Week 14 Storytelling: Straw Spun of Gold

"My daughter is the most beautiful and talented woman in all the land! She can spin straw directly into gold! Can you believe it? She deserves nothing but the most handsome prince as her husband," the poor miller exclaimed.

(Once Upon a Time [Miller's Daughter & Rumpelstiltskin])

The miller was sad, poor man who had lived his entire life living right next to the king's castle. He forever longed for his family to be royal, but he knew there was no way he could escape his poverty. For whatever reason this one day, the miller decided to press his luck and convince the king to
let him prove himself. If he wasn't going to be able to make it into royalty, at least maybe his daughter could live the life he always wanted.

"WHAT! Okay, well sir, I do believe you have yourself a deal. I love me some gold, of course, and if your daughter can really do what you're saying she can do, my son just might become the next available bachelor," the king cheerfully agreed.

When the miller got home, he delightfully explained to his daughter what her task would be, forgetting that this wasn't a talent she actually possessed. She had no idea what she was going to do. How would she be able to make this dream of her father's a reality?

Author's note: I decided to go with the story of Rumpelstiltskin as my story for this week because I love the story so much. I pretty much kept the story as the original, but just added a little more dialogue to the mix. I hope you enjoy my retell!

Bibliography: The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales translated by D. L. Ashliman (1998-2013).

Week 13 Storytelling: And So Enters the Sea Witch

"I can't do this anymore. I can't watch him live his life up on the earth without me. I am the one who saved his life; I need to be with him. It's my destiny!"Ariel said, swimming up to one of her many sister's seashell vanities. 

"I mean, I don't blame you! I couldn't do it either, but there's nothing you can do about it, Ariel!" Adriana, the eldest of the sisters, replied.

"That's the thing, Adriana. I CAN! Two words for you: Sea. Witch." 

"Oh my, you KNOW Dad will never let you set foot near her. Don't even think about it. She will probably give you what you want, but it will come with the greatest of price. She doesn't do things for free, you know?" Adriana tried to rationalize with her younger, naive sister.

"I don't care what I have to do. If I get to live and marry the prince, then I will do whatever it takes to get there! Make me a promise, just don't tell Dad, okay?" And with that, Ariel swam off into the deep, dark depths of the ocean to find the only person that could help in these desperate times.

The ocean became darker and denser as Ariel swam closer to the witch's home. She could feel the water becoming colder and icier the further into the depths of the ocean she went. Finally, after what had seemed like hours, she arrived at the forefront of the Sea Witch's lair. Mounds of seaweed covered the front door; obviously the witch didn't care too much about any visitors to keep up with the grooming. As Ariel approached the front door, a group of electric eels swarmed around her.

"Exxxxxcuse me, ma'am. Who are you? Why have you crossed into the depths of my master's lair?" the oldest of the eels demanded.

"I'm here to see the Sea Witch. I, I, I....I know she can help. I need to become a human. Please, let me in. She's my only hope," Ariel stammered.

(Sea Witch by Nadezhda Illarion)

"HAHAHA. A human? You silly fool. I'll gladly let you in, but you have no idea what you're getting yourself into," another of the eels said. And with that, the doors to the lair slowly creaked open.

Ariel hesitantly stepped inside and wandered around until suddenly a voice from seemingly nowhere cackled, "I know exactly why you're here. You foolish little girl! You think that prince could ever fall in love with you?"

"Of course I do! It'll be love at first sight. And not to mention he loved my voice when I sang to him as I rescued him. Even though he does think it's that temple girl. But I can show him it's me! It's me he's actually in love with! But I can only do with your help. So, please Sea Witch, I'm begging you. Can you help me?" 

"Like I said before. You're a foolish girl! I would be glad to help you, but like everyone has told you before...it's going to come at a price. I will make you a human, but you must understand some rules, and remember to choose wisely. Once I make you a human, you will never be allowed to return to the sea as a mermaid or have any communication with your sisters or father. Secondly, if are unable to make the prince fall in love with you, and thus he marries another woman, the morning after their marriage, you will become but a speck of foam in the sea," the Sea Witch explained.

"I don't care what I have to do. I've already made my decision! Do it now!" Ariel said, nearly interrupting.

"Now, now...I'm not finished. You will also experience excruciating pain with every step that you take. That's the price you must pay in order to gain feet. And last, but certainly not least, that voice of yours? Yeah, it's gotta go. So, good luck making the prince fall in love with you. HAHAHA" the Sea Witch cackled. 

"Like I said before. I've already made my decision. Take my voice, just make me a human so I can be with my prince!" Ariel began to cry.

"Your wish is my command"

And with that, the eels began to swim around Ariel, creating a whirlpool. Light and magic flashed all around and her voice began to escape her body. Painted pink toes now appeared where her green tail once was. Ariel's entire body quivered, and then suddenly the water grew still. Ariel slowly began to gasp for air, as her gils no longer belonged on her body. Quickly and swiftly Ariel began to swim to the surface of the ocean, quietly leaving her old life behind, ready to begin the search for her prince.

Author's Note: For my story this week, I decided to pick part 4 of Andersen's The Little Mermaid. All parts of the story were good, so it made it a tad bit difficult to choose which one I wanted to rewrite. Many are familiar with the Disney version of the story, and while some of the parts of the story are similar, there many parts that are much more gruesome. I combined elements of the Disney story (like the name Ariel and the eels guarding the lair); however, many of the other details came from the Andersen version. I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Bibliography: Fairy Tales and Stories by Hans Christian Andersen, translated by H. P. Paull (1872).

Week 7 Storytelling: The Trickster's Failed Attempt

(Meerkats)

Once upon a time, down near a farm, there lived a tricky, little jackal. The jackal knew all of the ins and outs of the area; he knew exactly when the owner of the farmer turned in for the night, which could only mean one thing: the farm was free range. So, every night, right at sundown, the farmer would attempt to lock everything and head inside for the remainder of the night. And every night, the jackal would steal food from the barn. He knew it was foolproof; there was no way he would get caught. That is, until the farmer started noticing the food was missing. In order to catch this horrid thief once and for all, the farmer set out a trap.

"There's no way, whatever this little creature is, will get out of this trap now! I'll get ya, ya little thief!" the farmer said as he carefully set up the trap, just before sundown.

A few lots over from the farmer's land, there was a meerkat. He watched the jackal every night as he stole the food, and he night he would try and come up with a plan to stop the jackal. However, every night, he failed. The meerkat saw, in delight, that the farmer had set up the trap. He, like the farmer, knew the jackal was toast.

So, the next evening after the trap had been set, the jackal set out on his typical adventure to steal food, and of course was caught by the trap. The meerkat, who had been watching his endeavors, laughed from afar. The meerkat was known for his integrity and always doing the right thing, so he was happy that the jackal had been caught.

"HAHAHA! It's about time you get caught for being a little thief. The farmer works hard every single day to care for his animals and crops, and you think it's just okay to steal all of his products?" the meerkat taunted the jackal.

"Oh, please little meerkat. This isn't a trap. The farmer left this for me to play with. Come over here, you should be able to enjoy its fun too. The coil on the machine rolls back and forth. It's actually really entertaining!" the jackal slyly tried to convince the meerkat.

"What on earth makes you think I believe you? That is CLEARLY a trap. You're the idiot; you are trapped and just really want my help getting out. But, you can't always get what you want, little jackal," said the meerkat.

"Okay, look. I promise it's a lot of fun. I just don't want you to miss out on all of the fun," and with that, the jackal began turning flips inside of the trap.

The meerkat began to look intrigued. Being a bit of an acrobat himself, he started to walk closer to the trap.

"Okay, Jackal. You promise it's not a trap? I had no idea you could flip and turn inside of it. That actually looks like a lot of fun!"

"Cross my heart, little meerkat. Come on over here. All you have to do is flip this little coil right here and you can sit in here and play all day long!"

And with that, the meerkat flipped the coil, and the next thing he knew, he was planted inside the trap with no way to get out.

"HAHAHA! I knew I'd get ya! Have fun with the farmer my little friend!" the jackal said as he laughed and ran off into the now rising sun.

The farmer awoke at sunrise, like he did every morning, ready to check his trap and see once and for all who the thief was.

"So, YOU meerkat? I would have never expected it to be you. What on earth possessed you to do this? Don't you get enough food on your own?" the farmer said, raising his gun into position.

"Please, Mr. Farmer. I promise it wasn't me! The jackal is the guy that you want! He's the one been stealing all of your food every night. I've watched him! He tricked me into getting him out of the trap, and I can't believe I fell for it!" the meerkat cried out.

"Okay, look. I can clearly see you are telling me the truth. I'll tell you what. I'll let you out of the trap if you can tell me where the jackal went. Not only will I let you out, I will also give you enough food to last you for the next year," the farmer proposed.

"Absolutely! Let's go on a hunt! You're awesome, Mr. Farmer!" the monkey thanked him.

Together, the two of them took off and hunted the jackal for the next 3 days. They finally found him nestled up in a burrow about 10 miles outside of the farm.

"Ah hah! I've found you, you pesky little critter!" the farmer said as he cornered the jackal.

"MEERKAT!!!! How on earth are you still alive?! How did you even believe him, farmer? He's such a little idiot!" the jackal cried.

"Doesn't matter how it happened, but the meerkat deserves to be rewarded. Say goodnight, little jackal. You can't get away with this!" the farmer said.

And with that, the farmer fired the gun, killing the jackal. The meerkat ran back with the farmer to the farm and became one of the pets on the land. Each night, the meerkat would come up to the trough and eat the food the farmer had set out for him.

(Jackal)

Author's Note: I decided to go with the South African folktale Jackal and Monkey because I thought the story would be easy to retell with my own spin. In South African stories, the jackal is seen as the trickster (often like the fox is seen in Aesop's Fables). I changed the animal from a monkey to a meerkat, just to change it up a little bit. Meerkats are another animal that are found in South Africa, and I thought they would be a small enough animal to fit in a trap. In the original, the jackal is able to trick the monkey, but the monkey ends up being the one who dies. I thought it would be fun to change the story up and make it to where the "underdog" of the story was the one who wins.

Bibliography: South African Folk-Tales by James Honey (1910)

Week 6 Storytelling: Fairies to the Rescue

After months and months of trying to save his land, Farmer Brown finally gave up. A drought had washed through the land, and his soil was depleted. There was no way he'd ever be able to make enough crops to feed his family unless he was able to find another suitable place to farm. He set out on a mission to find a piece of land that he could plow, but time was running out, so he had to act quickly.

No soon after he had started his search, he quickly came upon a forest, loaded with beautiful trees and bushes. The soil was so rich and healthy, he knew this was the place - if only he could knock down all the trees. Farmer Brown began slowly cutting down the first tree that he could seeing. 

"Ahem...and just who is that cutting down our trees?" a mysterious voice from seemingly nowhere called out. 

"It's just me, Farmer Brown. I am desperate for land to grow food for my family. This land is perfect, but I must cut down the trees to be able to farm. Who are you? Is this your land?" Farmer Brown stated.

"Well, you're in luck. We are the fairies that dwell on this land, but we certainly don't want to see your family starve. We'd love to help you," a woman with wings said as she emerged in the open.

Excited and thankful for the help, Farmer Brown began chopping down the trees. Within minutes time, the entire land was cleared, thanks to the fairies' kindness. Knowing there was no time to waste, Farmer Brown began planting yam and corn crops throughout the newly plowed land. All that was left to do was wait for the crops to grow. The land was so valuable and sacred, Brown vowed to keep this a secret from everyone, including his wife. 

With the harvesting months fast approaching, Mrs. Brown began getting anxious. She knew that her husband had a plan, but she couldn't take the anticipation of the crops. She decided she would just pick the crops herself. 

"Dear, where are you keeping this hidden land of yours? I am growing weary, and our food supply is dwindling. Please, tell me where it is so I can fetch the food," Mrs. Brown begged to husband.

Farmer Brown was quick to deny his wife this valuable information, but after his wife continued to nag, he gave in to her request.

"Okay, here's the deal. I will tell you the location, IF you promise to me you will not speak or answer any sort of question that maybe asked of you," Mr. Brown informed his wife.

"Yeah, sure. Okay, yeah whatever you say! No questions...got it!" And with that, Mrs. Brown took off the harvest the plants.

When she got to the secret land, she began frantically picking the crops, not paying any attention to check if the crops were even ready for harvest. Before she could even gather more than one crop, a voice from nowhere shouted, "Who is picking the crops? These crops belong to our friend."

"I am Mrs. Brown. Farmer Brown has sent me here to gather up the crops for our food."

"Ahh, of course. Well, let us help you harvest the food," the kind fairy stated.

With the help of the fairies, the crops were picked in a moment's notice. Mrs. Brown, feeling excited and empowered, hurried home with a basket full of green yams and corn. However, the moment she got home, her husband was furious. 

"NO! You were supposed to only pick the yams and corn that were READY to be harvested! You talked to the fairies didn't you. They are the only ones who could have helped you pull off a feat like this? Ugh, they will help anyone. None of this food is even edible and now we have to wait for the soil to turn over. We will have no food for this upcoming winter," the farmer yelled at his wife.

Mrs. Brown, now in tears, took off back towards the secret land. She had to make this right, or they were going to starve for the winter. Surely if the fairies were as nice as they seemed, they would help her come up with some sort of food for her and her husband.

"Fairies. Oh, Faaaaaaries! Please come. I need your help. We did a terrible thing by picking the crops and now I need your help making it right," Mrs. Brown called out.

"We don't normally honor requests, but we know your intentions were well. Have your husband come back tomorrow and the land will be plentiful," one of the fairies explained.

Mrs. Brown ran home to tell her husband. The next morning the two of them awoke and took off towards the land, and just like the fairy had promised, the entire land was flooded with yam and corn crops that were ready to be harvested. The Browns now had plenty for the winter, and all was right within their world.

(Corn Plants)

Author's Note: This story was adapted from the West African folktale Farmer Mybrow and the Fairies. While some of the storyline remains the same, I decided to change up the ending. In the original story, the Farmer goes back to the land multiple times, and each time the fairies help him establish his land. The wife becomes curious of where the land is and decides she wants firewood from the land. The farmer tells her where the land is, but like in my story, tells her not to answer any questions from anyone. She, of course, disobeys him, and the fairies help her pick the crops (instead of gathering the firewood like she originally intended). The end of the original story ends with the farmer getting mad at the wife, and does not really have a conclusion. I decided to spin my a little bit, by adding the detail of desperately needing the food in order to not starve during the winter. By adding this minor detail, I was able to create an ending with more closure than the original.

Bibliography: West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair (1917)

Week 4 Storytelling: Say Your Name, Say Your Name

(Isis)

"Come on, come on. There's gotta be a way to get Ra to tell me what this so called 'secret' name of his is. I mean, it can't possibly be that hard to trick the guy, right?" Isis said to herself as she paced up and down through the courtyard of her palace.

Isis had been wracking her brain for months; she needed to figure out a way to take control of Ra's power so she would be the strongest of the deities. She knew the most vital information: convince Ra to say the secret name aloud, and the powers would be hers. Simple enough, right? It would have been if Ra didn't have a stubborn personality. Isis was going to need pull off some serious trickery if she was ever going to gain Ra's power.

That night, Isis lay awake brainstorming different ways she could get Ra to spill his guts). Suddenly, an idea just appeared, almost out of thin air. She began to stew over; it was too good to be true - the plan was perfect. Once she had everything in place, she fell quietly to sleep, dreaming of how this divine power would soon be hers.

The next morning, Ra awoke and took his seat on his outdoor throne in the courtyard, just like he did every single day of the year. It was his regular routine to talk to the people of the land and address any issues that may have arisen. Isis was ready for her plan of action; if not now, then she would never be able to pull this off. Isis knew that every Tuesday morning the same man would come to ask Ra of his advice and every Tuesday morning, Ra would speak with him and send him on his way with a basket of oranges "for good measure". So, like every morning, the man slowly walked up to the throne of Ra and knelt before him. As soon as the regular Tuesday ritual was over, Isis snuck up behind the throne and was ready for her attack. Ra handed the basket of oranges to the man, and one casually rolled on to the floor. Isis used the loose soil on the ground, along with the orange, to shape it into a venomous snake, in which she made invisible.

"I've done it! Now all I have to do is make sure the snake bites Ra, and he will never even know what hit him. He'll be in so much pain, that the only thing he'll have left to do is to tell me the name, if he wants to be saved!" Isis laughed and celebrated excitedly, all to herself, of course. She couldn't risk anyone knowing her plan. By nightfall, Ra would be wounded by the snake, and within 24 hours, she would know the secret name; she was sure of it.

Isis planted the invisible serpent on the ledge of a shelf in Ra's room. She knew she had to be extremely careful of when she placed the snake in the room because there were people in and out of the room all day long, and she certainly didn't want to wound anyone else.

That night, Ra meandered into his bedroom, ready to sleep. As he pulled back the covers on his bed, suddenly a fierce, burning pain shot through his entire body. Ra let out an extreme cry, and within seconds his room was flooded with gods and servants and everyone you could imagine.

"I heard you scream! Are you okay?! Seriously, what happened to you?" everyone seemed to be yelling at Ra at once.

But, pain had completely taken over Ra's body. He could not seem to even find the words to mutter to anyone. But after all, he didn't even know where this intense pain was coming from. Next on the scene was Isis, of course, to see what kind of damage she had caused.

"Ra! Please tell me you're okay. What even happened? Was it a snake you came into contact with? I'd love to make you a deal. Tell me the name in which you have held captive all these years, and I will release the venom from your bloodstream and you will be made new," Isis told Ra, while silently smirking to herself.

Ra contemplated for a while; he knew he couldn't just give up his name like that, but he was in a rut. Without Isis's healing powers, he was bound to die a slow and very painful death. The venom could not sit in his body for much longer.

"I am the one who has created Earth. To know the real me, is to know my name. I am Khepera at dawn. I am Ra at high noon, and I am Tum in the evening. This is what you request, Isis. Please take away this horrible pain," Ra told her, with each breath getting heavier and heavier from the pain.

After Ra spoke, Isis patiently waited for the divine power to be hers, but there was nothing. Furious at Ra's lack of trust, she yelled, "RA! I know all of those names. None of them are the secret name in which you've never told a soul. I cannot help you unless you release the name to me! Speak now or forever hold your peace!!"

Knowing this could be the end of him, Ra gathered up what little strength he had left and said, "I command that the secret name which is imbedded in my heart become that of Isis. She will hold the power."

And with that, the divine power of Ra entered into Isis's soul, as did the secret name. This was it; she had done it.

"Thank you! And just as I promised, I will heal your horrid pain," Isis kindly told Ra.

The pain slowly began to subside from Ra's body, and he was made free. And just like that, Isis was the new divine power over the land.

Author's Note: This is a re-telling of the story The Secret Name of Ra, with a few small alterations. I kept the general storyline the same, but changed a few of the minor details, as well as added some dialogue. The dialogue included was mainly for the character Isis. The sole purpose of including the dialogue was to give her a little bit more of an "evil" side and show the audience that he true intentions were to gain power. The main storyline focuses on the characters of Ra and Isis, both of which are a god and goddess from Egyptian mythology. Ra is often referred to as the "god of the sun" or the "god of radiance," and as described in the story Creation, Ra is believed to be the creator of the universe, according to Egyptian mythology. Isis is often referred to as the "goddess of marriage, health, and wisdom". Her association with health and healing are the reason Ra trusts that she will heal him from the deadly snake bite. However, I found it very interesting that despite her "title," she is very deceiving in this story, and in the end, is the one who ends up with all of the power.

Bibliography: Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907)

Week 3 Storytelling: The Mysterious "Wedding" to the Mysterious Groom

(The Wedding Feast of Cupid and Psyche by Giulio Romano)

The day of the wedding had finally arrived. All of the bridesmaids were gathered around the bride to keep her from freaking out. Psyche, who was the most beautiful woman in all the land, was to be wed to a man who people knew very little about. In fact, Psyche had never even seen his face before.

"How am I supposed to marry a man I've never even met before? Yet alone even SEEN before?" Psyche wailed as tears streamed down her face.

For hours, the bridesmaids tried to comfort Psyche and remind her that this was her destiny. Apollo had instructed that Psyche was to be wed up top a mountainside, and that was all he wrote. Her parents were just as upset, if not more, about the entire situation. They couldn't believe they were going to just leave their baby girl in the hands of some mystery guy. But, the god had spoken, and they knew they couldn't disobey.

So, after Psyche had cried every tear and cleaned up her face and dress, the entire wedding party made their journey to the highest hill in the land. Psyche stood hesitantly away from the edge, not knowing what kind of fate awaited her. This was it; there was nothing more she could do than to take the leap of faith and head to the edge of the cliff.

"Okay, Apollo. Here I am. I'm ready to accept the fate. I'm ready to wed. I'm ready to be a wife to this mysterious man," Psyche bravely called out as walked towards the edge, carefully planning each step she took.

The entire wedding party stood at a distance, watching anxiously for something to happen. All of the sudden, a great wind, with the force of something completely out of this world, came rushing over the mountain. The next thing she knew, Psyche was gone! The wind was so powerful, it had actually picked her up off the mountainside. The next 60 seconds were a complete blur to Psyche. She couldn't see or hear a single thing. Where in the world was this freaky wind taking her?

When the wind finally calmed down and the world around her stopped spinning, Psyche began to panic. Her parents, friends, everyone was gone. There was not a single trace of any human touch for miles. Knowing that panic would do her no good, she picked herself up off of the hard soil and began to wander around. Slowly but surely, her nerves began to calm as she walked through field after beautiful field of an array of priceless flowers. Still lost and without a plan, Psyche noticed a beautiful golden gate in the distance. Since she seemed to be completely alone, her natural curiosity told her to approach the gate and checkout what kind of beauty lied inside.

Psyche ran up to the front of the gate, picking up her wedding dress along the way to ensure its safety from the ground. Once at the forefront, a voice from out of nowhere appeared and nearly scared Psyche to death.

"Hello, Psyche. I have been patiently awaiting your arrival. What possibly took you so long? Please, do come in. I can't wait to finally meet you," boomed the enchanted, mysterious voice from nowhere.

Although Psyche was terrified, it seemed as though the only option she had was to enter the palace. The beauty and the magnitude of this palace seemed to be too overwhelming for Psyche. The front foyer was lined with gems of all shapes, sizes, and colors. The handles on each door were studded in diamonds that seemed to sparkle from a mile away. There was something that felt almost magical about the room from the moment Psyche entered the room. As she walked gracefully throughout the palace, beautiful artistic displays from each room caught her attention. The mosaic title floor that lined each and every hallway was a work of art in and of itself.

After she had explored what she thought was every inch of the palace, she was determined to figure out who's voice she had just heard. Almost instantly after thinking it, a shadowy figure appeared from the kitchen. Psyche couldn't make any features of the figure, but she knew it had to be the mysterious man who let her in the castle.

"Psyche, oh my beautiful, beautiful Psyche. You're even more gorgeous standing in the light of the mosaics. I know you are probably wondering who I am and how on earth you ended up here. Well, fear not. I am your husband. Zephyr, god of the west wind, has brought you here upon Apollo's creed. I adore you and we will create a happy life here. Just promise me one thing...you'll never ask to see me. I will be here for you forever, but you are never to see me" boomed the voice from the shadow.

Before Psyche could even reply back, the shadow was gone.

"Okay, weird mystery dude. I guess I will make that promise. I love what you did to the place! I can't wait to stay with you forever!" Psyche decided to call out, knowing that her mysterious husband wasn't here anymore.

The sun had started to set, and Psyche had had an incredibly long day. She knew it was time to turn in, so she wandered the halls until she found a beautiful, king size bed already unmade - ready for her to jump in. Psyche changed out of her wedding dress and nestled into the fluffy, white comforter. Slowly Psyche drifted into a peaceful sleep. She may not know her husband yet, but she knew she wasn't about to let him control her. She had a beautiful palace and a place to lay her head, and that was all she needed - for the time being. Tomorrow was a new day. Psyche was determined to figure out who the mysterious man was, but until then, sleep would have to do.

Author's Note: After a serious spell of writer's block, I finally decided to combine two of the episodes to create this story. The story of Cupid and Psyche is such vast and complex story, so it was imperative to only choose one of the episodes or else the story would have gone on for pages. The two episodes I chose to base my story off of were The Magical Palace and The Mysterious Husband. My story definitely has a bit of a spin to it, but the overlying story is still there. I had to leave some of the details out from the "The Mysterious Husband", but if I could have, I would have rewritten the entire story!

Bibliography: Apuleius's Golden Ass; Translated by Tony Kline (2013).

Week 2 Storytelling: The Birth of Ishmael

As Abraham was out tending to his sheep herd, he couldn't help but feel the anger building up inside of him. He knew God had instilled in him a promise that Abraham and his wife, Sarah, would one day become parents. He began throwing all his tools around, while small fits of rage would overcome him.

"86 years old, God. I AM EIGHTY SIX YEARS OLD. When on earth do you think you could make this whole baby thing happen? I am not getting any younger." Abraham began to cry out to the empty field when he finally realized he couldn't contain his anger anymore.

Sarah, who had just happened to walk outside, overheard her angry, screaming husband. Like him, she was fed up with not being able to conceive a child. She had spent many a night tossing and turning, trying to remain trusting in the Lord's plan for her, but she just knew she couldn't do it anymore. It was time she take action and come up with a plan. She and Abraham were going to bare a child, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop this plan.

Sarah wandered into the garden where she knew she'd find their housemaid, Hagar. Hagar was busy harvesting various plants, humming soft, sweet tunes aloud.

"Okay, Hagar. I have a major proposition for you. Are you ready for it?" Sarah rattled off, wasting no time for any small talk.

"Uhm...I mean. Well. I guess? What could that possibly mean?" Hagar stuttered, staring at Sarah as though she had just dropped a bomb on Hagar's head.

"Okay, well Abraham and I have been trying to have a kid for years. YEARS. And we're both extremely tired and fed up. We want to become parents SO badly, and God has told us we are to become them, but so far we are stuck. So we were thinking, what if you bare the child?" Sarah began to explain.

A long wave of silence was placed between both parties, and eventually Sarah had the nerve to speak.

"So, you're cool with that? Great. I'll go let Abe know!"

A few weeks later, Hagar found herself in the most unfit predicament. She was in fact pregnant with Abraham's baby, but Sarah's attitude toward the entire situation had completely changed. Hagar's chores began to pile up, and Sarah was suggesting even the most absurd duties. After days of performing ridiculous tasks for Sarah, Hagar finally realized this was Sarah's way of "getting back" at her. Abraham noticed Hagar's reluctancy to work as hard as she normally did, and he decided to get to the bottom of the situation.

"Hagar, I noticed you haven't been performing your normal duties. Is everything alright? I, of course, don't want you to harm our child, but it seems as though you are not yourself," Abraham questioned.

"I can't do this anymore, Abraham. Sarah is running me thin, and I know she's doing it all to spite me. She can't handle the fact that I am with your child. It her idea!! That's it, I AM OUT OF HERE!" Hagar professed with a voice that rose with every word.

Immediately, Hagar packed up her belongings and set foot on a journey to a land just south of Canaan. Abraham tried running after her, but she was quick on her feet. He was unable to spot her, so he knew he'd just have to let her go.

"I can't even look at Sarah. It's so not fair that I am being punished for doing EXACTLY what she asked me to do," were the only thoughts Hagar could even conceive throughout her journey. After what seemed like days, Hagar finally arrived in a small town known as Shur. She had been wandering for days without any sign of civilization, and she was starving and thirsty. Luck would have it that she would stumble right into a fountain, just on the edge of the town. While Hagar was slowly sipping on some fresh water from the fountain, a beautiful, bright angel appeared in front of her.

"Hagar! What are you doing away from Canaan? Where do you think you're going? You are with child!" spoke the angel of the Lord.

Hagar stood at the fountain in awe, and the only words she seemed to be able to muster up were, "I ran away from Sarah. I couldn't do it anymore. She was so rude; I just couldn't stand it."

Seeing Hagar in complete distress, the angel comforted her and then politely commanded, "I promise, if you go back and see Sarah, I will bless you all of your days. The child you currently bare will be a son, and he shall be named Ishmael. Your son will be strong and mighty and go forth to do wonderful things."

Hagar did as the angel instructed to do, and nine months later, Hagar gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Ishmael. The moment Sarah laid eyes on the child, fits of envy and rage overcame her.

"Get her out of here! I never want to see that boy of hers. Ishmael will NEVER be considered a brother to Isaac," Sarah roared at Abraham.




(Hagar in the Wilderness, by Tiepolo)

Knowing the pain and hurt Hagar had caused, she was ashamed. She once again ran away, this time with the intention of getting rid of the baby. She fled to the nearest outskirts of the town and placed Ishmael in a basket underneath a tree, in the hopes that someone would find him and raise him to be the boy of the Lord that had been promised upon him. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared again, surprising Hagar.

"Hagar, please don't be afraid. There is no reason to listen to the envy of Sarah. This boy shall go on to do wonderful things. As always, He will provide."

Hagar stammered for a moment, and suddenly a fountain appeared. She knew this was God's way of protecting her son. With a sudden sense of relief, Hagar took off down the road again. She knew her boy was safe, and that trusting that God was keeping Ishmael save and secure was the only thing she could do.

Author's Note: This story is my adaptation of the story out of the book of Genesis about the female character Hagar. I found this story under the Bible Women unit, and thought the story was really interesting. In the original story, Hagar is a servant to Sarah and Abraham. The couple are well into their seventies/eighties and have been unable to bare children. God has promised them that Sarah will one day become pregnant, but after years of trying to conceive a child, Sarah and Abraham grow frustrated and give up. Sarah comes up with a plan for Hagar to have their child instead. However, Sarah grows in fury seeing Hagar give birth to her husband's child, even though the idea was originally hers. The story above is fairly close to the original story; however more direct dialogue and scenery was added to the mix. The dialogue is a bit more tailored to the way one would hear someone speak in this day and age; therefore, making my story more on the modern side of things. The main goal for this story was to provide a bit of a modern re-telling of a story that is somewhat unfamiliar and bring it to life. I originally chose this story because I thought it (sort of) address an issue that many people today face - surrogacy. Although Hagar was the actual mother of baby Ishmael rather than Sarah (which would be typical of a surrogate situation), I feel like some of Sarah's resentment could be similar to how a mother awaiting her child from a surrogate mother would feel.

Bibliography: King James Bible (1611): Genesis 18

Week 1 Storytelling: From Cotton Rags to Cotton Riches

There once was a beautiful, intelligent young woman named Elizabeth. She had radiant, long, blonde, curly hair that draped from her head and an impressively white smile that could be seen for miles. However, she was born into a very poverty stricken family. Day in and day out, Elizabeth was required to wash the dishes, mop the floors, dust, clean the house from top to bottom, and keep the animals on her family farm alive and well to harvest. If there was a chore to be done, Elizabeth was required to perform it. Both of her parents spent each and every day working in their cotton fields, picking just enough cotton for the family to scratch by. School was Elizabeth's favorite time of the day because it was the only time she was able to escape from the chores and duties of her home life.
Before and after school each day, Elizabeth would sweep each room of the house, hoping and wishing that one day she would be allowed to escape and see the world, perhaps fall in love. She longed for a life of wealth and riches, but she knew she was reaching for something next to impossible.

Meanwhile, Adam Hanes, son of extremely wealthy business tycoon John Wesley Hanes, was a handsome young man who lived just minutes from Elizabeth's family farm. Adam and Elizabeth were classmates but had barely spoken to one another, for Elizabeth was shy and far too humble to speak to anyone during class. The moment Adam saw Elizabeth on the first day of class, he knew she was something spectacular. He was one of the only classmates who could saw her for her true beauty, unlike many of the students who judged her based upon her un-wealthy lifestyle. Every day when Elizabeth would come to school, Adam would sit outside the bus station where he knew she would be and wait for her. However, Adam was too scared to say anything to her, so he would pretend as if he was talking on the phone to another friend. 

Fed up with his own timid character, Adam decided the only way he would be able to tell Elizabeth how he felt would be to come up with a plan that would help both Elizabeth and her family. Adam knew his father's power and stature in the business world, so he consulted his help. The father and son paired worked on their plan for days before they finally put it into action. They knew they had to play their cards right or the entire thing would blow up in their face. 

On the morning of the "day of the plan", Mr. Hanes and three of his assistants drove Adam over to Elizabeth's farm. Together, the five of them knocked and knocked until finally little, shy Elizabeth came sprinting down the stairs. 

"Hello, Elizabeth. My name is John Hanes and I'm Adam's dad. Adam tells me you have a little bit of a problem on your hands." Mr. Hanes said.

"Uhm, hello sir. I'm not...exactly sure what you mean." Elizabeth responded as her face turned the color of a tomato and she shyly drug her foot across the floor.

"Well, have no fear, my dear. My company, Hanes, has decided to purchase your entire cotton field at any amount of your choosing, and we would love to make your parents managers of the cotton t-shirt design sector" Mr. Hanes exclaimed. "Adam has raved on about your beauty, charm, and situation, and we knew there was no better way than to offer you a wonderful position in the Hanes cotton family."

At the sound of this incredible news, Elizabeth started screaming and jumping for joy. Her parents, who had just walked into the house from the fields came running up to the door, thinking something terrible had gone wrong. Mr. Hanes quickly explained his proposition and Elizabeth's parents burst into happy tears at the news. Elizabeth tapped Adam's arm and lightly kissed his cheek, thanking him for making her impossible dreams a reality. Adam was ecstatic; he couldn't believe he had just received a kiss from the girl of his dreams. He quickly smiled back at her and recited:

"With your beautiful and gorgeous curly locks, please Elizabeth, I'd love for you to be mine. You no longer have to perform the chores or mend to the animals, but you can come and join the Hanes and sit on our cotton throne." 

Elizabeth threw her arms around Adam and kissed him again, this time aiming for his lips. She had never experienced this amount of joy and happiness in her life. She couldn't believe how lucky she was! 

"Of course, Adam! I've always liked you, but I never had the courage to talk to you. You're the most handsome boy I've ever met and I'd love to be yours" Elizabeth exclaimed in the most excited voice she could muster up. 

With his heart about to explode out of his chest, Adam stuttered, "Well, uh...then it's settled. I think now I'm supposed to take you on a proper first date. How about a trip to the ice cream shop? Pick any topping you'd like, strawberries, cream, sugar, the whole nine yards! Anything for an incredibly 'sweet' girl like you"

Both Adam and Elizabeth laughed and giggled the entire way to the ice cream shop, and the two of them continued dating for years to come. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This is a recreation of the original nursery rhyme: 

CURLY locks! curly locks! wilt thou be mine? Thou shalt not wash dishes, nor yet feed the swine, But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam, And feed upon strawberries, sugar, and cream!

Because the rhyme was so short, there was plenty of room to put my own twist on the story. I went with a more modern theme and created my own characters, Adam and Elizabeth. Although the premise of the rhyme suggests the woman in the story was perhaps a maid and the man perhaps a king, I decide to give the role of the "maid" and the "king" a little less of a literal role, and more of a metaphorical role. I decided on the title "From Cotton Rags to Cotton Riches" as a play on the cotton t-shirt company Hanes, as well as the cotton fields that the main character lived on.

Source: The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang (1897).
(Image: Curly Locks, Curly Locks, Wilt thou be mine?)