Week 14 Story: Hick Town

A local athlete is a superstar, with offers to many of the best schools across the entire country. However, each time one of the coaches from these schools comes around to visit, the player immediately decides that the school and coach are not good enough for them, and proceeds to mock the coaches and their program for whatever trivial reason he can decide. When most have come and gone, one of the top programs comes along, and even though he loves the coach and the school, he's convinced that the school is in the middle of nowhere, and casts them out for not being perfect, calling the city a "hick town" for being in a more rural state.

After this, the kid's coach gets word that all of these schools have moved on from him, and that they will no longer accept his commitment. When one of the worst schools comes calling, interested in the young athlete, he has no choice but to choose this school, with only weeks remaining until the signing period opens. One of their coaches arrives, and even though he hates the idea of attending such a school, he has no choice and agrees to play for the coach. Distraught, he and his coach decide to make a visit to this school so that he may see where he will be attending. While they are heading to the school, they pass through the town of another university that had come calling.

"Who do these statues along the road belong to?" questions the kid.

"Those belong to the last school you turned down," replied his coach.

"Whose trophies are those? They're impressive."

"Those belong to the last school you turned down."

Heisman Park in Norman

Source: VisitNorman

Distraught, the kid breaks down, aware of the mistake that he made. Not only is the school amazing, but the area around the school is much different than he imagined. Instead of being in the middle of nowhere, it's surrounded by a large city, with many things to do and much fun to be had, both on and off campus. He begs his coach to let him visit the school and check out the area, and after a few calls, they are able to meet up with them and begin a tour.

After a short while, when the tour is wrapping up, they are offered to meet the man who would have been his position coach had he attended the school. When he arrives, he finds that it is none other than the coach who claimed to be with the school he was so distraught to be forced to go to!

"I wanted to humble you some before you walked into our facilities. You still have a spot available if you're willing to take it, but it won't be an easy road," coach stated. Immediately, the kid says yes, and signs at the school he knew he really wanted to be at all along.

Author's Note: In the story King Thrushbeard, the young woman in the story is courted by many suitors, who she immediately declined to go with based on a variety of factors. One man shows up who she likes quite a bit, but she can't get over his beard and mocks him for it, nicknaming him King Thrushbeard mockingly, which angers her father to the point where he gives her to a seemingly poor beggar outside her window. After living with him and being humbled, she finds out that it was King Thrushbeard himself, and finally marries the king she realized had all that she wanted. I wanted to adapt this to a college athlete who waits so long to choose a school, writing off some of them very early, that they have no options towards the end except for choices that are not nearly as good as they once had. At the end, he realizes that one of them hadn't given up on him, and he still had his best option available, but they had to humble him into realizing how fortunate he was.

Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, translated by Lucy Crane and illustrated by Walter Crane (1886).

Week 13 Story: The Three Brothers

Many years ago, three brothers graduated high school, and decided to attend three different colleges. All of them were extremely smart individuals, bright futures and vast opportunity ahead. However, despite these possibilities, they did not all achieve the same heights.

The first brother was relatively lazy, and even though he was able to achieve A's and B's without much effort in high school, he received a shock when he failed his classes freshman year. Over the next four years, he worked harder than he had ever worked before to bring his grades up. Despite his best efforts, when his college tenure reached its end, he found that his GPA was below the graduation threshold. Dejected and disappointed, the first brother was unable to graduate with his degree, the first victim of the university.

The second brother, learning from his older brother's mistake, started strong, finishing his freshman year with a 3.8 GPA and on the President's Honor Roll. Because of his early success, he began to fall into the same lazy ways of his older brother, and saw his GPA slip to a 2.9 by the end of his junior year. Desperate to regain his former glory, the second brother was caught cheating on an exam during his final semester, and was expelled from the university for academic misconduct. Because of this mark on his record, the second brother was also unable to graduate with his degree, the second victim of the university.

Now the third brother had seen both of his brothers suffer their fates, and was determined not to fall into the traps that both of them were victim to. Similar to his second brother, the third brother finished his freshman year on the President's Honor Roll with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Unlike his brother, however, he avoided the temptation of laziness, and continued his hard work, keeping his GPA above 3.5 for his entire college career. Because of this, when the time came for graduation, the third brother was able to successfully complete his degree and graduate. He would not fall as the third victim of the university.

When you're the one who got your degree

Source: PxHere

Author's Note: I wanted to create a modern take on the Three Little Pigs. In the original story, the first little pig built his house out of straw, but because of the lack of rigidity of straw, his house was easily blown down by the wolf, who ate him. The second little pig built his house out of sticks, which while slightly stronger than straw, was still no match for the wolf, who blew the house down and ate that pig as well. The third little pig, in his wisdom, built his house out of bricks, which the wolf was unable to knock down, rendering the third little pig safe from harm. I turned it into three brothers going to college, where the first two are unsuccessful at their attempts to obtain a degree, while the third one was able to complete their degree, not becoming victim like the first two did.

English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1890).

Week 12 Story: Dad Jokes

"Dad, I'm hungry."

"Hi hungry, I'm dad!"

"No dad, my name is Jake, and I'm hungry."

"But you said your name is Hungry, and now you say it's Jake. Which is it?"

"Jake!"

"Okay Jake, what do you want?"

"I'm hungry!"

"Hi hungry, I'm dad!"

"AHHHHHHH!" Jake storms out of the room, screaming. His six year-old mind doesn't quite get the humor of dad jokes quite yet. But it will come in time. He just needs to learn that all dads are goofy and make terrible jokes around their kids.

"Hey Jake, come get dinner. You like spaghetti, right?"

Jake immediately jumps up out of his bed and runs into the kitchen. He's "starving" (he ate only 5 hours ago), and sits at the table, waiting for his dad to bring the food out. Except there's no spaghetti, only broccoli and chicken. "Where's the spaghetti?"

"There isn't any."

"But you said there'd be spaghetti!"

"No I didn't. Would you like me to get you some?"

"Yes! I want spaghetti!"

"Well, there isn't any."

"Then why did you ask me if I wanted some?!"

Jake's dad laughs, having some fun messing with Jake. However, this only serves to frustrate Jake even more. All he wants is his spaghetti, not broccoli and chicken. Why can't his dad understand that he doesn't like these jokes?

"Dad, I'm really hungry!"

"Hi really hungry, I'm dad!"

"You're mean!"

"I'm not mean, I'm dad!"

"Whatever." With that, Jake leaves and goes to bed, angry at his dad for the constant jokes that make no sense. Pouting, Jake lays down and goes to sleep, hoping that the jokes will be gone the next morning.

"Morning Jake. Do you remember what time your dentist appointment is today?"

"Wait, I'm going to the dentist?"

"Yeah, your appointment is at tooth hurty."

"I'm going to mom."

"She's not here right now. I swapped the bed for a trampoline last night and she went through the roof." Dad has the biggest grin on his face from this last joke. He feels like it might be the best one he's ever said. Jake, on the other hand, thinks otherwise.

"Fine, let's just go to the dentist then if that's what we're doing today." Jake storms to the car, upset that his dad is still making the same jokes he made the day before, only worse. They hop in the car, and begin the drive to the dentist.

"Jake, I turn left here, don't I?"

"Right, dad."

"So I turn right at the light?"

"No, you turn left."

"Soooooo... left?"

"Right."

"Okay, we're turning right."

"NO, YOU TURN LEFT!" But it was too late, as they'd already turned right and started to go the opposite direction. All this for a little amusement for his dad. Jake is in the backseat, buckled into his car seat, pouting and angry that he's forced to deal with his dad's "humor" today.

"So I turn left here now?"

"Right."

"So I turn right, Jake?"

"No, turn left."

"So I turn left?"

"Yes dad, turn left." After enduring this for the entire car ride, Jake finally figured out how to neutralize his dad's turn jokes. Satisfied that he thwarted his dad, Jake smiles, happy to get on with the rest of the day.

After putting up with these jokes for his entire childhood, Jake is finally 18, graduated from high school, and moving on to college. When his parents are getting ready to leave him at school, he looks back at his parents and calls out to his dad, "Hey dad. What did the buffalo say to his son when he dropped him off at school?"

With tears in his eyes, dad replies, "Bison." He knew then that his work was complete.

The king of dad jokes

Source: ForeverInMomGenes

Author's Note: Much of Alice in Wonderland seems very disconnected from each other, and the different characters that Alice interacts with ask her confusing questions that make zero sense. They often are all over the place in what exactly they're trying to get her to say, and occasionally are belittling her. During one section, the Mad Hatter offers her wine, even though he knew there was none for her to drink. I wanted to take this into the realm of the disconnected jokes that our dads often decide to tell for their own amusement, much like the Wonderland residents told to Alice. However, instead of simply becoming combative and angry as Alice did at times, I wanted to end it on a happy note where Jake finally learned the dry humor behind the jokes and appreciates it.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865).

Week 9 Story: Therapy Sessions

Kweku Tsin never thought he would have to be here, but his mother was making him come. His grades were slipping, his mind constantly wandered, and his family was becoming concerned. If only they knew it was because of them that these issues occurred.

"When would you say these issues began?" questioned his therapist, Dr. Milli.

"It's been nearly my entire life. My father is not a good man, he is constantly getting into mischief and I've had to cover up for him, trying to make things right. Sometimes I wonder if he does these things because he wants to torture me." replied Kweku Tsin, a sigh escaping from his body as he speaks. He looks over to see his doctor scribbling on his notepad. He's always writing on that notepad, making Kweku Tsin wonder if he's truly listening, or just drawing something. His answers rarely amount to more than "I see."

Dr. Milli looks up from his notes, reading the body language of his patient. He can tell the young man doesn't want to be there, and is doing the bare minimum to get through the session. He's not surprised by this; most patients seem to share this attitude, especially the younger ones. "Kweku Tsin, I'm here to try and help you. I understand the pain you're dealing with, that your father is causing you so much grief. What are some examples of the things he's done?"

"He tried to keep the rest of the world from acquiring knowledge once. The only reason he failed is because he was unable to climb a tree to hide the jar inside. Another time, he killed his friend Nothing simply for having a larger fortune than him and having a better life. He also withheld the food he had found from me and my mother during a famine. These aren't even all of the stories, these are just some of the ones that stick out the most in my mind."

"Have you confronted him about these things before?"

"Once. He swore to stop these actions and live an honest life, but this didn't last more than a few weeks. I'm not sure how to fix him and make it livable with him."

Kweku Tsin pouring his heart out

Source: 123rf

Seeing Kweku Tsin open up brings a smile to Dr. Milli's face. He sees a new person, an anger and frustration that he knew existed, but hadn't been able to tap into until now. He looks at his patient with a new outlook on these sessions. They continue these discussions until they hear a loud ringing sound. They both look to the source of the sound. It's the clock on the wall signaling the end of their session. "I think we made some good progress this week. I'd like to see you the same time next week. My assignment for you this week is to record what your father does to frustrate you this week, and why it made you feel this way. Think you can do that for me?"

Kweku Tsin looks at his doctor warily, but realizes this is the best he's felt in months. "I can't promise it will be perfect, but I'll do my best. See you next week, Dr. Milli!"

Author's Note: In many of the stories throughout the West Africa unit, Kweku Tsin is having to deal with his father's mischief, often being the one to stop him from performing terrible deeds or making other people's life worse. I wanted to take the idea of his father's constant actions wearing on him to the point that he is unable to live a normal life, and the covering for his father and putting up with his antics has caused him to suffer. This reaches the point that his mother believes he needs to work with a therapist to even have a chance of clearing his mind and becoming a normal person again.

West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).

Week 7 Story: Board Game Adventures

"Give it back!"

"It's my turn to play!"

The boys' mother walks in, and screams, "How many times do I have to tell you two not to fight over a stupid game?! You two never stop!" For the third time this week, the boys are fighting over their video games.

Ryan, the younger boy, tries to plead his case. "But he just stole it from me! I was in the middle of a game!"

"You said you'd give it to me before that game!" Jacob turns to his mother, "I can't believe you'd yell at me when he's the one who started it!"

"Enough! Until you boys learn to work together, no more video games!" The boys cry as their mother carries the Xbox out of the living room, leaving them with no games to play.

Jacob runs to his room, slamming the door and locking it. As Ryan heads to his room, he notices an old box sitting in the hallway full of board games. He grabs the top one, and heads to Jacob's room. "Jacob?"

"Go away!"

"I'm sorry! Can we at least play this old board game I found?"

"I can't tell, it's worn off the box. It's heavy though."

"Fine, we can try it." Jacob comes out of his room, and takes the board game, which is enclosed in a wooden case. He sets it on the coffee table, reads the rules to Ryan, and they begin playing.

"Okay, roll the dice, and.... 5. So move five spaces, pick up the card," Jacob picks up the card, which says, "'You meet a young boy who can help you obtain the lamp. Move to the cave.' Okay, move to the cave." As he does this, they feel the ground shake, and a cave entrance opens up in their front yard, scaring the boys.

"What just happened?!" screams Ryan.

"MOM!" Their mother doesn't respond to Jacob's cries. Jacob reads the rules again, and on the last line, says, "The only way to return is to finish the game..."

"My turn?"

"Yeah, I think it is." Both boys are still visibly shaken by the cave outside.

"Okay, and I got a... 7!" Ryan reads his card, "'You take the lamp from the cave, keeping it for yourself.' Ha, I got the lamp!" As he says this, a lamp appears on the table.

"Okay, I'll roll now. And... 6. 'You will be skipped for 5...' Hey, this isn't fair!" Jacob throws the card down, "I can't play for 5 turns!"

"And I have the lamp!" says Ryan, rubbing it. As he does so, a tiny trail of smoke begins to escape from the open spout, and a genie appears. "Who are you?"

"I am the genie of the lamp, and shall honor your every request."

"Cool!" Over the next few turns, Ryan uses the genie to his advantage. He is told to ask for riches, which the genie grants. He also receives a wife, and becomes the heir apparent to an entire kingdom, receiving a crown and many gems from the genie and the game. Jacob continues to steam, being unable to play. Finally, his turn arrives.

"Finally! 'Steal the genie's lamp. Replace with a new one.' Don't mind if I do!" Jacob takes the lamp, becoming the master of the genie. "I wish you to lose everything you have, and that it is transported far away." With these words, the house begins to shake, and Jacob, along with the game, are transported far away, leaving Ryan alone. Scared, Ryan begins rubbing the ring, revealing another genie.

Replacing the old lamp with a new one

Source: Wikipedia

"Genie! Take me to my brother!" With this command, Ryan is transported right outside their house, now resting in a different country than their own. Now back at the house, Ryan takes his turn. He whispers the card to himself when he realizes what it says. "'Other players drink a poisoned drink. Roll again.'"

"Oh cool, it even gives us drinks!" Jacob is excited, and immediately gulps the entire glass down as Ryan screams at him not to drink it. Within a few moments, Ryan is left as the only one still standing. He rolls the dice one more time, crying as he moves his pieces.

"'Move to the end of the board. You win!'" As his piece reaches the final space, the entire ground shakes, the house transports back to its original location, and when it lands, Jacob sits up, looking around confused. Ryan runs and hugs his brother as the board game closes itself up, and everything the game gave them disappeared.

"Throw that game away! I don't ever want to see it again!" screams Ryan. With those words, Ryan and Jacob dispose of the game, whose name they can now read: Aladdin.

Author's Note: 

The game is based off the story Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp. In the story, a magician tries to get the young boy Aladdin to give him the lamp after leading him to the cave it is in. However, Aladdin refuses to, angering the magician so much that he abandons him, and keeps the lamp, using it to acquire riches, marry the woman of his dreams, and become the heir to the sultan. The magician, furious when he finds out what Aladdin has done, manages to steal the lamp and transport Aladdin's palace away, along with his wife. Aladdin was able to avoid execution by the sultan, travels to find his palace, and manages to kill the magician before returning the palace and his wife home. I wanted to create a story where this is included, but has a Jumanji feel, where the young boys found a board game that comes to life, literally, the older boy playing the magician, and his younger brother playing Aladdin.

Jumanji Box

Source: DeviantArt

The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H.J. Ford (1898)

Week 5 Story: The Mutiny Against Sindbad

"We're not going!"

The captain stands there, shocked. He's never had an entire crew threaten a mutiny, let alone threaten one before they have even embarked on their journey.

"Why must you say these things? Let us embark on our journey as planned," replies the captain.

"Not as long as that Sindbad is traveling on the ship. That man is bad luck," retorts the crew, "Every single voyage he embarks on, nearly the entire crew ends up perishing!"

"I can understand your trepidation, but fear not. This voyage is not a dangerous one, you are the most experienced and talented crew that I have been around, and I promise that we will make it out alive," assured the captain. After all, they did have a vast amount of experience traveling the seas with him. But he could see in their eyes that they did not expect to return alive.

Dejected, Sindbad rose from his seated position. He could not bear to see the hatred that these sailors had for him, some of whom even traveled with him on his previous voyages, rescuing him when they found him stranded. Hearing them say they wished he did not travel with them, he felt compelled to finally speak up.

"Fellow sailors," said Sindbad, "I am pained to know that you do not wish for me to join you on your journey. It is not my fault that I have been through these experiences. In many cases, it was the others with me who caused such chaos that led to my adventures."

One of the sailors scoffs at Sindbad and exclaims, "So because of that, you expect us to be ready to die and become just another chapter in your book? What kind of man has every other crew he's sailed with perish on their journey? If I hazard a guess, I would say that you were responsible for all of their deaths!"

"I handpicked him for his experience and expertise on the waters and I believe he is a capable mariner. Why would I risk my own life by bringing him aboard if I did not believe we would survive?" questions the captain.

"The Caliph demanded you bring him along! That's what happened on his seventh voyage, and I assume it's the same story this time around. I doubt a man with your experience would be so asinine as to bring along someone as reckless and cursed as Sindbad," cries the crew.

"One way or another, there will be a crew on that ship within the hour. If you do not board with myself and Sindbad, I will make sure you never set foot on any vessel again. I do not have time to waste with you and your trivial fears," remarks the captain.

Sindbad looks towards the ground, noticing how weathered his feet have become from all of his adventures. Escaping along the river, flying with the Roc, surviving the Old Man of the Sea. Defeated, he whispers, "I must stay so as not to threaten the ship and its survival. If the crew does not wish for me to join them, I shall stay and tend to my home. All I wanted was one voyage that did not result in disaster."

Sindbad leading a caravan on one of his voyages

Source: Wikipedia

The captain looks towards Sindbad, then back at the crew. "We're not leaving this man behind. We will be the voyage that breaks the spell of luck that Sindbad has experienced on the sea. We don't sail without all of you, nor without Sindbad. Anyone who does not want to give this man his one wish in life is less of a man than anyone."

The crew looks at each other, contemplating their next move. After a few moments, their decision has been made. "We shall sail with Sindbad, just this one voyage. However, if it does threaten the same ending as his previous seven, all we ask is that Sindbad ensures we survive in exchange for volunteering for this mission."

Sindbad quickly agrees, excited that he is able to make one last voyage. The crew piles onto the ship, and sails off into the horizon.

Author's Note: Each of Sindbad's seven voyages are stories of near peril for Sindbad, and on many of these voyages, Sindbad found himself as the only sailor to survive, having watched many die in front of him, leaving him as the only one who can recount their deaths. I wanted to write a story looking at how the crew might react to the possibility of sailing with Sindbad, having read about his perils and the threat of imminent harm they might face when sailing with him. While the stories might have been exaggerated, the sailors still would likely want no part of his presence.

The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H.J. Ford (1898)

Week 4 Story: The Wrath of Jove

I dislike being questioned.

I dislike being belittled.

More than anything, I dislike people marginalizing me and insulting me, as if I had made a mistake. Gods are not prone to mistakes.

My name is Jove. If this name is unfamiliar to you, don't be alarmed. I am the almighty being, ruler of both man and beast. Perhaps the name Jupiter rings a bell. I shall tell you the story of a group of frogs who had the audacity to treat me as an idiot who did not give them a sufficient leader. I can assure you that they wish they'd accepted their initial ruler.

Jupiter and Thetis by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Source: Wikipedia

It all began a few short weeks ago. Frogs, in my opinion, do not require an outside leader ruling over them. I feel that they do a well enough job of it themselves. But for whatever unknown, asinine, reason, this one group of frogs decided that they didn't like the freedom, the independence, the ability to enjoy life as they had it. They thought they needed a ruler, a King if you will. I thought their request trivial; as I said, frogs do not require a ruler. But, to appease them, I gifted them a wise ruler, one that has been around for hundred of years: a mighty log.

Initially, they were afraid of their new king. It was much larger than them, it was broad and heavy, and so I believed that it would suffice. However, they proceeded to make a fool of me, mocking me by dancing on the log, treating my gift as a source of amusement. They chose to ignore the log and continued their lives as if the log had never been placed there. Had it been left as such, it would have pleased me, as they had their ruler, and I could focus on more important matters.

However, the gift was for naught. Shortly thereafter, they shunned my gift, and had the GALL TO ASK ME FOR ANOTHER LEADER, claiming that the log was not quite to their liking. What king of creature has the audacity to tell the almighty being that they have failed? This infuriated me, because gods are not prone to mistakes. They were going to feel my wrath, as that log was the best ruler they were ever going to get.

So what exactly did the frogs receive as their second ruler? Being the generous and fair Jove that I am, I rewarded them with a beautiful creature. That creature would be a stork. A stork filled with hunger, ready to gobble up as many frogs as he could fit in his stomach. I sat back and laughed, watching the frogs attempt to flee from the stork. After a few short days, the stork had eliminated the entire colony of frogs. Perhaps the next colony will not be so brazen to ask for a ruler. They may receive a visit from the same stork.

Frogs enjoying their stork king

Source: FablesOfAesop

Author's Note:
The story of The Frogs Desiring a King focuses on a group of frogs who desired a king, and received a log from Jove. The frogs were dissatisfied by this gift, and demanded a new king that would actually rule them and keep them in line. This story is retold from Jove's point of view, and teaches the lesson "Better No Rule Than Cruel Rule" as the frogs learned.

Source: The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs

Week 3 Story: Letters to Zebedee

Dear Father,

It has been a while since I left you on that boat to follow Jesus as one of his disciples. You would not believe the places I have gone and the things that I have seen! I have seen men who were unable to walk able to rise to their feet, I have seen more men fed than should have been possible, he truly can perform miracles!

This past week, we visited the home of a family filled with sorrow, as their little girl had passed away. They were convinced that they would never see her again. Yet Jesus knew that she was not dead, and sure enough, he was able to bring her back to life. It was miraculous to see, she was lying there and looked so lifeless, as if there was no chance she was still alive. I wish I was able to show you the power this man possesses, the power God has given him. I am blessed that I was offered the chance to follow him and learn from him.

However, he worries me sometimes, father. He speaks of how he will be killed by his fellow man and resurrected a few days later. What will this mean for him, for me, for the others who follow him as I do? He has been correct so many times, his parables have been miraculous, his miracles incredible to witness. I simply do not know why he would tell us that these things are going to happen to him. I try my best to believe him, as his word is powerful, but my faith is tested by some of the events we have experienced. We went out to sea not too long ago in the middle of a massive storm, and we were afraid that the boat might sink. The way the winds and the rain rocked the boat led me to believe that we were about to perish. We were able to have him calm the winds and the rain fortunately, albeit followed by him questioning if we had faith in him, but it was still a harrowing and terrifying experience. I wish he would have kept the storms from hitting us in the first place as he has so much power.

The miracles he has performed keep me believing, father, no matter how many times my faith has been tested. I witnessed him feed 5,000 men with only five loaves of bread and two fish. It would be a miracle to feed 10 people with that amount of food, but we managed to feed 5,000! I also saw us collect many baskets full of breadcrumbs that were left behind by the crowd, many times more than we handed out. It is amazing to see what he can do when he sees his calling.

Hopefully you can meet this wonderful man sometime in the future. I would enjoy sharing with you the other stories he has given, the many parables he has shared with us, everything we have been taught. We should return near the Sea of Galilee soon, and I will try to introduce you to him then.

Your son,

James

Saint James the Greater (James, Son of Zebedee) by Guido Reni

Source: Wikipedia

Author's Note: From reading the Gospel of Mark, we know that James and his brother John left their father Zebedee to follow Jesus as two of his 12 disciples, witnessing many of the miracles he performed. After reading the passage, I felt that a letter from James to Zebedee describing many of the things that James has experienced and saw would be a fun recap of the readings.

Week 2 Story: The Man Learns Humility

"So you really think the statue doesn't prove anything? Even if the statue was created by a man, it still shows the truth of men being stronger than lions" says the man.

"No," said the lion, "the only thing it proves is your ignorance. I am sure that if we fought right now, that we would see that lions are stronger than men."

"Well, then we will have to fight so that I may prove that men are stronger than lions" retorted the man. He pounces on the lion, knocking him backwards towards the statue. Taken aback by the suddenness of the attack, the lion responds with a roar, and with a swift swipe of his paw, gashes the chest of the man, leaving him standing there in shock.

Lion roaring under the moon

Source: GoodFreePhotos

The lion chuckles and says, "Now do you see the true strength of a lion?" as he starts to circle the man, pacing slowly and thoughtfully. The man looks at the lion, realizing that alone, he has not a chance of defeating such a beast. But he is unsure how to gain the advantage.

The man begins to slowly retreat, and the lion mockingly asks, "Does this mean you know you've lost this war?" The lion begins sprinting, and leaps towards the man, paws outstretched, each claw visible in the dim moonlight. The man moves at the last moment, causing the lion to crash into the statue that was behind him, which falls over and shatters into multiple pieces. The man seizes on this opportunity, grabbing one of the larger pieces as a form of self-defense.

He finally responds to the lion, "No, I've only just begun the fight." The lion, now furious from being tricked, and sore from hitting the statue at full speed, sprints towards the man once again, eager to finish him off and silence him. His paws outstretched again, this time he does make contact, gashing the man's face as he tries to avoid the attack. But the man also manages to gash the lion's stomach as he lands right beside him. The lion cries out in pain, shocked that the man was able to wound him. Seizing this opportunity, the man raises the fragment as if to deliver a finishing blow to the lion. As he starts to throw the weapon onto the lion, the lion swipes at the man's hands, knocking the fragment away and knocking the man to the ground in one swift motion.

He pins the man down and says, "This is how the statue should have looked. Even your intelligence couldn't save you from me." Just as he is about to kill the man, he stops. He looks down, realizing he is no better than the man if he does so. After a few seconds of thought, the lion releases the man, and runs off into the night to tell his pride what he has learned. The man slowly gets up, shaken by the events, and begins the slow walk home, wearing the signs of the struggle on his body, and in his mind.

"I have failed," said the man, "for I let pride get in my way and render me a fool."

Author's Note: Aesop's story about the Lion and the Statue ended rather abruptly, as we do not see what the final result is as to who is stronger, men or lions. It simply ended with the man saying the statue proved man was stronger. This is one way I could see the fight playing out and ending if they decided to figure it out for themselves.

Bibliography: The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs (1894)