Storytelling: Week 11- Another Cinderella Story (The True Bride)

**Background, this story is the diary of a girl much like Cinderella. Her mother died when she was just a baby, and recently her father has died in a terrible hunting accident.

Cottage in the Woods: Photo Source ArchitectureImage

Tuesday, January 5: Dear diary, today has be hard. It has been three days since my father died and I can barley handle the grief. Stepmother has not let up on me any, even in my time of grief. I wonder if she even mourns the death of my father. As cold and heartless as she is, I doubt it. As for my stepsister, she seems upset, but Step-mother scorns her when she looks sad, so I can tell she is holding it in. I wish we could talk and comfort one another. Too bad I am an outcast in my own home. Have to go, step-mother is calling.

Saturday, January 9: Dear diary, it has been nearly four days since I last wrote. Stepmother has made me in charge of all the household chores, so I have been busy. I still miss daddy. He would have never let her treat me this way. Tonight step-mother told me that I am lazy and useless, even though I am the one who cares for this house and cooks for her and my sister. Thursday, it began snowing, and has not stopped since. That is all I have for today.

Sunday, January 10: Dear diary, it appears this is the beginning of the end. Today, stepmother asked me to travel out to find berries, in the middle of this blizzard. I must go, as she already deems me as lazy. I will begin my journey tomorrow and I told step-mother that I would wonder until I died, so this may very well be the last you hear from me.

Tuesday, January 12: Dear diary, I SURVIVED. I am back home and better than ever. When I was out looking for berried, I stumbled across the most beautiful little cottage where four brothers lived. They were so kind to me. When I told them what I was doing, they helped me to find berries, but not just any berries, the largest, sweetest strawberries I have ever seen. I bet you will never guess where they had the strawberries, on their roof! That is right, growing away, right underneath the snow. I was in complete awe. After the brothers blessed me with these berries, they then asked me if I needed anything else. I hated to ask, I really did, but it was just so cold outside, and I could not bear to make the journey home in the old rags that I wore, so I told them I was poor and how I needed new clothes for my journey home. The youngest brother then told me to spit on my hand, I was a little taken back by this request, but I did as he said. When I opened my hand, a gold nugget appeared. I could not help but be overwhelmed with my new found ability to spit gold. Just when I thought I could not be blessed anymore by these kind souls, each brother made me the most beautiful clothing I had ever seen. I thanked them, and they sent me on my way. I am so blessed. When I came home though, even in the light of my new fortunes, stepmother was jealous and fueled with rage at my success. That is her calling, so I must get back to work.

Wednesday, January 13: Dear diary, I can not stop laughing. Today, step-mother sent my sister to get the same fortunes as me, however, when sister came back, all she got was the ability to spit foul smelling toenails. I cannot help but laugh. I am worried though, that step-mother will abuse my powers. I wonder if there will be any consequences to this new found gift.

Author’s Notes: With this story, I kept the storyline the same. All the same details happened, just like in the original story, however I put it in the “cinderella” of the story’s perspective. The first thing I did was add background to where the father was. This story is actually a four-part story and is very similar to the story of Cinderella but with a Native American twist and in all of the stories, the father is never mentioned again after the first sentence. When I was reading the original stories, I always wondered where he disappeared to, so I thought the readers of my retelling would too, so I added an explanation for his absence. The next thing I changed, was that I put it in the daughter’s perspective. Throughout the original story, there are no thoughts or opinions shared by any of the characters, so I thought that putting it into the daughter’s perspective, especially the one who is treated poorly, would add a personal effect and allow readers to connect more with at least one character. I thought making a diary would be the best way to express all of the daughter’s feelings toward what happened to her.

Bibliography: Thompson, Sith. Tales of the North American Indian's. Native American Marriage Tales Unit. The True Bride. 1929

Week 9 Storytelling: The Jealous Wife

Once upon a time, there was a man who had two wives. The elder wife, Sarah, and the younger wife, Samantha, each had a son. One day, the husband decided that he would go into the Bush to trade for approximately six long months. Before his journey, each wife worked diligently to make their husband food for his long journey. The husband's one request was that the family remain a family, even in his absence, but most importantly that neither or his sons were harmed. When the day came that the husband was to leave, he felt a great worry that in his absence, his family would not be safe. He let this feeling pass as his wives reassured him that everything would be fine. 

The husband killing his elder wife in the
original story:  Hathi Trust

The six months passed very slow for the little family, as they awaited their loved one to return. As each day passed, Sarah began to worry about the state of the younger wife. You see, Samantha had always been jealous of the elder wife, because she always got more attention than her. When their sons were born, they took even more attention away from Samantha and she became extremely jealous.

When it was nearing the end of the six months, the family anxiously awaited the return of their husband. Samantha, feeling extremely jealous that when her husband did return the he would not have missed her most, devised a plan to rid herself of the other family members. She decided that she would kidnap them and keep them hidden from her husband. She then would tell the husband that while he was away a group of bandits came and took them, leaving her alone.

 Samantha said to Sarah and the children, “Any day now, our husband shall return and we have no meat for him to eat, why don’t we go down to the river and catch some fish to celebrate his return?”

Sarah replied, “Marvelous! He will love the pleasant surprise.”

Away the went to the river to catch some fish or little did they know, where Samantha would hide them away. There was a small cave, that only Samantha knew about and that is where she decided to hide the family. While they were fishing, Samantha saw pointed out the cave and said, “Look, there appears to be a cave over there, why don’t we go and led the children explore?”

The children replied, “Please! Please! Let’s go explore.”

Sarah, knowing that the children were tired of fishing she replied, “ That sounds like a great idea.”

Away they went to the cave, never to be seen or heard from again. Samantha returned home with a bundle of fish and found her waiting husband.

The husband said, “My dear, you look lovely, where is everyone else?”

Samantha, forcing tears replied, “Shortly after you left, a group of bandits came and took them, leaving me injured. I have not seen or heard from them since.” Samantha had pulled off a very good lie and the husband did not suspect a thing.

The husband responded, “I must search from them.”

The next morning, the husband left to go back into the bush on a search for his family. Samantha was left alone, with no one to comfort her and feeling sorry for herself and feeling bad for what she had done. She then went back to the cave to retrieve the family, but all that was left of them was bones.

Author’s Note: In the original story, I kept the characters and the plot the same. I decided to change what happens to the family though. In the original story, the elder wife is jealous of the younger wife’s son because he is better looking and more intelligent than her own son. She then decides that one night, she will kill the younger wife’s son, while she is out fishing. The night she went to kill the boy, she went to where they usually sleep and using a sharp knife, killed him. The other child went screaming to the neighbors for refuge. The next morning, meaning to spare the younger wife from finding her son dead, the elder wife went to clean the mess. That is when she discovered that she had killed her own son. She took his lifeless body and ran into the woods. When the husband returned he had asked the younger wife what happened, but the only witness was the other son and the husband did not want to believe a child, so he gathered a friend and went back into the bush in search of his wife. When he found her along with his son’s body, he killed her out of rage. I decided to change the way things progress in the story. Instead of making the elder wife jealous, I made the younger wife jealous. Also, instead of outright killing a child, I made the younger wife decide to hide the whole family out of jealousy, so she could have all the husband’s attention. I also thought it would be good punishment to make the husband want to immediately go out of search for his long-lost family, leaving the younger wife alone again. For further punishment, I also made her be regretful of her decision and go back to the cave and the family to have been devoured by something, that way, not only did she feel bad for herself, but also what she had done to the family.

Bibliography:  

Dennet, Richard E.  Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort. Congo Unit: The Jealous Wife. 1898.

Week 6 Storytelling: The Parrot's Final Story

The Parrot's Final Story

Story: After many nights of being kept from seeing her lover, Khojisteh, dressed in her most beautiful clothes and jewels, intending for this to be the night she would finally go meet her lover. You see for some time now, as Khojisteh would go to leave, she would always ask her husbands parrot for permission. This night was different, however, Khojisteh was feeling unusually confident and strolled right past the parrot to go and meet her lover at last. The parrot was relieved that he did not have to tell another story. It had not even been an hour since Khojisteh had left, when Miemun, the parrot's master and Khojisteh’s husband, returned from his long journey. The parrot had warned Khojisteh of just this happening in his stories but she just did not listen.

The Parrot telling stories to Khojisteh: Web Source

Miemun now settled in came up to the parrot and said, “Loyal servant, where is my beloved wife?” You see since the beginning of their relationship, Miemun and Khojisteh had been inseparable and only had eye for each other. Miemun left on a journey, and Khojisteh was so distraught by his leaving, that she found comfort in the arms of another. The parrot, loyal to his master, yet so used to telling stories replied, “Have I ever told you the story of when A King Fell in Love?” Intrigued by the parrot’s story, Miemun replied, “No, tell me of this story.”

The parrot began, “One upon a time there was a young, handsome bachelor, who just so happened to be a King. One day, he laid eyes on the daughter of the emperor of room and he fell instantly in love with her. The two had reciprocal feeling and were eventually married. The couple was practically inseparable, day and night. However, with as much love as the couple had, it turns out the wife was keeping a secret. Since childhood, she had a secret lover whom was the love of her life. The queen had thought he had died in a battle years ago, but it turns out he was being held captive by her husband. As soon as she found out this news she was overcome by pure joy and ran to her lover. She gave him her affection in all ways possible. Unfortunately, a guard spied the couple and went straight to the King, he sentenced him to death. The queen was distraught and eventually in the presence of God and the King was forgiven of her adultery. The King loved his wife so much that he forgave her.”

From the story, Miemun got the hint and said, “Tell me parrot has my wife gone to a lover.” The parrot replied sorrowfully, “Yes good sir. Night after night I have delayed her departure, however, tonight she decided to ignore me and leave.” Miemun was distraught and his heart was broken. Looking for comfort Miemun asked where the Sharuk was, to see if she too had bore witness to these stories, when the parrot informed him of his wife’s doings, he became enraged. When Khojisteh finally returned he confronted her and found out the truth, but when he learned her actions where done for comfort, Miemun became sorrowful that he left. After confirming that she had only gone to her lover once, Miemun forgave her. From that day on, Miemun, Khojisteh, and the parrot lived happily ever after.
Author's Notes: In the original story, this is the final of the parrot’s tales. I really tried to keep the storyline the same, because this was my favorite of the Parrot Tales Unit. In the story, the parrot tells Khojisteh the story of a king falling in love and yet again manages to keep her from going to her lover. In the story the parrot tells her, a king falls in love with the emperor of room and wins her heart. In the story, the queen has a son by another man and the King does not know. Upon arriving at the castle, the queen begins feeling her sorrowful for her son is not there too. She then devises a plan to bring her son to the castle as a “jeweler”. The king agrees to this. One day, the queen was giving her son a motherly kiss on the forehead, when a guard oversaw this act, he told the king at once. The king was furious, thinking his wife brought her lover into the castle, and ordered her son to death. When the son told the executioner the truth he decided to hide him instead of killing him. The King notices how gloomy his wife is and asks her what is wrong, she finally tells him the truth. The King understand and summons the executioner to tell them where the body is and this is where he reveals the truth, that he did not kill him. They lived happily ever after. As soon as the parrot finished the story, Miemun returned from his long journey. Upon his arrival, he asked where the Sharuk was and the parrot told him everything that happened. He began with the murder of the Sharuk (the parrots companion) and how she was trying to have an affair. Miemun was so enraged that he killed his wife. I decided to change the story a lot. I started by making Khojisteh finally get to go meet her lover and Miemun return while she was away. I changed the story the parrot told, to kind of reveal the secret to Miemun and show him he could be forgiving to his wife as the King in the story was. In the original story, I did not like how Miemun killed his wife just because she killed the bird. I liked how this story overall was the parrot’s way of surviving.

Bibilography: Ziya'al-Din Nakhshabi.The Tooti Nameh or Tales of a Parrot:A King Falls in Love and the End of Khojisteh. 1801. Web Source.

Week 5 Storytelling: A Ghostly Wife

(The ghost waiting by the tree
and the wife walking past the ghost:
WebSource)

   Once upon a time, there lived a young, handsome Brahman named Zar, and his beautiful wife, Delphia. As they had married at such a young age, they lived with the Brahman’s mother. They lived in an enormous mansion near the river. While their house was grand and large, the Delphia still enjoyed walking down by the river. You see, right on the river, underneath an old weeping willow lived a she-ghost named Ora.
   One day, when walking by the river, the Delphia decided to wander underneath the old weeping willow. While walking, all the sudden, she bumped into something. Frantically, she looked around. When she turned to her right she saw the ghost, Ora. Ora looked furious. Delphia responded, hoping to ease her anger, “I am sorry. I did not see you there.” Ora angrier than ever replied, “This is my home and you entered without permission and yet you apologize only for bumping into me.” With that, Ora lunged at Delphia knocking her into the truck of the old tree. Delphia laid motionlessly for she was injured. Ora then took Delphia clothes, planning to enter her home and take over her life. Off Ora went, to enjoy her new-found life.

    When Delphia awoke, she was terrified that Ora would hurt her further, but she soon came to realize that Ora was nowhere to be found, and neither were her clothes. Naked and afraid, Delphia, quickly scrambled to find some leaves big enough to cover herself and head home. Upon her journey home, Delphia began to ponder about why Ora just left her and did not seek further revenge upon her. All the sudden the stories she had heard about she-ghosts came rushing to her memory and she stood paralyzed in fear. It was an old legend that for revenge she-ghosts would take over the lives of their victims. Praying it was not so, Delphia ran home, only to find Ora in her home, with her husband, and performing her household chores. Stricken by grief, Delphia ran back to the river to clear her head of the ghastly images she saw in her own home. 

   Once Delphia had cleared her head, she decided she would not let Ora just take her life. She then marched back to her home with the goal of reclaiming her life. Delphia knew it would not be possible to convince her family of her identity, so she began scheming ways to expose Ora. She-ghosts have supernatural powers and perform task much quicker and better than mere humans, so Delphia decided to expose the she-ghost this way. She began by leaving a note to her mother in-law, because she had previous experiences with she-ghost. The note said, “That is not Delphia.” The mother in-law received the note and it dawned on her that Delphia had been performing task unusually fast and well. The mother-in-law kept this to herself, but decided to keep a closer watch on Delphia. 

   One day, while “Delphia” was performing her household duties, the mother-in-law asked her to grab something from the next room and what she saw confirmed her fears. When asked to retrieve the object, Ora simply walked through the wall to retrieve the object, as only she-ghosts could do. The mother-in-law decided it was time to tell Zar. Zar then decided it was only right to call an exorcist, since they did not know if Delphia was possessed or if it was a ghost acting as her. The exorcist then confirmed it was a ghost, not Delphia. Delphia, who had been watching and waiting for weeks for this exact moment, bust through door and said, “Here I am! I did not know another way to convince you.” Knowing that this was their true Delphia, they embraced her. The exorcist then made Ora promise to never bother them again, and she agreed. They lived happily ever after.

Authors note: In the original story, the brahman’s wife brushed against the she-ghost and the she-ghost injured her. The she-ghost then took her clothes and went back to her house to take over her life. When the she-ghost arrived, the family did not suspect anything. After a while the mother noticed how the wife was performing task unusually fast so she began watching her closely. After a while she saw the ghost doing things that normal humans would not, but this time she kept it to herself. The next time she saw an unusual behavior she told her son and they called an exorcist, who confirmed it was a ghost and not the wife. They then demanded the she-ghost tell them where the wife was and she did. All this time the wife had been lying inside the tree trunk injured, and when they found her she was weak. The ghost promised not to bother them anymore and they took the wife home and nursed her back to health. The story then ended. I decided to give the wife a bigger role and put the story in her perspective. I did not like how the original story was not personal at all, so I gave the characters names. I also added dialogue to the story to make it more interactive between the characters. I also did not like how the wife played no role in the original story, so instead of making her injured so bad that she just stayed in the trunk I decided to make her the main character. I also decided to make her the one to fill the family with suspense, because it made no sense to me how the mother-in-law just decided to watch her closer since she was performing task better than usual. Overall, I feel like I did not change the story much, I just put it in a character’s perspective.

Bibliography: Folk-Tales of Bengal: A Ghostly Wife by Rev. Lal Behari Day. Web Source.

Week 4 Story: The Almost Fall of Mankind

Story: God made all the animals, the most beautiful being the serpent. The serpent was tall, mighty, and graceful, truly God’s most beautiful creation, even prettier than man himself. The serpent somewhat resembled man and the angles. He was smart, cunning, and had many great talents. The serpent’s mental abilities surpassed that of man and because of this it led him to turn against God and led to what could have been the downfall of Adam and Eve, and mankind.  Overtime, the serpent became envious of Adam and Eve because of their souls and their relationship with their creator, God. One day, while strolling through the bountiful Garden of Eden, the serpent spotted Eve. He said to her, “Such a glorious place and so many trees to eat from. There is a rumor that God has forbade you from eating from the tree behind you. Is this true?” Eve replied, “Indeed, it is. We can eat from any tree in the Garden except this one or we will be stricken by death even with the slightest touch of the tree.” With that the serpent forcefully rammed Eve into the tree; Eve began sobbing. The serpent angrily replied, “You are touching it now and yet you are not dead.” He then began shaking the tree until a single piece of fruit fell to the ground, he picked up and ate it. He said,” Look I ate of the fruit and yet, I am not dead.” In that instance, the ground began to shake and the once beautiful serpent turned into a slithering beast, damned to crawl on his belly for the rest of eternity. Eve, terrified of this great sight, ran seeking Adam. When she told Adam how the serpent tried to get her to eat from the tree and then made her touch it, Adam suggest they immediately seek God. They began praying to God to save them as Eve was forced to touch the tree and she did not want to die. God being all-knowing had already foreseen this happening, pleased that his child did not give into the temptation he replied, “Fear not my children, for you have just passed the first of many trials that face you. You did the right thing seeking me for the hideous act you just endured. As for the serpent, he is bound to eternal damnation as a beast of the ground. I will protect you from him and all others that try to turn you against me, only if you follow my will.” Adam and Eve agreed to the convent with God. They knew from that day forward if they obeyed God, nothing could harm them. You see the tree that the serpent tried to get Eve to eat from was the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. At this time, Adam and Eve only knew that serving God was the right thing to do and God had blessed them abundantly. If that day Eve would have given into the temptation the serpent laid before her, she would have caused the wrath of God to fall upon all mankind and even for generations to come.

(The serpent deceiving Eve. Web Source)

Bibliography: The Fall of Mankind from The Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg (1909). Web Source.

Authors Note: The original story is the story of Adam and Eve. In the original story, the serpent did convince Eve to eat of the fruit. Eve then, out of her own selfishness, fooled Adam into eating the fruit as well, and then she fed it to the animals, so she would not be the only one to perish. After ingesting the fruit, Adam and Eve became aware of their nakedness and were embarrassed, so they sewed fig leaves to cover themselves. When they heard God walking in the Garden calling for them, they hid from him. This is where the story, of The Fall of Mankind Ends. I thought I could change this story completely by revealing the serpent for who he was, a monster. By doing this, it scared Eve enough for her to run to Adam and they sought God together instead of sinning against him. If this version of the story persisted, I cannot even imagine how wonderful the world would be today

Week 3 Story: Psyche's Dream Come Ture

Story:

Ever since the unveiling of her husband’s identity, Psyche had been wondering day and night trying to find him. She had traveled long and far when she finally gazed upon a beautiful house in the distance. With the beauty that this house had, Psyche knew that is must have been a home of a God and thought that just maybe it could be one of Cupid’s dwellings. She wearily climbed the steps onto the porch of the home. Upon her entry, she saw a vast array of farmhouse décor and pictures of bountiful fields of crops, she then discovered she had entered the shrine of the Goddess of the Harvest, Ceres. In the center of the house there was a sacred altar, where many farmers had slovenly scattered crops about it, knowing this was disrespectful to the Goddess, even in her weariness Psyche organized the grains. While organizing, Ceres wondered upon Psyche and said to her, “Child what are you doing here? Why have you entered the shrine of a friend of Venus? Do you not know she is looking for you and has instructed me to bring you to her if I saw you?” Shocked and frightened by the Goddess' words, Psyche began to sob, “Oh! Great and mighty Ceres, please protect me from Venus for I have done no wrong. I have just discovered my husband’s identity against his wish and upon this great betrayal, my husband fled our home and I cannot find him. My husband is Cupid, Venus’s son, have she no mercy on her own daughter in-law?” Psyche continued uttering praises to the Goddess to try and win her favor. Ceres, flattered by Psyche's praise, replied, “My dear, have you no idea of the source of Venus’s anger? She has accused you of stealing and basking in her name, yet you are just here trying to find your husband.”  Stunned, Psyche replied, “A God once told me that I was cursed by Venus for being a great beauty, and said that I would be married to the most dreadful and horrid of men and I found myself in the bed of a God, unknowing that it was Cupid, Venus’s son. While I have just learned who he is, I adore him so and long to find him.” Ceres felt compelled by Psyche’s story and began to ponder on Venus's actions. She thought, is her anger right to be avenged or is it the envy that has brought this great hate for Psyche. Ceres then said, “I am very moved by your story and do not know what to do, I will take you to my dear friend, Juno, to receive her council on the matter, as she too is a friend of Venus.” The two then made their way to Juno’s home. After they informed Juno of her story, Psyche realized she had gained favor in the Goddesses eyes and asked if she could rest while they talk about Venus’s actions. The next morning, Psyche was woken by the two Goddesses informing her that she was safe with them. They decided that Venus had acted out of great jealousy and she would face the repercussions for her actions. The Goddesses then decided that they would tell Zeus, Juno’s husband and King of the Gods, of Venus' envy and jealousy and let him decide her fate. Armed with the two Goddesses at her side, Psyche then decided it was time to confront her dreadful mother-in-law.

(Psyche at the Shrines of Juno and Ceres: Photo by Burne-Jones)

Author’s Notes: In the original story, Psyche is out searching for her husband, Cupid, after just revealing his identity against his wishes and stumbles upon the home of Ceres, the Goddess of the Harvest. There, Ceres informs her that Venus, Cupid’s mother and the Goddess of Love, is searching for her and looking for revenge. You see, when Venus had first learned of a beautiful girl named Psyche and how the common humans praised her great beauty, she got jealous and ordered her son, Cupid, to make her fall in love with the most dreadful of men. However, Cupid ended up falling in love with Psyche and married her. In this story, Venus has just learned of her son’s marriage to Psyche, a mere human and is fueled with rage to get back at Psyche. When Psyche learns of Venus’s plan, she pleas to Ceres, the Goddess of the Harvest to let her rest there because she is wearied from her journey, however Ceres is friends with Venus and tells Psyche she is lucky she isn’t telling Venus she is here. Psyche then wonders upon the home of Juno, Zeus’s wife, and begs for her protection from Venus. Juno too was friends with Venus and refused to help Psyche. After being denied protection twice, Psyche then decides it is time to face her mother-in-law. This is where this story ends. The way I changed this story was to have the Goddesses side with Psyche instead of Venus. In the stories before this one, Psyche had two sisters and when they saw all of Psyche’s possessions and new home, they became very jealous. They are the ones who persuaded Psyche to unveil the identity of her husband. This jealousy cost them their lives by Cupid’s hand as payment for them making Psyche reveal his identity. I thought that putting this twist on this story would make learning not to be jealous the moral of the story. Even though Venus is a God, it is her jealousy that lead to Psyche’s marrying her son in the first place so changing the story to punish her for her sins just added to completing the moral and taught that no one is above what is right and that no matter your status, you will always be jealous of someone or something.

Bibliography: "Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche" from The Golden Ass translated by Tony Kline. Web Source.

Week 2 Story: The Internal Beauty and the Basilisk

Story: Once upon a time, in the woods on the outskirts of a town lived a widow named Margaret and her three daughters, Madeline, Maggie, and Mary. Mary was the youngest of the family and from birth she was cursed with the snout, and ears of a pig. Aside from her curse, Mary was intelligent, extremely well read, and up for any challenge. Mary’s curse came about because of her father, who one day was hunting in the woods and saw a deer, as any great hunter would do, he pulled back his bow and slayed the deer. Little did he know, that the deer was actually the shape shifting son of the witch that lived in the woods. Her father’s sin of killing the witch’s child lead to the curse on Mary, his youngest child. The curse was only to be broken by true love. Mary’s curse had brought great shame to the family and her father was tried for dark magic and in due time was killed by the townspeople, leaving his family to reside in the dark forest. Mary’s curse only caused the family trials, and over time, especially after her father’s death, her family grew to despise her and locked her away in the basement. One day, Margaret was going to town to fetch some groceries. During her journey she got lost in the woods and found herself at the gate of an eerie, old castle. Margaret, peaked with curiosity, entered the castle grounds to explore. Just after her entry, she found herself standing under a pavilion surrounded by big, vibrant red roses, which were the only color to be found among the castle. Mesmerized by their beauty, she reached up to pick one, when all of the sudden someone yells, “Halt! Those are my roses!”, terrified by the unexpected visitor, Margaret replies, “Who are you?”, coming out of the shadow into the light, the basilisk replies, “None of your concern but I will take you as my prisoner as a punishment for trying to steal my rose.” Shocked by the sight of the basilisk and his unruly demand, Margaret quickly responded, “Do not take me, for I have three daughters and I will bring you the youngest as a sacrifice for myself.”, Margret thought this was a clever plan, because she would finally get rid of her cursed daughter. However, she dare not mention her daughters curse to the basilisk. The basilisk agreed to the terms, thinking he may have found a suitor. Margaret hurried home to fetch her daughter and when she arrived, for the first time in years she let her daughter out of the basement and led her to her fate at the castle. Mary was unsure about trusting her mother, but knew that she would take any chance at a life outside of the basement. When Mary arrived at the castle, the basilisk was furious, he yelled, “You promised me your daughter not a monster!”, Margaret replied, “She has the face of an animal, but nevertheless, she is my youngest child as we agreed.” Feeling let down, as he thought he was receiving a girl of great beauty and a possible suitor, basilisk replied, “So be it.” He then took Mary by her arm and led her to the castle dungeon. You see, the basilisk too was cursed, he used to be a young, handsome prince that was too greedy and offered no mercy, and as a payment for his ways he was cursed to a life of humiliation and seclusion, as the town was commanded to forgot the prince; the curse was only to be broken by true love. Mary remained in the dungeon for weeks, looking forward to the brief visits when the basilisk brought her food. One day, during their meeting, she says, “I have been your prisoner for weeks and yet, I still know no name for you,” this was the first time Mary had spoken to the basilisk as she was infuriated by his reaction to her, when he too was an animal. The basilisk replies, “You may call me Basilisk.” While this was their first conversation, over time and little by little, Mary and the basilisk began talking and soon Mary gained his favor and was released from the dungeon to a room in the castle. From here, it was history, with more time Mary and the basilisk formed a relationship that soon grew into love. When they both gained the courage to tell each other of their love for one another, despite their appearances, they agreed they could lead a happy life in the seclusion of the castle. In the precise moment, the words I love you rolled of their lips, a bright light surrounded the couple and the witch appeared. She said, “Your sins are now paid for and I release the curse over you both.” As light continued to fill the room, the shells of the two cursed bodies broke and revealed a gorgeous, dark haired beauty and a handsome prince. Mary and the Prince wed soon after, with the whole town in attendance. Mary’s mother wept, because her youngest daughter was now a princess and she was ashamed for offering up her own daughter. Mary and the Prince lived happily ever after, with the lesson to be learned that beauty does not come from appearance, but what lies within each of us.

(Belle or in this story "Mary" and the Prince: Picture from Run, Karla, Run!)

Author's Notes: In the original story of Beauty and the Basilisk, a mother going off to a market had asked her children what they wanted from the market. While two of her children asked for a lot of possessions, Mary, her youngest simply asked for a rose. On the way back from the market, the mother got lost and wandered up to an old castle, where she then saw roses and remembered her youngest daughter's request. When she went to pick a rose, a basilisk appeared and condemned her for stealing. When the mother explained her actions, the basilisk told her to bring him her youngest daughter as a payment for the roses. The mother did as she was commanded and surprisingly, when she told Mary of the price, she was quite excited. When Mary arrived at the castle, the basilisk told her she was to nurse him for three hours on her lap each day. On the third day, he asked her to cut off his head, and she did. Then the basilisk was turned into a serpent and again Mary cut off his head and this time a handsome prince appeared and they were married. I decided to change the plot of the story by also making Mary a sort of beast. This allowed for the attraction of love between the two to be internal beauty, rather than physical attraction. Also, I made the mother angry and vengeful toward her daughter for the disgrace that she brought to their family. I also made up a story about the father and blamed his for the curse on Mary. I kept the basilisk being a basilisk to keep an element of the old story and not change the storyline too much. I really thought the idea of having two curses that neither knew about would be cool. Also, I liked the fact that they could both bond over their differences.

Bibliography: “The Beauty and the Basilisk” from The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922). Web Source.