Week 9 Story:

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Once upon a time there was a village nestled deep in the snow-capped mountains of Nepal. The people of this village were blessed with extreme physical fitness. As it was situated at high altitude, possessing high aerobic fitness was necessary for providing a family with the essentials for living and for attracting a partner. Every thing that was of importance in their daily rituals was gathered from the mountain side or its summit. The ladies of the village chose their suitor based on how physically fit the man was because that would determine his ability to put food on the table and make a home.

Now, in this village there lived a poor beggar. He had experienced unfortunate luck since birth as he was born with a particularly low level of physical fitness. This didn't allow him to perform many activities at this altitude, especially compared to the other young men. So as time went by, he grew bigger and more lazy, not caring to put much effort into any activity save for one thing: wooing the princess of the village. She was the most sought after and beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had green eyes that were as vibrant as the flora after a summer rain, and experiencing the smile that accompanied her warm laughter felt like being embraced by a crackling fire during a harsh winter. In addition to that she was tall, of healthy build, and was the gentlest girl in the village. The chief had made a rule that no one may become a suitor to his daughter unless he could present her with the rare flower that grows at the top of the highest peak of their mountain.

It was rumored that the old hermit living just outside the village was a wizard and had the ability to enchant stones with certain qualities. The poor beggar knew that the only way he might have a chance at picking this flower and winning the hand of the princess was to consult with the hermit. 

So, for the first time in two weeks, the beggar ineptly got to his feet and began to saunter up the road to the humble abode of the hermit. As he got closer and closer to the hut, he started to notice unusual weather changes. A heavy gust of wind would bring through a foot of snow, but minutes later the snow would be replaced by a spring rain with all sorts of plants, fruits, and trees blooming. He could feel the soft buzz of the magic aura surrounding the hut and knew that once he set foot inside his future would change forever. 

He knocked on the door, then waited for several minutes. Just as he turned to walk away, the door shuddered and with great effort appeared to slowly open inward. Curious, the beggar poked his head in and saw that the room was quite dark except for the fire illuminating the far corner of the room. He spied the man sitting in a chair near the fire, who beckoned him in without ever turning to look.

"I've been expecting you, come have a seat and we'll chat. I can provide you with the tools to change your future, but ultimately the outcome of your success lies within your hands", said the hermit.

To be continued...

Author's Note

This story was influenced by the story of the Wizard and the Beggar in the Laos unit as well as the story of the Tortoise and the Geese from the Tales of Bidpai. This version of the story in its current state has not arrived to the point at which the story of the Tortoise and the Geese has shown its influence. I plan to add an ending to this story once it becomes a part of my portfolio project. In the Wizard and the Beggar, the wizard gives the beggar a magic stone that grants him anything he wants but because the beggar knows of the other magical stones the wizard possesses he comes back to try to rob the wizard. Because of the beggar's greed, the wizard takes the stone back that he gave to him and flies off, leaving the beggar with nothing again. I plan to add a similar element to this story in the future, maybe.

Bibliography/ Image info

• The Wizard and the Beggar from the Laos Unit
• The Tortoise and the Geese from the Bidpai Unit
• Rare flower image
• Wizard hut image

Reading Notes: Folklore of Laos Part B

Many of the Laos folklore is centered around the idea that if you behave well in life and make the right decisions, you will be greatly rewarded. Often times, the character of a story will be presented with a treasure or with the option to return something of value. If they are satisfied with the initial gift or choose to return the item, they receive even greater rewards than if they tried to be greedy or had taken the item.

After looking at my work so far this semester, I've found that I need to work on finding opportunities to add more detail to my stories. I will be looking for interesting descriptions and details in this week's reading. Many of the tales in this unit were short so it was difficult to find much descriptive language but I feel like even though the examples I found were few, they provided helpful examples and ideas.

One Woman

• "..but take and sell me as a slave to the captain of the ship lying at the mouth of the river."
• the addition of the specified area of the river makes the sentence much more interesting. The author could have just said the captain's boat was on the river, but instead chose to place it at the "mouth of the river" to give the readers more visual.

A Boy of the City Streets

• "...bade the boy to go to a brook..."
• referring to a creek from which to obtain drinking water. Too often I think I forget to use more specific words when referring to a body of water and typically just say "river" or "lake" instead of a word like "pool" which may have more mystical connotations.

To Aid a Beast

• using the venom of a snake to cure eyesight
• using unconventional items to solve problems
• not a detail but interesting story development

The Words of Untold Value

• "...two fine hairs..."
• instead of just calling them hairs, describe it simply
• "...placed the two hairs in a package with his clothing, and sealed the package with wax..."
• instead of simply saying the boy packed all of his stuff, add more visual elements to the sentence like this.

Accurate representation of me, searching for the details. Wikimedia.

Bibliography

Laos Folklore Unit

Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Fleeson