Storytelling: The Princess Above the Pea

The princess sat, perturbed, looking from her nook out the window.

The royal announcement had not yet made its way to her castle. Why hadn't it come? Nearly all of the princesses of neighboring kingdoms had received their copy, but not yet Princess Cat. Cat knew that an announcement from the prince would guarantee his presence at her home shortly after.

Cat had met the prince many years before. She doubted very much that he would remember her if anyone asked. But she had never forgot. They were children, then. Her family was traveling through the countryside to visit an ailing family member on her mum's side. They had stopped to eat a meal when the prince came barging out from the side of building. He had come tearing out from seemingly nowhere. His appearance struck the princess then and that had stuck with her for her entire life. She often thought of his raven hair and startling blue eyes. He was dressed impeccably, although everything about his outfit seemed disheveled, no doubt from the roughhousing.

That was the only time the princess had ever seen the prince in person. After that instance, she often saw his picture in announcements or fliers. Her infatuation with him had never been stifled. The word that was spreading across the country said that this prince, her prince, was seeking a wife. He was traveling to the various kingdoms to meet the princesses, in hopes that one would be his life's companion. There was one problem: he hadn't been to visit Cat. She had no idea why that was. Nonetheless, her heart was broken.

In the coming weeks, the prince would complete his tour of the country and return to his home. He would return without a wife. His quest had not been successful and Cat would be lying if she said she wasn't a little bit pleased. However, after he had returned home, the prince would not been seen in public for a long while. He refused to leave his chambers, undoubtedly disappointed in the failure of his mission.

Cat heard about his state from afar, and found that she must take matters into her own hands. If the prince wouldn't come to visit her, she would come to him. She stole away at night, and made her trek to the prince's castle. Her travel was largely uneventful, until she was nearly there and the sky opened up. It rained down quite hard upon the princess and she was forced to seek shelter under trees. In the process, spare branches snagged at her dress and caused it to rip and tear.

"Oh, but I'm so close," the princess thought to herself.

She decided to complete her journey and arrived quite quickly. She was greeted at the castle gates by a couple of guard. She announced herself and was escorted into one of the larger ballrooms in the castle. It was the middle of the night, so there was no one in the hall which gave it a rather ethereal sense. Suddenly, she heard a woman's footsteps approach, light but clacking loudly as her heels hit the marble floor. The queen rounded the entryway and stood still, waiting to be noticed by the princess. The princess, awaiting the arrival of the cause of the footsteps, turned to her immediately.

"Come child," the queen said as she beckoned to the princess. "We've arranged a room for you upstairs. We will make arrangements for you to meet the prince in the morning."

The princess was confused. Had they known she was coming? How did they know who she was? Certainly they knew she was of royalty, or else why would they have prepared a bed?

"Your parents sent a message ahead of you. We've known of your imminent arrival for hours. Come now, it's late."

Cat followed quickly and was led into the most incredible room. There was a bed in the middle of the room with many mattresses stacked upon it. Grateful for a warm bed, she climbed up immediately. However, once she got in the middle of the mattress, she couldn't help but find it to be the most uncomfortable bed she'd ever entered. No matter how she tossed or turned, she could not find a comfortable position. She constantly felt as though something was prodding her, even through all of the mattresses. She was in fits throughout the night and didn't catch a wink of sleep.

Early the next morning, the queen returned to awake her to find that the princess was laying with her eyes wide open in the bed.

"Did you sleep well, dear?"

"Well...yes er Your Highness."

The queen could see on her face that the princess was lying. She was pleased. Perhaps she had finally located a match for her son.

She led the princess back into the hall where they had met the night before. However, now, there were many people milling about. Most importantly, the prince was sitting atop a throne, clearly waiting for something. As soon as the prince locked eyes on the princess, led by his mother, he gasped. Could it be her? The princess had a similar reaction. She could not believe that after all this time she was reunited with her prince.

The prince leapt to his feet and nearly ran toward them.

"Hello! Hello, hello, good morning, my princess."

"Good morning, My Lord."

"Do you remember me!?" the prince almost exclaimed.

Cat was taken aback. Remember him? How in the world could he know who she was?

"I remember, you were sitting with your family and I was playing with a lot of my pals. We nearly tore right into you lot. I had no idea you were a princess. I have been searching for a wife, you see, but none could compare to you as I remembered from so long ago. This is amazing! This is splendid! Oh, we'll be married at once!"

The princess could not believe her ears. He had remembered her for all these years, just as she had remembered him! They had held out for this long for each other, and neither of them knew it of the other!

Within the week, the couple was married and they lived happily for the rest of their days.

(The Princess Discovers the Pea, web source: Wikimedia)

Author's Note: I used the story of the Princess and the Pea to tell the princess' story. After reading the original story, I was left with so many questions. Like, why did the princess seek out the prince? And why hadn't the prince come to visit that particular princess? I thought I would answer my own questions through retelling the story. In the original story, the prince goes around the meet princesses to find a wife. He doesn't exactly find one so he returns home, unsuccessful. The princess (Cat, as I've named her) goes to meet the prince at his home. She arrives sopping wet from rain and with her dress torn. The queen allows her to stay for the night, but has placed a pea under the mattress. She believes if the princess is bothered by the pea, then she will have been proven to be the correct match for her son. The princess doesn't sleep at all through the night and has developed bruises in the morning from the measly pea. The queen approves and the prince and princess are married.

Bibliography: The Princess and the Pea, by Hans Christian Andersen. Link to reading here.

Storytelling: King Arthur

Tor was unnerved.

Tor was someone who always seemed to be unnerved, even when he was a small child. He never seemed to take anybody at their word. He always seemed uncomfortable among all of his family members, including the enormous amount of siblings he had. He wasn't like them and he never tried to be. All 13 of his brothers liked to be in the fields working, but Tor always dreamed of something greater and more honorable.

This was what was unnerving Tor. His brothers and father had been harping on him for days now. The crops weren't doing so well and they were afraid that they wouldn't have enough to go around this season. Usually, they sort of let Tor do what he wanted. He was usually holed up in his room, or taking long walks around the property, thinking.

Tor knew that he wasn't going to be able to go on much longer, but didn't see anyway that he could leave the house because he didn't know where he would go. But, his birthday was coming up and he had been dreaming of something that he thought would benefit everyone.

He was going to ask his dad to take him to King Arthur's court and ask for him to be knighted. He was asking tonight, on the eve of his birthday, at dinner.

"Tor, what are you thinking about?" his dad asked.

"Yeah." Tor answered. His brothers chuckled, a few of them elbowing each other. Tor flushed scarlet and his eyes fell to his lap.

"Son, your birthday is tomorrow and you haven't told us what you'd like to do for your birthday," his dad said.

Tor mumbled something indecipherable.

"Lift your head, son."

Tor's eyes flitted toward his father, without raising his head.

"I thought we could go into town tomorrow," Tor said.

His dad looked apprehensive. "Well, I'm not sure about that.."

"Yeah, I get it," Tor said curtly.

His dad sighed. This is something that often bothered him. Tor didn't ever ask for anything. It was his birthday, and he always tried to go the extra mile for this boy.

"Alright, let's go into town. Your brothers can take up my work for the day."

A few of the other boys audibly groaned, but Aries ignored them and Tor smirked toward his lap.

---

Early the next morning, Aries woke Tor up. 

"C'mon, let's get a move on before your brothers get up."

Tor's eyes flew open and he sped to get ready. He met his father at the front of the house and they set off together towards the town. Aries thought Tor simply wanted to see the town, to get out of a rut, for his birthday. But Tor had other plans.

"What d'you want to see first once we get there?" Aries asked his son.

"Well.." Tor replied, with his eyes falling towards the road.

"What is it?" asked Aries.

"Dad.. I want to go to the castle."

"Ha, well of course we can do that."

"There's more."

"Okay, what's next on your list?"

"I want to speak to King Arthur." Tor knew that this wouldn't go over entirely well with his father, but he knew what he wanted and he was so close to getting it.

"Well, son, King Arthur doesn't exactly take time to visit with people like us."

"I know, but I have a request for him. I want something that only he can grant."

Aries was really confused at this point. What was this boy talking about? He had never asked for anything in his entire life, and now he's asking for something from the KING?

"Tor.. I don't know about this. What could you possibly want from King Arthur?"

"I want him to make me a knight of his Round Table."

Aries stopped. "WHAT!? Now, if that's why you've dragged me away from an entire day's work, I am very disappointed in you."

Tor didn't say anything, but kept walking. He knew what he wanted. Aries couldn't believe what he was hearing. 

They were coming up on the castle, and Aries decided to throw caution to the wind. What could it hurt? The worst that the King could say is no.

They entered the castle and made their way to the Throne Room. King Arthur was seated with other members of his Round Table, talking animatedly. A squire announced Aries and Tor's presence in the room to the King. Aries could see his eyes scan across the room until they came upon him and the boy standing next to him.

"What business do you have here, sir?" King Arthur bellowed.

Aries approached the throne and knelt, with his head facing the ground.

"Your Highness, I am Aries, this is Tor. We are from just outside of town and have come here to celebrate Tor's birthday. Please sir, we don't have much and my boy does not ask for anything. And only you can grant him this birthday request, Your Highness."

"Yes, and what might that be?" asked King Arthur, losing patience.

"My King, my son would like to be knighted and welcomed as a member of your Round Table."

The room grew silent; all chatter from the other knights and squires in the room halted.

King Arthur rose from his throne, but neither Aries nor Tor could see the look on his face.

"Stand up, boy."

Tor stood, keeping his eyes downward.

"Look at me."

Tor nervously looked straight ahead into the face of the king. King Arthur stared straight back, with an unbending gaze. Then he backed up, and gave Tor a few once overs. He sat back on his throne, looking deep in thought.

"Alright."

"Sir?"

"Your boy will return here tomorrow for his knighting ceremony, after which you will say goodbye and he will join me and my knights."

Aries looked incredulous. But, so as not to waste the king's precious time, he grabbed one of Tor's shoulders and turned him about, quickly moving towards the door. Tor stopped just short of the grand entrance, looked back to see the king following his every move, and gave the grand room a half-smile.

He couldn't wait to be back tomorrow.

(Knights of the Round Table, web source: Wikimedia)

Author's Note:

I used the story of King Arthur for this storytelling post. The part of the story that includes Tor is very brief, only mentioning that his father entered King Arthur's throne room with Tor and asked the king to make him a knight. King Arthur agreed on the spot and made him a knight right then and there. I simply expanded on the day that Aries decided to do that, and gave Tor a little more character. I did a little research on Sir Tor, and it seems that Aries was not his true father. King Pellinore was. This fact is often thought of as why Tor never fit in with his family with Aries and his 13 brothers. He was the son of a king, and he sought greatness. 

Story Planning: King Arthur

King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table, by Andrew Lang. Link to reading here.

Character sketches:

Tor: Tor has a bit of the "step-child" syndrome. He doesn't feel as though he fits in his family, and with 13 brothers, it can be hard to. Tor has always felt that he doesn't truly belong in his family, but his parents promise him he is indeed their child. He doesn't have the same characteristics as the rest of his brothers do. He doesn't even really look like them, while the rest of them are each others' spitting image and their father's. He also didn't have the same dreams and goals as his brothers. They were aspiring to work with their hands and perform hard labor their entire lives. Tor wants to have honor; he wants to achieve something important. It isn't until later that he finds out from Merlin, the magician, that he comes from a somewhat royal family. His father was King Pellinore. Tor thought that he couldn't have received better news.

King Pellinore: King Pellinore was a somewhat awful person. He was entitled, and he always had been. He had gotten what he wanted when he wanted for as long as he could remember. And why shouldn't he? He was royalty, after all. He also thought of himself as quite the ladies' man. He thought women were falling at his feet. He definitely thought this way when he forced himself on Tor's mother. He viewed life as a giant party; he took nothing seriously. He had made a bet that he could catch up to the elusive Questing Beast, which is what he was attempting to do when he met King Arthur. He couldn't really stand Arthur. He thought he was too nice and it rubbed him the wrong way.

Aries: He was Tor's adoptive father. He raised Tor the best he could, considering the enormous amount of children he had. He also tried his hardest to make Tor feel welcome in their family, yet always had the sense that he always felt a degree of separation. Aries and Tor's mother didn't want to tell him that he was not Aries' son. But, the older they got, the more distinctive the differences between Tor and the other sons became. They didn't know what to do to assuage this, until Tor asks to be taken to King Arthur's court to request to become a knight. With a heavy but contented heart, Aries complies.

(Coat of Tor, web source: Wikimedia)

Storytelling: Beliefs

"Sharif, heel," Kaci whispered to her wolf companion.

The two of them crept along the line of trees, careful to not be seen by the men in the campsite. There were two twin brothers sitting near their tent. They seemed to be alone, but Kaci wasn't going to bet on it. Sharif looked up at her with those whiny eyes as if warning her to keep her distance.

"I know, I know, but I can't let them get away again."

The two of them had been traveling through the woods for days. She had been tipped off to the location of the twin brothers a week prior and they had been on their trail ever since. These brothers were despicable beings who did nothing but make the earth inhabitable for others. Everywhere they went, they left the place worse than before. They were violent, often pausing along their travels to kill or maim anyone in their path.

These men had been dual leaders of the land where they were from. They were among the most vicious kind of leaders; they were tyrannical and despotic. They killed all political opponents and outspoken critics of their leadership. They often traveled anywhere and everywhere with a gaggle of guardians, but they had escaped from their homes to spend a week hunting for sport. Kaci knew that this would be her chance to eliminate them, permanently. She was afraid of nothing and she was going to bring goodness back to their home state.

Kaci was a 19 year old girl from the nation those twins led. She had a meager upbringing with only her father raising her. Her mother had passed away some years before, but she never knew how. Her father never spoke about it, and she didn't want to pry. Her father didn't speak about too much, generally, and the biggest indicator of familial connection he had ever exhibited was giving Sharif to her. Since then, Sharif had been her sole friend to adventure with. He was not only a pet, he seemed to understand her every thought and action and he seemed to be able to be trained exponentially easier than other pets.

After she turned 17, she started working around the palace the twins ruled from. She did mostly janitorial duties, and had quickly befriended a guard around the place. He mostly worked at nights, and she always passed him on the way out. One night, after she expressed a sense of envy for his job, he offered to give her fighting lessons. Ever since then, she had learned what exactly it meant to be a guard for those despicable tyrants, all the things they made the guards do, all the violence they forced them to commit against the people of the nation. It was terrible, and Kaci was going to change it. That's how she found herself in the woods, creeping upon the twin rulers.

"Sharif, go across," she ordered as she gestured across the camp. He set off around the camp site and settled himself across from her. If Kaci could keep the element of surprise, she may be able to gain the upper hand over these two. It would have to be perfectly coordinated between her and Sharif. She gave a hand gesture to Sharif for him to move out of the shadow of the trees.

The twins saw him immediately. They sprang up toward him, giving Kaci an opportunity to move stealthily out of her hiding spot. Sharif growled loudly at them and the twins reached for their weapons. "Now's my chance," Kaci thought quickly. She lunged forward and put her dagger to one of the brothers' throat while Sharif cornered the other against the tent.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" the brother guarded by Sharif exclaimed. Kaci didn't answer. There was nothing she could think to say, but nothing that she needed to say. She needed to act and she needed to do it quickly. She fumbled with the knife but managed to cut through the side of the brother's neck. He dropped to the ground, grasping at his neck. The other brother lunged at Sharif, who answered with a lunge at the other brother's neck with his teeth. He grabbed ahold of the brother, who managed to cut Sharif under his front shoulder. Sharif whined loudly and let go. Kaci leapt forward and caught the front of the neck. He started to bleed profusely and crumpled to the ground.

Meanwhile, the other brother had risen to his feet, still clutching his neck wound. Kaci rounded on him and Sharif limped up beside her. The brother ran forward and sliced through Kaci's shirt to leave a shallow wound on her side. Sharif jumped up and grabbed his hand. Kaci grabbed his other hand holding the knife and thrust it into his abdomen. He faltered and she drew the knife back and thrust it once again into the brother. She did it again and again and again until the brother went entirely limp and fell to the ground.

Sharif crumpled into a heap, breathing heavily. Kaci stopped to nurse her wound, but it was quite shallow and had already stopped bleeding. She inspected her companion's shoulder, which seemed to be more serious but that would still heal well. She carried him under a tree. She laid him in the shade and leaned up against the tree trunk. It was done, it was over.

(Sharif, web source: Pixabay)

Author's Note: I used one paragraph from "Beliefs" from the British North America unit. In this paragraph, it describes the woman named "Afraid of Nothing," from whom I gathered inspiration for Kaci. I chose her name because it means "brave." I chose Sharif because it means "companion." In this story, she creates the world and must battle two mountains who had made the Earth inhabitable for all other humans. She waged a war against them, and made them much smaller. I personified all of these characters. Instead of creating the entire world, I had Kaci create her own world with her dog. I added her dog with some inspiration from the direwolves in Game of Thrones.

Bibliography: "Beliefs," in Myths and Legends of British North America by Katharine Berry Judson. Link to reading here.

Story Planning: British North America

Character Sketches:

"Afraid of Nothing" - I think I would give her an actual name, but maybe maintain the kind of names she has in the story. I'm thinking something like Heroine could suit her nicely. She is going to be this incredible leader of an army. I'll go into some of her background, perhaps a slight Mulan-type character - a daughter raised in an environment that wouldn't necessarily lead her to fight in an army. Something in her past needed her to be strong, and construct and maintain the life that she leads. This is where the fact that she created the entire world in the original story could come in.

Wolf Sidekick - I imagine, following with the Mulan-type background, "Afraid of Nothing" having a sidekick. I don't really see it as being the comedic relief as Mushu is in the Mulan tales, but more of a silent character that our heroine can communicate with. I see it as a mix of Buckbeak the Hippogriff from the Harry Potter series and the direwolves in the Game of Thrones series. Both of these seem to have a level of understanding of their masters that we can't understand, but that we know is there.

(The Direwolf, web source: Wikimedia)

Mountains - I see these as twin brothers. Possibly slightly pompous brothers that came from a well-off background. They were raised to want for nothing, and were educated at only the best schools. They're intelligent, but are often used as pawns for the army of their country. They blindly follow orders at the beginning, making the world inhabitable for others. By this I mean they fought for an army that was and is still very hostile to nearly every other in the world. They were standoffish and halted every country certainly from expanding their borders, but also were merciless if they happened upon someone within their borders.

British North America, tales originally told by the First Nations people of Canada, compiled by Judson. Link to reading here.

Story: Tibetan Folk Takes

We have an odd kind of case on our docket today. I'm not even sure we have the facts straight, even now. I'm going to try to piece it together here before we file a real report.

It started out after there was a painter who was burned to death. While someone seems to have caused this, by obviously lighting the fire that ended up killing the painter, it also seems like said painter did not struggle. He was not forced into the fire; there was not a single sign of struggle. However, it does not seem to be an act of suicide, either. This was certainly confusing, to say the least. We knew we had to talk to some witnesses.

There were a few witnesses at the scene. One of them was a carpenter, but he seemed a little weary of speaking with us. That was noted. There were a couple of other people willing to speak with us. They said that the painter needed to get to heaven because there was something waiting up there for him to be painted? This seemed a little out there. I knew we had to speak to the new king, but kings are not usually willing to speak to law enforcement. Yet, I knew that the king probably had a piece of the puzzle that we needed to make sense of this whole thing.

We politely asked for an audience with the king and didn't hear back for a long while. In the meantime, we did some snooping with the carpenter but he was very unwilling to speak with us. We actually were able to talk to the king before the carpenter. The KING! No matter.

We met with the king and he gave us what we were looking for. He had told us that the painter had brought him a letter, supposedly from his father, which expressed his father's wish for a temple to be built in heaven. For some reason, the king believe this came from his father, and the painter led him to believe that the carpenter (that we can't get a hold of) was the only one to do it. He then ordered the carpenter to be killed so he could go to heaven to build such a temple. This had gone through and later the carpenter came back from the dead. He came back clothed in beautiful robes and it seemed as though he had had an incredible experience. However, the temple was unpainted. To which he called on the painter (the victim) to go to the temple in heaven and paint it for the king's father.

This seems to be when the painter (the victim) was burned in a fire, apparently to go to heaven to paint. Obviously, the question must be, how did the carpenter "come back to life?" Was he actually burned to death? If not, how did he deceive all the witnesses, including the king?

These are the questions that need to be answers, and we need to talk to the carpenter. Hopefully then we'll be able to get to the bottom of this.

Author's Note: I took one of the individual stories from this folk tale unit and looked to use a completely different type of storytelling than I ever had before. This story obviously had a plot point that was a crime, so I thought a detective's perspective would be helpful. The original story goes along with the story that the detective tells, but goes a bit further to answer all his questions. The carpenter, before being "burned to death," dug a tunnel from the burn site to his home. This way, he was able to escape into the tunnel and hide out in his home. While he was "in heaven," he was actually in a back room in his house making the beautiful robes that he eventually came back in. This tricked the painter into believing that he had actually died and gone to heaven, and that it may not be so bad to die. He was burned at the burn site, but did not have a crafty plan like the carpenter.

Bibliography: Tibetan Folk Tales, by Albert Shelton. Link to reading here.

(Detective, web source: Pixabay)

Story: Twenty-Two Goblins

HOST: Hello! And WELCOME to the Love Triangle, the show where distraught people who have 3 or more suitors seeking their hand come to FIND. THEIR. FOREVER!

We have a great show for you today. We have a lovely contestant who has three men that want to be hee husband. This contestant has a special twist, that you won't want to miss! Stick around, and we'll be right back with Contestant #1, Coral!


HOST: Welcome back to the Love Triangle! We have our contestant all setup here. Hi Coral, why don't you tell us a little about yourself here? Show the audience why these men over here are pursuing you so intently.

CORAL: Um, okay. Hi, I'm Coral. I have always been told that when the Creator made me, he gave me unparalleled beauty and loveliness. So, that was nice of him, I suppose.

HOST: Well, I think whoever told you that was right on the money! Weren't they, audience? So, Coral, tell us how these three men came to pursue you and seek your hand in marriage. Audience, listen up. Here is the twist I promised. So, Coral is sitting here with this dilemma of not knowing who to choose. She's just really torn up about it. Alright Coral, then what happened?

CORAL: Well... I died.

HOST: Say that again for us, Coral?

CORAL: I died. I came down with a fever and it killed me.

HOST: Can you beLIEVE that, audience? Well, let's meet our suitors and hear from them just how heartbroken they were when they discovered that their beloved had died before their very eyes.

Suitor #1, hello. Can you tell us what it was like coming all that way, mustering up all that courage to ask for Coral's hand... just to have her die without making a decision?

SUITOR #1: Hello, there. Yeah, it really broke my heart. I mean, I wanted to spend my life with her. I wanted to prove that I should be the one that she should choose and that just all went up in smoke.

HOST: So, what did you do after she died?

SUITOR #1: Well, me and the other guys took her body to the cemetery and burned it to ashes. Then, after that, I don't know. I sorta felt lost. I could really find any meaning or see a way for me to move on. So, I just made a hut right near where her ashes were and lived in it.

HOST: You lived in a hut... ?

SUITOR #1: Yeaah, I mean, I don't know.. It was the only thing to do that made sense at that time. Anything else seemed to disrespect her memory.

HOST: Alright, so one of you lived in a hut. Let's talk to our other two suitors.

Suitor #2, hello. So, we know what happened immediately after Coral over here died. You and these two guys took her to a cemetery and burned her ashes. This guy over here decided to live in a hut over her ashes. What did you do?

SUITOR #2: Well, I did the only thing I felt would be beneficial and might help the situation. I took up all of Coral's bones and dipped them in the sacred Ganges river.

HOST: You... dipped the bones.... that are in her body right over there... in a dirty river.

SUITOR #2: No, no. The Ganges river is supposed to be the purest river in the world. It's said to have certain powers about it. I thought that the best thing to do would be to purify her bones, in the hopes that it would bring her back to us.

HOST: Well, alright. You wanted to badly for her to return to you, that you would carry the literal bones from her body across miles to a river. That sounds pretty good to me, what do you think, audience?

There you have it. Alright, now let's meet our third and final suitor, Suitor #3!

SUITOR #3: Hi! I'm really excited to be here!

HOST: It certainly seems like it! Okay, we've got one of you living on Coral's ashes, one of you traveling the countryside with her bones. Tell us about your journey post-death.

SUITOR #3: Yeah, I took to wandering to other countries and stuff. I was wanting to find someone else out there. I was waiting to find something that would put me on the right track. And I did just that, it was perfect.

HOST: And what was that?

SUITOR #3: Well, it's kind of a long story. I wandered into this random city and this family in this house just decided to bring me in and entertain me. We were having dinner and then the craziest thing happened. I still can't believe to this day what I saw. So we were eating dinner. And the son of this family starts crying. Nothing that anyone does is comforting him. He's just sobbing. And then... the mother takes this kid - I'm not making this up - and throws him into the fire. And POOF! He's burnt to ashes.

HOST (horrified): Suitor #3, how can you be so nonchalant about that!?

SUITOR #3: No, no! Don't worry! That's what I thought too. I was absolutely disgusted. And then, the dad pulls out this book and says a few words then sprinkles some water on the ashes, and POOF again! He was there like nothing had happened. So, in the middle of the night I stole his magic book and brought it back to use on Coral. And then I - not the other two - I brought her back.

HOST: Okay, tt is TIME! The suitors each get 30 seconds to show why they should get to marry Coral. Alright Suitor #1!

SUITOR #1: Coral, I knew I wanted to marry you since the first time I heard your name spoken. Your beauty is unparalleled and your loveliness exceeds this world. I know you are the one for me because, when you died, my entire world fell apart. I could not bring myself to do anything but weep and grieve for you. I have experienced what this life is without you, and I cannot do it. I want to be your husband, please choose me.

HOST: Very nice, certainly gives Coral something to think about! Suitor #2, you're up!

SUITOR #2: My dear Coral. You are the love of my life, this I know very deep in my soul. You are lovely, yes, but you are compassionate. You are kind. I want to live out the rest of my days surrounded by your grace as your husband. When you died, I knew I had to have you back. I knew the world would be worse off with you. I thought immediately of a story my mother always told me about the healing powers of the Gange, and I knew that if I did not try to bring you back that I would regret it the rest of my days. I walked and will continue to walk miles and miles for you. Please choose me.

HOST: These guys certainly aren't making it easy, are they? And we still have one left! Suitor #3, now's your chance. Tell Coral why she should choose you.

SUITOR #3: Coral, I love you. It may seem silly to say with what little time we have had together, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that I love you and you are the one I am meant to be with. Without you, I am lost. After your death, I wandered with no purpose. I knew I needed to find something, but I didn't know what. The fates led me to that house, to that family. Coral, I am the one who brought you back to this life. My love knows no bounds; I would go to the greatest lengths to bring you back to me and I did. Coral, I love you, please choose me.

HOST: Wowee, okay, that's it! Coral, you have a lot to think about here. It's time to make your decision.

CORAL: I choose...Suitor #1! He acted in a way that true lovers should act, instead of as a son or father.

(Hut, web source: Flickr)

Author's Note: The entirety of Twenty-Two Goblins is comprised of many different riddles and puzzles that don't truly have a factor that ties them together. The main theme of the story follows a king who is sought out to do a favor for a monk. This monk needs for the king to get a dead body, which is hanging from a nearby tree. However, the body has been invaded by a goblin and each time the king tries to take it from the tree to the monk, the goblin tells him a riddle. The deal is, if the king correctly answers the riddle, the goblin flees back to the tree. If the king knows the correct answer but refuses to say it, his head will explode. If the king doesn't know the answer, the goblin will simply tell him another story on their way. The story above is based on one of the goblin's puzzles. Nearly every aspect is intact above, I just presented it in a very different way. At the end, the king answers with the 1st "suitor," because he saw that he had acted like a lover who had lost their love. The 2nd had acted as a son should. And the 3rd, who you may think should have won her heart, acted as a father would do (doing anything they could to get her back).

Bibliography: Twenty-Two Goblins, translated by Arthur W. Ryder. Link to reading here.

Story: Homer's Iliad

The name's Joe.

I own a little bar on the corner, right over yonder. I've been a bartender for years now, but I gotta tell you... I've never run into someone quite like the mate I met the other night. I just got to tell someone about him, and here you guys are.

So, he's come in a couple times recently and every single time he comes in with this crazy look on his face and just is belligerently going on about SOMETHING.

The first time he comes by, he comes in in a huff. Storms right up to the bar. Nearly knocks the woman next to him off her stool. I was feeling generous. So I say to the guy, "Hey, buddy. Can I get you something?"

I shouldn't have opened my mouth. This guy goes right into it. Keeps going on about some dude named "Agamemnon." I know better than to engage a crazy person. But, this guy is relentless. So I say, "Alright, who is this Agamemnon bloke you're going on about?" He looks me in my eyes. And then goes right into it.

"That's King Agamemnon. He just couldn't give up his pride nor that stupid girl, Chryseïs. He just wouldn't give her back. This whole thing could have been avoided. But he just couldn't give her up. And I wanted to so badly to just unsheath my sword and just finish it right then and there. That's when Athené appeared out of nowhere and stopped me."

"Wait, who appeared where?"

He rolled his eyes. This guy is talking about kings and swords and girls with funny names and rolls his freaking eyes at ME. I digress.

"Athené. The goddess of wisdom. Daughter of Zeus. Namesake of Athens? You all caught up?"

This guy.

"Alright, I'm with you. But, I don't understand why you got so mad about this girl? Why should this Agamemnon, I'm sorry, King Agamemnon give her back? Back to who?"

"Argh, after we Greeks took the city of Chrsyé, she was part of the spoils that we split between us. Agamemnon got her. But, her father, who was a priest of Apollo, comes for her and is willing to pay gold to get his daughter back. Agamemnon wouldn't have it. He was just too damn proud. That's not even all. Then, he has to go and send for my girl and take her from me just because he can. How can anyone follow him? Follow him into war no less? Just look where he's gotten us."

And with that, he just shoved away from the bar and left. I was stunned. It was seriously one of the weirdest encounters I had ever experienced.The rest of the night went along much less weirdly than that encounter. I had nearly forgotten all about him when a couple of weeks later the same weird dude stumbles back into my joint. Except this time, he's weeping. Full on, body-racking sobs as he walks through the door. The place was really busy, and I just didn't have the time to humor him. He sits down at my bar, and I go about my night making sure everyone gets in and out alright. At the end of the night, he's still there. He still has tear stained cheeks and he's just sitting there quietly. I'm feeling really bad for him at this point, so while I'm cleaning up I decide to ask him what's wrong.

"It's all his fault. He's dead and it's all his fault."

"Whose fault? Who's dead?"

"PATROCLUS. I swore that I would never fight for Agamemnon again, not even after he sent his group of minions to beg me to. But, Patroclus begged to use my armor to deceive them. He thought he could trick them just long enough to distract them. It didn't work. And they killed him. They just killed him right then and there. The worst part of it is that they treated his body like it didn't mean anything. It was disgusting. Why would the Trojans even want his body?! Some sick act of of pride?!"

I didn't know what to say here. Did I want to open the Pandora's box and ask him about Patroclus? Or do I just move him along so I can get outta here? This guy is obviously crazy, right? It's like with a sleepwalker? You don't want to disrupt or wake them, right? Well, that's where I'm letting this take me.

"So, what are you going to do about it? Are you just going to let them have the body? Or are you going to avenge his Petro-, Pato-... whatever? How are you going to make his life mean something? You know you have to go get the guy that did this and make him pay."

I swear, I saw something light up in his eyes. It was like a fire was emblazoned. It was like something clicked for him. He kind of straightened up, looked at me, stood up and marched right out of the door.

That was the last time I ever saw that weirdo. I don't know how his delusional story ended, or if he ever got that vengeance that he thought he needed for someone with an absolutely outrageous name. I can't say that he didn't spice up the otherwise dreary nights I was having across those couple of weeks. I will say, I had a weirdly vague dream about a figure like my friend here but it involved him dragging the body of someone by their ankles behind an ancient Roman chariot-type vehicle.

But, that was just a dream. Right?

Author's Note: I focused my story on the character, Achilles, from Homer's Iliad. This story follows him through the quarrel mentioned above, through the visit from Agamemnon's lackeys to try to get Achilles to return to help defeat the Trojans and through the death of Patroclus. During the great fight between the Trojans and Greeks, Patroclus stormed in wearing the armor of Achilles to try to trick the Trojans into thinking Achilles had rejoined the Greek troops. It wasn't long after that he was killed, and they began to fight over his body. It wasn't until Achilles appeared in the sight of the fight that the Greeks were able to recove Petroclus' body. Achilles also slaid the great Trojan warrior, Hector. He chased him thrice around the Trojan walls, after Hector was tricked into halting and facing Achilles. He was killed, and Achilles drug his body away by attaching his ankles to ropes and then to his chariot. The Trojans eventually recover his body from Achilles, after Hector's father visits with Achilles to get it.

Bibliography: The Iliad, by Homer. Link to reading here: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-homers-iliad-retold.html

(Patroclus in Mosaic, web source: Flickr)

Story: Women Saints

June 1, 257

Dear Diary:

Another day in this tower Dad's locked me in. It's been a whole 4 days since I've been able to see Zacharias. I have not even been able to send any messages along to him. I really can't believe that Dad reacted so outrageously!! I suppose I should blame myself for being so reckless; we have been successfully dating for months now and I just slipped up. Of course, the first time I invite Zacharias over is when Dad comes home early. Ugh.

I hope I'll be able to see him soon. I miss him. Every day that passes feels like a year. Seriously.

June 3rd, 267

Dear Diary:

So Dad apparently got inspired to construct a new bathhouse? He saw it in town, I guess, so now he just HAS to have one. Anyway the construction workers are here like all day. It's really distracting me from taking every waking minute to think about Zacharias.

EXCITING NEWS ON THAT FRONT!! Due to this construction mess, the workers had to come in and take measurements or whatever. ANYWAY Dad had to leave to doors unlocked and stuff so I was able to sneak out! I met with Zacharias earlier today and it was bliss. Dad didn't suspect a single thing. I felt like a genius. I don't know when I'll be able to see him next. Sigh.

June 4th, 267

Dear Diary:

Okaaay, so that day was today!! Zacharias snuck in here this time. We've decided that we're going to be married. No one will be able to stop us; we've made our decision. As he left, he promised to go make all of the arrangements for us.

All these plans make me reflect on the way Dad has raised me. I truly believe that he's tried his best, but he just is misguided. I mean, who's immediate reaction is to lock their daughter away in a tower for all of eternity.. It's going to nearly kill me to run away and leave him alone. Of course, I think he'll be mad in the immediate aftermath... but I think he'll come around once he sees how happy I'll be.

June 7th, 267

Dear Diary:

I AM SO EXCITED!!!!! I'M GETTING MARRIED TOMORROW!!! TOMORROW!!!!! I'LL WRITE ALL ABOUT IT AFTERWARD!!!!!!!!!!!

June 9th, 267

Dear Diary:

Wow, nothing went according to plan. So much has happened over the past couple of days!!

It all started out well. I put on my nicest dress and snuck through the construction entrance (they're still building that damned bathhouse). We met at a gazebo and our ceremony went as well as I could have imagined. We were so in love in that moment. And then...

Dad STORMED up. With a RAGE in his eyes the likes of which I haven't ever seen!! Oh my.. He was so upset and he threatened to lock me back up. I don't know why, but I thought we could be married and then live in town, able to visit Dad all the time. Things went from bad to worse..

Zacharias stepped between me and my father as he reached out to grab me. Dad attacked him! He threatened to kill him right then and there. We had to escape. We had to go so far away. I just knew that I would not get my fantasy life... but we would be able to live, just the two of us. 

We ran for it, disappeared into the woods. Dad chased us up the mountain for a ways, but eventually gave up. Now to figure out how to live on our own...

April 2nd, 268

Dear Diary:

Uncovered this book a couple of days ago. Figured I'd write an update. We now live in a quaint home on the side of the mountain. Oh, and we're now a family of 3. We brought a little boy into the world just a couple of weeks ago. I miss Dad now and then, but I have so much to be thankful for and to be excited about. Our future is bright!

(Saint Barbara fleeing her father, web source: Wikipedia)

Author's Note:

I enjoyed Barbara's story the most from this collection of Women Saints. Some of the plot lines in her original story were a little dense and hard to get through. I knew I wanted to modernize her a little bit, but still wanted to keep her in the time period. I also thought the best way to show this story entirely from her perspective was through this personal medium of diary posts.

Bibliography:

Golden Legend: Saint Barbara, link.

Week 1 Story: A Take on the Hares and the Frogs

There were two families, the Andersons and the Smiths. The Andersons had a son, Alex and there was a Smith boy named Jordan. The Anderson family had a wife, who worked as a nurse, and a husband, who worked as an attorney. The Smith family was a single parent household, with the mother working as a secretary at an orthodontist's office.

Alex was a precocious child, but had what his parents referred to as "only child syndrome." As a child, he did not want for anything. He had enormous amounts of toys and new clothes, and enjoyed being the only child in the family.

Jordan, on the other hand, had quite a different childhood experience. His mother loved him very much, but could not always provide the newest toys or clothes that weren't hand-me-downs from his older brother. She worked very hard to provide food and shelter for Jordan and his 4 siblings. They were always well-fed and had clean clothes on their backs.

Alex and Jordan went to the same school and were in the same classroom. One day, Alex came to school and announced that his birthday was coming up and everyone in the class was invited to his party that would be that coming weekend at his house. None of the children could wait, including Jordan! Jordan loved playing with his siblings a lot, but was so excited to finally get to spend time with kids in his own class.

The day of Alex's birthday party finally arrived. Jordan's mother could not keep him from bouncing off the walls; he was so excited. He had woken up early that morning and was dressed in his nicest clothes. His mother dropped him off at Alex's house and he raced over to the groups of children playing games and chattering wildly.

The whole afternoon was an incredible success for Jordan but, for Alex, it was a different story. Everything was going along fine until it got to the section of the party where he got to open presents. Now, Alex had really been wanting this new video game that had just been released. However, much to his dismay, he opened every single present and did not find that video game. He received plenty of other great gifts, including a multicolored soccer ball. Now, Jordan was an avid soccer fan and had loved to play with the other kids in his neighborhood, but had never owned his own ball.

Alex threw an enormous tantrum and the party had to be ended a little early. However, Jordan's mother was working a shift and couldn't come to get him immediately. So, while Alex's parents dealt with his meltdown, Jordan had decided to take the new soccer ball for a spin. Once Alex had calmed down a bit, he was looking out of the window in his bedroom and saw Jordan having the time of his life playing with a soccer ball. A soccer ball?! It took until then for him to realize that his tantrum was a little over-dramatic and he should be grateful for the presents he had received.

There is always someone worse off than you that sees the value in things that you take for granted.

(Multicolored soccer ball, web source: Pexels)

Author's Note: I took my inspiration from the fable, "The Hares and the Frogs." This is a short story about a group of hares. These hares were afraid of persecution from most other animals and would run away anytime they saw a single animal approaching. They were tired of being afraid and went to a pond to drown themselves, when their approach scared away a group of frogs. They saw that not everything was as bad as it had seemed. I wanted to take this classic story and apply it to a more modern setting, with realities that many people, children especially, face today.

Bibliography: "The Hares and the Frogs" from Aesop's Fables by Joseph Jacobs. Web source.