πΊπππ ππππ π ππππ,
there were three monkeys who lived in the
faraway woods. Their names were Clumsy, Very-Clumsy, and Graceful.
One day they decided to climb through the secret forest tucked
away into the back of the far far away woods. No monkey has ever gone this far
before.
Graceful stated to the other two in the group, “We must be
very watchful of the branches they could snap at any second. If we are not
careful we could fall into the dark deep down below us. I think we need to turn
back and stay where we know it is safe for us to play.”
But Clumsy and Very-Clumsy
did not listen to their older sister because they just wanted to play around
and goof off.
After they reached the secret forest Clumsy and Very-Clumsy
raced to see who could get the farthest in the woods. They did not see the broken
limb in time. Clumsy and Very-Clumsy fell into the dark deep down where Graceful
could only hear their cries.
“I must help them!” exclaimed Graceful.
Very carefully and willfully Graceful swung from branch to
branch down deeper and darker. Once she climbed to the bottom, she could no
longer see the sticks in front of her face. “BROTHERS?!” she cried out. “Over
here Grace” they cried. “Keep making noise and I will find you I promise”
replied Graceful. The two boys started rattling some leaves together to create a
sound their sister could follow.
With her arms stretched out and reaching in the pitch-black darkness, she finally found her two brothers Clumsy and Very-Clumsy. Graceful
took Clumsy by the arm and climbed back up to the treetops, “stay put” she said
to him. Then declined back down into the depths to retrieve Very-Clumsy.
“You saved us Graceful” they bellowed “we will never come
back to the secret forest ever again!”
They then traveled back home where they lived happily ever
after in the faraway woods.
 |
| This is hot I picture Graceful swinging to save her brothers. Picture from: London Bell |
Authors note
This story was inspired by The three fishes in the
more Jataka tales. In the original story, there were three fish named Thoughtful,
Very-Thoughtful, and Thoughtless. One day Thoughtful and Ver-Thoughtful got
stuck in a fishing net after they did not listen to Very-Thoughtful. Very-Thoughtful
then devised a plan to let the fishermen let go of the other two.
For my story, I decided to keep the moral of the story the same
and only change some details. I thought it would be interesting if the three in
the story were siblings to give some rivalry and depth.
Bibliography
More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt TheThree Fishes
Hi Maria, I enjoyed reading through your stories. I think that reinterpretations of folk tales have a lot of value– it shows how much the atmosphere of a story can change (especially an old and traditional story) with just one altered detail. It is also difficult to keep the heart and message of a folktale in tact when you don't completely alter the story, but you did a great job retaining the original depth and meaning of "The Three Fishes."
ReplyDeleteMaria,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, one of the main things that intrigued me about your story was the matter that it was a reiteration of the Jataka tales. Surely, from the stories in this class, Jataka tales are my favorites. There's just something about how it gives off a sense of fault within the human personality and then it teaches a lesson at the very end. This is why I love them. In terms of your story, it was very interesting, especially for the namesake of the monkeys! One thing I can add is the overall format, which you should think about using all the font choices the same! For example, the Title is a different font from the rest of the story, and the first phrase could be in a different size than the rest of the story. It is small intricacies like these that can make your storytelling much better for the readers! Good work, I look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Hey Maria! I recognized your inspiration almost immediately. I did a story based on The Three Fishes too! I really like the way you adapted the story to fit with the monkeys. The play on the names was very creative! I had assumed the fishes were brothers in the original, but I guess I misread it. Oh well! Nice job!
ReplyDeleteHi Maria,
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great story! This is an awesome adaptation of The Three Fishes. I really like the idea to use monkeys at the main characters instead of the fish. I can totally see how you got inspiration from the original story to create this. Also, I enjoyed the dialogue you were able to create between the characters, it really enhanced all of their personalities. Nice work, I can't wait to read more stories from you!