Storytellers' exercise
FinsburyParkCarrots
Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
Here is the beginning of a fairytale-type story I have devised using many standard motifs. Note all the elements involved in it. Please complete it!
Once upon a time there was a small farmer. In his youth he had worked on a nearby farm some miles away, pulling out sugar beet. Since then he had become very prosperous and was happily married. He often used to tell his wife about the old sugar beet field. He told her the place was magical and that it was known for talking mice who were friendly and kindhearted: he told her how they would scurry up to the workers, offering to help them tidy up the sugar beet piles. One time he recalled saving two mice from a threshing machine in a nearby corn field. The two mice were his loyal and particular favourites for the duration of his tenure as a field labourer and in gratitude they would always assist him in his work. Although the farmer was now very rich he missed the sugar beet fields. His wife said to him one morning, "My darling, why don't you go for a walk along the old bridlepath by the back of our fields that you said leads a few miles out to that wonderful sugarbeet field? I'm sure it would be wonderful for you to reminisce in the place of all those magical mice who can tell you of people you worked with and times gone by."
"Yes!", said the farmer. "That sounds like an excellent idea!" I shall set out now and keep to the old bridlepath. I know it will not be long before I arrive at the old field! If I time my walk well, I shall be back before dinner time, my love!"
So the farmer set out on the bridlepath that early morning with his wife waving him happily on his way. He remembered the lumps and bumps on the old brown sandy road on the way to the field, but as he looked out before him, walking along towards the approaching horizon he was surprised to see that he large forest of gnarled pine trees had grown tall in the way of where he thought the old field to be. He would have to head through this dark forest to reach his destination. Never did he think of turning back: he kept moving until he came to the mouth of the forest.
The tall pine trees towered over him and cast large shadows. Boughs and autumn leaves cracked under the trudge of his boots. The deeper he moved into the forest, the denser a green and black cluster of lightless shadows obscured his way. Yet he kept moving forward. He remembered that near the field was an old stone monument with a large bell. If he found that he would know he was near the beet!
However, to his surprise he wandered on and on through darkness and the sounds of owls for what seemed like hours. Once or twice he turned back but the path was too dark to follow. He was better to move on ahead.
He suddenly came upon the structure, deep in the wood, of a brand new house that he had never seen before. The house had a red slate roof, red bricks and an open front door of polished oak. The farmer really had no idea how near or far he was to the stone monument with the bell that might lead him to the field of beet so he decided to trudge up to the stone step at the house door and rap upon the enormous knocker set on the outside of the open door. He knocked loudly and paused. He noticed the shine of tiled floors and the shadow of what looked like an enormous snake cast upon it from an adjacent room inside, beyond the hallway. A voice called, "Come in."
The farmer cautiously entered the house, hearing the huge oak door mysteriously slam shut behind him! All of a sudden he felt a tightness in his throat and an extreme heaviness in his limbs, as he seemed pulled as if by a strange force into the adjacent room.
He found himself hurled by an invisible power onto an uncomfortable wooden chair beside a large window overlooking a view of the bell monument and an opening to the beet field to which he had been so near. Mice scurried up and along the outside windowsill.There seemed to be a slight opening in the windowsill but though he tried to lift himself he seemed completely bound by a foggy torpor.
And in the centre of the room before him, to his amazement, was an enormous snake! It was seven foot tall, glistening like green pond slime with an enormous head from which flickered a tongue like a sizzling fork of flame.
"Ha! Ha! At last! A human! It has been so long since I have eaten such a delicacy! Not since I came from the depths of the earth to the corn field that I turned into this wood have I feasted to handsomely! Oh how I remember when I feasted on the sugar beet workers of all those years ago!"
The farmer, trapped, in his chair, groaned in sorry.
"Ah, friends of yours, were they? Well then, fear not, for you shall soon join them! You look delicious! However, I'm feeling in a mischievous mood! Hahahaha! I shall offer you one chance of escape!"
"Yes?", the farmer asked eagerly, his voice quivering with weariness and fear. He could see by the sky beyond the forest through the window that it must be nightfall now: His wife would surely be worried about his whereabouts.
"Yessssss!", hisssed the gigantic snake, circling around him and laughing in his face. "I shall leave you for a few moments, and in that few moments you must try to ring that bell outside! It is a magical bell. It has the power to crumble me into ashes and release you! It has the power to make the forest vanish into a field of corn! It has the power to make night day and turn back lost time! All you have to do is try to get out of that chair to which I have mystically bound you! Hahahahahahaha!!!!"
The snake departed. The farmer stared at the dark nightfall shadows falling across the room and stared at the tantalising gap in the window to the bell monument, wishing he could only find some means of making that bell ring out for him, that bell no wind could stir in the stir of a forest night!
You have a lot of ingredients of the story here. Have fun with it.
Once upon a time there was a small farmer. In his youth he had worked on a nearby farm some miles away, pulling out sugar beet. Since then he had become very prosperous and was happily married. He often used to tell his wife about the old sugar beet field. He told her the place was magical and that it was known for talking mice who were friendly and kindhearted: he told her how they would scurry up to the workers, offering to help them tidy up the sugar beet piles. One time he recalled saving two mice from a threshing machine in a nearby corn field. The two mice were his loyal and particular favourites for the duration of his tenure as a field labourer and in gratitude they would always assist him in his work. Although the farmer was now very rich he missed the sugar beet fields. His wife said to him one morning, "My darling, why don't you go for a walk along the old bridlepath by the back of our fields that you said leads a few miles out to that wonderful sugarbeet field? I'm sure it would be wonderful for you to reminisce in the place of all those magical mice who can tell you of people you worked with and times gone by."
"Yes!", said the farmer. "That sounds like an excellent idea!" I shall set out now and keep to the old bridlepath. I know it will not be long before I arrive at the old field! If I time my walk well, I shall be back before dinner time, my love!"
So the farmer set out on the bridlepath that early morning with his wife waving him happily on his way. He remembered the lumps and bumps on the old brown sandy road on the way to the field, but as he looked out before him, walking along towards the approaching horizon he was surprised to see that he large forest of gnarled pine trees had grown tall in the way of where he thought the old field to be. He would have to head through this dark forest to reach his destination. Never did he think of turning back: he kept moving until he came to the mouth of the forest.
The tall pine trees towered over him and cast large shadows. Boughs and autumn leaves cracked under the trudge of his boots. The deeper he moved into the forest, the denser a green and black cluster of lightless shadows obscured his way. Yet he kept moving forward. He remembered that near the field was an old stone monument with a large bell. If he found that he would know he was near the beet!
However, to his surprise he wandered on and on through darkness and the sounds of owls for what seemed like hours. Once or twice he turned back but the path was too dark to follow. He was better to move on ahead.
He suddenly came upon the structure, deep in the wood, of a brand new house that he had never seen before. The house had a red slate roof, red bricks and an open front door of polished oak. The farmer really had no idea how near or far he was to the stone monument with the bell that might lead him to the field of beet so he decided to trudge up to the stone step at the house door and rap upon the enormous knocker set on the outside of the open door. He knocked loudly and paused. He noticed the shine of tiled floors and the shadow of what looked like an enormous snake cast upon it from an adjacent room inside, beyond the hallway. A voice called, "Come in."
The farmer cautiously entered the house, hearing the huge oak door mysteriously slam shut behind him! All of a sudden he felt a tightness in his throat and an extreme heaviness in his limbs, as he seemed pulled as if by a strange force into the adjacent room.
He found himself hurled by an invisible power onto an uncomfortable wooden chair beside a large window overlooking a view of the bell monument and an opening to the beet field to which he had been so near. Mice scurried up and along the outside windowsill.There seemed to be a slight opening in the windowsill but though he tried to lift himself he seemed completely bound by a foggy torpor.
And in the centre of the room before him, to his amazement, was an enormous snake! It was seven foot tall, glistening like green pond slime with an enormous head from which flickered a tongue like a sizzling fork of flame.
"Ha! Ha! At last! A human! It has been so long since I have eaten such a delicacy! Not since I came from the depths of the earth to the corn field that I turned into this wood have I feasted to handsomely! Oh how I remember when I feasted on the sugar beet workers of all those years ago!"
The farmer, trapped, in his chair, groaned in sorry.
"Ah, friends of yours, were they? Well then, fear not, for you shall soon join them! You look delicious! However, I'm feeling in a mischievous mood! Hahahaha! I shall offer you one chance of escape!"
"Yes?", the farmer asked eagerly, his voice quivering with weariness and fear. He could see by the sky beyond the forest through the window that it must be nightfall now: His wife would surely be worried about his whereabouts.
"Yessssss!", hisssed the gigantic snake, circling around him and laughing in his face. "I shall leave you for a few moments, and in that few moments you must try to ring that bell outside! It is a magical bell. It has the power to crumble me into ashes and release you! It has the power to make the forest vanish into a field of corn! It has the power to make night day and turn back lost time! All you have to do is try to get out of that chair to which I have mystically bound you! Hahahahahahaha!!!!"
The snake departed. The farmer stared at the dark nightfall shadows falling across the room and stared at the tantalising gap in the window to the bell monument, wishing he could only find some means of making that bell ring out for him, that bell no wind could stir in the stir of a forest night!
You have a lot of ingredients of the story here. Have fun with it.
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The snake hungrily returned spitting venom and the mice scampered off knowing they must help their friend but not sure how or if they could accomplish the task. The farmer face was ashen, his hope waning as the snake slithered up smacking his foul lips with victorious delight. "Ssssssssso", he hisssssed, "I have won, haven’t I?", his tongue lashing in anticipation of a wonderful dinner.
The snake disappeared to prepare for his feast. An eerie darkness enveloped the house. Not a sound could be heard outside in the desolate forest. The Farmer's thoughts wandered to his wife as he wondered what she was doing at that moment. Suddenly, the snake was back and slithering up the stairs. He meticulously and slowly started to wrap himself around his prey...
The snake wanted to savor the thought of devouring a hearty meal. The farmer felt a forked tongue along his calf as the snake relished the first tastes of his conquest. While the snake made his way up his prey the Farmer felt the cold scales tighten around him as the weight of the snake pressed unmanageably.
The farmer yielded to the blackness in his eyes and exhaled his last breath - - but a deafening rang crushed the darkness: a blinding flash in a rush of wind shattered reality.
And the farmer dazed stood up gathering his senses trying to shake off the turmoil that had changed his environment. He looked around for the snake but couldn’t didn’t seem him. In fact the house and the room he had been standing in had vanished nothing familiar was in view. The woods he had walked through had disappeared. In fact the world that had been around him ceased to exist and before him his beloved sugar beet fields bursting with vegetables along with his friends laughing, joking a bountiful harvest ahead! The sun shone brightly the flowers in full bloom! As his eyes acclimatised to his wondrous environment the bell monument loomed large ahead. He turned around and behind him rooted deeply in the ground was gnarled apple tree baring little fruit. He nodded knowingly.
His heart was still light as he made his way to the monument stopping to feel the soil of his beet fields and chatting with his friends. Filling his lungs with sweet air the birds sweetly chirping in the distance. He whistled contentedly as he made his way to the bell.
The thought was still puzzling him. He knew the bell had been rung and his life, the life of his friends, his realty had been restored and for that he felt deeply thankful. He sat down in the grass and observed the peace of the day. The soft grass and the warmth of the sun soothed him into a restful nap. He felt something tickle his cheek as he awoke the evening sun bright setting on the horizon. It was a butterfly gently gracing his brow. He smiled as fluttered around him. He stood up and followed the butterfly coaxing him to the bell monument. The butterfly landed on the bell it wings glistening in the sunset.
He looked down at the butterfly admiring its graceful beauty. His eyes caught something underneath the bell. It was his two loyal mice friends who kept him company and assisted him as he worked!! The ones he had saved from the threshing machine!! But as the farmer's gaze settled on his little companions he realized they were not moving and lay motionless on the ground. He walked up with sense urgency not quite believing what he was seeing. There at the base of the bell lay his lifeless friends. The day seemed to shrink around him as their little souls grew. The size of heart does not measure the love that exists inside. He knelt beside their little cold bodies and wept.
They had thrown against the bell to save his life as he had once saved theirs. Their sacrifice rang out as he faced the beet fields of his youth and the path back home to his loving wife.
:cool: