Storytelling Week 9: The Wife Who Lied

There once was a man and a woman. The man, much like other men, woke up with the sun and spent his days hunting for food, only returning home when the sun had set for the day. The woman, much like other women, spent her days alone, taking care of the house and preparing food for her man when he returned home.

There was a time when the two lived comfortably with no conflicts. They enjoyed their duties and were very much in love. But as time passes, change is unavoidable. And the man and the women spent so little time together (the man hunting and the woman housekeeping), that the two grew apart. The man, so devoted to the hunt, never noticed that he and his wife were growing apart; however, the woman, who spent much of her time in the day simply waiting for her husband to return home, grew quite lonely and introverted. For a time, she considered taking her own life. She would do it right after her husband left for the day, and then she wouldn’t have to feel so lonely anymore. Many times the man left for the day, but not once could the woman bring herself to this terrible deed. As far apart as the two had grown, she knew the man still depended on her. Without her, the man would be all alone, and she couldn’t bear to leave him like that.

So one day, after the woman had a midday meal, she went out and sat by the shore. Recently, she had found that sitting and watching the tides recede gave her some time to reflect on the good times she shared with her husband. On this day, she sat down, and not more than thirty minutes after she had arrived, she heard a soft purring behind her. She turned around and saw a mangy orange and white cat. The cat walked right up to her and rubbed her cheek against the woman’s leg. The woman knew that the man would never let her keep a pet. Pets were banned by law, and punishable by death.

(Image Information: An orange and white cat; Web
Source: Wikimedia)

“You must go,” The woman whispered to the stray, “You can’t stay here or they’ll kill you.”

The cat looked at her endearingly, and then cocked her head as if to say, “But why? I want to be friends.”

The woman thought this was cute, but she knew that the cats fate was unavoidable if she stayed. “Go! Leave Now!” The woman yelled. This startled the cat, and it backed up a few feet, eyes wide as saucers. The woman felt bad for this, so she stuck her hand out toward the cat, apologizing for her outburst. The cat wearily walked towards the hand, and began to purr as she rubbed her cheek against it. The woman knew she would never let this cat go no matter what. She had to keep it hidden from her husband.

Author's Note: This story is a story that shares only the title with its inspiration. "The Wife Who Lied" was a story about a woman who pits two tribes against one another because of her lie. She pays for her transgression by bleeding to death after two men cut her arms off. In this story, there is also a wife who lies, but it is different because she lies about keeping a cat. And who could turn away a purring cat meow.

"The Wife Who Lied" from Eskimo Folk Tales by Knud Rasmussen, with illustrations by Native Eskimo artists (1929).

Storytelling Week 7: Mr. Fox and the Deceitful Kitties

One day, Mr. Fox was walking through a very dense portion of the woods and he saw a black and white tail sticking out from one of the berry bushes next to the trail. He grabbed the tail and pulled out a kitten.

“Ahhhhh!” The kitten screamed as several blueberries dropped from her already purple face. “Please Mr. Fox, do not eat me. I am just a little kitten, but if you let me go, I can take you further into the woods where there is one of my sisters. She is much fatter than I.”

After pondering this option for several moments, Mr. Fox thought if he could have an even fatter cat, then why not. He was growing hungry, but he could last a little longer. “Ok little one,” he soothingly spoke, “take me to this kitten, and I’ll let you go.” So the two went even deeper into the forest. They went even past the trail until finally they came upon another kitten, sleeping on a low hanging branch.

The smallest kitten was right, Mr. Fox thought to himself, she is much bigger. So he let the smallest go, and grabbed the fatter cat from the tree branch. The kitten awoke and knew immediately what was happening.

“Please don’t eat me Mr. Fox,” begged the kitten, “I may look appetizing to you, but if you can believe it, I can take you to another cat like me. She is even more plump than I. You could eat her and be full for a week.”

(Image Information: One fat cat; a personal photo from 2014)

Mr. Fox was very hungry at this point, and growing a little irritated, but his mouth watered as this kitten told him about an even bigger meal. “Fine, show me the way little fatty.”

So the two delved deeper and deeper into the woods. Until finally the forest was so dense that Mr. Fox was having a hard time seeing what was in front of him. “Just a few more feet,” said the kitten, “Your prize should be inside the bush covered with red berries. Go just around this tree and see for yourself.”

Mr. Fox peered around the tree, and right there in front of him was a red-berried bush. Salivating at its sight, he jumped right into the bush, and tore it to shreds. Once all the berries were on the ground, Mr. Fox realized that there was no kitten this time. Desperately going back around the tree, he planned to eat the fatty that had led him to the bush; however, the kitten was nowhere to be found. Mr. Fox had been outsmarted by three little kittens. Now starving and lost, Mr. Fox began his trek, hoping to make his way back to the trail.

Author's Note: This is loosely based on Mr. Fox and the Deceitful Frogs. In this story, several frogs trick Brer Fox into looking into a lake. Thinking he sees another fox in the lake (actually seeing his reflection), Brer Fox touches the lake and falls into the water. The frogs laugh at him as he is almost drowned. In this version, I changed the frogs to cats because frogs suck meow.

Bibliography: "Mr. Fox and the Deceitful Frogs", from Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings, by Joel Chandler Harris (1881)

Storytelling Week 6: Mittens and The Beast

Often on beautiful days like this, Mittens would go for a walk and soak in the suns rays. It gave the hero time to reflect on the people he’d saved and the savage creatures he’d conquered. While walking through the forest, he heard a whimper-like sound coming from a bush nearby. Confused as to why something could whimper on a day like this, Mittens peered into the bush to see another cat. He was in awe. He did not understand why a cat as beautiful as she was upset, and on such a beautiful day too.

“What is the problem? Why do you whimper on a day so beautiful?”

“I’m sorry,” she replied. “I am afraid for my life; I am the only member of my family left.” She went on, “In the last two weeks, I have lost my mother, father, and my three brothers.”

Shocked and confused, Mittens replied, “What evil has caused this? What can I do to help?”

“Again, I’m sorry but there isn’t a thing you can do that will change my fate.” Dejected, she went on to explain that there was a mighty wolf who had caused the fall of the rest of her family. “But there’s something I haven’t mentioned,” the cat continued, “This wolf who has destroyed my kin and ruined my life, is a wolf from the supernatural. Instead of one head with one mouth, this wolf bears eight heads with eight mouths.”

“Well,” Mittens began, “You’ve come to the right place. I will take great pleasure in seeking out this beast and putting a stop to him.”

“I see that you have no lack of confidence, but that may be your greatest folly.”

Mittens told her of his past and the creatures he had defeated before. Then, he claimed that he was so confident that he would be successful in his quest that when he returned, she would marry him. She agreed, and Mittens got right to work. He had once heard a story of a god, Susa-wo-no, who had defeated an eight-headed serpent using his wits and a sacred sword, so he knew that his task was doable.

(Image Information: Mittens searching for the beast;
a personal photo from 2014)

After several days of searching, he heard what sounded like the growling of an entire pack of wolves. He snuck into a nearby bush and peeked through to the other side. There, in a small opening, was the eight-headed wolf preying on three rabbits at once. Mittens decided he would stalk the beast until the sun set, then put his plan into action.

Just after the sun set, Mittens let out a little meow, and the beast turned its sixteen eyes towards him. The eight-headed wolf chased the hero through several bushes until the cat climbed up into the highest tree in the forest. The creature tried to climb, but the cat was up so high that the wolf would try to get up there, only to lose his grip and fall back to the ground. The wolf, knowing Mittens would have to come down at some point, decided to simply wait at the base of the tree. One day passed, then another, and as the sun set on the third day, the beast was growing tired. It had to stay alert while the cat could comfortably nap up in the safety of the trees many branches. So when the beast had dozed off, the cat finished his plan. Using his claws, he had cut a branch almost completely off of the tree. This branch was right above the eight-headed wolf. So that night, with the creature fast asleep, Mittens finished sawing off the branch and it struck the beast on all eight of his heads, knocking it out cold. He then climbed down the tree and plucked out all sixteen of the beast’s eyes, so that it could never again see prey to chase.

Triumphantly, the hero returned to the female and informed her of his success. After relief washed over her, she was enamored with the cunning of her hero. The two spent the rest of their days together, comfortably walking through the forest on beautiful days.

Author’s Note: This story is based on The Eight-Forked Serpent of Koshi. In this story, Susa-wo-no comes across a maiden with her two parents, and all three of them are visibly upset. Susa-wo-no learns that the family has lost many daughters to an eight-forked serpent, and soon they will lose their last daughter. The maiden is so beautiful that Susa-wo-no says he will slay the monster in he can have her hand in marriage. The father agrees, and Sus-wo-no holds up his end of the deal. In this version I included cats because meow meow.

“The Eight-Forked Serpent of Koshi” from Romance of Old Japan, Part 1: Mythology and Legend by E.W. Champney and F. Champney (1917)

Storytelling Week 5: The Merchant and His Cat

There was once a merchant who was sent by the king on a daring mission. Afraid he would not return, the night before he was scheduled to depart, the merchant went to his old friend to ask a favor. The two had been friends for so long, that the merchant knew he could trust his friend.

“My old friend,” began the merchant, “I have known you for as long as I have been able to walk. You have stood with me through thick and thin. Now, I must ask you to do me one favor more. I am going on a mission and it may be awhile before I return. I need you to watch over my two tons of iron so that nobody will steal it while I’m gone.”

The friend, seeing this as an opportunity to gain immense wealth, replied that he would be happy to keep an eye on the merchant’s iron. “I’ll watch it as if it were my own.”

Once the merchant left, the friend sold every last piece of iron and grew extensively wealthy. The friend, expecting the merchant to perish on his travels, was shocked to see him return several fortnights later.

Upon his return, the merchant paid a visit to his friends house, expecting to be returned his iron. “Good friend,” the merchant began. “I have returned successfully from my mission and am glad that you have watched over my iron while I have been away. You have watched my iron, haven’t you?” To his dismay, the friend said that it had been lost, but the merchant knew that the friend had come into a large amount of money recently and expected that he sold the iron to accomplish this.

After telling the friend that everything was ok, the merchant left the friend’s house, but not before stealing the friend’s most prized possession, his cat. That night, when the friend went to bed, he called, “Kitty, kitty, kitty. Come here kitty, kitty,” but the cat did not come. Suddenly, the friend heard someone open his door. “Who is there? Reveal yourself you coward!!” the friend screamed. Then, the merchant appeared in the doorway.

“Return me my iron,” the merchant said defiantly.

“What have you done with my beautiful kitty?!”

“Your cat will be returned to you once you give me my iron back. I know that you sold my iron for your own gain, and for that you will be punished.” And so the friend was punished. The merchant retook all of the profits from the iron and let the cat walk right out the front door. His kitty was never seen again.

(Image Information: A collage of cats; Web Source: Wikipedia)

Author's Note: This story is similar to The Merchant and His Iron, except instead of abducting the friend's child, the merchant takes his cat because cats are better than people meow.

"The Merchant and His Iron" from The Tortoise and the Geese and Other Fables of Bidpai by Maude Barrows Dutton, with illustrations by E. Boyd Smith (1908).

Storytelling Week 4: The Green Jewel

There was once a king who ruled over the entire world. His father, the king before him, died when he was just a boy, and being the only heir to the throne, the boy was thrust into the limelight. As the years past, he became more calloused to the many extravagancies he was capable of getting his hands on. He could have anything he wanted.

One day, the king woke up and could no longer smile. He was so depressed that nothing could make him happy. He watched the jester with disdain, and he ate his world-class food with disgust. Then looked out of his palace and saw several bricklayers whistling and joking while they worked. There was so much joy in their eyes, the king thought. Then it hit him. What he really wanted was someone he could share his experiences with. Someone he could spend his days growing old with, so he had one of his servants round up twenty of the most beautiful women in all of the land. He had his choice of the lot, tall ones, short ones, thin ones, fat ones, blonde ones, black ones. Unfortunately, after looking over the women, he felt no connection to any of them and had them returned to their homes at once. This search continued for a fortnight. Every morning and every evening, the servant would bring twenty of the finest women in the world for the king to behold, but every time, the king sent them all back home.

When his mother asked him what was wrong, the king dejectedly responded, “Mother, I am alone in this world. Because all of the others have lived in fear of me all their lives, I have no friends to call my own. And I’ve been shut off from the bourgeoisie for so long that I do not desire any of their women either. I am completely and utterly alone.” Upon hearing this, the king’s mother set out in an attempt to find something to make her royal son smile. She looked for almost three months, sending her findings back to the palace with servants, but nothing could please the king.

Then, one day when the king was solemnly looking out his stained glass window, contemplating putting an end to his misery, he saw something crawling along a rooftop in the distance. It was a little green blob. The king was intrigued by this thing and told his servants to fetch it. When the servants returned, the king finally found what he was looking for. He gazed into two eyes that seemed to stare right into his soul. It was a beautiful green cat.

The king spent the rest of his days with the now royal green cat. He named her Jewel. The king and Jewel lived happily ever after.

(Image Information: A green cat; Web Source: Messy Beast)

Author's Note: This story is loosely based on The Green Jewel from Donald Mackenzie's Egyptian Myth and Legend. In the story there is a king who is sad, and in an attempt to cheer him up, one of his servants attempts to cheer him up by suggesting him to go on a boat on the lake with a bunch of beautiful virgins. The king, thinking that this may work, decided to go. Enjoying the fanciness of the boat and the beauty of the girls and how the girls sing with their sweet voices, the king's sadness fades, and he begins to cheer up. Suddenly, one of the girls lost a beautiful green jewel, and deeply upset, stopped her rowing. The king, confused by why his great day was slowing, demanded an explanation. After the girl finally said what happened, the king's scribe used some magic to retrieve the jewel back from the bottom of the sea.
In this story, I threw our the girls and the boat and inserted the mom and the cat. By making the king younger, it makes sense that he would find happiness in a green cat. I would be super happy if I found a green cat because meow.

"The Green Jewel" from Donald Mackenzie's Egyptian Myth and Legend (1907)

Storytelling Week 3: Purrsephone

In the land of Cheezburger lived many beautiful cats. There were large cats, small cats, thin cats, and fat cats, but above all, every single cat was cute. These cute cats would spend hours each day napping, periodically opening their eyes to indulge in some fresh salmon or chicken. Every cat was taken care of and treated like royalty. Of course, all cats were treated with the highest respect at this time. Of all the cats in Cheezburger, there was one who stood out from the pack, Purrsephone. Her eyes, a beautiful blue, contrasted perfectly with her coat of white. And although not fat, she was just the right amount of plump so that her eyes looked like two pools of water on a snowy hill.

Dis, the lord of the underworld, began to grow lonely and was jealous of the majestic cat Jupiter had. Jupiter always sent out super cute emails with him and his cat to the other gods. If Dis could find a cat, he could one up his brother, and maybe even find a friend in the process.

The cats of Cheezburger were all enjoying their mid-afternoon nap when Dis came rushing through. He saw the blue-eyes white cat resting underneath a tree and snatched her up. Purrsephone let out a screech that alarmed all the other cats, but it was too late. Dis had already returned to the depths of his home. That night, basking in the success of his victory, Dis took a selfie with Purrsephone and sent it to Jupiter himself. Jupiter, seeing Purrsephone under Dis’s control, commanded that Dis return her to Cheezburger where she belongs. He claimed that if Purrsephone was not returned by the time the Sun had finished his rounds the next day, Dis would be punished.

Dis, of course, refused to give up his prize. He spent the entire next day with her; with every second that passed, he felt more of a connection to Purrsephone, and he began to think that he saw the same look in the blue eyes staring back at him.

When the Sun had finished his rounds, Jupiter offered Dis one last chance to right his wrong. Dis couldn’t say no fast enough. He had fallen in love with Purrsephone’s blue eyes. He told Jupiter he would rather die a million deaths than lose her. Jupiter, happy to grant that wish, pulled back a lightning bolt and prepared to strike. Just as he let it go, Purrsephone walked in front of Dis and rubbed her tail against his leg.

(Image Information: Blue-eyes White Cat;
Web Source: Warrior Cats Adventures)

Author's Note: This is a much different version of Ovid's Dis and Proserpine. In the original story, because of one of Cupid's famous arrows, Dis sees Proserpine and decides that he must have her.Refusing to take no for an answer, Dis abducts the innocent Proserpine, rapes her, and takes her to the underworld to live with him forever. Ceres, Proserpine's mother, searches every corner of the earth for her daughter, but she is nowhere to be found. Finally, she finds a small thread floating in a river, a thread from Proserpine. After seeing this, she knows where her daughter is and is outraged. She tries to have Proserpine brought back from the underworld, but it is already to late. Dis, knowing that once Proserpine eats food from the underworld, she can no longer leave, feeds her several Pomegranate seeds. Thus, Proserpine is destined to live forever in the underworld with her "husband" Dis.
Instead of Dis falling in love with Proserpine and raping her, Dis finds a cat and falls in love with her instead. Cats are way cooler than people; this is why I decided to make Proserpine a cat. Just before the end of my story, Purrsephone rubs on Dis's leg, symbolizing their quickly grown friendship. It's a sweeter ending because Purrsephone actually does share feelings for Dis. Meow.

“Dis and Persephone” from a translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses translated by Tony Kline. Web Source: Poetry in Translation

Storytelling Week 2: Ca(t)llisto

There was a great following of Diana, goddess of the hunt. Those who followed her devoted their lives to serving her. They abstained from not only from sex but from the other sex entirely. They dressed very plain and made no attempt to draw any attention to themselves, fearing that they may scare away their prey if they did.

One day, Jupiter, while surveying Earth and its inhabitants, caught a glimpse of one particular girl deep in the woods. Her name was Callisto. Jupiter noticed right away that the girl was a follower of Diana, so he devised a scheme to get her. He decided that he would disguise himself as a deer and, knowing Callisto would follow him, planned to lead her deep into the vast wilderness where Juno could not find him.

So Jupiter turned himself into a beautiful deer and successfully lured Callisto away. He then transformed into a human, and explained to Callisto who he was. Callisto, still in shock from what she had just seen, was powerless to the great Jupiter. She knew that she was tainted and that, sooner or later, Diana would find out.

What never crossed Callisto's mind was Jove’s wife. Jupiter believed that he had been out of Juno’s scope, but Juno, knowing the tendencies and infidelities of her husband, sensed something was happening and tracked Jupiter, seeing everything that happened. Foreseeing that Callisto would be giving birth to a boy in nine months, Juno decided that waiting and being shamed by Diana would be a worse fate than whatever she would do.

Callisto, after several months, could no longer conceal from Diana what she was carrying in her womb. Diana, seeing the curve of Callisto's abdomen, berated her and exclaimed that she must leave and be alone so that she does not bother anyone else with her infidelities.

Time passed and Callisto gave birth to a bastard, Arcas. Although Juno had previously restrained herself, this straw broke her back, and, overcome with rage, she turned Callisto into a cat. Callisto, realizing what had happened after seeing her reflection in a pool of water, let out a curdling groan.

Although a cat, she still had her memory and emotions, so Callisto went looking for her son. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and months to years until finally Callisto found Arcas laying under a large tree. She slowly approached him and rubbed her face on his breast, purring feverishly. Arcas felt a connection to the cat and returned the favor, petting the cat until the great Sun had finished his duty for the day. When the day ended, Arcas headed home, but not before turning around and giving the cat one last kiss on the the top of her head. He thought he saw a tear roll down her cheek as he turned around for the final time.

(Image Information: A very sad cat; Web Source: quotes.lol-rofl)

Author’s Note: This is a version of Ovid’s Callisto. In the original story, Callisto is a nymph who serves Artemis. One day, Zeus sees her beauty and rapes her. Pregnant, Callisto cannot conceal her shame any longer and is banished from being with the other nymphs anymore. Disgraced, she lives alone until Hera exacts her revenge for bearing Zeus's bastard. Hera turns Callisto into a bear. Then, one day, her bastard son, Arcas, sees her in the wild. Before he drives his arrow unit his mother's bosom, Zeus stops them and turns them both into constellations in the sky.
Instead of Callisto being changed into a bear, and then Arcas hunting her but Jupiter stopping them and turning the two into constellations, I had Juno change her into a cat because cats rule meow. Also, the ending is happier because they both live, but also much sadder because they cannot end up together.

“Callisto” from a translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses translated by Tony Kline. Web Source: Poetry in Translation

Week 1 Storytelling: (Not) Belling the Cat

In a house upon a hill lived many mice. The mice had lived there for years, enjoying all the milk and cheese they could handle, until one day a cat came to live in the house. The cat, growing weary of travelling and scavenging for food thought maybe she could find a new start in the house upon the hill.

Upon entering the house the cat found a kitchen filled with enough milk to last the cat a lifetime. Next to the milk were a couple mice enjoying a chunk of aged cheddar. The cat, as if she were shot out of a cannon, pounced on the unsuspecting mice and ate them in a single gulp. She then continued into the living room where she ate five more before devouring another five in the bedroom. 

(Image Information: A Cat in the Kitchen;
a personal photo from June 2014)

By nightfall, the mice were beginning to worry that this new cat may completely annihilate them. Realizing they did not have another second to waste, the remaining mice gathered to discuss what should be done about their new enemy.

“Maybe we should find a new home by the sea or in a city,” one mouse suggested. “Maybe the cat is lonely and actually only wants a friend,” another voice considered. Finally, one bright young mouse suggested they simply put a belled-collar on the cat. The young cat said if the cat wore a bell, then they would always be able to hear the cat coming.

Murmurs turned to shouts, and the once hush crowd grew louder and louder. As the noise grew, so did their confidence. Unfortunately, they grew too confident and the cat, napping after his meal, overheard them.

The cat crept from the bedroom to where the meeting of the mice was taking place. Taking the unprepared mice by surprise, the cat proceeded to eat every last mouse in the house upon the hill.

Author's Note

This story is based on Aesop's fable, "Belling the Cat". In the story, the mice need to find a way to save themselves from the cat, so a young mouse suggests they put a bell on the cat so that they will always be able to hear the cat when it is near. Then, an older mouse applauds the younger's idea but asks, "Who will bell the cat?". The moral of this fable is, "It is one thing to say that something should be done, but quite a different matter to do it".

Bibliography

"Belling the Cat" from Aesop for Children, by anonymous, with pictures by Milo Winter (1919) Web Source: The Project Gutenberg