Week 13 Story Planning: The Deal with the Devil

I'm planning on writing a new version of the story of The Ghost Mother, but this time I want to tell it from the mother's point of view. I'm thinking that it would give some perspective to the story if she had a good explanation for dying when the baby is born, and keeping it a secret that she is feeding it as a ghost. To give some backstory, the wife has been keeping it a secret from her husband that she is infertile and cannot bear children. They live in happiness and harmony otherwise. One day as she is out picking flowers or gathering food (or something else entirely), a figure approaches her. This would presumably be the devil or a demon warlock of some kind. The devil tells her that he knows she cannot bear children, but he offers a solution. He will impregnate her, but she must lose her life in the process. Her love for her husband is so great, and his desire for a child is equally great, so she feels compelled to give him a child in exchange for her life. She pleads with the devil that she get to feed the child, arguing that it will not survive without her milk. The devil compromises, and he agrees to allow her to visit the child at night. However, she will only appear as a ghost, and she must not be seen by any other humans. If anyone sees her, the baby will perish, and the ghost mother will remain a ghost forever. I guess she doesn't stay a ghost in the original, but I would like her to remain a ghost that cries forever. The husband will probably not hire a caretaker for the baby. I would rather write it that he takes care of the baby himself, and he discovers the ghost of his wife by himself.


Medieval Ghost found on Wikimedia, here.

Bibliography: The Ghost Mother, part of Russian Fairy Tales Unit by W.R.S. Ralston, found here.

Week 13 Reading Notes: Russian Fairy Tales Part B

In The Witch Girl I was surprised that the witch was someone's daughter. I just assumed that she would be a witch that lives in the woods on her own or with other witches. It reminds me of the Salem Witch Trail time period in the American northeast. I could write a story with a similar plot, but set in Salem. Also, I wonder why no one had thought to stay awake and fight the witch when she came. Only the Cossack thought of this.
The priest's son is an unsuspecting hero in The Headless Princess. I could write about someone who sees a power figure doing something evil behind closed doors. Then he has to race to save everyone before the evil person can get to him. I like the elements of magic that his teacher showed him to use. It could be a metaphor for 'knowledge is power.' And at the end, even the princess's father wanted nothing to do with a witch. Witches must have been a big deal in Russia.
The Warlock makes me feel like everyone in Russia wants to evade death and keep all of their wealth. I could write about someone who sells their soul to live forever and be rich, but they get outsmarted by a child with a cross. Or it could be about three witches who try to steal an old man's wealth, but he outsmarts them and gets to live forever.
The Fox-Physician continued with the 'foxes are tricksters' theme. The old man should not be too sad though, so long as he can get back up the cabbage to heaven. It seems to me that there was no rhyme or reason to the story. I cannot figure out if there is a moral or lesson to be learned. Maybe the lesson is to not trust a fox with your loved one's remains.
I like the communication with people in the afterlife in The Fiddler in Hell. I could use that to help me write a story where someone visits a loved one in the afterlife and they receive some sort of divine assistance. That could help me write part two of Aaron Discovers the World.


Moujik and Family, artist unknown. Found on Wikimedia, here.

Bibliography: Russian Fairy Tales by W.R.S. Ralston, found here.

Week 13 Reading Notes: Russian Fairy Tales Part A

The Dead Mother is a spooky story that sounds like it would be a hellish nightmare for the widowed father. I think it was interesting that once the ghost mother was discovered, she was never heard from again, and the baby died. She was keeping it alive, but it still screamed all day. That sounds awful. The poor old man in The Treasure loses his wife and gains riches, albeit in a roundabout way, but it is really a story of man's greed being his own destruction. I was quite surprised at the end when the goat skin had fused to the pope's body, but I find it to be a fitting punishment. It was even more curious that the pope could not shed the goat skin even after returning the money to the poor old man. No one gets away with wrongdoing in Russia, I suppose.
I laughed so hard at The Bad Wife. It is almost like a dream sequence that plays out in old married couples' heads. This was taking marital problems to the extreme, and I found it hilarious. Now I am just assuming that is how all Russian men think about their wife. It's so funny that she is so terrible that even the demons are scared of her. She must have been the devil himself. While the first story might be a Russian man's nightmare, this could be a Russian man's dream.
The Three Copecks is an epic adventure that ultimately leads to a happy engagement. I think this story is a metaphor for life; if you are patient, confident and trusting, good things will come to you. The long story reminded me of Homer's Odyssey, especially because it followed the cat far and wide, and ultimately the protagonist reaped benefits after a long time.
The Miser is a good representation of how far a greedy man will go to not pay back a debt. This makes me think of rich people in power evading taxes whilst mocking the poor and needy.


Rhus Tomentosa, The Wild Currant Tree. Photo taken by Abu Shawka, found on Wikimedia, here.
To represent the currant bush in The Bad Wife.

Bibliography: Stories from Russian Fairy Tales by W.R.S. Ralston, found here.

Portfolio Index

Painting of The Storm, by Pierre Auguste Cot, found here.






Photo: End of the World Prison by Louis Argerich, found on Wikimedia, here.

Photo, Party, was found on Wikipedia, and link to Wikimedia here.

The Kind King and Loyal Dragon, found here, is a story of love, lust and loyalty. The King's love is betrayed, but the loyal Dragon works to avenge his friend.



















Aaron Discovers the World, found here, is a tale of hope, bravery and sacrifice. Set in a confined dystopia, the story follows Aaron as he seeks to discover the truth about life outside Carcera. Part Two coming soon!

















Aimee with the Good Friends, found here, is an emotional story about birthdays and friendship. Hope you enjoy!

Week 12 Reading Notes: English Fairy Tales Part B

The characters in Henny-Penny are too naive to beware the fox. They pay for it with their lives, except for Henny-Penny, but she never gets to tell the King that the sky is falling. The fox is the classic trickster, convincing everyone that a shortcut to the King's castle runs through his dark cave.
Molly Whuppie is a story of harrowing circumstances that call for a young hero to rise to the occasion. Molly is the youngest of the three unfortunate sisters, but she is the one who is most clever and does all the work. She also has no problem sacrificing other people for her benefit. She is an interesting character to say the least.
Mr. Fox is a classic horror story with a happy ending. The tension builds very well when Lady Mary is in Mr. Fox's castle. The writing on the wall is very creepy, and I could use that idea in my story. Maybe Aaron could stumble upon a mass grave of all of the dissenters the Mind of Six ever took away and killed. At the end, I imagine the masses breaking down the door to the palace of the Mind of the Six to tear them apart, just like the guests did to Mr. Fox at Lady Mary's wedding.
Johnny-Cake, or another version of the Gingerbread Man, describes overconfidence biting you in the butt. It teaches readers not to boast or gloat, because someone, usually a fox, is always cleverer than you.
Mr. Miacca strikes me as the kind of story with which parents scare their children into obedience. However, Tommy gets away without any issues, which makes the story less effective. Tommy needs to get boiled and eaten to really scare kids into obeying. I almost empathize with Mr. Miacca; the man just wants to eat and feed his family.
The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh is a really great story with magic and tragedy and a happy ending. I like that the rowan wood is resistant to the witch's magic spell. I could write about Aaron finding a special tool or element that can bring down the Mind of the Six.


Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh,illustrated by John D. Batton, found on Wikimedia, here.


Bibliography: Part B of the English Fairy Tales Unit by Joseph Jacobs, found here.

Week 12 Reading Notes: English Tales Part A

Tom Tit Tot is nearly the same story as Rumplestiltskin, with a few differences. I like that the King was the one who overheard Tom Tit Tot sing his name, and he accidentally revealed it to his wife. It is interesting that she had two different plot lines to follow, one with the King, and another with Tom Tit Tot. It ended happily enough.
The Rose Tree is a good story of jealousy and revenge. It shows how the family is torn apart, and jealousy makes people do crazy things. Luckily, some sort of magic turns the dead girl into a tree and dove, and that dove has immense strength. How strong she must have been to carry a millstone and drop it on her murderer.
The Old Woman and Her Pig gave me some anxiety. I thought that old woman was never going to get home. I guess all of the extra characters just needed a little motivation. Thanks to the cat and the cow for working with the old woman to help set off the chain.
Binnorie is a wild tale of two sisters trapped in a love triangle. Jealousy gets the better of them, and one kills the other. Love is a powerful emotion, and it can lead people to do crazy things to the important people in their lives. In the end, they are reminded of her existence, but everything else goes on as normal.
Mouse and Mouser was a little confusing. I guess the cat just played along to be the mouse's friend, but really he just wanted to eat the mouse all along. Look out for people that are sneaky liars. I could use this as a character inspiration for part two of Aaron Discovers the World. Someone could lead Aaron to the Mind of the Six, only to have guards waiting for him.
Cap O' Rushes was a long-winded story about loving your family and misunderstanding. At least it had a happy ending.


Photo of Tom Tit Tot, illustrated by John D. Batton, found on Wikimedia, here.


Bibliography: English Tales Part A by Joseph Jacobs, found here.

Week 11 Story Planning: Aaron's Truth

So I am having trouble coming up with a good ending for the story I wrote last week, Aaron Discovers the World. I thought I would try the story planning option to see if that would help me nail down some ideas. I have established that Aaron and the citizens of Carcera live in a dystopian world, confined to the dome in which they have always lived, and ruled by the force of an oligarchical, self-appointed committee. There are robots who operate as guards, and this makes them difficult to circumvent. My ultimate goal is for Aaron to devise a way to expose the Mind of the Six and free the people of Carcera. There are a few ways that could happen, I suppose. Aaron could get intentionally captured by the Mind of the Six, and tell them he knows the truth. They could then confirm that he is right and admit to keeping the people prisoner for power and personal gain. All the while, Aaron has a hidden video camera, and is broadcasting to every single screen in the city. This leads to mutiny, and Aaron leads the people out of the city. I would have to explain how Aaron is captured, how the people take care of the guard robots, and how people deal with the Mind of the Six. Another possibility is to have Aaron save the people by disabling the robots with the computer that controls them. Once the guards have been disabled, he could come over every loudspeaker in the city, and explain that they have been lied to. Because this is a dystopia, and I have not established the extent of technology, I am thinking he could cause a map to the outside world to appear on every screen in the city. That could lead people to discover the same path he did and ultimately escape. I would like to write the demise of the Mind of the Six, but I am not sure what that would look like if I went with this option. I could combine the two story lines into one. Aaron could get captured after planting a bug in the city's main computer. The bug could be time delayed, so he makes it to the chamber of the Mind of the Six before the robots shut down and the screens start broadcasting his hidden camera. That would make for a more well-rounded story. I originally wanted Aaron to die as a symbolic sacrifice for the rescue of the rest of the people, but the more I think about it the more I do not think it is possible.
I read the Alice in Wonderland unit this week, and while I enjoyed it very much, I find that world to be very different from the one I have created. I could model the leader of the Mind of the Six after the Queen of Hearts. As she orders Aaron's execution, the robots shut off just before removing his head. Aaron could find that the computer room where he plants the bug is just as confusing as the room full of doors in which Alice finds herself. Symbolically, the door Aaron discovered to the outside, is almost a perfect representation of the door Alice finds. They are both hidden, and they both lead to a beautiful world on the other side. As you can see, I have a lot of options. By this time next week, I will have narrowed it down to choose the best plot line.


Photo of Server Room at the National Archives (UK), found on Wikimedia Commons, here.
I chose this photo to represent the server room in which Aaron must plant a bug. This shows just how confusing one of those rooms can be.

Bibliography: Story of Alice in Wonderland, written by Lewis Carroll, from British and Celtic Reading Units, found here.