Reading Diary Week 14 Continued: The Pot of Basil

This is another crazy story about lust just like the last monk story I read. In this one, three brothers all fancy one girl. The girl only love Lorenzo. Because she only loves Lorenzo one of the other brothers gets jealous and literally kills and buries his own brother. In a dream this woman hears Lorenzo say his brother has killed him and told her where to find the body. Upon confirming her dream and finding his body, she chops his head off and plants it in a pot to grow basil. The nutrients from his decaying head and her tears eventually make luscious basil grow. One day finally the brothers check out this basil pot, find their brothers head and re-bury it. The woman is so upset by this that she literally dies from weeping so much.

Pot of Basil, Source

These were the thoughts/summary after reading the story entitled The Pot of Basil, written by J. M. Rigg in 1903. 

Reading Diary Week 14: The Monk and His Abbot

This story was interesting, I have always been fascinated with monks and that was the first thing that drew me into this one. It was about a monk who has forbidden intercourse with a woman. The monk's abbot hears the monk and the woman together alone, but ignore it. The monk leaves and attempts to keeps the woman unseen. The abbot wanting to see what the monks future plans are, allows him to leave even though he knows what the monk has done.

This second part of this story was very intriguing. The abbot thinking he had caught a monk with a woman was actual the person being tested here. The monk tricked the Abbot and after he said he was leaving, returned to watch the Abbot's actions with the woman enclosed in the space. He watched as the Abbot touched the woman and caught him. The Abbot was told that he (the monk) knew more than him and had taught him a lesson and that that this should never be spoken about among the monastery ever. The last sentence states that it is believed every now and again the monk and abbot cause the woman to return. Bunch of corrupt monks who lust the woman...

The Monk and His Abbot, Source

This was a diary post after reading the story entitled The Monk and His Abbot (cont.), by J. M. Rigg in 1903.

Storytelling Week 13: Dante's Heaven

I follow behind my guide of Heaven only thinking one thing. am I dead? I keep asking the person I am following but they never seem to answer me straight only saying things like "Until your time" or "Patience, my son".

The gates are beautiful, composed of what appears to be solid gold and platinum and topped with magnificent priceless pearls. The ground appears to be in the form of a typical sidewalk, but also composed entirely from gold.

After walking around using the clouds and golden pavements as my ground, I get a detailed tour of all the neighborhoods while my guide explains to me "these people have houses whose sizes are directly proportional to all the good they have done in their entire lives..." I cannot help but think how small mine must be if I am in the right place and belong in Heaven.

Approaching Heaven, Source

I finally get to the God himself. The person I have followed this whole turns around to show me their face just before meeting God. I cannot see anything but a great beam of light coming from where a face should be. Their robes appear to be hanging in mid air as I finally see I have been following an entity with no physical body this entire time.

I am not scared, but curiously interested in the being I have been following. Before I can say anything, the being is gone and I stand alone in front of God trembling. I am at a lost for words the God first speaks and says "Hello my son, what has brought you here?" I respond hastily, "I cannot remember, but I must be dead to have traveled this far into the afterlife." I am so curious and cannot hold back my first question, "Are you really God and is this truly Heaven?"

He does not respond to this question of mine but responds saying "My dear son, it is not your time just yet. Be happy you have seen what you have, for no one else has before their time." I can never look directly at God, for there is another great beam of light at least ten times more intense than the person I have followed here. It is as if God was everything all at once, my mind still cannot comprehend it all. My words have to settle as a valid description. God was a entity I could feel; his presence was warming all around and brought sudden peace and comfort over me. I felt as if I was one with my mind, body, and soul. God allowed me to sense these feelings.

After God's last sentence, my guide appeared once again and lead me back out towards the gate where I had come from. The being said one last thing to me before pushing me off the clouds to fall gently back into reality, "Your wait will all be worth it, cherish life on Earth while you can..."

Author's Note
After reading stories from Dante's Inferno (Limbo and Satan), I have been inspired to put my own twist on visualizing the afterlife. Instead of focusing on the "Inferno" or Hell, I wanted to envision my own adaptation of Heaven. After reading the vivid description of Satan, I thought about what God would look like if it were placed in Heaven rather than Hell.

Bibliography
This story was inspired by reading the two section of Dante's Inferno entitled, Canto 4: Limbo and Canto 34: Satan, both written by Tony Kline in 2002.

Reading Diary Week 13 Continued: Dante's Inferno

About to meet Satan himself, I can only image how terrifying this would be...this quote really grabbed me and I loved the style from a diary perspective: 

"Reader, do not ask how chilled and hoarse I became then, since I do not write it, since all words would fail to tell it. I did not die, yet I was not alive. Think yourself now, if you have any grain of imagination, what I became, deprived of either state."

Satan had three heads, a fiery red one, and two others above each shoulder. The right hand one was whitish yellow and the left hand one was black. He had two wings that were the texture of a bat's and chewed on sinners of torture. The three men being chewed in the three different mouths of Satan were Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. Once they left hell by climbing along Satan's body, it was Easter Sunday when they emerged. 

Satan's Three Heads, Source

These were the recorded thoughts after reading the story entitled Canto 34: Satan, written by Tony Kline in 2002.

Reading Diary Week 13: Datnte's Inferno

The limbo part of Dante's Inferno. I really loved how descriptive this book is and how my imagination starts running wild as I read about this particular part of the afterlife. Here in limbo, there was no sound, but only the sighing from the sorrow of the crowds of children, women, and men. These people who are stuck in limbo have not been baptized and therefore did not worship God correctly; that is why they are all here. All these people in sorrow are stuck in a deep dark abyss. This idea of "limbo" really grabs my attention; maybe I will do something with this story in my storytelling post this week.

Doorway to Limbo, Source

These were the collected thoughts after reading the story entitled Canto 4: Limbo, written by Tony Kline in 2002.

Storytelling Week 12: Alice's Adventure

Alice's Journal

1865

June 12th

12:00pm

I lay at the bottom of this tree and watch the shadows from it's leaves slowly move as the sun rises. I lay here to avoid the family reunion that is happening one hundred yards away. My family can be too much for me at times. I begin to wander further and further into the gardens of my Uncle's house...

12:30pm

I am far lost in this crazy maze of a garden my Uncle has created. Why has he made such a thing? It is almost as if he is hiding something deep within these beautiful flowers..I stand in front of what appears to be an antique wooden door placed nicely in front of a very tall hedge. 

12:45pm

I could not handle my curiosity and opened this door, though it seemed like it was pointless just laying up against the hedge. When opened, a dark hallway appeared in front of my eyes, as if it were an optical illusion and I could physically walk through this door into some sort of alternate dimension. I still cannot take my curiosity, I must explore this discovery fully. 

54:21pm

After walking what seemed to be miles and miles, I came upon another door. This door was locked and it appeared the key for it was hanging just out of reach from the ceiling. After jumping three times to try to grab it, I was catapulted straight through the ceiling and landed right atop an enormous multi colored mushroom. 

33:21pm

I check my watch often but it seems as if time is reversing, or forwarding, or stopping, or....I do not know anymore...Have I been here for hours? Days? Must I say, weeks..? I must explore this strange mysterious place fully. 

98:21pm

After wondering for some time, who knows how long exactly, I stumbled across thee men swinging from one large single swing together; the tree that appeared to be connected to the swing was so tall I could not even see the top of it. As I get closer and closer I see they are not all men at all. One is a man with a very large hat and what looks to be a receipt of some sorts tucked into it, the other is what appears to be a colorful caterpillar smoking a strange mysterious substance, and the last is a cheshire cat what can spin its head round and round like the arm of a clock...I am scared to get any closer...

101:27pm

Just before I could escape their view, I heard a "Hello there Alice!"...I responded "How do you know my name?" The hatted man introduced himself "I am the mad hatter, and everyone here is named Alice! Don't you know?"

I responded "You three are the only ones I have seen here thus far, are there others??" The smoking caterpillar interrupted "Of course there are? Are there not stars in the sky?" It seemed that nothing was making sense to me and though they were speaking English, it was all gibberish. 

Just before leaving, the cheshire cat stopped me and said "Wait Alice! Do you not want to know they way home?" Upon looking back to check the path from where I came, it was completely different. There was now a thick colorful forest of giant mushrooms and furry trees where my empty path used to be. I responded to the cat "I thought I knew, but it seems to have changed on me and I have became very lots it appears." 

The mad hatter now responded "Hop on the caterpillar here and we will take you!" Though skeptical, I found no other option but to follow his direction. 

12:47pm

These three interesting characters took me on a tour showing me all eight legged creatures, candy bushes, houses of cards, and edible tea cups this strange land contained. At the end of the tour, the caterpillar so rudely pushed me off his back and down into what felt like a never ending hole. After hitting the bottom, I looked up to see the exact key that let me into this land. The door was now open though and I was not catapulted anywhere. After walking through the door, I was right back in my Uncle's garden maze. All I could think was "this was what he must have been hiding..."

Mysterious Garden, Source

Author's Note

This story is sort of an adaptation of both of the stories I read this week. I wanted to use both characters I read about from the Alice in Wonderland tales, the mad hatter and the smoking caterpillar. These two plus the Cheshire cat are my three favorite characters from the original so I decided to use all three! I also loved the journal style I used previously for a story so I thought this would be a good one to do the same with. 

Bibliography 

A Mad Tea-Party and Advice from a Caterpillar were the two specific stories that were the inspirations for this adaptation. Both of these stories are from the classic Alice in Wonderland unit, written by Lewis Carroll in 1865.

Reading Diary Week 12 Continued: A Mad Tea-Party

Another classic tale from the Alice and Wonderland book. This story recalls the first interactions between Alice and the mad tea-party she stumbles upon. At this tea-party she meets a dormouse, a hare, and of course the mad hatter himself. The mad hatter, the smoking caterpillar, and the Cheshire cat would definitely be my three favorite characters from this story; I would love to somehow incorporate all three of them into my own adaptation if possible.

The Mad Hatter. Source

These were the written thoughts after reading the story entitled A Mad Tea-Party, written by Lewis Carroll in 1865.

Reading Diary Week 12: Advice from a Caterpillar

This story was the classic and memorable first interaction between Alice and the hookah smoking caterpillar from the story Alice in Wonderland. When scrolling through the British tales for this week, I was so pleasantly surprised to come across these stories. I have always loved how creative and interesting this story always was rather it be reading the book or watching the many movies based from it. I can't wait to make my own adaptation of this classic story as last week I already put hints of this story sprinkles into mine! I also must say, Carroll's imagination and creativity must have literally blown the crowds away in 1865. This story was insane for its time I am sure!

Smoking Caterpillar. Source

These were the recorded thoughts after reading the story entitled Advice from a Caterpillar, written by Lewis Carroll in 1865.

Storytelling Week 11: Reality in the Skies

On a bright summer day at a family reunion a young boy stumbled upon an enormous tree; easily the largest tree the boy had ever seen in his entire life. Upon further inspection of the large tree, the boy discovered a whole in the trunk, just big enough for him to fit through. Without hesitation, the boy climbed inside to further explore this wonder of a tree.

After inside the trunk of the tree the boy say a ladder, the ladder went up as high as his eyes could see. Climbing the ladder for at least two hours, the boy had became exhausted but saw light seeping through the near exit above.

Exiting the top of the tree, the boy had entered wonderland. The ground was composed of the clouds he once looked up at, he was above them now. There was a forest in front of the boy, but the trees were made from what to appeared to be animal fur. This was not typical animal fur, but colorful patterned fur, almost artificial. The leaves of the trees were composed of what appeared to be the clouds he was also standing on. There were small creatures all around which he did not recognize.

What appeared to be a short troll approached the young boy and said, "Welcome, young boy. I see you have traveled quite a way to get here. Follow me please." Without hesitation the boy followed the troll until arriving at what looked like a large pillow; one for a giant to rest his head on. The troll lifted the pillow and leaped down into a hole the pillow was covering. The boy followed the troll down the deep dark hole and fell for what felt like eternity. Upon lightly being placed on the ground after falling down the hole beneath the pillow, the boy wiped his eyes in disbelief. He was right where he had started this journey previously.

Mysterious Clouds, Source

The boy enjoyed this place and explored it for what felt like days continuously going in circles and finding his way right where he had started each different time. After growing tired of walking the boy had sat down to take a rest between the roots of one of the fur/cloud trees. The second he had fallen asleep, the boy had awoke from his bed at home; his alarm clock was blaring loudly six inches away from his ear. It was time for class...

Authors Note
In the original story, a man in search of his love had fallen into a lake. When he fell in he realized he could breath underwater and eventually discovered a great village at the bottom of the lake. There a short fat man led him a great stone. The man was right in his own kitchen with his love, but she was frightened at his sight. He thought he had been gone for only hours when in fact it was actually over a month. I wanted to incorporate the same Twilight Zone/Alice in Wonderland feel to my story, but also have a solid twist in it as well. I made the land mysterious and interesting, but my twist may feel a little cliche. Though I have seen this same twist in other stories, I could not help but use it once in my writing also.

Bibliography 
This story was an adaptation of the original story entitled Owen Goes a-Whooing, written by W. Jenkyn Thomas in 1908.

Reading Diary Week 11 Continued: Owen Goes a-Wooing

Yet another really interesting story! In this one, a man goes looking for his love and falls deep into a lake. He found he could breath underwater just as good as on land upon falling deeper and deeper. Eventually the water cleared and he was at the bottom of the deep lake. An entire village was down there and a short fat old man had showed him to his very own mansion where others were frolicking. Bring in a hurry the man did not stay but rather told the short fat man he needed to find his love. The man lead him to a stone that raised upon coming to it. The man looking for his love was immediately in his kitchen with her. She was terrified at the sight of him for she thought he was a ghost! He thought he had been gone for only an hour or two, but it had been over an entire month...this story cannot help but remind me of a strange mixture between The Twilight Zone and Alice and Wonderland! I am definitely using this one for my storytelling this week. 

Owen's Underwater Mansion, Source

These were the thoughts and short summary after reading the story entitled Owen Goes a-Whooing, written by W. Jenkyn Thomas in 1908. 

Reading Diary Week 11: March's Ears

This story was quite interesting to me. A rich and powerful ruler named "March" owned countless possessions and almost everyone took a liking towards him. He had one secret he kept from everyone; he had the ears of a horse..yes the animal. He had animal horse ears. Literally nobody ever knew this secret except for his barber. He told his barber to never tell anyone. Slowly dying from guilt the barber had to tell someone, so he told the ground. Eventually crops grew from the ground where March's secret had been told, and the crops made into a musical pipe by March's servant. Upon playing the pipe, only words were produced; the words were "Horse's ears for March" repeatedly. March almost killed the servant until he played the instrument himself and realized it had been "charmed".

March's Ears, Source

These were the thoughts and summary after reading the story entitled "March's Ears", written by W. Jenkyn Thomas in 1908.

Storytelling Week 10: The First Fire

The earth began as a cold and desolate place. There was no fire but only snow all around. One day God had placed a burning bonfire atop the greatest peak sounded by harsh and heavy snow.

All the animals around gathered and witnessed the heavy smoke arise from the burning top of the mountain, they could all feel the heat and craved it badly for their bones were shivering with coldness.

The snake began to make his way up to the top of the mountain to bring it down for the other. Halfway up the mountain, the snake got frostbite and lost his legs; this is the reason why snakes have no legs to this day.

The bear attempted the same thing as the snake but made it much farther. Upon coming close to the fire at the top of the mountain, the bear could not handle the smoke and it turned all his fur brown and black; this is the reason most bears have their color we see today.

The ostrich made it just as far as the bear but used it's wings to make it up the mountain much faster. Upon getting close to the mountain, the ostrich's wings were damaged by the flame and its feathers also turned black; that is the reason why ostrich's cannot fly and have their color we see today.

Lastly, the polar bear; a great white bear who could withstand the cold. This was the environment intended for the great white polar bear. This bear marched steadily all the way to the top and successfully brought the burning fire down with him to share for the others and the rest of the world.

To this day, the earth shares fire and all because of the brave and strong great white polar bear. Without the polar bear, there would be no warmth or fire to cook with today.

Polar Bear with the First Fire: Source

Bibliography

This was my adaptation from the story entitled The First Fire, by James Mooney in 1900. 

Authors Note

This original creation story really caught my eye and is definitely one of my new favorites; this is because it not only describes how the first fire was created, but also how many different animals received their characteristics that we all know of today. I wanted to do the same, but modify it slightly more to my liking. This follows the original story quite well but with some smaller better changes in my opinion.