The Tiny Hero
This is another children's tale that I loved so much. It's about a baby bird in unfortunate circumstances... Read to see how he turns it all around! :)
The Foolish Monkey and The King
This re-make of a children's tale tells the story about a king who learned quite the lesson from an unexpected teacher -- a monkey!
When The Time Comes
This story is about a family dealing with the sickness and death of a loved one.
The In-Crowd
This is a story about a girl beginning school in a new place. It follows her adaptations, and her feelings as she gets used to her new surroundings. It tells the story of how she finds her place in her new high school.
Showing posts with label Portfolio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Portfolio. Show all posts
Friday, April 28, 2017
The Tiny Hero
Baby quail. Image source: EastValleyWildlife.
Momma quail, Daddy quail, and seven baby quails. They lived happily and peacefully.
At the time, the baby quails were only three weeks old. Their mother was still flying to find food for them, and bringing it back for them to eat. Every day, Momma would bring back insects and worms to make her babies strong, but one baby would never eat them. He only ate seeds and nuts. Momma quail knew this would affect her baby later down the road, but continued to feed him seeds to keep him alive and growing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One day, the family of quails heard a ruckus across the forest; animals crying out, trees falling, and a horrible smell they were not familiar with.
In the distance, Momma and Daddy spotted them… And they knew exactly what was happening. Huge, black clouds of smoke rising from fiery, vicious, red flames. It was a forest fire.
As the flames grew closer and closer, the quails knew what they had to do. All at once, Momma, Daddy, and the six baby quails jumped from the nest and began to fly away. As they flapped their wings as fast as they could, they had no time to look back-- no time to see that the 7th baby had been left and couldn’t fly away with them. His wings were not strong enough. The seventh baby quail did not panic though.
Instead of being afraid and accepting defeat to the flames that were engulfing the nest, the baby quail was brave. He stood tall in his nest, took a deep breath, and began to speak to the flames.
“Mighty flames, you see that I am small. You see that I am alone. Why do you come here? Go back, flames! This is my home. You cannot take it from me,” exclaimed the baby quail to the fire.
The flames froze. It was as if they were thinking, processing what the quail had said to them.
“Go on! Go,” yelled the baby quail once more.
And with his quiet and tiny, but powerful words, the flames disappeared into the night and away from the nest. The black smoke rose into the sky, and there was not a red flame in sight. In what felt like half of a second, there was peace in the forest again.
All the animals of the forest began to come out from their safe places, and smiled as they saw the forest come back to life. The baby quail felt triumphant as he lay down for sleep in his nest, but also lonely as he didn’t know where his family had gone.
The next morning, he awoke to his mother and father and all six of his brothers and sisters surrounding him showering him with love. The family of quails lived happily ever after in their nest.
Who knew a tiny, defenseless baby quail could be such a hero?
Author's Note
This is a children’s tale from Twenty Jataka Tales. The original was called The Forest Fire. Basically, what I did with my version of the story is I just added a lot more details and changed the ending. I provided more back story at the beginning about where the family lived and how they lived. In the original, the story escalated quickly. It started with the mother feeding the babies, then the fire coming. I also expanded on the moment where the flames are by the nest and the baby quail speaks to them. I made that part a little bit more personal. These children’s tales are usually short and sweet, so it’s fun to expand on them even more and add your own little twist. At the end in the original, after the baby quail saves the forest, it just says they he lived happily ever after in his nest. I thought it was sad that he was living without his whole family, so I made them fly back for him. Then they all lived happily ever after! I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did! Let me know what I can do to make it even better!
Bibliography
Twenty Jataka Tales. Link to reading.
Author: Noor Inayat.
Monday, April 24, 2017
The Foolish Monkey and The King
Once upon a time a very powerful king decided he wanted to take over the smaller kingdom that lay just on the other side of the river and through the woods from his. He gathered an army, and trained them for the day they would ruin that small kingdom. Day and night for months the soldiers got bigger and stronger and then the day came that they were ready.
The king and his army woke early that morning and marched all day to get near the kingdom, and then set up a campsite for the night in a dark part of the forest.
They rested for the big day ahead of them. As they fed their horses peas in the morning, the king noticed a small monkey watching from a nearby tree branch. He held his gaze as the monkey jumped down from the tree and scooped up some peas for himself. The monkey swiftly returned to his branch and began eating the peas, enjoying each one.
Suddenly, with the king still watching, the monkey dropped a single pea and watched it fall to the dirt beneath him. He sat for a moment, and then quickly jumped to the ground spilling all of the remaining peas that he had in his hand. Try as he might, the greedy monkey could not find that darned pea.
The frustrated monkey returned to his branch and sat reflecting on his actions. He let his greed control him, and instead of letting that one small insignificant pea go, he lost everything he had trying to get it.
Meanwhile, the king sat, still observing the monkey.
“We are ready for battle, Your Majesty”, said one of the king’s most valuable soldiers.
“We will no longer be taking over this kingdom. Pack your things and we will march back immediately”, the king responded quickly.
The army was confused and frustrated at the king’s commands, but no one dared to question the wishes of their ruler. So, the soldiers packed their things and waited for further instruction from the king.
The king remained pondering over what he had seen with the money. Then he said to himself, “I do not want to be like this foolish monkey. He gave much to gain a little, and lost everything in the end. I will take my army and return to my kingdom, and I will be grateful for all that I have right now. Greed will not guide my actions.”
So, the king and his men marched back to their kingdom and life resumed as it had before.
From that point on, the king no longer pursued the ruining of other kingdoms. He stayed in the bounds of his own land, and enjoyed all the riches and relationships and property that he had. He never took anything for granted as he had before.
To this day, the king still remembers that foolish monkey, and the valuable lesson that it taught him. He will never forget that monkey.
Monday, April 10, 2017
When The Time Comes
It was a cloudy Sunday in May of 2008, and Roger Keaton lay sound asleep in a St. Francis Hospital bed. His family was all standing close by: his three daughters, son, and six grandkids. Tension filled the room. Granddad hadn’t been doing so well since his last round of chemo – pancreatic cancer.
Like anyone, Roger’s family was constantly in a state of worry because no one knew when his time to leave them would come. However, even more so for Roger’s family, because the doctor predicted that he would only live to be 68, which was only one year after his diagnosis. Pancreatic cancer is a mean and violent disease. For Roger to live as long as he had was a miracle in itself – he was now 74. So the anticipation was amplified times ten for the Keaton family because their beloved Roger could literally be taken from them at any second.
He had good and bad days, but the adults in the family knew the time was nearing and they could hardly bear it.
The youngest of Roger’s children, his baby girl Lillian, walked to his side and broke down into flowing tears as she cried, “Daddy, I don’t know what I’m gonna do without you here.”
Roger replied with wisdom like he always did, and comforted Lillian with his kind words.
“Lil, let go of your own plan and accept God’s. I am prepared to stand at the gates of Heaven whenever my time comes, whether it be today or ten years from now. You’ll always be my baby girl, and just as I have kept my eye on you since the day you were born, I will do the same even when I am gone.”
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, Lily Pad.” He had called her that since she was a baby. Lily Pad. Lillian used to hate it, but hearing it now sounded so sweet.
Roger then called his oldest son Mark over to his bedside.
“Mark, you’re a good man. A great father. A faithful servant. An inspiring teacher. An encouraging friend. And not to mention, my favorite son ever.” Mark gave a meek chuckle knowing he was his father's only son.
Holding back tears, Mark replied, “I will make you proud, Dad. I will honor this family and the Keaton name until-“
“I trust that you will, son. I have all the faith in you. Now don’t cry. You’re no wimp.” Roger always had a dry sense of humor. Somehow it made him obnoxious, but so charming at the same time. Everyone loved him.
The days passed slowly. Two weeks later on June 3rd, 2008 Roger Keaton passed away in that same St. Francis Hospital bed. His family mourned as they watched him take his last breath. An incredible mix of deep sorrow and adoring love filled the room as family members cried, and tried to process what was happening. Bible hymns were playing in the room as they were Roger’s favorite. The whole family sang along and smiled knowing that their father and granddad was right where he was supposed to be.
Like anyone, Roger’s family was constantly in a state of worry because no one knew when his time to leave them would come. However, even more so for Roger’s family, because the doctor predicted that he would only live to be 68, which was only one year after his diagnosis. Pancreatic cancer is a mean and violent disease. For Roger to live as long as he had was a miracle in itself – he was now 74. So the anticipation was amplified times ten for the Keaton family because their beloved Roger could literally be taken from them at any second.
He had good and bad days, but the adults in the family knew the time was nearing and they could hardly bear it.
The youngest of Roger’s children, his baby girl Lillian, walked to his side and broke down into flowing tears as she cried, “Daddy, I don’t know what I’m gonna do without you here.”
Roger replied with wisdom like he always did, and comforted Lillian with his kind words.
“Lil, let go of your own plan and accept God’s. I am prepared to stand at the gates of Heaven whenever my time comes, whether it be today or ten years from now. You’ll always be my baby girl, and just as I have kept my eye on you since the day you were born, I will do the same even when I am gone.”
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, Lily Pad.” He had called her that since she was a baby. Lily Pad. Lillian used to hate it, but hearing it now sounded so sweet.
Roger then called his oldest son Mark over to his bedside.
“Mark, you’re a good man. A great father. A faithful servant. An inspiring teacher. An encouraging friend. And not to mention, my favorite son ever.” Mark gave a meek chuckle knowing he was his father's only son.
Holding back tears, Mark replied, “I will make you proud, Dad. I will honor this family and the Keaton name until-“
“I trust that you will, son. I have all the faith in you. Now don’t cry. You’re no wimp.” Roger always had a dry sense of humor. Somehow it made him obnoxious, but so charming at the same time. Everyone loved him.
The days passed slowly. Two weeks later on June 3rd, 2008 Roger Keaton passed away in that same St. Francis Hospital bed. His family mourned as they watched him take his last breath. An incredible mix of deep sorrow and adoring love filled the room as family members cried, and tried to process what was happening. Bible hymns were playing in the room as they were Roger’s favorite. The whole family sang along and smiled knowing that their father and granddad was right where he was supposed to be.
Bibliography
PDE Mahabharata. Link to reading.
Author's Note
I changed this story quite a bit, but writing it came so naturally.
This is a story taken from the death of Bhishma. He got to choose when he died, and he instructed others as to what to do when he died. Here, I took a more emotional approach. I wrote about a person who could not choose when to die, but was ready when the time came near. I included a real life situation with my main character's family being there and experiencing the pain of what was happening to him. I made the story into a more realistic version, or a more real life take on what went on in the PDE Mahabharata. The physical death of Bhishma is similar of that to Roger's in my story in that he died with his loved ones around him. He told stories and advised the others what to do following his death.
I chose this generic picture because I thought it was just a sweet representation of a family. That's the most important thing about this story. The plot is based on the grandfather dying, but that is not meant to be the focus. It's about the love and respect the family has for each other and how that both makes his death harder, but leaves them with peace as well. I would say most of us have either personally suffered the loss of someone special to us, or have known someone who has lost a loved one. So I think this is relatable and makes an emotional connection to a reader more than the original Mahabharata version. It's more personal.
I chose this generic picture because I thought it was just a sweet representation of a family. That's the most important thing about this story. The plot is based on the grandfather dying, but that is not meant to be the focus. It's about the love and respect the family has for each other and how that both makes his death harder, but leaves them with peace as well. I would say most of us have either personally suffered the loss of someone special to us, or have known someone who has lost a loved one. So I think this is relatable and makes an emotional connection to a reader more than the original Mahabharata version. It's more personal.
Family Portrait. Image source: online.
Monday, February 27, 2017
The In-Crowd
Ella had just moved to Jensen Beach, Florida. Her father was beginning a new job, and she was now hundreds of miles from any friend she ever had. Summer’s end was nearing, and she was about to begin the 9th grade at a new school – great.
The first day of school was here, and Ella was so nervous. She was astonished as her mom pulled up to the front of the building to drop her off. “Mom, I didn’t know it was going to be THIS big…” Her mother sweetly replied, “Sweetie, you can do this! You’re a rockstar.”
"I am a rock star, I am a rock star, I am a rock star," Ella kept repeating to herself in her mind.
She went to her classes, and even made some new friends to sit with at lunch. This was easier than she thought it would be. It wasn’t until the very end of her first day when Ella saw them – the popular girls. She gawked until one of her new friends interjected, “That’s Mandy Mason. She’s the most popular and powerful girl in this school. She’s Senior Class President, she started a ton of the clubs on campus, she’s an honor student, plus she’s captain of the cheer squad.”
Ella went home and told her parents all about her successful first day. She was happy with how it went, and was even a little bit excited for day two. She wanted to be friends with Mandy Mason.
Ella woke up and headed to school with her mom. She walked into school only to be greeted by the school bully.
“Hey new girl. Did you get that outfit from your grandma?” All the others laughed.
Ella began walking away when she saw her. Mandy Mason was walking right up to her.
“Hey girl, don’t worry about them. If you hang around me for a while, they’ll be worshiping you. Come with me.”
“O- Okay… My name is E-“
“Ella Fischer. I know. You’re in grade 9, you’re from California, and you’re a straight A student.”
“H-how do you know all that?” How did she know all that?
“I know everything about the new students! Especially the impressive ones. Now here we are. This is my locker. We meet here after every class period. Can you do that?”
“We?” asked Ella.
Mandy replied, “Our group! Keep up, Ella. Before school, we meet in the girl’s room. Before lunch, we meet by the water fountain. And we do homework together every night.”
Overwhelmed, Ella said, “Great! I’ll see you at the water fountain for lunch!”
“Fast learner, good work, El,” Mandy said, pleased.
And so it began – her training. Before Ella even knew it, she had gotten in with the cool crowd. It’s like everything she had wished for had come true! Immediately after her encounter with Mandy Mason, Ella was treated completely different. All the senior boys suddenly wanted to talk to her, girls wanted to be her friend, the cheer squad put her on the team. Following Mandy’s rules seemed like a fair price to pay to be popular. But would it all be worth it?
The first day of school was here, and Ella was so nervous. She was astonished as her mom pulled up to the front of the building to drop her off. “Mom, I didn’t know it was going to be THIS big…” Her mother sweetly replied, “Sweetie, you can do this! You’re a rockstar.”
"I am a rock star, I am a rock star, I am a rock star," Ella kept repeating to herself in her mind.
She went to her classes, and even made some new friends to sit with at lunch. This was easier than she thought it would be. It wasn’t until the very end of her first day when Ella saw them – the popular girls. She gawked until one of her new friends interjected, “That’s Mandy Mason. She’s the most popular and powerful girl in this school. She’s Senior Class President, she started a ton of the clubs on campus, she’s an honor student, plus she’s captain of the cheer squad.”
Ella went home and told her parents all about her successful first day. She was happy with how it went, and was even a little bit excited for day two. She wanted to be friends with Mandy Mason.
Ella woke up and headed to school with her mom. She walked into school only to be greeted by the school bully.
“Hey new girl. Did you get that outfit from your grandma?” All the others laughed.
Ella began walking away when she saw her. Mandy Mason was walking right up to her.
“Hey girl, don’t worry about them. If you hang around me for a while, they’ll be worshiping you. Come with me.”
“O- Okay… My name is E-“
“Ella Fischer. I know. You’re in grade 9, you’re from California, and you’re a straight A student.”
“H-how do you know all that?” How did she know all that?
“I know everything about the new students! Especially the impressive ones. Now here we are. This is my locker. We meet here after every class period. Can you do that?”
“We?” asked Ella.
Mandy replied, “Our group! Keep up, Ella. Before school, we meet in the girl’s room. Before lunch, we meet by the water fountain. And we do homework together every night.”
Overwhelmed, Ella said, “Great! I’ll see you at the water fountain for lunch!”
“Fast learner, good work, El,” Mandy said, pleased.
And so it began – her training. Before Ella even knew it, she had gotten in with the cool crowd. It’s like everything she had wished for had come true! Immediately after her encounter with Mandy Mason, Ella was treated completely different. All the senior boys suddenly wanted to talk to her, girls wanted to be her friend, the cheer squad put her on the team. Following Mandy’s rules seemed like a fair price to pay to be popular. But would it all be worth it?
Author's Note
This story is derived from the story of Ekalavya. Ekalavya is a boy who admired and looked up to Drona his whole life. The young boy so badly desired to be Drona's pupil, and was willing to do anything for it. I modernized this story in the context of a high school in Florida. A typical story about a girl moving to a new school, wanting to be popular and fit in with the 'cool crowd.' It's a less dramatic and extreme scenario than in the PDE Mahabharata, but the same concept nonetheless. Ekalavya was truly willing to do anything to be Drona's pupil. Dona once asked Ekalavya for the thumb off his right hand, and Ekalavya did as he was told. In my story, Ella is eager to fit in and follow the lead of Mandy, but she would never cut her thumb off for her. We can all relate to wanting to fit in at some point in our lives, so I thought this would be cool to write about. And although this classifies as a "typical story" and maybe even a cliche, I think the topic is still relevant and completely relatable!! I decided to use a photo from Mean Girls, a movie that I am sure most of you reading have at least heard of. There is not much meanness happening in my story, but it's the same concept of a new girl getting in with a certain group of people! I was not even thinking about Mean Girls as I was writing the story, but as soon I read it over again, I totally saw it.
Bibliography
PDE Mahabharata. Link to reading.
Mean Girls. Image Source: YouTube.
Monday, February 13, 2017
An Unlikely Friendship
Fawn and Tiger. Photo: Web Source.
One early morning a young fawn goes out to graze on grass for breakfast. The same morning, a little tiger goes out to find some breakfast of his own.As the fawn wanders around fields looking for luscious grass, she sees the little tiger watching her close. She says “hello little tiger! come over to me.” and over came the little tiger. As the little tiger approaches, fawn has no fear. She exclaims “oh little tiger, your stripes are so pretty!” and little tiger replies “so are your spots.”
The little tiger knows that a fawn would be a delicious breakfast, but he is intrigued by her kindness and fearlessness.
“Oh won’t you come search for sweet grass with me, then we can eat together little tiger!”
The two wander the field until the fawn finds the grass she wants to eat, but the little tiger says “Fawn, I am sorry, but I just don’t like to eat grass.”
The fawn says “Oh little tiger don’t fret, I will find you something to eat.”
The fawn trots back to her home, where she asks her mother what she could giver her new friend to eat. Her mother says frantically “Sweetie, tigers are not our friends. You mustn’t go back to see the little tiger, for your life will be in danger.”
But the fawn said “No momma, this tiger is kind. He wouldn’t eat me!”
Concerned, the fawn’s mother tells her “Baby, I know you would love to have a new tiger friend, but you see… Tigers eat fawn’s. They are dangerous predators."
The fawn gathered some berries, and got ready to leave, but her mother just wouldn’t let her go. Just as fawn sets the berries down, there is a knock at the door. Mother opens the door to see a little tiger patiently waiting.
The fawn says “Little tiger! Look here, I have you some fresh picked berries!”
“Berries sound delicious fawn, may I come in to eat them with you?” says the little tiger.
Mother replies hesitantly, “Only if it is the berries you truly wish to eat…”
Little tiger politely says “Oh yes ma’am fawn!"
The little tiger then joined the fawn and her mother for breakfast consisting of fresh berries. He enjoyed them greatly, and even had seconds. And every day after that day, the fawn and the tiger ate breakfast together.
Authors Note
The Fawn and The Little Tiger
The fable begins similar to my story, with the fawn and the little tiger searching for breakfast. The tiger refuses to eat the grass, so the fawn goes home to find him something. The fawn’s mother tells how lucky she was to escape the tiger’s presence alive, and how tigers are the most dangerous predators in the wild. The fawn then trembles in fear of what could have happened if she went back to the tiger. I basically kept the ideas from the first part of the story, but changed the ending by making the friendship between the fawn and the little tiger continue.
Bibliography
“The Fawn and The Little Tiger” from Indian Fables by Ramaswami Raju. Web source.
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