about his life. The end."

"Wow mom! He was a lot of different objects!" exclaimed the little girl.

Sleepy Girl, By Andrew Stawarz 

"Yes he was. I wanted to read that to you because it had a great message," said the mom. "Don't be happy with what you don't have. Instead, be grateful of the things and life that you do and make the absolute most out of it."

The little girl smiled and curled up with her stuffed bear in her bed. Her mother kissed her forehead, turned off the lamp, and got up to close the door.

"I love you, sweetie."

"I love you too, mommy!"



Author's Note
I based this story of the story, The Stonecutter, from the Japanese Fairy Tale Unit. The original story is depicted through my retelling of the story. A man is unhappy with his life and asks a spirit to change him into different things, until he realizes that he is the happiest when he is himself. I decided to tell this story as a bedtime story because I think it is an easy story for children to understand, and also I think the message is important for children to learn. I basically summarized the exact plot of the original story through the mother, who was reading the original story to her daughter. I had fun writing this story and taking a different approach to it!


Source : Japanese Fairy Tales Unit.  The Violet Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, Illustrated by H. J. Ford 1901).  

Week 5 Storytelling : And How Does That Make You Feel?

And How Does That Make You Feel?

The therapist glanced at the clock. An hour had passed since the session started. The client sat on the couch, twiddling her thumbs. The client had only been expressing how anxious, depressed, and worried she was about her kids for the past hour.

"Anything else you would like to talk about today?" questioned the therapist. "Maybe about what exactly happened to your husband?"

"I told you that he's dead," snapped the client.

"I know. We've already been over that. But I want to know what exactly happened. I promise there will be no judgment. I want to help you ."

The client sat on the couch silently, continuing to twiddle her thumbs. She was afraid to talk to someone, in a matter of fact anyone, about her husband's death. The depression and anxiety was killing and preventing her from caring for her seven daughters.

"How bad could it be? I suppose I would feel better," said the client.

"I'm all ears. Whenever you are ready," replied the therapist.

The client took a deep breath and stopped twiddling her thumbs. "Everything was normal. My husband went out to collect thorns for a living, like he always does, and the girls and I were doing our spinning work so that our family wouldn't starve to death."

"You and your seven daughters, correct?" asked the therapist.

"Yes, all of my seven daughters and I. But when my husband came back that night, he had some very exciting and bizarre news to tell me."

"What was the news?"

"He said he encountered a long lost sister that he never met before. He claimed that this sister left home when he was a baby and now she had come back to find him. My husband said that his sister was very rich and could bring us out of this poverty-stricken life," explained the client.

" How did that make you feel?"
" I was caught be off guard. I never knew he even had siblings," responded the client.

"So then what happened?"

" Well, he took us to her and to her home where she entertained us, gave us plenty of food, and provided us with nice clothes. Our bodies began to change. We weren't skin and bones anymore. For the first time in our lives, we were well-nourished and happy."

"So what changed?" asked the therapist.

"Some time passed and I wanted to repay my new sister-in-law by cooking her a nice dinner to thank her for her generosity and kindness. After making her a tasty dish, I sent my youngest daughter to deliver it to her."

"Then what happened?"

"My daughter ran back home bawling and screaming. I asked her what on earth was the matter. The terror I saw in her eyes still haunts me."

"Terror?" questioned the therapist.

"Yes. My daughter claimed that she saw that her aunt, transformed into a wolf, was eating a man."

"No..."

"Yep. So I told my husband that his sister was a wolf, disguised as a human. I tried to explain to him that the only reason we were well fed was so that she could fatten us up and devour us."

"What did your husband say in response?"

"He denied it. He was furious that I accused his sister of being a wolf. I insisted that we leave at once to avoid being killed."

"So did you leave?"

"He refused. No matter how many times I begged, he wouldn't believe me. So I took my seven daughters with me and we fled. Two weeks went by and I hadn't heard from my husband so I went back to see if he was okay."

"What did you find?" asked the therapist.
"Blood. Dark red blood. All over the floor of our house."

"Was it your husband's blood?"

"Yes."

"Oh my..."

 "My neighbor walked in when I was standing in the blood-stained house. He said he had come to deliver a package to my husband, and when he opened the door he saw a wolf devouring him."

"So you were right?"

"Yes. I almost wish I stayed and died with him. I don't know how my daughters and I are going to get over this."

The therapist looked at the clock. Two hours had passed since the start of the session.

"Your session has expired, but I won't charge you. Let's reschedule for tomorrow morning. We will work through this," said the therapist.

Wolf (by Arturo de Frias Marques)

Author's Note
I based this story off of the original story from the Persian Unit, The Wolf-Aunt . The original story is about a family, with seven daughters, that is very poor and has to work hard to keep from starving. One day when the husband is out working, he encounters a random woman who claims that she is his long lost sister and that she wants to help him and his family. The husband believes her and immediately tells his wife that his sister will save the family from poverty and starvation. The family goes to live with the new aunt and is treated very well, with new clothes and an abundance of food. To show gratitude for the new aunt, the wife sends her youngest daughter to deliver a home-cooked meal to the husband's sister. When the little girl arrives at the aunt's house, she peers into the door and sees the aunt, in the form of a wolf, eating a man. The little girl is scared and tells her mom what she had seen. The wife tells her husband that the family needs to leave town or they will be eaten by the wolf-aunt. The husband, fooled by his sister, refuses to leave. The wife and seven daughters leave town, and the husband stays and is eaten alive by the wolf-aunt. I decided to tell this story in the form of a therapy session. The wife, the client in the story, tells the story to her therapist and is very troubled by the murder of her husband. I added the neighbor into the story so that someone could tell the wife what her husband is dead. In the original story, the wife never came back to check on her husband. I thought that the wife should come back and check on her husband, and also prove that she is not heartless and cruel. I chose the title based on a redundant question that therapists asks their clients. I had fun writing this story in a therapy session along using back-and-forth dialect with the characters!

Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).

Week 4 Storytelling : The Father, the Butler, and the two Sons

It was a rainy mournful day in New York City. The father of the wealthiest family in the city had passed away. His twin sons, Anthony and Logan, both 22, stood above his coffin at the funeral to say their last goodbyes. After their father was put to rest, the two sons walked away in distraught. Their butler, Henry, who served as a second father their whole life, walked with them to the family limo. 

"Well good thing Father left us an enormous trust fund to live off of for the rest of our lives so we don't have to worry about money," said Logan.

"Yes true, but I know your father wanted both of you to learn how to work at a real job and make your own wealth for your future families. The trust fund is a backup and should be a reward when you both had made your own way in life," explained Henry.

"Well each of our trust funds are left in our name, meaning we own the entire thing. I would like mine transferred to my bank account first thing tomorrow morning Henry," demanded Logan.

Trust Fund

"Yes, of course. Anthony, how about you?" asked Henry.

"Keep it in the trust fund account. I have a job interview tomorrow. I want to only use it if I have to," said Anthony.

The next day, Anthony dressed in his best suit and set out to JP Morgan Chase for his interview while Logan planned luxurious and extravagant parties every weekend for the next few months. Logan also purchased a private jet, 4 new sport cars, a private yacht,  and an abundance of designer clothes from 
Europe. 

JP Morgan Chas, New York (By Ben Sutherland)

Anthony was hired on and started his new 8 to 5 job. Henry was very pleased and helped Anthony complete projects, invest his money, start a new savings account, and live completely on his own.

Meanwhile, Logan continued to wallow in his trust fund. Continued to live at the family mansion, drink expensive champagne all day, and never lifting a finger to do anything product.

A few months went by and Anthony got promoted to CEO of JP Morgan Chase. His return on his investments were through the roof, and his savings account was so large that he would be able to solely live off of it for the rest of his life.  Anthony moved out of the family mansion and moved into his own mansion, one even bigger and luxurious than the family one. 

One morning, Henry went out to the outdoor private pool, to deliver a letter and some news to Logan.

"What's this?" interrogated Logan, holding the letter in his hand.

"It is a letter of eviction. You have spent all of your father's money he left behind and your trust own trust fund. You have 24 hours to move out. As for all of your things, they are being sold in order to pay off all the debt you owe," said Henry.

"WHAT! You cannot do that! That isn't possible! 

"Oh yes it is," laughed Henry.

"You can't leave me. Where do you think you are going to live and who do you think you're going to work for now?" yelled Logan.

"Oh that has already been arranged. I am serving as Anthony's butler and living in his brand new and very plentiful guest house. You won't be needing me anymore, goodbye Logan," said Henry as we walked away.

Logan was forced to move out and live on the streets due to his ack of his money and responsibly. 
Meanwhile, Anthony and Henry lived in his mansion together. Since Anthony worked for himself and made its own fortune, without touching his trust fund, Henry gave Anthony his father's secret account, which was worth way more than his trust fund. 

Needless to say, Anthony lived happily and comfortably for the rest of his life as a humble man.

Anthony's Mansion (by Jason Frye)

Author's Note : 
I wrote this story after the The King, the Hermit, and the two Princes by Maude Barrows Dutton. The original story is about a King who passes away and his friend, the Hermit, is left in charge of his treasure and is only allowed to give it to the son who goes through hardship, works, and becomes a noble man. The first son automatically assumes the role of king, while the other goes to the Hermit for advice and direction. The second son learns how to be a noble man and his rewarded the treasure. The other, blows all of the money and sends the kingdom into poverty and chaos. There is a reflection of a new king, and the noble bother wins. Anthony and Logan represent the two sons and Henry represents the Henry, the father's friend. Logan is the prince who blows all the money and doesn't work while Anthony makes a living for his own and moves up in life, being rewarded the ultimate treasure, his trust fund AND his father's secret account. I placed this story in New York City since it seems very prestigious and noble, just like a kingdom. Also, JP Morgan Chase is also a very prestigious company, perfectly suited for Anthony to work in.



Source : The King, the Hermit, and the two Princes.  (The Tortoise and the Geese and Other Fables of Bidpai by Maude Barrows Dutton,  with illustrations by E. Boyd Smith, 1908.)