Week 10 Story: Recess RIP

Recess RIP

There once was a young boy playing on the playground of his school.  On the playground, there was a manhole leading to the sewers that all the teachers warned the students not to go near.  The boy was always curious about the hole and what might be down there.  Why would the teachers not want him down there?  Is there a secret tunnel leading to a secret meeting room that the teachers use?  Is there candy in this room?  He was set on finding out, but could never get it open.

It is the fall, there are leaves everywhere.  Big, beautiful golden leaves practically cover the entire playground.  The children gather the leaves into many piles and jump into them carefree.  However, the boy is fixated on the manhole.  It has yellow tape around it and there are construction workers working on it.  He watches as they leave on their lunch break and realizes this might be the only chance he has to find out what is in the hole.  Leaves are clogging it up so much that he can't even see where the hole is.  He waited until the teachers weren't looking, slid under the yellow tape, and instantly fell into the hole.  He is so scared that he can't even scream.  He hits the ground hard and it feels like he broke his leg.  He then looked up and saw Pennywise the clown staring at him, holding a red balloon.  He lets out a big yell when seeing him but it is no use, he is too deep in the hole for the teachers to hear him. 

Pennywise the Clown sourced via Wikipedia

Pennywise smiles at him and asks if he would like to float back up to the surface.  He screams no and starts running down the labyrinth of a system the sewer is.  He runs for what felt like ages until he reaches a ladder that led to the surface.  He climbs up, cautiously opens the hatch, and there he finds a meeting room.  The principal and all his staff are there at a table laughing about how they are going to cut recess time by 30 minutes.  He was right!! There really was a secret meeting room.  He looks to his right and sees a big bucket of candy.  He starts to go toward the candy when Pennywise grabs his leg.  He starts to get pulled back in and he knows he can't scream or else the teachers will hear him.  He then remembers that Pennywise can only exist if he fears him, so he lets him take him into the tunnel.  When taken down, Pennywise asks if he is ready to float, and the boy starts laughing hysterically at him for looking like such a stupid clown.  Pennywise keeps trying to scare him by transforming into terrible things but they only make the boy laugh harder until Pennywise explodes.  The boy then sneaks back into the teacher's meeting place, steals the candy, makes it back to the playground, and gives the candy to all the boys and girls and he becomes the coolest kid in school.

The end.

Author's Note:

In the original story, a hunter travels to a family's house and is warned not to hunt on the north side of the land because of a deadly snake.  The hunter's curiosity gets the best of him and he goes there anyways.  When he finds the snake, he tries running away but the snake gets him anyways.  He struggles to get away and finally does when he wafts his body odor in the snakes nose and it runs away.  I wanted to keep the similar theme of curiosity nearly killing the cat but the cat getting away barely.  I also wanted to get a little more creative and make the theme more modern.  I also figured since Halloween is so close that I would make a story with a more spooky theme!

Bibliography:

The Hunter And The Uksu'hï by James Mooney

Week 10 Reading Part B: The Hunter And The Uksu'hï

The Hunter And The Uksu'hï

A man living in Georgia goes to visit relatives.  After resting at their place, he went out to hunt.  He was told to not go toward the north where there is a dangerous Uksu'hi snake living around an uprooted tree.  If he went in the area, the snake would coil around him and crush him and drag him into a hole.  Although he hears the warning, this only sparks his curiosity and he goes and finds the snake who is looking the opposite direction.  He runs away, but the snake chases after him and catches up to him.  The snake coils around him, crushing his arm and torso but leaving his other arm free.  He tries clawing at the ground trying to get free but every time he does this the snake knocks him out with its horrible breath.  He then remembers that the snake can't stand the stench of perspiration, so he covers his hand in armpit sweat and when the snake turns to knock him out again with its breath he shoves his hand in its face.  The snake releases him and runs away and the hunter is safe.

Coiled Snake sourced via Wikipedia

This story was very interesting!  I really wonder if you can actually make a snake like this let go of you if you shove your armpit sweat in its face.  If i redid this story, I would put it in a much more modern context and keep the theme of someone doing what they shouldn't and getting in trouble.  Then I would either be evil and make them die from their mistake or find an equally bizarre way to get them out of the situation they get themselves into.

Bibliography:

The Hunter And The Uksu'hï by James Mooney

Week 10 Reading Notes Part A: Tobacco and Strawberries

How They Brought Back the Tobacco

In the beginning of the world, there is a single tobacco plant that everyone took from until geese steal it.  Everyone's health deteriorates and one lady is about to die because she doesn't have her tobacco.  Many animals offered to help but every one that did got killed by the geese.  Finally, a hummingbird, who everyone thinks would be too small and weak, proves his abilities to get the plant by flying to a plant in a field and back without anyone even noticing.  He manages to steal the tobacco and seeds and saves the dying woman and the day is saved.

Tobacco Plant sourced via Wikipedia

Origin of Strawberries

The first man and woman are created and live in peace for a while, but eventually they start to fight and the woman goes off to the sun land.  The man follows behind her feeling sorrowful but the woman never looks back.  The sun then asks the man if he is still angry with her, to which he says no.  He is then asked if he would like her back and he eagerly says yes.  So, the sun forms a patch of the finest huckleberries and blackberries in front of the woman but she refuses to even look at either of these.  New plants were continually put in front of her until the red berries, the strawberries, caught her eye.  She stops to gather and eat them and is reminded of the good times she had with her husband.  She gathers more berries and comes back to them and they are happy again.

I really liked these stories because I love origin stories.  They really say a lot about culture and since I am part Muscogee Creek Indian I really like learning about how my ancestors thought.  I am leaning toward the tobacco story because I really liked the underdog feeling it gave and I feel like I could really take the opportunity to expand on such a short story.

Bibliography:

Cherokee: Tobacco and Strawberries by James Mooney