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!

Wek 10 Storytelling: Aaron Discovers the World

Aaron had been staring at the spot above his bed for what felt like an eternity when the robotic voice boomed through the loudspeakers in the hallway. "Report to the dining quad in five minutes for first meal," the voice rang out, as it had done every morning as far back as Aaron could remember. He sat up in his bed and gave a slight jump when his feet touched the cold concrete floor. Aaron lived in Barrack 4, one of the five barracks in the city of Carcera. There was a great war that wiped out millions of people. Survivors created Carcera as the last remaining city, and the people built a large dome to protect the inhabitants. The Mind of the Six, the self-appointed city leaders, ruled with an iron fist. They controlled every aspect of life inside the dome. The Mind of the Six forced the citizens of Carcera to work long hours, and they harshly punished all dissenters. They created fiercely loyal robots to enforce their harsh laws, while they watched from the comfort of their private tower. The Mind of Six claimed that the world outside of the dome was poisonous and could not support life. The inhabitants of Carcera struggled to survive, while the Mind of the Six reaped the benefits of their hard work.
Aaron believed that the Mind of the Six were hiding something, and they were abusing their power to keep it a secret. He could remember his parents' stories of life before the war. They described the outside world as having beautiful greenery, glistening bodies of water and enormous mountains. Aaron's parents disappeared when he was young, presumably taken by the Mind of the Six. He was determined to overthrow the Mind of the Six and release the inhabitants of Carcera from their oppressive grip.
As he made his way to the dining quad, Aaron noticed a guard robot interrogating someone about their missing ID badge. He took the opportunity to disappear down the utility hallway that he had discovered a week prior. As he explored, he found an underground path that led to the outermost wall of the dome. Aaron followed the path of the wall around the city and found an old door. He opened the door and let out a loud gasp. He had found a path to the outside world.
It was beautiful. He stepped outside and inhaled deeply, halfway expecting to perish immediately. Nothing happened. He exhaled and took another breath. Again, nothing happened. This confirmed everything he thought he knew about Carcera and the Mind of the Six. Aaron could not believe it. He pinched his arm to make sure it was not a dream. Overcome with excitement, he began to run. Aaron ran at a dead sprint as long as he could, and when his lungs started burning he slowed to a stop. He turned and gazed at the walls of the dome city from outside. His happy expression turned into one of despair. "This isn't right," Aaron thought. "Someone has to... I have to do something about this." He thought about the people suffering inside the city, and he decided to bring down the Mind of the Six and set free the people of Carcera.
Aaron made his way back to the door. Before stepping back inside, he turned and gave one last awe-inspired look at the beautiful world he had just discovered. As he retraced his steps, he began devising a plan to reveal the truth about the world to the inhabitants of Carcera and bring down the Mind of the Six.
To be continued...


Photo: End of the World Prison by Louis Argerich, found on Wikimedia, here.
I chose this photo to represent the cold barrack in which our protagonist, Aaron lives.

Author's Note:  This story is greatly inspired by the tale How the Summer Came, in the American Indian Fairy Tales Unit. In How the Summer Came, all the world is cursed to live in perpetual wintertime until the hero, O-jeeg, journeys to find the way to end the perpetual winter and breaks through the sky barrier, bringing warmth and beauty back into the world. Hopefully I do not give too much away, but O-jeeg sacrifices himself to provide a beautiful world for everyone else. In this first part of my story, we follow Aaron, representative of O-jeeg, as he journeys to discover the beautiful world outside of the dome, which represents the sky O-jeeg breaks through in How the Summer Came. One of my favorite books is George Orwell's 1984, and that is where I found inspiration for describing a different type of cold world in which our characters live. If you have not read 1984, I highly recommend it! It is a great book about bravery, love and tragedy, and it is set in a dystopian future (relative to the year that Orwell wrote the book). There is so much more that I want to write that I could not possibly fit into this week's story, so stay tuned!

Bibliography: Story based off of readings from American Indian Fairy Tales, found here. Specifically, How the Summer Came, found here.

Week 4 Storytelling: The Kind King and Loyal Dragon

There was once a great King and Queen who ruled over all of the land. Peace and happiness was abundant under their rule, and all of their subjects loved them. The King had a pet Dragon who was his best friend and confidant. The King had gotten lost in the Great Forest as a child, and the Dragon, who was also young, found the King and returned him to the safety of his kingdom. From that moment on, the two were inseparable. The King grew strong and wise over the years, and the Dragon was always by his side.
The King met the Queen when he was walking through the streets making conversation with the people in his kingdom, as was his custom. She caught his eye as she was collecting water from a well, and the King immediately fell in love. He charmed her with his jokes and calm demeanor, and she sang with a voice likened to that of the most heavenly angels. Within a month they were married, and the three - the King, the Queen and the Dragon - lived in harmony for some time.
One day many years later, a traveller happened upon the castle where they stayed. He was weary, for his travels had taken him a long way through the Great Forest. The traveller asked for a bed and to be fed, and the King was happy to oblige. The traveller received a room in which to stay and a bath so he could relax a little, for he was quite exhausted from his journey. The King requested that he attend dinner in the great hall with himself and the Queen.
The traveller took his rest, and made his way to the great hall to dine. Upon his arrival, the King greeted him heartily. When the traveller saw the Queen, their eyes locked, and the two were struck with desire. Dinner was served and conversation was had, but the traveller and the Queen could not resist staring at each other. The King took no notice, for he was so in love with his Queen, and he was certain of her love for him.
When the dinner was over, the traveller thanked his gracious host and made way to his room. A few minutes later, a handmaiden of the Queen delivered a message to the traveller, asking him to meet her in a secret passage. The traveller, led by the handmaiden, made his way to the secret passage where he found the Queen waiting for him. They talked and drank wine, and they fell madly in love with one another. They made a plan to run away together.
The next day, the King woke to discover that his wife was gone, as was the traveller. He was distraught and heartbroken. He cursed the gods, he cursed his wife, and he cursed his kind nature for letting the traveller stay in his castle. The King called upon his Dragon to find the adulterous pair, and to do what must be done. The Dragon took flight on his mighty wings, and scanned far and wide with his sharp eyes. He discovered a set of footprints, two sets to be exact, that disappear into the Great Forest. With a mighty breath, he set fire to the Great Forest, hoping to discover the Queen and the traveller. He did not discover them until the entire forest had been set ablaze. They knelt before him and begged for forgiveness, but the Dragon's loyalty to the King was unwavering. The Dragon inhaled deeply, and set the lustful lovers ablaze.
The Dragon returned to the King and shared the unfortunate news. The King wept for ten days and nights, and his tears filled the ashes of the Great Forest. The tears he cried gave new life to the forest, but it became a haunting place, full of ghosts and monsters. All that can be heard when the wind whistles through the trees are the cries of the Queen and the traveller as they were burned to a crisp. And the King lived out his days with his loyal friend, Dragon. The End.

Painting The Storm, by Pierre Auguste Cot, found on Wikimedia here.
I chose this painting because it looks like lovers are fleeing into the forest.

Author's Note: I wanted to base this story on the story of the Wax Crocodile. In the original story, a scribe's wife falls in lust with a handsome young man, and they have an affair. When the scribe learns about what had happened, he carves a crocodile out of wax and puts a spell on it. He releases the wax crocodile into the lake where the handsome young man normally bathes. The wax crocodile comes to life and snatches up the young man while he bathes. The scribe's adulteress wife perishes when the scribe orders her to be tied to a stake and burned alive. I took out the magic crocodile, and replaced it with a dragon, which sounded way cooler to me. In the end, both of the lovers burn, just like the adulteress in the original story. In a way, my story is about loyalty. The dragon and the king have a long history of friendship, and they have never betrayed one another. I added their friendly backstory to make the dragon's actions seem more justified. I also added some drama by having the cheating couple try to run away. This made the story a little more exciting. The moral of the story is that a loyal friend is better than a disloyal wife, no matter how beautifully she sings, and that bad things can happen to good people.

Bibliography: Based on The Wax Crocodile, from Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie, found here.

Storytelling Week 2: Aimee with the Good Friends

Aimee opened her mailbox, the one in the lobby of the Grand Maison, a tiny apartment building in the heart of Brooklyn, only to find a flyer for half off pizza at Antonio's Pizzeria and a utility bill.

"That's okay," she thought to herself. "Tonight is going to be a good night." She climbed four flights of stairs and walked into a messy studio apartment, threw down her keys, and started cleaning. She had big plans for the night and needed to prepare. Aimee had lots of friends to call to extend an invite for the night's gathering. 

With a phone tucked between her ear and shoulder, Aimee began to call all the friends she could think of, while putting away various laundry strewn about the tiny apartment. "Jill?!" Aimee said as she pulled a sock from under the bed. "Do you think you can make it to my place tonight for a party?"

"Umm," stammered Jill, "I will try, but work has been crazy lately, and my boss has us working like 80 hours a week. He was pretty mad earlier, so it looks like I'm in for a long night."

"Oh, okay. I'm sorry," responded Aimee. "I hope you don't get kept too late! I'd love to see you!"

"Yeah, me too. We're just really swamped here. I'll let you know!"

"Okay, later, Jill," said Aimee. 

Next, Aimee called her friend George. "Hi George! It's Aimee."

"Hi Aimee, what's up?" said George. 

"Oh just tidying up," replied Aimee. "I'm having a party tonight, do you think you could make it?"

"That sounds like fun, but I got into a car accident today, and I'm still feeling a little light-headed," he stated nonchalantly. "The doctor said I should take it easy tonight."

"Oh that's terrible! Are you alright?" said Aimee. "You should definitely stay home tonight, I understand."

"Yeah, I'll be alright," said George. "Have a good party. Talk to you later."

Aimee hung up, and she was starting to feel discouraged. She stopped scrubbing the kitchen and decided to try another phone call. 

"Hey Tiffany, how's it going?" Aimee said hopefully. 

"Hey Aimee! Things are good here. What's going on with you?" replied Tiffany. 

"I'm getting ready to host a party. Do you have plans tonight?" she asked desperately.

"Oh shoot, I'm supposed to have a date tonight. We are getting drinks at Clubhouse. I mean, you could join us if you want."

"That's alright," said Aimee. "I'm happy for you! We can get together another time I guess."

"Sounds good, Aimee. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck," replied a despondent Aimee, and she hung up. 

"Why doesn't anyone want to come to my party? None of my friends care about me," Aimee sobbed to herself. Suddenly, her phone started to ring. 

"Hello?" answered Aimee as she wiped away tears. 

"Hey Aimee, it's me, Truman, your friend!" Truman boomed through the earpiece. 

"Truman! I'm having an awful time. No one wants to come to my party!" she cried.

"Oh nonsense, who needs them anyway?" he replied sympathetically. "Why don't you come outside? I'm here to pick you up. Let's go have a drink."

"Truman, I knew I could count on you!" she exclaimed.

She ran downstairs and gleefully hopped into Truman's car. "Where should we go?" she asked.

"I've got a place in mind," said Truman confidently. 

She smiled, and off they drove. They drove for about ten minutes before Truman pulled into a parking spot in front of a house. "I've got to grab some things from a business associate. Would you mind coming in? It will only take a minute," he said.

"This isn't what I had in mind, but alright," she responded. 

They walked up to the door, and Truman held the door for Aimee to enter first. 

"SURPRISE!!" shouted a cheerful group of people as Aimee entered the house. She was quite startled and gave out a little scream. She looked around for half a moment, trying to gather her bearings. She realized that Jill, George, and Tiffany were gathered in front of the crowd, and this was a birthday party for Aimee. 

"I thought you'd all forgotten my birthday! You had me fooled!"

"How could we forget our lovely friend Aimee's birthday?!" responded George.

"Happy birthday Aimee!" exclaimed Jill.

"Let's cut some cake," suggested Tiffany. 

And they proceeded to have the best time they had ever had together. The End. 

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

Author's Note: This story was based on The Hare with Many Friends in Aesop's Fables. In The Hare with Many Friends a very popular hare is in dire need of some assistance, but all five of the friends he asks for help conjure up excuses, and the hare perishes. Aimee represents the hare in this story. However, I wanted this story to have a happy ending, so her friends blow her off with made-up excuses, and then surprise her with a birthday party. The name Aimee comes from French, and means 'beloved friend,' and Truman, meaning 'loyal,' is the name I chose for her friend that doesn't forget about her. However, we find out that no one forgot, and they have a great time.  The friends all came up with excuses just like the friends in The Hare with Many Friends. In this case, it was a good thing. I really wanted to toy with the reader's emotions. I hoped to lead the reader down a dark path, and make them feel that this is a terribly sad story. Much like life, however, sometimes days that start off terribly can end really positively. I was a little inspired by the movie "Sixteen Candles," on which I based the idea of it being the main character's birthday and people close to her 'forget' about it. (Let's be honest though) With Facebook Birthday reminders, no one really forgets birthdays anymore. So for the sake of this story, no one checks their Facebook account that day.

Bibliography: The Hare with Many Friends, from Joseph Jacob's The Fables of Aesop. Found here.