The Celestial Sisters

Hello, reader. Before we start talking about fairy tales, I have something to announce. I'm publishing a book! It's called A Tale of Two Tricksters and it's set in the modern day Midwest. Although it's not a direct adaptation of fairy tales like the short stories I write for this blog, there are many elements from folk tales and fairy tales in my novel. There are also a handful of short stories that I posted on this blog that tie in, mostly indirectly, to my novel. A Tale of Two Tricksters isn't ready to buy yet, but it will be up on Amazon when it is, as an ebook and a physical book. Rest assured, I will let you know when it is officially published.

This is either just a hawk, or it used to be a person, or spirit. Who knows?

Now that that excitement is taken care of... This week's story comes to us from a North American Native American tribe. I wish I knew which tribe, but that's not listed. Either way, The Celestial Sisters is a story about a man falling in love with a woman he barely knows. Don't worry, this one's different. It has magic baskets. Check out the story in the link and continue reading to analyze with me.

Firstly, it irks me when we have stories of men kidnapping women because they're pretty. At the first opportunity, the celestial woman books it back to her home, bringing her son with her. However, it's not clear if she actually liked her husband or not. It's possible that she did like him, but she needed to go home more. After all, at the end she chooses to be a white hawk with him. It's also possible that she hated him and only chose the same animal piece he did because she felt like she had to since he was her husband. It's impossible to say. These stories are often more complicated than we give them credit for.

While we're examining motivation, or lack thereof, where was this woman's family after she got kidnapped? Her sisters all ran away when it happened and, as far as we know, never came back to try to get her. Her father never came at all, as far as we know. However, again, it might be more than it seems. It's possible her father, who is a star, couldn't come down to earth to get her. Still, you'd think he would send someone to try to bring her back. That is, unless she was actually happy and he knew that. Fairy tales are too short to explain how everyone is feeling all the time, but sometimes I wish they would.

Finally, we have the mass exodus at the end. Why did the star want to get so many celestial spirits down to earth? Again, his reasons are unknown. He might not have even known so many would choose to leave and become animals. Or perhaps the celestial world was getting a little crowded and it was time to get some folks out of it. I hope no one hunted the celestial spirits turned animals. You know, since the star asked specifically for animals that Waupee hunted. Hm. Maybe there's a reason they all wanted to leave after all.

The moral of this story is to make sure that if you're going to kidnap a woman, that she can learn to love you. Alternatively, don't kill mice that aren't doing any harm to you.

Have a different moral? Wondering what the man's family thought of his disappearance? Do you also think Celestial Sisters would be a great name for a girl band? Comment below!

Strong Like Bull

Hello, reader. I decided to try a different approach this week with my modern version of the fairy tale and keep it light. I also made sure it stayed a short story. I'm getting ready for National Novel Writing Month, so reining in my word count took some doing, but I did it for all of you.

Even if they're not made of glass, hills can still be a big deal.

"Stupid accident," Lisa muttered. Because of some big accident on the interstate, she and John were hiking up this big hill alone instead of with the rest of their friends. John was okay, but he had to remind people that his family had been a big deal in Norway before they'd had to flee. And John had to remind people of this all the time. Not that he had ever been to Norway.

They hiked up the side of the hill and it was actually pretty nice. There wasn't much for John to brag about while they were hiking, so Lisa could enjoy the scenery and swap stories with John about other hikes they'd had. Whenever he'd try to turn the conversation to how something in Norway was so much better, Lisa just started walking faster so he had to pant to keep up and couldn't talk easily. "Maybe I should only hang out with John on hikes," Lisa thought.

Eventually, they made it to the top in time to see the sunset in all its glory. Lisa sent a picture to their friends, who were currently on back roads trying to get around the accident. Lisa and John enjoyed the sunset until they needed to leave.

Of course, even with their flashlights, it was much harder to hike down the hill in the dark and Lisa lost her footing and fell. She was all right except for her right ankle. John got her a walking stick, but it soon became clear that she couldn't really walk. So John carried her down the hill.

"Thank you," Lisa said, when he put her in his car.

"Of course," he replied, starting the engine. "You'd do the same for me."

"I'm not sure I could have carried you that far, but sure."

They got her to a hospital and it turned out Lisa had sprained her ankle. "How stereotypical," she replied, rolling her eyes. At least it was simple to treat. They just gave her an Ace bandage and two crutches and told her to rest, ice her ankle, and keep it elevated.

Lisa and John made it to the cabin after their friends. At least it was a large cabin and there were things to do, since Lisa wouldn't be hiking any more this weekend. She hoped she'd be able to drive when they needed to leave.

They spent the night catching up, eating ice cream that the late car had managed to pick up, and teasing Lisa about getting hurt already. They decided that John was as strong as a bull for being able to carry her. Lisa agreed, but John kept saying it was nothing. Apparently, everyone in Norway was that strong. Eventually, they all headed to bed.

The next day, everyone else went out on a hike. Lisa demanded they go so they could enjoy the weekend, even if she couldn't. Then she started to deal with the other minor things that had happened after she fell. She had a few scratches that she inspected for infection before washing them again. Of course, her clothes from yesterday had dirt slathered on them. Guiltily, Lisa realized she must have gotten John's clothes dirty as well. He had left them in the middle of one of the boy's rooms, so it wasn't hard to find them. Sure enough, there was dirt ground into the back of his shirt. It looked like he had tried to get it out, but had no success. Lisa rolled her eyes.

With enough time, patience, and dish soap, she managed to clean the dirt out of their clothes in the bathtub and hang it all up before everyone else got home.

John was the first one back in the house. "How are you?" he asked.

"Well, you all were gone seven years and I feel like I'm wearing iron shoes, but I'm fine."

John looked at her for a moment, concerned.

"Really. I'm fine, but I was serious about the iron shoes thing. Can you bring me the pain reliever? I think I'm due for another one."

The rest of their friends came in while Lisa was taking her pill.

"So, how'd you do?" one of them, Trudy, asked.

Lisa shrugged. "Better than you all. You're covered in mud."

John was the only one who hadn't gotten covered in mud.

"Go outside and hose off. I don't want to have to pay for cleaning this place because all of you couldn't stay on your feet," Lisa mock nagged.

"You have no room to talk," Trudy replied, sticking out her tongue. Still, Lisa was right, so they went outside to clean up a little.

"They all managed to fall and you didn't?" Lisa asked.

John shrugged. "I have good balance. Everyone in Norway does. They kept asking me to give them piggy back rides. Apparently, I'm the bull of Norway now."

"It suits you," Lisa replied laughing.

John shook his head and wandered to the kitchen to find something to eat.

The Black Bull of Norroway Again

Just climbing a glass hill. No big deal.

Greetings, readers. This week, I wanted to revisit one of the fairy tales we've already looked at. The Black Bull of Norroway is a pretty great story, so I can't just leave it alone. If you want to read the fairy tale, follow the link. Then continue reading here and we'll break it down.

The last time I looked at this story, I didn't even think about the mother. When her daughters all leave to go find their fortune, she doesn't try to stop them or see what their plans are. She just makes them some food and lets them go. Now, I'm not saying she shouldn't have let them go, but she didn't even try to give them advice or anything. It's odd. I guess we can assume this lady already had these conversations with her daughters before they left. Probably.

I am still curious about the first two sisters. It occurs to me that they could have married two of the Black Bull's brothers, although if they had we probably would have heard about it when our protagonist visited those castles. Or maybe they became ladies of another house and became the mothers or stepmothers in other fairy tales. There really is no telling.

As for our protagonist, it's a shame she can't follow directions, but she more than makes up for it. I mean, have you tried to sit absolutely still for a long time? My only experience with that is when there's a dog asleep on me, not when the bull I love is doing battle, but it's really hard not to move at all. It still bamboozles me that the price of her moving is seven years of service to a smith, washing bloodstains out of some clothes, and then three successive nights of bribery and crying. That seems a little over the top just for crossing her legs.

Now, I realize I haven't looked at the title character at all. What's the deal with the Black Bull? It seems like he's a human who was under a spell, which he then broke by defeating the Old One, whoever that is. That more or less makes sense, but I'm not sure why he went and picked up this random girl first. Did he have to have a true love before he defeated the Old One? Did he not find out where to go or how to defeat the Old One until after he picked up our protagonist? And while we're asking questions we can't answer, what's with the witch washerwoman at the beginning of the story? Can she set everyone on the right path for finding their fortune? Because, if so, I need to find her.

The moral of this story is to follow directions, even if they're ridiculous. Alternatively, if you're going to be enchanted into a bull, make sure the lady you bring along with you is incredibly devoted to you so you don't wind up marrying the wrong girl.

Pictures of a Lost World

I had some trouble modernizing this story. I didn't really like it until I figured out the twist. This one isn't as closely related to the original story as some of my other efforts, but some of the bigger points are still there. Enjoy!

We take photos to preserve a moment we'll never see again.

Laura held her phone to her ear and tried not to pace. The phone rang until it went to voicemail. Laura frowned and waited for the beep. "Hi, Mom. I'm, um... Well, I'm thinking about changing jobs. You know how my pictures of that Californian forest took off? Well, I think I could make it as a nature photographer. I'm pretty good at getting pictures of things before they're gone and I really feel like I could make a difference." Laura brought herself back to her point. "So, I just wanted your opinion on that. I'm going out on a hike, so I might not have the best cell reception later today. OK. Love you. Bye!"

Laura picked up her backpack and left her apartment. It was a short drive to the trail she wanted to hike today. There were some dazzling views she wanted to get at sunset and she would have to hike for awhile to get there. Of course, the wasn't the longest hike she'd ever done, so by the time she got out there, Laura had only stopped for a water break a few times. Her preferred spot was on the side of a big hill and the sunset was just perfect from there, especially with the way the trees framed it. She got several beautiful shots before she had to leave. That night, she went home and edited her photos until she had a few she could submit to get paid. Then Laura's phone buzzed.

"Hi, Mom." Laura smiled. "I know. I'm not sure about it yet, but I was just kind of thinking about it." She listened. "That is a good point. I wouldn't quit until I had a steady stream of income, but you're right, I'm not sure what I would do about insurance." She listened some more. They went back and forth for awhile, talking about logistics and what Laura wanted to do. After awhile, Laura's mom had to go. "Okay. I'll keep thinking about it." Laura smiled. "Thank you. I know I can do this, too. Love you!"

Laura smiled and looked at her computer. Her sunset pictures had already been picked up and she should be able to see them in an article soon. It was a great day.

As it turned out, it was a few days later that Laura's pictures went live. The article they went with got some mild popularity and Laura found a few new websites approaching her for nature photography, with a higher budget than she was expecting. Laura took a few pictures for them, but didn't really believe it was real until their checks cleared. Just a few weeks later, Laura made the hike up to her favorite sunset spot to think.

"It's costing me money to go to work," she realized on the way up. She would make more money if she became a freelance photographer, but she'd lose the security of her job. It was a scary decision, but Laura knew she had to make it by herself. So, she debated on her way up, sometimes trying to talk herself out of it and sometimes telling herself it was the best move. When she made it to her spot, Laura almost didn't recognize it. The two trees that she loved so much were gone. She looked at the view without them for a moment.

"Screw it. Let's do this," Laura said. She could be gone tomorrow, just like those trees. Life was too short not to take a chance on something she loved. Laura had a smile on her face all the way back to her car. This was definitely the right move.

Laura's photography career went far better than she had expected. She had several nature photos go viral. Part of what helped her fame was that any time one of her photos went big, something about that scene was destroyed, meaning no one else could get a picture like that. A few vicious people began whispering that Laura was doing this, but Laura ignored them. She was giving people something they could see and appreciate when they thought about protecting nature. It wasn't her problem if other people were jealous of her success.

As Laura became a more and more popular photographer, clients began sending her to different places in the world to take pictures. Finally, Laura was rich enough to buy a cottage in the forest that had all of the technology she loved.

However, it couldn't last forever. One trip, Laura was strapped into a helicopter taking pictures of a beautiful rock formation. The rumors about her had been getting stronger, so part of Laura wanted to prove them wrong. Rocks couldn't burn down, after all. Not all of her pictures that went big would mean destruction for the scene. Laura got several beautiful pictures of the rocks before they had to land the helicopter. She spent the next few days editing them to be perfect. She wanted these to be her most popular pictures ever.

Laura sent her pictures off and headed back home. Once she got back to her cozy cottage, Laura started checking the news. Apparently, there had been a sudden and powerful earthquake. Laura's stomach dropped when she saw the country it was in. Sure enough, when she clicked on the story, the epicenter of the earthquake had been that rock formation Laura had taken pictures of. The nearby town had been completely destroyed.

Laura sat back from her computer in shock. That couldn't be right. It had to be a coincidence. Trying to prove herself wrong, Laura went back through all of her successful photos, checking on their locations. As soon as those pictures had gotten popular, something happened to ruin the scene she had photographed. "I've been trying to save nature, not destroy it," Laura whispered to herself, double checking she had gotten the dates right. It was inescapable. As soon as any of her photos became popular, something was destroyed by an act of God or nature. She wasn't doing this and she didn't think anyone could cause an earthquake. Her photos that hadn't gotten popular didn't cause any destruction.

Laura began to pace. It didn't make sense, but it was clear as day. To save nature, she would have to stop trying. Laura paced some more and debated. She went outside and began the hike up to her favorite sunset spot. When she got to the spot, Laura couldn't help but notice where the two trees had been. "This is my fault." Laura walked over to the tree stumps. Some new growth was starting there. Someday, there would be new trees in the same spots. Laura stared and slowly, she started to smile. "It isn't permanent," she whispered. There were all kinds of other things she could do, like be a tour guide, or write about traveling. She could stop photography and stop the destruction.

Before she lost her nerve, Laura hiked back home and started drafting her email to her clients. "From now on, my pictures will just be for me," Laura promised herself. "I won't let anything else get destroyed." Her clients complained and her fans were confused and angry, but any pictures Laura took after that day stayed with her. She only put them up in her house, hidden in the forest, where no one else would see them.