The Runner

 Hello, readers! I'm very proud to say that I won NaNoWriMo again this year! Yes, I wrote 50,000 words in 30 days, or, to be more accurate, 51,112 words in 29 days, but who's counting? It's cool because when I write fantasy stories now, I'm more aware of stories and creatures from other cultures that I learned about because I write this blog. And when you like to rewrite fairy tales and folk tales like I do, that comes in handy.

In any case, it's December, which means that I'm right on track for rewriting a story about a gingerbread man. Although, this might not be a bright and happy tale, since in the original everyone wants to eat him. On the other hand, it's another story involving Lizzy. This time with some of her friends in high school instead of her magical family.

Sometimes, running is the answer.

The Gingerbread Man

Remember, they're only tasty if they're not alive.

 Hello readers! This week, we're looking at The Gingerbread Man, which seems to have been published first in America. If you're not familiar with the story, click on the link and check it out first. If you are, continue reading with me below.

Consequences

Greetings, readers! This week, I've written a modern retelling of The Beautiful Dancer of Yedo. I ended up focusing on the dancing aspect of Sakura-ko's character, and I just couldn't forget about Silver Wave, possibly because she's the only other character who gets a name. My apologies to people in the industry if I've gotten some of the details wrong.

Also, as a side note, I'm attempting National Novel Writing Month again. Yes, I'm planning to write 50,000 words in the month of November. My novel, A Tale of Two Tricksters, came from a novel I wrote during a previous NaNoWriMo. Maybe the one I'm writing now will end up published as well.

 

Never underestimate a dancer's strength.

The Beautiful Dancer of Yedo

 

That feeling when you're the heroine of a tragedy.

 

Hello, readers! This week's story comes from Japan. The Beautiful Dancer of Yedo is a sad story, but there's some beauty in it too. Read the story at the link above and analyze it with me below.

Just Breathe

Salutations, reader. This is my modern retelling of The Legend of Knocksheogowna. We all have escapes during the craziness that is 2020. Some people's are just a little more literal than others.

 

If sunsets make you happy, watch a lot of them.

The Legend of Knocksheogowna

 

Ordinary white calf or a fairy in disguise? Hard to say.

 

Hello, readers. This week's story comes to us from Ireland. The Legend of Knocksheogowna is an example of why it's a not good idea to bother fairies unless you're prepared to deal with their antics. Read the story in the link above and continue below to analyze it with me.

Uncle Gret's Magic Violin

 Hello again, readers. Goodness, but time doesn't seem to flow normally these days. Almost like we're in some sort of fairy tale of our own. Here's hoping for a happily ever after quickly.

I had a bit of trouble coming up with a modern version of The Monkey's Fiddle, so I looked back at a story I wrote on this blog awhile back, Family Fun, and I decided that family could use another adventure. So, here we have a story about Uncle Gret. I changed the fairy tale around a bit for this story, but this family takes liberties with their fairy tales.

The everyday magical items are the ones to watch out for.

The Monkey's Fiddle

I knew music was magical.

Hello, reader. This week's story comes to us from South Africa. The Monkey's Fiddle is a story about how hard work gets you great things, but stealing doesn't. Click the link above to read the story and continue below to analyze it with me.

Memories Baked In

I've been struggling on how to write a modern version of The Little Red Hen without just writing a story about a mother baking some bread. This turned out better than I expected.

 

Lots of work went into that loaf of bread.

Momma always seemed to be baking on the weekends. Or when she could get time at night. We had a bowl in the fridge that she would take yeast out of, or put some flour in. I never realized it was unusual that all of my birthday cakes were homemade. Or that Momma made our bread. The first time I saw sliced bread at a friend's house, I was confused. Where did they get the bag? And what recipe did they use?

As I grew up, Momma taught me to bake as well. I liked the chemistry of it, experimenting with different proportions of ingredients. I had to write everything down, but Momma baked with her heart. She might use a measuring cup to put in ingredients, but she measured them with her intuition. Putting in just a dash more, or a pinch less on instinct.

It wasn't until years later that I realized that most of my memories with Momma were in the kitchen. We did other things, and we spent time with the rest of the family, but my best memories of her were when she had flour on her shirt and a smile on her face. Momma said feeding the people you love was the best thing you could do. So when we held her wake, it seemed only right that I bake. My brother bought everything that I didn't bake.

I took Momma's bowl of yeast home with me that night. Someone had to keep it going. Momma might have died, but her yeast was still there, and every bite of bread I made with it would remind me of her. Maybe she was right. Feeding the people you love was the best thing. Even if you had to do it with what you passed on to those who outlived you.

The day after Momma's wake, I made bread, putting all of my grief and anger into it when I kneaded the dough. Just like she taught me. I let the dough rise, then punched it back down. When it was baking, my whole apartment smelled like my childhood. When it was time, I took the bread out. I cut it and ate it, and it felt like Momma was with me. Her arm around me, telling me that my latest experiment had turned out well as we ate. I closed my eyes and savored it.

The Little Red Hen

Stay away from her bread.

Hello, readers. Today's story comes to us from the United States of America. The Little Red Hen is a story about not rewarding laziness, among other things. Click the link above to read the story, and continue below to think about it with me.

Listen When I Speak

Hello again, readers. This week, I wrote a modern version of Phikul Thong. I was having trouble coming up with this story until I realized that, like any good writer, I could make things metaphorical. Enjoy this story about family and curse words.

Now imagine this, metaphorically, coming out of your mouth.

Phikul Thong

I wonder what these flowers taste like.

Greetings, readers. Today's story comes from Thailand. Phikul Thong reminds me of a fairy tale we've already discussed, Diamonds and Toads, but there are some small but important differences. Click the link above to read this story, and continue below to analyze it with me.

Repercussions

Hello again, dear readers. This week, I wrote a modern version of The King and the Ju Ju Tree, which we looked at last time. This is a heavy one, readers. I wrote it taking place after the traumatic events of the fairy tale, from the point of view of the daughter. There is a panic attack in this story, so if that will upset you, maybe skip this one.

It sucks feeling that scared.

The King and the Ju Ju Tree

How can you tell if a tree is magic or not just by looking?

Greetings, readers! This week's story comes to us from Nigeria. The King and the Ju Ju Tree is a story about a king who learns what price we're willing to pay when we're in great pain. Click the link above to read the story and continue with me below to analyze it.

The Boss

I definitely picked a difficult fairy tale to bring into our modern era, but the arbitrary rules of this blog are firm. On one post I analyze a fairy tale, and the next post I write a modern version of it. I scaled down the warfare to office drama, but I ended up keeping the religious aspect of Andersen's original story. I suppose I could have had a boss threaten coffee breaks instead, but this seemed a bit more true to the original.

Never underestimate the importance of a person's desk.

The Wicked Prince

When power is won at the point of a sword, a king rules through fear.

Hello again, readers. I found this story a few weeks back and I thought it would be apt for our world these days. I didn't realize how apt it would be. The Wicked Prince is a story by Hans Christian Andersen and it's about a leader of a nation that creates his power through war and demands to be the ultimate power in his kingdom. When that doesn't work out for him, he reverts to the only thing he knows: more war. At least this fairy tale has a happy ending. Read the story at the link above and continue reading below to analyze it with me.

Family Fun

Greetings, reader! I have to admit, this story stumped me for awhile. The original fairy tale has a lot of murder and death in it. It works well for that story, but I didn't have it in me to write a modern day story that followed it too closely. I found myself focusing more on the boy who talked to spirits and the title character, the woman magician. Once I realized that a family reunion in the woods would be the perfect setting for this story, everything else sort of fell into place. I hope you enjoy it! This is one of the few stories I've written that's close to horror. But with magic.

The trees look so inviting in the daytime...

The Woman Magician

To be fair, this looks like a difficult place to hunt.

Salutations, reader! This week's story comes to us from the Inuit people of North America. The Woman Magician is a story of betrayal and magic. Click the link to read it, and continue below to analyze it.

Wow. I can't be sure, but it seems like the Exaluq could have just asked the Quern if they would share their meat. Since they hunted together all the time and made a community, including some intermarrying, it's likely the Quern would have helped them, at least as much as they could. But, we don't know if that would have worked because the Exaluq decided it was a better idea to kill all of the Quern men. Rude.

I also have to wonder at the one Exaluq man who went home to his Quern wife that night. He didn't say a word to her about what had happened, and he also thought he'd be safe sleeping next to her. I really wonder what was going on in his head. Was he conflicted about all of this? Did he think it was his due? We're not given any answers, just his murder.

All of that being said, the main characters of this story are the murderous little boy and the old woman with magic. It's interesting because usually the protagonist of a fairy tale or legend is a young man or young woman looking for adventure and/or a spouse. But both of these main characters are a little uncanny. The little boy can hear the dead, and the old woman can use magic. Which is also kind of unusual, and makes this story more interesting, at least to me.

What happened to the Quern is actually quite terrible and worse than it first appears. They had to leave their home in the middle of the night to protect themselves, without taking much of anything. The men who murdered so many of their group run after them, and the old woman saves them by cutting the ice and making it impossible for the Exaluq to follow them. So, now the Quern are stranded somewhere far from home, on the inhospitable ice, and all of their hunters are dead. I like happy endings, so I like to think the old woman was able to provide for them with her magic until they could take care of themselves without magic.

The moral of this story is that you won't get away with mass murder. If no one else was a witness, the dead will find someone to talk to. Alternatively, don't be violent jerks and maybe things will work out for you.

Have a different moral? Wonder if the Quern hunters really were messing up the Exaluq hunters? Have a story you want me to talk about? Comment below!

Of Lamps and Rings

Hello, readers. This week, we have my modern version of "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp".
I do want to specify that a florin used to be a coin, and the resonance of naming a greedy character after money was just too good to pass up. Even if the name is a little different.
I hope you enjoy the story!

Doesn't really look like a lamp to me.

Aladdin and the Magic Lamp

What would you wish for?

Hello again, readers! This week's story is probably familiar to you. It's Aladdin and the Magic Lamp. What surprised me was that this story is set in China. I thought it was part of One Thousand One Nights, or Arabian Nights, but apparently not. It was associated with that book later. Either way, it's still a fun story, so let's dive in.

Otherwordly

Hello, reader. This story is a little longer than usual, so I'll keep the intro short. It was pretty fun to write the story from two different perspectives. Maybe I'll do that again.

If you could only bring one thing back from a magical land, there are worse things than pearls.

The Bird with Nine Heads

So, imagine a bird like this, but with nine heads.

Hello, reader! It's sort of a tough time for everyone these days, so I offer you an escape into a realm of magic. Today's fairy tale is The Bird with Nine Heads, and it's from China. This one probably has some of the coolest magic items. Read the story in the link above, and continue with me below to analyze it.

Too Delicate

Hello again, reader. I guess we're all spending a bit more time inside and online these days. This certainly is an interesting time to be analyzing a fairy tale like The Most Delicate One. Don't worry, this modern retelling is set last year, well before this pandemic.

It's no fun to have a cold.

The Most Delicate One

I can't imagine even noticing if one petal from this flower hit my foot.

Salutations, reader! My apologies for the slow updates. I was struck down with the flu. I do not recommend it. Fortunately, I'm all better and ready to look at more fairy tales! This week's story is The Most Delicate One, and it comes to us from Austria. I have to say, I thought I was overly dramatic sometimes, but not compared to the ladies in this story. Happy Women's History Month, right? Click the link above to read the story and continue with me below to analyze it.

The Bargain

Greetings, reader! After reading the original story of Elves and the Shoemaker, I decided that the shoemaker's wife needed to play a bigger role. And I also wondered how the elves knew to come help them. So we turn to a piece of bread with honey on it and the rest goes from there.

I will also show up if you feed me. Just saying.

The Elves and the Shoemaker

Never underestimate the happiness of elves getting their first clothes.

Salutations, readers! I realized that I never looked at The Elves and the Shoemaker! Since it's one of the well-known stories from the Grimm brothers, I had to fix that. Refresh your memory and reread the story by following the link above. Then continue with me below to analyze it.

Out of Season

Hello, reader. Last week's story was pretty dark, so I shouldn't be surprised that my modern version of it turned out dark as well. Enjoy!

Who knew the way to freedom could look so bleak?

The Twelve Months

Seems like a good place to find violets.

Salutations, reader! The fairy tale for this week comes from the Czech Republic. The Twelve Months is a pretty brutal story, but it has a mostly happy ending. Click the link above to read it and continue below to think about it with me.

Crack in the Sky

Hello, reader! I was having a little trouble figuring out how to turn "The Stones of Five Colors and Empress Jokwa" into a modern story. So, I started making it simpler. I took the characters of world-shaking importance, and turned them into kids playing in a field. Hopefully Empress Jokwa doesn't mind being turned into a teenager.

A crack in the sky isn't always easy to notice at first.

The Stones of Five Colors and the Empress Jokwa

There's power in these stones. Some of them.

Hello again, reader. As those of you who follow me on Instagram know, I just got back from my honeymoon in Japan. Which was lovely, by the way. We stayed in Tokyo, and I highly recommend it. What this also means is that this week, I decided we should look at a fairy tale from Japan, which turned out to be The Stones of Five Colors and the Empress Jokwa. It's a bit of a longer read, and it's almost two stories in one, but it's worth it. Click the link above to read the story, and continue reading below to analyze it with me.