Week 10 Storytelling: What Goes Around Comes Around

"Why won't the car start?" I asked myself as I was leaving the house to head to my buddy Chase's house. The Thunder game was starting in the next ten minutes and I definitely did not want to deal with my car now.

"I'll just go on and walk. It's a nice day and he doesn't live far," I told myself and started on my way.

I briskly walked passing one house after another until I arrived at an intersection between two larger streets. I was almost to Chase's house by this point and the game was about to start. However, I noticed this older lady who was having difficulty stepping down from the curb to cross the street. I thought to myself, "I might as well help her across the street; I still have time till the game starts." I offered her my arm and she took it gladly.

Street Crossing (Pexels)

"What a nice man you are," she said to me when crossing the street. 

"Not a problem, ma'am. I figured you could cross the street on your own, but I thought you might like the company anyways," I teased. 

"What is your name, sweet young man?" she asked me. 

"My name is Tom. And what is yours?" I asked her. 

"My name is Louisa Potters, but you can call me Louisa," Louisa said.  

"Well, Tom, you look young and full of possibility. How old are you, son?" continued Louisa. 

"I am twenty-two, Louisa. I am a senior here at the University of Oklahoma. You may not answer, but may I ask how old you are? I'd say you are twenty-four tops!" I joked. 

"I'm too old for you, that's for sure!" laughed Louisa as we made it across the street safely on the other side. 

"Where are you headed, Louisa?" I asked still laughing over her last comment.

"Well.....I....uh.....over there I think. I am meeting my son for lunch somewhere around here," Louisa stood puzzled. 

The game started in five minutes and I could probably make it to Chase's house in time if I left now, but part of me knew that I needed to make sure Louisa got to where she was meant to go. 

"Do you know the name of the restaurant that you are looking for?" I asked Louisa. 

"I knew it five minutes ago, but couldn't tell it to you now. I just can't remember. I know that if I am on this block, though, that it's probably one of these restaurants," giggled Louisa. 

"How about I help you find it so I'll know that you there safe and sound?" I assured her. 

"I know you probably have something better to do than helping this old lady," Louisa teased. 

"Maybe I just want to have a pretty lady on my arm for a little while longer," I said while giving her a wink. 

We spent the next twenty or so minutes walking from restaurant to restaurant asking for her son David. The entire time she asked me about my family, my studies, and where I was heading after graduation. I told her that I had not found a job quite yet and that I was searching for a great opportunity that I could excel in as a businessman. She told me of her past and said that she looked forward to the future as well. We walked up to the last restaurant on the block and walked inside. A man jumped up from his seat and gave Louisa a great big hug. We had found the right restaurant and I introduced myself to her son, David. 

"Tom, thank you so much for helping me find my son. I am most grateful and even happier for a new friendship," said Louisa.

"You are most welcome, Louisa. I'm lucky to have met you!" I responded.

I started to turn away when I heard her yell after me.

"Tom! Would you mind giving me your contact information?" she said with a glimmer in her eye.

"Are you going to take me out on a date?" I joked as I wrote down on a piece of paper that the waitress had brought over. 

"Oh, you're too young for me!" Louisa joked as we made our final goodbyes.

I left the restaurant and finally headed to my buddy's house. I arrived in the middle of the first half and had a great rest of the night. A week or so later I received a call from David Potters, Louisa's son. At first he thanked me for helping his mother and joked about how friendly she can be with everyone she meets.  

"I met you at the restaurant and you seemed pretty personable and you went out of your way and helped my mother when you most likely had other things to do. I would like you to come in for an interview with my business company," said David. 

A couple of months later and I had finished school, graduated, and officially started my first job at David's business company. It turned out that Louisa's son was a very successful businessman who had an incredible company where any of my classmates would have loved to land as a job. Louisa dropped by one day to give me a "Happy First Day of Work" gift. This was the first time I had seen her since that afternoon I helped her cross the street. 

"Oh, it is great to see you, Louisa!" I said as I gave her a big hug.

"Us friends have to stick together, you know. You helped me so I thought I'd help you," said Louisa with a twinkle in her eye. 

From that moment, I realized that it wasn't just David meeting me for the first time and seeing my potential. Louisa had made it her goal to give back to the person who helped her. From this moment in time, we were forever friends. It's the little things in life that can make a difference in the end. 

Louisa (Pixabay)

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Author's Note: For this story I used the story, The Pecan Tree's Best Friend, from the Tejas Legends Unit. In the original story, a family of orioles, a type of bird, saw a hurricane getting closer and closer to them. With not having enough time to escape, they were frightened. The pecan tree told the orioles that they could hide in the holes in his bark to keep them safe during the storm. The orioles ended up surviving the hurricane and were grateful as they continued south after the storm. Later the father oriole noticed that a last minute winter storm was headed towards the pecan tree in the beginning of spring. The bird flew back to the tree to warn him not to bud quite yet so that he would be able to produce pecans later. He was the only tree that listened and ended up being the only tree that season to produce pecans. From that moment on orioles and pecan trees became friends forever, which is why we often see orioles in pecan trees today. In my story I decided to make it about a boy who helped an old lady cross the street and help her find her way. In return the old lady ended up helping that boy in his future by helping him find a job. It is a story about caring for others and having lifelong friends. 

Bibliography: The Pecan Tree's Best Friend. When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends. Retold by Florence Stratton in 1936.

Week 10 Reading Diary continued: Tejas Legends

This week I decided to read the Tejas Unit. This unit is composed of stories from When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends retold by Florence Stratton in 1936.

Why Hummingbird's Only Drink Dew - The heron and the hummingbird used to share a lake. They made a bet who could get to the other side first. The hummingbird was faster but couldn't last as long. The heron won and the hummingbird can now only drink out of the dew in flowers. 

The Maiden Who Loved a Star - A maiden fell in love with a youth star in the sky. Instead of letting her life be cast away, the witch turned her into a bush so that she would always be under the stars with him. He leaned down and fell from the sky and made her flowers purple in the middle of the desert. 

Old Quanah's Gift - Quanah was a warrior that got hurt in battle and could not fight anymore. He became a blanket maker and was the absolute best. People from all around came to watch him make his blankets. He worked on this one blanket for many years. He died and the people wrapped him in it because he was the one who did the most for the community. His body turned into the fire wheel flower as a gift to the people. 

How Sickness Entered the World - The messenger from the god to people was killed. They tried to make it better but the snake's mate came back mad. All of her eggs hatched and brought disease and illness. 

Why the Irises Hold Hands - The storm god loved this one indian tribe because they were smart. They, however, started not praying towards him and he became mad. He flooded them out and turned them into irises. They live in swampy areas and always look up to the skies. 

The Pecan Tree's Best Friend - The pecan tree saved the orioles from a hurricane by putting them in his bark. Later the bird noticed a winter storm coming and told the tree not to put out his buds yet. He didn't and he was the only one to bear pecans that season. This is why orioles can be found in pecan trees because they are friends. 

When the Rainbow was Torn - The rainbow never reached down to the flowers in the cacti because it was scared of the thorns. One day it didn't notice it there and the thorns reached out to catch the rainbow. The flowers took in the red and orange colors before the rainbow got loose. 

Paisano, Hater of the Rattlesnake - The bird and the snake both wanted to be the messenger for the great spirit. They both got back at each other by eating each others babies. This is why both make nests and watch where they are going. 

Maidens Who Broke the Drought - The girls wanted to sacrifice themselves to save the rest of their tribe for rain. They all jumped in bravery and the gods turned them into honeysuckle bushes so that they could live. The rain came and saved their tribe. 

The Cottonwood Remembers - The owl tried to swim in the lake but couldn't. The pigeons laughed at him and he got mad and killed one of the them. The great spirit made it to where the owl could only come out at night and only say "who" while the pigeons were never accepted by the cottonwood. 

Why the Dog's Ears Flop - The dog became a friend of the indians but always was proud. One night the wolves tricked him and stole all of the meat. The indians beat the dog and for the first time his ears flopped and hid his tail in-between his legs. This is the relationship dogs and humans have today 

Dog's Flopped Ears

Week 10 Reading Diary: Tejas Legends

This week I decided to read the Tejas Unit. This unit is composed of stories from When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends retold by Florence Stratton in 1936.

When the Storm God Rides - The storm god would fly to the towns to pick up feathers for his cloak. A group of killing indians would kill all of the birds. The storm god was angry and made a huge storm to where the birds would live on islands away from the indians from now on. This is why the Texas Gulf coast has a bunch of many islands along it.

How the North Wind Lost His Hair - The North Wind and the South Wind were often angry with each other. After a long, long winter the South Wind finally decided to fight the North. When fighting the South Wind pulled out some of the North Wind's hair. In celebration he threw out the hair, which created spanish moss on all the trees.

The Plant that Grows in Trees - Mistletoe started off growing on the ground but a bird took pity and started making it grow on trees. The seeds would stick to the limbs and forever grow. This way birds can ever be plentiful with lots of mistletoe berries.

Why the Woodpecker Pecks - The indian tribe went against the medicine man's orders and ate the magical berries. They stopped hunting, gathering, and caring for children. The children had wandered away and the medicine man took pity on them and put them in the hollow trees to save them from the sun and wolves. When the indian tribe realized that the children were gone they pleaded and he turned them into birds so that they could look for their children. This is why they continue to knock on the wood.

The Woodpecker's Stumpy Tail - A frog had told an indian tribe and the birds that a flood was coming. The indians and the woodpecker were the only ones that didn't pay attention. When the flood came he tried to get to higher trees but a fish had seen him and bit off the bottom part of his tail. That is why the bird's tail looks like its been bitten off.

Old Woolly Bird's Sacrifice - Drought had come across the land. A group of elders went out to find new land for growth. There was none and death came upon them. The spirits saw their bravery and turned them into magnolia trees instead.

The Tribe that Left Its Shoes - An indian tribe lived on this island until a volcano erupted. They were forced to leave and found another land. They left their painted shoes behind so that they could find their way back. The medicine man turned them into flowers that pointed south. The children finally were able to find their way home by the flowers.

The Cloud that was Lost - The clouds hang out during the day but in the morning and evenings become fog to rest in the clouds. The little cloud got lost and went to sleep on the ground. The flowers were tired of being white and drank up the colors of the cloud, which is why they have soft pale colors.

The Swift Blue One -There was a horse that was very majestic and the people feared it. They tried to ride it but then respected it enough to let it roam. Other horses finally joined him after escaping.

Grandmother River's Trick - The garfish were eating all the little fish. The river did a trick and raised her waters to where the gar started searching for food on land. She brought back her waters and made the gars live in the puddles making her fish safe from them.

Grandmother River's Tricks

Week 9 Storytelling: Need of Help

"Be careful on the slide, honey," said Molly.

Molly is a single mother of a beautiful daughter named Elizabeth. Elizabeth had curly blond hair and a smile as big as the sun. Today, in the gorgeous New York City, she decided to take her daughter to the park nearby their house. 

"Mom, look at me!" Elizabeth squealed while climbing up the rock wall. 

The weather had been so nasty recently with thunderstorms and hail that Molly decided to get some fresh air the second the sun peeked out. Molly sat reading a book she had just bought at the bookstore a couple of days before. 

New York City (pixabay) 

"Watch me, watch me!" yelled Elizabeth from the swing. 

The park was fairly small but there were many other kids there as well. Everyone had been so cooped up because of the weather that everyone was wanting to enjoy the sunshine. Molly sat on her bench watching Elizabeth, reading her book, and enjoying the fresh air.

"Is anyone sitting there?" asked a woman looking for a place to sit. 

"No one is sitting here. Please, sit down!" said Molly. 

Molly started a conversation with this other woman who had also taken her kids to the park to play. They talked of mutual friends, life in the city, the struggles of being a parent, and more until Molly noticed that Elizabeth wasn't calling out for her like she usually did when playing at the park. Molly searched for Elizabeth and she wasn't in sight. She had been so distracted meeting a new acquaintance that she didn't check on her daughter for quite some time. 

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth! Where are you? Can you hear me?" shouted Molly. 

As much as Molly screamed there was no answer. In panic, she asked all of the children and adults who were at the park if they had seen where she might of gone and no one really knew. 

"I think she was on the swings. It looked like she was with her dad. They left a little bit ago going towards the hot dog stand," said a little boy named James. 

Hot Dog Stand (wikipedia)

James' father, Roger, heard his son and graciously told Molly that they would help her find Elizabeth. 

Roger was a single dad who's wife had died the past year. He took his son James to the park to get him away from the television in this nice weather. Roger grabbed his son and asked if he had seen a little girl named Elizabeth while playing in the park. 

"Ma'am, I will help you find your daughter; she must not be far." reassured Roger. 

They first called 911 and told the police officers the whole story, but Molly could not wait around. Molly, Roger, and James all took off towards the hot dog stand and asked pedestrians as they walked by if anyone had seen Elizabeth. There wasn't much luck at first but a man had recognized a picture of Elizabeth and said that they had turned down the next block to the right not took long ago. 

"I am going to run ahead to see if I can catch up. Look after James and continue on this way. Give me your number so that if I find them I can give you directions. We'll find her." said Roger. 

They exchanged numbers and Roger took off running and turned onto the next block to the right. He ran and ran, searched and searched, until he saw in the distance a man holding a little blonde, curly haired girl's hand a couple of blocks ahead. He took off on a sprint and gradually caught up to Elizabeth and the man. He followed them down the street for a little while so that he could come up with a plan to safely retrieve Elizabeth while not losing the man as well. 

He called Molly and told her of the news. Roger told her of his location and a rough estimate of where they were headed. 

"Call the police back and tell them of where we are so that the man will not get away," Roger told Molly. 

Police (flickr)

After a couple of minutes when the police were in sight driving down the street, the man holding Elizabeth's hand noticed the sirens. Before trying to maneuver and go a different way, Roger grabbed Elizabeth and forced the man to let go. Roger safely held Elizabeth in his arms and told her that he was a friend of her mom's and that she was on her way. While the man was trying to run away the cops caught up to him and arrested him on the spot. Minutes later Molly and James came running down the street in search of Roger and Elizabeth. Elizabeth ran into her mother's arms being happy to see her. 

"I'm sorry!" cried Molly to Elizabeth. 

Because of the help of Roger, Elizabeth was safe and back with her mother. He didn't have to be the one to help them, but he did anyways because he knew that if it were him in that situation he would want the help. 

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Author's Note: This week I read the story, The Woman Stolen by the Killer Whales, from the book, Tales of the North American Indians, located in the Native American Marriage Tales Unit. In the original story, a woman is stolen from her husband by killer whales and taken into the ocean. She was captive there underwater. Her husband found the help of a shark to save his wife. The shark came up with a plan to save the wife and tricked the whales. The husband and wife swam to safety while the shark stayed behind to fight off the killer whales. This story is about a person giving up his or her freedom and helping people in need. It is not their job to but they do it anyways. In my story I decided to make it about a mother who lost her child at the park. A kidnapper steals the child and the mother is hopeless by herself. Roger becomes the shark in the original story and goes out of his way to help Molly, the mother, find Elizabeth, her stolen daughter. In the end they find Elizabeth making it a happy story, just like in the original story. I decided to also not hurt Roger as much as the shark probably was in the original. 

Bibliography: The Woman Stolen by the Killer Whales. Tales of the North American Indians. Stith Thompson. 1929. 

Week 9 Reading Diary continued: Native American Marriage Tales Unit

This week I decided to read the Native American Marriage Tales. I always think cultural wedding traditions are so interesting because they are way unique and have very important, symbolic aspects to them. These stories can be found in Tales of the North American Indians, by Stith Thompson (1929).

The Dog-Husband - A girl had a dog who would become a man at night. She became pregnant and the village left for her to die. The girl gave birth to four boys and one girl that were dogs. Later she found that they as well could be human and burned their dog clothes. The children grew up to be whale hunters and great men. The village heard of them and returned. They all became chiefs of the people. 

The Youth Who Joined the Deer - This hunter followed a deer but she turned into a woman. She brought him back with her to her deer people. They taught him that he must preserve all meat and bones when killing a deer. Putting all the bones in the water will revive them and bring them back to life. He taught his human family that as well but lived the rest of his life as a deer. 

The Girl and the Turkeys - A poor girl had a herd of turkeys that she took care of. There was a dance in town that she wanted to go to but was too poor to attend. The turkeys helped her and did a Cinderella type of story to her. She went to the ball and for a moment forgot all about her turkeys. They left to the mountain to spend their lives in the canyons away from the Turkey herder. 

The True Bride - She was hated by her stepmother. Good luck found her and was married to the chief. The stepmother tricked both the chief and her and got her killed. She was cared for by her dog, the four brothers, the bird, and the sun. Eventually, all was restored and the stepmother and that daughter were killed. 

Week 9 Reading Diary: Native American Marriage Tales

This week I decided to read the Native American Marriage Tales. I always think cultural wedding traditions are so interesting because they are way unique and have very important, symbolic aspects to them. These stories can be found in Tales of the North American Indians, by Stith Thompson (1929).

The Piqued Buffalo-Wife - A boy buffalo calf went on the search for his human father. After finding him, he his wife, and his father lived a good life as humans. After getting angry he accidentally turned them back to buffalo. He then went to search for him and had to identify his son 4 times before he could have them back. He picked wrong and was trampled. Mercy was finally given to them and they could live happily ever after.

Bear-Woman and Deer-Woman - The woman grizzly ate the mother deer and lied to the doe's children. She then also tried to trick the children and eat them as well. The deer ran away with the help of the crane and the grizzly got stuck in the river.

Splinter-Foot-Girl - The girl was born out of a man's leg. The family cared much for her and didn't want to marry her off to the buffalo. She ended up being taken away but with the help of friends was able to escape. Buffalo will now be scared of humans from now on. She also was taken by the rock but escaped him as well. She now lived with her family underneath the stars.

The Eagle and the Whale Husbands - The girl who was taken by the eagle was saved by her family who shot it. The girl who was taken by the whale was saved by throwing jackets at it to stall it.

The Fox-Woman - A man would return to his house to find it clean. He watched one day and saw that a fox had transformed into a beautiful woman. After staying for a while, he started to not like her oder and she left to never reveal herself to a man again.

The Woman Stolen by Killer Whales - Killer whales had stolen the wife. When the husband went down to see who would help him, the shark agreed. The shark played a trick and filled the place up with smoke. He then continued to fight the whales to let them escape.

The Rolling Head - The wife was lying to the husband and he killed her. He then fed her body to their children. Her rolling head was telling them the truth and the children took revenge on their father.

The Bear-Woman - A girl had a bear for a lover and people found out, which got him killed. She also would turn into a bear. She killed most of the town and the little sister and 6 brothers all escaped. The elder sister was killed by them and they went to live in the stars - the big dipper.

North American Marriages 

Week 7 Storytelling: Little Friends

I was seven when I was first visited by my miniature friends. I remember the night just like yesterday. I was in trouble with my parents because I started a fight with a couple of kids at school. After scolding me, they sent me to my room for a time out. While sitting on the floor I heard some noises coming from the corner of my room. To my great surprise I saw miniature people coming out from a hole in the wall.

There were four miniature people, two miniature horses, and a miniature dog. The horses were about as big as grasshoppers, the dog as big as a small ant, and the people about the size of flies. I scooted against the wall in both terror and curiosity.  They walked closer and closer to me, which made me uneasy.

"Don't be afraid.  We come in peace," said one of the miniature people.

They told me that they liked to visit kids who seemed like they needed some extra friends. They introduced themselves as Jeb, James, Janice, and July. They introduced the horses as Pete and Pat and the dog as Rufus. I introduced myself as Henry, they climbed into my hand, and we became friends. 

That day we talked about dreams, aspirations, friends, and about life in general. They listened to what was on my heart and cared for what I was saying. They were fun too! We played soccer with a red bead and with me using only my finger. We played and talked until we all heard my parents walking down the hall. My miniature friends told me to be well and said that they would return when needed. They also told me to keep them as a secret, or the magic would be gone and they wouldn't be able to return. I watched them crawl back into the hole in the wall and disappear. My parents came in and noticed my strange behavior, but just tucked me into bed. 

Little People

I didn't see my friends again for another couple of weeks. They came into my room one night after I had had a not very good day. I found out my so-called friend Timmy didn't invite me to his birthday party even though everyone else was invited. I picked them all up and placed them on my bed. They listened to me and helped me feel better. Rufus, the dog, curled up on my finger while I talked and comforted me.

"It will all turn around. Try to find true friends to confide in other than us," said Jeb.

They left later that night and life got a little bit better. 

Over the next couple of years I only saw my miniature friends when I was in trouble or in a bad place emotionally. They were my safety net and wanted to see me go down the right path in life. I missed them greatly when they were away, but I knew that they were always watching over me. As I got older and older, I saw them less and less. They helped me through elementary school with finding new friends, through middle school during my parent's divorce, and even through high school with puberty and peer pressure. 

Right before l left for college and moved away from my childhood house for good, they came and visited me for one last time. We all sat on my bed surrounded by boxes and they told me that they would always be there for me wherever I am in life.

"Try to use your head and follow your heart and to never forget who you are," said Janice.

"Why can't I ever see you again?" I asked

"It was time for you to move on so we could help the next kid that needs their own set of extra friends," they all said together.

I said goodbye to Jeb, James, Janice, and July and pet Pete, Pat, and Rufus for the last time. They disappeared into the hole in the wall and I finally understood that it was time to start the rest of my life. I am forty years old now with a family of my own and continue to appreciate all that my little friends did for me. They kept me on the right track and made me the man I am today. I hope that everyone has that support group for them as these friends were to me. 

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Author's Note: This week I decided to read the Chinese Fairy Tales Unit. This story in particular is called The Little Hunting Dog. In the original story, it is about a scholar who wanted to live away from all other people. He went to go live in a Buddhist temple by himself. One night he woke up to noises of two little knights riding on two horses, a hawk, and a hunting dog. They were all the sizes of insects and walked into the temple. The scholar pretended to be asleep while they walked around. They later disappeared but accidentally left behind the hunting dog. The scholar picked up the dog and they became friends. They snuggled in bed together and enjoyed each other's presence. In the morning the scholar accidentally rolled over in the bed and killed his little dog. This is how the story ends. I really liked the sense of using little people in my story, kind of like the movie, Honey I Shrunk The Kids. I wanted to do more with the story so I made the little people and the human friends. I made them more into a support group that helped the boy, Henry, through life. The stories are not very similar by their story lines, but I liked the idea of the people involved. 

Bibliography: The Little Hunting Dog. The Chinese Fairy Book. By R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens. 1921

Looking at Other Blogs

I really like Cassie's Blog in the fact that it is so bright and easy to read. The contrasting colors bring a type of excited spirit into her stories, which makes it more enjoyable. Her blog shows part of her personality.

I also really enjoyed looking at Alexandra's Myths because it has lots of personality as well. It has a pattern in the background that shows hobbies that she likes to do and it's a really calming color blue. Blue is my favorite color so I enjoyed reading from it a lot.

Another blog that I really enjoyed looking at is Austin's blog because it seems very calm. He has a wood background and it shows that he is natural. It is simple yet beautiful at the same time. I think he captured his personality with just the look of his page.

For me, I like how my blog looks but I still don't have a title for it. At first it started out with me just putting something there till I thought of something, but now half of the semester has gone by and I still haven't changed it. If anyone has any ideas, let me know!

Weeks 9 and 10 Future Reading

Native American Marriage Tales - I always thought that some of the marriage rituals of the Native American people were very interesting and fun to learn about. Some of these stories include animals and nature as well included in the marriages. I want to see where the stories go!

California and Southwest Unit - I have lots of family in this area and have been there many times. I have also been to quite a few Native American areas within those states and have learned a lot. I think it would be interesting to hear more of the stories within that specific culture and area.

Hero Tales - This section would be really interesting to read because of all the adventures within it. I love to hear the tales of someone on a mission and getting caught along the way. I am curious as to what kind of heroic tale this could be.

Crow horsemen, photo by E. Curtis

Week 8: Time Strategies

During the first half of this semester I have been able to manage my time pretty well in this class. My schedule is weird this semester in the fact that I have lots of time in between classes. I generally do the first reading on Monday, the second reading on Tuesday, and the Storytelling on Wednesday. This way I have all of them finished a day before their due date. For the blog commenting, feedback, and project progress, I usually do those on Sunday. This way I know that everyone has done their work and I can just knock it out! It has been a pretty good schedule and I plan on still using this method. I just have to continue to be conscious about other projects and tests in other classes!

Time Management

Week 7 Reading Diary: Chinese Fairy Tales

This week I decided to read the Chinese Fairy Tales Unit by R. Wilhem and translated by Frederick H. Martens in 1921.

The Little Hunting Dog - This group of tiny men, the size of bugs, came into the Buddhist temple. The man watched them go about. He took care of the left dog but in the morning accidentally squished it. 

Fox-Fire - The man accidentally took the fox's powers. For thirty years he used it and then finally the fox took them back.

The Talking Silver Foxes - The Silver foxes could speak to humans. All people were scared and confused of them talking. A hunter came to down and caught it, killed it, and sold it's fur. This is why they no longer talk anymore.

Retribution - An old man had died and he did nothing about it, as years went by, the man that had died was reincarnated as the neighbor's young boy. Time went on and one day the boy turned to old man had slipped and fell just like the other. 

The Night on the Battlefield - A merchant was staying at an inn in a side room. The general had come in and had taken off each body part. The innkeepers said later that it's a battlefield and weird, spiritual events happen on these grounds. 

The Maiden Who was Stolen Away - Girl was stolen away and the ogre wanted to marry her in disguise. The maiden never said yes. A neighbor had found her clothes and the her brother went with other neighbors to bring her back safely. Now she was back all safe and sound. 

The Flying Ogre - A woman was fleeing for her life. The person running after her was chasing her because she was an ogre and needed to be killed. 

The Sorcerer and the White Lotus Lodge - The students kept on breaking their promises. They tried to get the sorcerer in trouble but in the end were just tricked by him.

The Three Evils - The guy knew he was part of the bad luck for the community. He killed the dragon and then killed the tiger. In the end he ended up killing himself as well for the better for his people.

How the River God's Wedding was Broken Off - They would throw a girl into the river each year to marry the river god. One year this guy came and showed them all a lesson. The sorcerers and witches confessed and all agreed to never do this evil tradition again.

Yang Gui Fe - The emperor had to kill this girl who he loved dearly. He sent a magician into the world of death to see if she had become blessed. She did and the magician brought back her ring so the emperor knew it was true. 

Yang Gui Fe

Week 7 Reading Diary: Chinese Fairy Tales

This week I decided to read the Chinese Fairy Tales Unit by R. Wilhem and translated by Frederick H. Martens in 1921.

The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck - A man of good luck and a princess of bad luck married. He found his fortune and she loved him for who he was. She ended up dying very soon and he lived a long happy life.

The Cave of the Beasts - The selfish father outcasted his daughters in the forest. The girls found a cave full of jewels. The father went to look for them when he decided he missed them. They all returned home wealthy with these jewels and lived happily ever after.

The Panther - The beginning of it is a reverse red riding hood where the panther dressed up as the mother and walked into the kid's home. The girls realized it wasn't their mom and the whole neighborhood helped out to get rid of the panther for good.

Why Dog and Cat are Enemies - The dog and the cat both came up with the idea to bring the magic ring back to their owners. The cat on the way back could jump on houses but the dog had to run around. The cat got all the credit when they both helped out.

Yang Oerlang - He loved his mother and the gods rewarded him for it. The sun must always shine now.

The Lady of the Moon - This man built a bridge to the moon to meet the lady that lived there.

The Girl with the Horse's Head or the Silkworm Goddess - The horse wanted the girl to keep her promise and marry it. The father killed the horse, but the remaining had took the girl. The girl became a silkworm and now looks over all silkworms from heaven.

The God of War - This man had died and everyone who had something of his or were his also found death.

The Miserly Farmer - A man wouldn't sell a pear to a priest. Some other man bought the priest one. The priest tricked everyone and "grew his own pear tree" and divided the pears amongst everyone. In the end, the priest stole all of the farmer's pears and taught him a lesson.

The King of Ants - They had all returned from a hunt and the scholar was paying close attention to everyone. He got mad and released all of his ants.

The Chinese Fairy Book