Week 2 Story: Always the Villain
Notice: This Story will be used in my portfolio this semester.
(Image Taken From Google)
There once was a pond deep in the middle of nowhere. This pond was special because there was an abundance of fish and wildlife. Among the wildlife, there was a crane. This crane was no ordinary crane, he was lonelier than the rest. Day by day, he would befriend the fish in the pond because of his lack of crane friends.
Crane: "Hey guys! How are you today?"
The Fish (in unison): "Hey crane! We are good. Do you want to play with us today?"
In response, the Crane agreed. He just wanted to have some friends. Being a crane is a lonely life. As time passed, he grew hungry from playing in the water. It was getting closer to his lunchtime. We suggested to the fish that they play by a tree. He did not know that fish could not breathe out of the water.
During the first trip across the pond, the fish died. Because he was hungry, it decided it was best to just eat the fish. The second day, the same thing happened. As time progressed...he started to eat the whole population.
The Fish: "Hey guys! We love crane, but I think he is his evil."
Other Fish: "Why is that?"
The Fish: "I think he is eating us whenever he plays."
Other Fish: "What do we do?"
Crab: (whispering) "I have a plan"
Other Fish: "Wait! Who was that?"
Crab: "Let's take him out! We can outsmart the crane!"
Fish (in unison): "WE HAVE TO SURVIVE!"
After the meeting with the crab, the fish decided to let the crab make the crane stop eating the fish. This lonely crane was being viewed as a villain by his friends. They did not trust him anymore. By the afternoon, the crane came. This time was different, the crab was there. He started talking to the crab. By the end of the meeting, they became friends. So, the crane offered to take the crab to the tree. Since crabs can stay above water, the crane became excited. Little did he know that there was a plan to take him out...
The crab got in the crane's mouth so they would go play together. By the time they crossed the pond, the crab tried to hurt the crane. Suddenly...the crane died...The news quickly spread back to the fish. They were so happy.
Little did they know...the crane had Alzheimer's. Every day, he forgot about the fish not being able to live outside of the water. So, he never knew that he did anything wrong.
Authors Note: This story is based off of "The Cunning Crane and the Crab." I wanted to show the reader that the crane was not as bad as the story made him seem. Although the original moral of the story was not to trust everyone that you meet; I also want it to teach that not every stranger is an evil person either.
Story source: The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse.
Hi Kelsea!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great twist! Crane is a decent guy with Alzheimer's who keeps forgetting fish can't breathe out of water... I love it. Some of my favorite stories of all time feature the perspective of the villain, who is not always such an evil being. Did you ever read the book Wicked? It's by Gregory Maguire and tells the story of the wicked witch of the west (from the Wizard of Oz), as seen through her eyes. I also like that the crab is almost a hitman for the fish in this story. Very fun!
Wow, Kelsea! That was a huge plot twist at the end. I really did not expect the crane to have Alzheimer's. During the entire story I was growing annoyed at the crane for being dumb with his fish friends, but like you said about the fish and the crab, little did I know! I really liked how you took the same plot points of the original story and reworked them to where the emotions and meanings behind them are different. Instead of the crane being evil like the first story, you sympathize with your lonely crane and feel sad for him at the end. Maybe this is what you will end up doing for your class project, reworking a text and making the emotions behind it different. Maybe Ravana could abduct Sita because he is lonely and simply wants friends, who knows! Great job and I look forward to reading more of your stories this semester.
ReplyDeleteHey Kelsea,
ReplyDeleteThis was a great story based on the The Cunning Crane and the Crab! I thought the change in the crane's personality was very interesting, although it was somewhat sad once you find out why the crane kept killing the fish. But that's not a bad thing at all! Harnessing those emotions and conveying them in your writing is what makes a story great!
Wow Kelsey, I really enjoyed the big plot twist at the end of your story! The Cunning Crane and the Crab was one of my favorite Jataka tales and this was a really creative way to retell the story. I liked how you changed a couple of the details throughout the story. I think the theme "villain" would be a great idea and a great way to incorporate into your final project. In a lot of the stories we have read, especially the Jataka tales there is always a character that ends up being a villain but in a way that you wouldn't necessarily suspect. Another idea that I had while reading your story was about how you could incorporate plot twists in all of your stories. It would make the reader maybe understand the character more like in this story you retold. I look forward to reading more of your stories!
ReplyDeleteHey Kelsea! This was such an awesome twist! I love reading stories where the perspective of the so-called "villain" is explored. The way you wrote the story made each character more relatable. Of course the fish were scared: all of their friends were dying. But the crane couldn't help it, and he didn't even know he was hurting his friends. Really great interpretation!
ReplyDelete