Week 5 Story: The Princess, the Mouse, and the Golden Slippers
The princess was panting heavily as she sank into a frightened, shaking ball against the stone wall. She had been unable to evade the genie and now found herself trapped against a building. She stared up at the giant before her. He was a menacing pillar of smoke and pulsing rage. The genie's eyes glowed yellow and red from within the smoke. His voice rattled with fury as he yelled at the princess, "You cannot run from me. You cannot hide from me." The grit in the genie's growl crept down the girl's spine like ice. His great paw-like hand swung towards the girl as she screamed, "Wait!". The genie paused for a moment, his disdain at the girl's pleas was evident. "Please," the princess begged, "You cannot kill me. It is most unfair! You are treating me like Orange mouse and monkey!" The genie was intrigued. "The orange mouse and the monkey?" "Yes," replied the princess, "I will tell you the story of the orange mouse and the monkey."
In a great jungle, far away, there once lived a small grey mouse with his simple family. The mice lived happily and simply. Grey mouse was the father and head of the family. He took great pride in the simplicity of his life and taught his many children the value of a quaint life. His sons and daughters heeded what Grey mouse said, and they too lived happy and simple lives. However, there was one son who disagreed with his father. Orange mouse thought his father stupid and often daydreamed of the wealth and splendor he thought he deserved. One day, Orange mouse approached his father and told him of the great fortune he wished to procure. Grey mouse was dismayed and sent Orange mouse away so that he would not perverse any of his brothers or sisters.
Orange mouse was now alone in the jungle. He walked along the forest path and became distressed at his new predicament. He began to weep and wail and attracted a fair amount of attention from nearby animals. Green snake heard the mouse and slithered towards the rodent, flashing his tongue in anticipation for lunch. "Hello little moussssse," Green snake smiled. Orange mouse was startled and jumped up. He realized quickly that he could not outrun the snake. Orange mouse was a particularly witty and intelligent mouse. He greeted Green snake, "Hello Mr. Snake. I was hoping to see you. I have a story to tell you." Green snap was surprised, yet curious about the brave little mouse and his story.
Once upon a time, there was a shoemaker who lived in a kingdom governed by a particularly large king with an even larger wife. The wife was ten feet tall and had to wear window drapes as her cloak. Now the queen was as demanding and temperamental as she was tall, but the king loved her dearly and gave the queen her every wish. She approached the king one day and demanded a pair of the finest dancing shoes in all of the country. The king agreed and sent for the shoemaker. The shoemaker arrived and upon seeing the size of the queens giant feet, he began to quiver and grow faint. "Sire, I cannot find a cow large enough to provide enough leather to make a pair of shoes that enormous." The queen balked at the shoemaker's comment and ordered his head cut off. The shoemaker begged against the queen's decision, "Madame, I will not use a simple cow to make your dancing shoes. I will make them of gold." The queen fancied gold and agreed to stay his execution in exchange for her golden slippers. The shoes required 100 bars of gold to form their shape and another twenty to provide the adornments.
For the final fitting of the shoe, the shoemaker brought in the elegant slippers in one hand and ribbons of gold in another. The queen tried on the shoes and stamped her large feet in glee, she was very pleased with them. To complete the shoe, the shoemaker carefully melted the delicate gold ribbons to the sides of the shoes so that they held the slippers on.
In celebration of her new shoes, the queen through a grand ball. No one dared dance alongside her or the king or they would be crushed by her large golden feet. At the end of the night, the exhausted queen ordered her hand servants to remove the slippers. They could not because the golden strings were melted on. The queen screamed with rage at what the shoemaker had done.
Green snake hissed at the Orange mouse, "Why did the shoemaker embarrasssssss the queen?". The Orange mouse smiled, "Well that Green snake, is another story." Before Orange mouse could begin his new tale, a monkey swept out from the tree and scooped up the mouse. Orange mouse looked up at the monkey and began to thank him for saving him. "Do not thank me Orange mouse, for I am delivering you to the hawk, for I owe him a debt."
The princess ended her story, "You see genie, I though you were my savior when you frightened away the troupe of bandits who tried to rob me. Instead, it seems that you mean to kill me to satisfy an evil master."
Author's Note: I used the story within a story approach from my reading of Arabian Nights. This story is completely made up, but it uses genies and princesses which are common characters throughout the Arabian Nights story.
Bibliography: Arabian Nights
In a great jungle, far away, there once lived a small grey mouse with his simple family. The mice lived happily and simply. Grey mouse was the father and head of the family. He took great pride in the simplicity of his life and taught his many children the value of a quaint life. His sons and daughters heeded what Grey mouse said, and they too lived happy and simple lives. However, there was one son who disagreed with his father. Orange mouse thought his father stupid and often daydreamed of the wealth and splendor he thought he deserved. One day, Orange mouse approached his father and told him of the great fortune he wished to procure. Grey mouse was dismayed and sent Orange mouse away so that he would not perverse any of his brothers or sisters.
Orange mouse was now alone in the jungle. He walked along the forest path and became distressed at his new predicament. He began to weep and wail and attracted a fair amount of attention from nearby animals. Green snake heard the mouse and slithered towards the rodent, flashing his tongue in anticipation for lunch. "Hello little moussssse," Green snake smiled. Orange mouse was startled and jumped up. He realized quickly that he could not outrun the snake. Orange mouse was a particularly witty and intelligent mouse. He greeted Green snake, "Hello Mr. Snake. I was hoping to see you. I have a story to tell you." Green snap was surprised, yet curious about the brave little mouse and his story.
Once upon a time, there was a shoemaker who lived in a kingdom governed by a particularly large king with an even larger wife. The wife was ten feet tall and had to wear window drapes as her cloak. Now the queen was as demanding and temperamental as she was tall, but the king loved her dearly and gave the queen her every wish. She approached the king one day and demanded a pair of the finest dancing shoes in all of the country. The king agreed and sent for the shoemaker. The shoemaker arrived and upon seeing the size of the queens giant feet, he began to quiver and grow faint. "Sire, I cannot find a cow large enough to provide enough leather to make a pair of shoes that enormous." The queen balked at the shoemaker's comment and ordered his head cut off. The shoemaker begged against the queen's decision, "Madame, I will not use a simple cow to make your dancing shoes. I will make them of gold." The queen fancied gold and agreed to stay his execution in exchange for her golden slippers. The shoes required 100 bars of gold to form their shape and another twenty to provide the adornments.
For the final fitting of the shoe, the shoemaker brought in the elegant slippers in one hand and ribbons of gold in another. The queen tried on the shoes and stamped her large feet in glee, she was very pleased with them. To complete the shoe, the shoemaker carefully melted the delicate gold ribbons to the sides of the shoes so that they held the slippers on.
In celebration of her new shoes, the queen through a grand ball. No one dared dance alongside her or the king or they would be crushed by her large golden feet. At the end of the night, the exhausted queen ordered her hand servants to remove the slippers. They could not because the golden strings were melted on. The queen screamed with rage at what the shoemaker had done.
Green snake hissed at the Orange mouse, "Why did the shoemaker embarrasssssss the queen?". The Orange mouse smiled, "Well that Green snake, is another story." Before Orange mouse could begin his new tale, a monkey swept out from the tree and scooped up the mouse. Orange mouse looked up at the monkey and began to thank him for saving him. "Do not thank me Orange mouse, for I am delivering you to the hawk, for I owe him a debt."
The princess ended her story, "You see genie, I though you were my savior when you frightened away the troupe of bandits who tried to rob me. Instead, it seems that you mean to kill me to satisfy an evil master."
Author's Note: I used the story within a story approach from my reading of Arabian Nights. This story is completely made up, but it uses genies and princesses which are common characters throughout the Arabian Nights story.
Bibliography: Arabian Nights
Our Friend the Atom, by Disney. Web Source: Trevor Owens
Hi Haley!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your story! At first, I was expecting a big chase between the main character and the genie, but was delighted to find that it was a story, within a story, within a story. I am trying something very similar to the story within a story approach and love the complexity and layering it adds to the storytelling process! Looking forward to reading more!