Week 11 Story: Gellert

(Warning that this story is kind of a downer!)

Gellert could smell the wolf. He knew his owner, the prince, couldn’t smell it because he had left his young behind unguarded, sleeping in its crib. Gellert heard the horn calling him to help on the prince’s hunt, but he stayed put. The dog had always loved the child with its gentle touch and kind laughter; he wouldn’t dare let the wolf get to it. He needed to get the sleeping infant out of the bedroom--now. As he grabbed for it, it awoke and made happy noises, showing excitement to see the dog and completely oblivious to the dire situation. The wolf was getting closer and closer, and Gellert realized there was no time. No escape could be made. He smelled the prince miles away, just now turning back from hunting to come back to their home.

The wolf entered the room and Gellert growled at it. He placed the baby behind the crib and stood in front of it as a barrier. Gellert bared his teeth and the wolf attacked. They bit and clawed, tore and ripped at each other. The wolf pounced on the dog and they hit the crib, tipping it over and trapping the baby inside. The child cried but Gellert ignored his instinct to curl up next to it and provide comfort. He had to keep the child safe--that was his mission. Limping and in agony, he noticed the wolf was breathing heavily and gravely wounded from Gellert’s most recent attack. The dog saw his opportunity, took one last leap and sunk his teeth into the wolf. It whimpered, then stilled. Gellert had won. He went over to the child and licked its face through the bars of the crib. The child immediately stopped crying and started petting the dog. Gellert ignored his pain, blood seeping out in too many places. He had the child, safe and sound. That was all he cared about now. 

A moment later, he sensed his owner outside coming quickly. Feeling that the child was safe now, Gellert ran out to meet his owner and safely guide him back to his young. Gellert felt the prince was unsettled, though, upon meeting him. His owner took one look at Gellert, covered in blood, and suddenly picked up his pace.

He’s fine, Gellert tried to say. Your baby is safe. The wolf is gone.

It was no use, though. As the prince stumbled into the bedroom, he took a quick look around at the room and cried out. Gellert didn't understand why he wasn't going to his child. It was right there, right under the crib. Could he not see it? 

Anger like Gellert had never seen before flashed on the prince’s face. He pulled out his sword and swung it at Gellert, much to the dog's confusion. The last noise the dog heard was the baby’s cry and the prince’s remorseful sobs of grief. 

~

Author's Note: I rewrote the story of Beth Gellert from the dog's perspective. In the original, the prince goes out hunting but is not joined by his normal companion (Gellert the dog) even after calling for him (with the horn). The prince comes back and sees Gellert covered in blood and thinks the dog had killed/eaten the prince's baby, even though Gellert had been a wonderful companion to the prince. When the prince goes into the baby's room, he doesn't see his child or the wolf (since they were covered by the crib) and assumes too quickly that Gellert had killed his child. The prince, in his grief and anger, kills the dog and a moment too late realized what had actually happened. 

I wanted to tell the story from the dog's perspective because I was wondering how the actual event would have occurred (since only the aftermath is mentioned in the original story). It's probably pretty obvious that I've never written action scenes before so it's definitely something I need to work on, but it was fun to make an attempt! 

I considered changing the ending so that the dog didn't die but I feel like that was a really important part of the story, especially because the original story is a Welsh legend and there is an actual grave for Gellert in the village of Beddgelert in Wales. Wikipedia has a really great article to summarize everything about the legend here. 

Bibliography: Beth Gellert, Celtic Fairy Tales (1) unit. Story source: Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1892).

Image information: Beth Gellert from Wikimedia Commons

Week 9 Story: The Museum of Fortune

Welcome to the Museum of Fortune! 

The following display contains three magical objects that were once in the possession of three brothers: Suan, Iloy, and Ambo. They have long since passed but their stories prevail, survived by these artifacts. Please treat them with respect. Look and read, but don't touch. 

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Ambo's Book of Life

The possessor of the Book of Life has the ability to bring anyone back to life. It has been said that it was given to Suan when he encountered an old woman during his travels with his two brothers. She enticed him by saying the book could bring anyone back to life. He bought it and kept it safe until eventually using it to bring a young woman named Maria back to life.

Illoy's Flying Mat

Illoy's Flying Mat has the ability to fly the possessor to wherever he or she desires to go. On their journey, the three brothers came across another old woman who was selling this mat. It most interested Illoy, who quickly purchased it and eventually used it to transport him, his brothers, and the aforementioned young woman, Maria, to a ship heading towards a new country. 

Suan's Stones of Unification

Ambo's Stones of Unification can be used to reunite portions of any separated object, person, entity, etc. Its powers are much more complex that the previous two objects, and many of its abilities are unknown. What is known from history is that Ambo found the stones on the ground while traveling. He saw that on occasion they would unite to form one round black stone, then eventually split. While the three brothers and Maria were on their way to a new country, their ship wrecked. They would have been stuck in the middle of the sea if not for Suan's stones, which repaired the ship's planks and safely got them to shore. The three brothers then fought over Maria, eventually concluding that each brother at least deserved a portion of her. They divided her into three parts. Ambo and Illoy threw their parts away, seeing them as useless. Suan, on the other hand, used his stones to reunite all three parts and won Maria over.

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Author's Note: This is based on The Three Brothers of Fortune, a Filipino tale about three brothers who stumble upon these three objects and end up using them in their own ways. Since it is based around these three articles, I felt like a museum would be a great way to tell their story. The first two brothers were able to use their objects (book and mat) to save and transport the young woman (Maria, who was unnamed in the original story) as well as themselves to a new country. Suan used his to repair the boat and also reunite Maria's body.

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Image Information:
-Book from pxhere
-Polonaise carpet with flying cranes from Wikimedia Commons from Kashan (Iran)
-Pebbles from pxhere

Bibliography: Three Brothers of Fortune from the Filipino Tales unit. Story source: Filipino Popular Tales by Dean S. Fansler (1921).

Week 7 Story: Freedom Over Fortune

"You know, when you said you would come back after seeking your fortune, I figured you'd only be gone for a couple of hours. Not eighteen years," said the princess, upset but keeping her temper in check. Her childhood lessons of remaining dignified and calm in the face of negative emotions were finally useful.

Her husband looked at her unapologetically. "I was seeking a better life for both of us!"

The two were standing in their little hut, which was clean from the princess' presence and her husband's long absence. He had just gotten back from his lengthy trip and expected to be wrapped in his wife's longing arms, with her crying about how much she had missed him and how thankful she was that he was back. Instead, he was met with a terrifying but restrained indignation.

Through gritted teeth she said, "I have been waiting here for you, loyal and enduring the worst of my father's arrogance. Even when he told me repeatedly that I made the wrong decision by choosing to marry and live with a beggar--I stayed loyal to you. Even when I was starving for days and had to live off of scraps, I stayed loyal. And now you come back here, with no apologies and no messages for eighteen years, and you expect me to be okay with that?"

"Well, yes," her husband said, feeling that what he was about to say would make her anger dissipate. "It worked! I did find fortune--I'm an emperor now. We're rich!"

His wife could not take the ignorance but kept her tone even. "You are insufferable. I don't care about riches! I chose you, against my father's wishes. I chose a life with you, not caring that it would mean moving from a castle to a hut. I'm glad you found your fortune, but I hope it was worth losing me."

"You don't mean that," he said, taken aback.

"At least you'll know I'm not coming back," she said, gathering her few belongings from the dirt floor. "Unlike how you left me wondering for eighteen years."

"Wait--" he said as she stepped outside.

She cut him off with a sharp glare, daring him to give her a good reason to stay. He didn't have one. His best reason was that he was now an emperor, but if she didn't care about that then he had nothing. The man sat in astonished silence, watching his wife leave and unable to say or do anything to stop her.

For the first time in her life, she felt happy and free. She didn't go back to the castle or the hut but instead made her way through countrysides and cities and found a better life, far, far away. She made her own good fortune and realized she never needed someone else to make it for her.

~~~

Author's Note: I wrote this story based off of The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck. In the original story, the princess is the "child of ill luck" and chooses to marry a beggar who seems to have good fortune. After being married and moving to his little hut, the man goes to seek better fortune and return with it. He ends up being gone for eighteen years (which I emphasized so heavily in the story because that's insane to me) and the wife just easily accepts him back after that. She even ends up dying only a few weeks into his reign as emperor. I felt that she deserved more credit than that and wanted to show her standing up to him. Even if she would lose her "good luck charm", I felt that he wasn't really one anyways. I know some of the phrases and the general idea is kind of cliche but I just badly wanted recognition for the woman and retribution for the man.

~~~

Image information: (Bay of Kiau Chau from Wikipedia.) The image isn't really relevant except that I mentioned "countryside" and this is the kind of place I imagined the princess traveling through, but I thought it was a really beautiful art piece and wanted to keep it here!

Bibliography: The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck, from the Chinese Fairy Tales unit. Story source: The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).

Week 5 Story: The Inscription

As the two friends parted ways, Ganem did not allow his second thoughts or worries to stop him. He desperately wanted the happiness the inscription promised to give whomever solved the task. Even more importantly, though, he had to know if the inscription was real. Even if his friend Salem's intuition was right that it was fake, he could not live with the not knowing. He decided that whatever happened to him, it would be worth the risk. Besides, he could not bare the idea of running to catch up with Salem and admit that he was probably right. And how hard could it be to cross the stream and carry the lion statue up the mountain?

With his mind made up, Ganem plunged into the stream to accomplish the first part of the inscription's task.

As soon as he dove, he knew he had made the wrong decision. It was much deeper than he had expected, and the whirlpool drew him in forcibly. Ganem was no match for the strong rotations, no matter how hard he fought them. He tried to yell out on instinct, but the water choked him. He splashed and gasped for air but was ultimately taken over by the current.

Everything went black.

~

Ganem, drenched, woke up wheezing and coughing up water. A voice that sounded far away in Ganem's hazy mind cried, "You idiot! What did I tell you?"

Ganem's sight finally came into focus and he saw Salem, also drenched, hovering over him. He realized they were on the bank of the stream, probably half a mile away from where he jumped in. He sat up and grunted at his friend.

"You did not need to come back," Ganem said. "I was fine."

Salem sputtered unintelligibly and rolled his eyes. "Fine?" he said. "You call this," he motioned to Ganem's current state, "fine? You would have died!"

Ganem rolled his eyes at the dramatics, but his flushed face showed a hint of gratitude for the rescue his friend had provided. He really could have died, he thought. Maybe it was time to reconsider his stubborn attitude. But just because he couldn't make it across the stream doesn't mean that nobody else could . . .

Ganem stood, dusted himself off, and started walking back to the stone that held the inscription.

"What--where are you going?" Salem asked, dumbfounded. "You--you're not thinking about going back and trying that again?"

Ganem grunted and continued walking.

Salem groaned. "Don't think that I'm going to save you again!"

Ganem kept walking. Salem made an exasperated noise. A few seconds later, Ganem could hear Salem running up behind him. "Okay, fine! We'll do it together." Then with frustration but affection he said, "You obstinate idiot." The corner of Ganem's mouth pulled into a smile as they continued to trek onwards.

They worked together to finish the task. They crossed the stream together, working strategically to get past the whirlpool. They carried the lion statue to the top of the mountain in one, long run. They sweat in copious amounts and their muscles ached. When one felt like giving up, the other offered a shoulder to lean on.

At the mountaintop, Salem was not shocked to see that there was nothing waiting for them. The inscription was fake, and he had known it all along. Ganem had not seemed shocked either, as his confidence had been wavering the further into the adventure they had gotten.

Still, there was a hint of hope in both of them during the journey they had put themselves through. The hope and having each other had gotten them through it. Ganem's disappointment was immense and it showed on his face. He sat on the dirt-covered ground, picking at grass and fixing his concentration on the lion statue they had carried all that way. He refused to look at Salem.

"Whoever inscribed that has got a lot of nerve," Salem said, trying to cheer his friend up. "Who does something like that?"

Ganem, frowning, continued to stare at the lion statue.

Offering a hand to his friend, Salem said, "I heard there's a village a mile away from here with the best lamb dish on Earth."

Ganem heaved a great sigh. He then looked at Salem, smiled, and said, "We better get going, then." He took his friend's hand to hoist himself up and off they went to the next adventure.


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Author's Note: I altered the story of "The Two Travelers" to include more of Ganem and Salem's relationship. I also changed the ending.

The original story is about two men, Ganem and Salem, who are traveling together. They come across an inscription on a stone that said that "great happiness" will be given to whomever could do the brutal task listed. Ganem believes it, but Salem is worried that it is just the writing of a beggar who is trying to trick people. Salem leaves but Ganem goes on to follow through with the task and ends up as the king of the city that inscribed the message.

As for my own version, I saw that there was a lot lacking in the writing of Ganem and Salem's friendship that I wanted to read about. I wanted to see Salem go back for his friend because that just seemed like what his character would do. Ganem seemed pretty stubborn (at one point in the original story he said, "My mind is fully made up to try it") so I ended up making that a big part of the story. I've been wanting to practice character-driven stories where the character interactions are more important than the plot. Ganem and Salem's friendship seemed like the perfect opportunity for that. I then also changed the ending to create a story that centers more around the journey than the ending. Even if it's unfortunate that they did all of that for nothing, they at least bonded over the experience.

Image information: Whirlpool from Wikimedia Commons

Bibliography: The Two Travelers from the Bidpai unit. Story source: The Tortoise and the Geese and Other Fables of Bidpai by Maude Barrows Dutton, with illustrations by E. Boyd Smith, 1908.

Week 3 Story: A Goddess' Envy and Psyche's Mistake

After leaving the underworld and the ferryman behind, Psyche's curiosity overcame her. Would just a tiny drop from this jar of beauty make her more desirable to her lover, Cupid? He had left her in such haste but maybe if she could add to her beauty, he would fight to be with her. Psyche slowly and carefully opened the jar, lost in thoughts of Cupid and his own beauty.

(Psyche opening the jar.)

Inside the jar was nothing. Psyche shook it around and turned it upside down to empty the nonexistent contents. Nothing came out. Psyche, enraged, sealed the jar and discerned that Venus had planned this entire scene: The goddess of love, Venus, did not need more beauty, Psyche realized. She only asked Psyche to retrieve the jar of beauty for her because she wanted Psyche to waste more time and suffer further. She wanted Psyche to give up on her chance to be with Cupid. But she would not allow this. With the jar sealed and composure collected, she went to Venus, who sat upon her throne.

When Venus saw her, Psyche was so exhausted by the tasks and distracted by the hope that they were over that she did not notice the evil smile on Venus' face. Thrusting the jar in Venus' direction in an unkind fashion, Psyche said, "Here! Tell me it is over now!"

"Yes," Venus said, a wicked grin still playing on her lips. "Yes, I think you have had enough. You don't look well enough for any more games."

Psyche, finally noticing Venus' unusual glee, was about to question it until she saw her reflection in a mirror to the right of Venus' throne.  "Oh!" Psyche yelled, horrified at what she saw. Her reflection was not what she was used to. Instead of the beautiful and elegant appearance she had grown up having men and women fawn over, what she saw horrified her: She was a beast. No, a monster. No, a creature made of only the ugly parts of every existing animal. She cried out and wept for what she now was and what she used to be.

"Look what you did to yourself!" Venus said exuberantly. "You just had to have even more beauty--I knew the jar would tempt you. Let's see how Cupid and the world likes you now!"

When Cupid arrived, finally escaped from his room and ready to see his lover, he looked around for her. "Where is she?" he cried.

Venus pointed to the monster on the floor, and Cupid understood. "Oh, Psyche. What have you done?" He took her into his arms, unafraid of her new form but also mourning for her old beauty. He knew that Venus would not change her back and did not dare to ask.

So from then on, Psyche lived with her new form and hid in the palace she was once forced to live in. She accepted her fate and eventually convinced her family who she was. She allowed herself to realize that Cupid only loved her for her appearance and that she needed to be with someone who wanted more than a beautiful face. Venus never bothered her again and Psyche found love in her new, simple life where her character was more important than her beauty.

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Author's Note: Using the story of "Cupid and Psyche", I took the jar of beauty and twisted the story around. In the original story, Venus is overcome with envy for Psyche's beauty. She assigns Psyche four seemingly impossible tasks and the final one is retrieving a drop of beauty from the underworld. Psyche is tempted and opens the jar so that she can look more beautiful for Cupid (whom she is in love with) and it makes her fall into a deathly asleep. Cupid comes to her rescue and wakes her up. This part of the story caught my attention because I know the gods/goddesses can show an extreme desire for revenge. I really thought Venus' jealousy would drive her to change the one piece of the situation that Venus hated most: the fact that Psyche was more beautiful than her. So I took what I thought would happen and made this story of it. My own ending is not the happiest one, but it felt like the most realistic one given the circumstances.

Bibliography: "Cupid and Psyche" from Apuleius's Golden Ass, translated into English by Tony Kline (2013). Web source.

Image information: Psyche, by Waterhouse

Week 2 Story: The Boy and the Bird

Once there was an average boy who grew bored of his average life. He complained that it was monotonous and he was unhappy.

A magician came along and wanted to help the boy. The boy asked to be given all the riches in the world so that he could do whatever he wanted with his days.

For a while, the boy found happiness in the money. He purchased whatever his heart desired. After some time, though, he grew bored and could not find fulfillment in spending rather than earning. He asked the magician to instead show him the opposite life: He wanted to work hard for his money and feel like it was well-earned.

After a while of an impoverished life, the boy grew exhausted and bored once again. He told the magician that he did not enjoy such a hard life. Maybe if he lived somewhere else with his average life he would be happy. The magician granted him the wish.

The boy enjoyed his new home for a while but soon grew bored of it. "I want to go home and go back to my normal life," said the boy. The magician granted the wish, and the boy was content.

A few years later, the magician came again for a visit to see how the boy had grown. The boy was delighted, as he had been growing weary of his monotonous life yet again. He asked the magician to be given a new life of adventure and riches. The magician was shocked and said, "Have you learned nothing? You have seen the best and the worst of life, and yet you still lack the ability within yourself to be happy in spite of your circumstances."

So the magician turned the boy into a bird and said, "Now it will be in your nature to be content with life, as animals live day-by-day and never ask for more."

The bird flew away and found a joy he was not able to find as a boy.

(Image from goodfreephotos)

Author's note: For my story I used "The Man in the Moon" and kept the general pattern of a discontented person asking for change, but I altered the details and ending. I wanted to write a story about how easy it is for a person to forget how good they once had it as well as how difficult it is to be content with yourself. I appreciated how the the original story was very simple, but I saw potential in it for a more complex story that had multiple layers.

Bibliography. "The Man in the Moon" from Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Neville Fleeson. Web source.