Week 2 Story: Basilisk's Revenge
Basilisk's Revenge
Once upon a time, there was a mother and her three daughters. The mother loved her daughters dearly, and wanted to provide for them as much as she could. One day, the mother was heading out to the market. She generously asked her three daughters what gifts they wanted. The first two daughters gave a simple list of things that they wanted. However, the youngest daughter, Mary, asked for a list so extravagant that her mother knew she could not give her all that she'd wished for. Mary was not only demanding, but she was not easily pleased.
The mother stumbled a bit past the market, and found herself in the midst of a terrifying creature. This creature was a basilisk: an animal resembling a dragon-bird hybrid.
"I will not give you anything," said the basilisk, "unless you give me your youngest child."
Mary panicked, knowing how stubborn her youngest daughter Mary is. She knew she would have to trick her daughter into the trade, or it would be her that was sacrificed. The mother ran home, and insisted to Mary that she needs to come with her right away. This is where the mother led her youngest daughter back to the kingdom of the basilisk.
Legend has it that Mary did not do what the basilisk asked of her. She had the ability to became the heir of a fairytale, but her horrible attitude made the basilisk angry. The mother lost her most aggressive daughter that day, yet the family did not feel sorry. Mary's horrible attitude made her quick to forget.
In the kingdom, the basilisk sent one of his slaves to go find Mary's mother for revenge. He wanted a daughter who appreciated him; perhaps one of the other two daughters. As the tale tells it, the middle daughter went to his kingdom and her optimistic presence changed his whole outlook on life. The basilisk turned into a handsome prince, and the middle daughter experienced the happily ever after that Mary could have had.
Author's Note and Bibliography
This story is similar to the famous Beauty and the Beast. Except in this story, the beast is a basilisk. In the story, a mother asks her three daughters what they want from the market. The first two daughters have a list of things they want, while the youngest daughter, Mary, only asks for three roses from the market. The original story made me focus on Mary, because she seemed so undemanding and content. In my storytelling version, Mary is the stubborn child who cannot be pleased.This made me wonder, what could happen if Mary changed her personality into being not so easily pleased, and very demanding? After the basilisk asked Mary to do certain things, in which she did, Mary got rewarded by a beautiful man that wanted to share his castle with her and marry her. Mary got the happily ever after fairy tale because she pleased the basilisk and did what he asked. What would happen if she had refused?
Demery,
ReplyDeleteYour take on this is so interesting! This is the story that I rewrote as well, although in my version I made Mary's character even more humble and kind than she was portrayed in the original version! So it was neat to see how you made her into a real witch! Good work!
Hi Demery!
ReplyDeleteI like the twist you put on this. It shows that not only does the "nice" sister get happily ever after, but the "mean" one is punished. It might have also have been interesting to mention a task that Mary refused to do that the nice sister did, for even more of a comparison! I can’t wait to see what other stories you tell.
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ReplyDeleteDemery, This was an interesting way of presenting this story! I liked how you really thought outside the box for the plot. There was a little confusion for me with the names, i think this sentence "Mary panicked, knowing how stubborn her youngest daughter Mary is. " was a typo. I would have liked a little more explanation on why the mother was so willing to give her daughter away- maybe the basilisk threatened to eat her whole family if she did not do as she said? This story has a lot of potential and I think could really be brought to life with a little descriptive language. What was Mary feeling? How did her mother trick her? I think it just needs to be fleshed out a little more. How did the middle sister feel about having to go in her younger sister's place? Was she furious or excited at the adventure? Good job!
ReplyDeleteHi Demery, the way you painted this retold story is incredibly creative. I admire the way you changed the third daughter to be demanding in her wishes when her mother goes to the market. I think you could expand even more on the Mary's character. Perhaps a background on what drove her to be this way. Also, who was the basilik? I think the last paragraph could have been separated into two, providing more information on how why Mary was rewarded instead of her sister or what she did not follow instructions on.
ReplyDeleteHi Demery,
ReplyDeleteGreat job, I like your twist on this story! This story is one that I enjoyed reading, and I love seeing the different take on it. Your story contains a lot of karma, and I think it is awesome, because many stories are sweet, or have happily ever afters and that is often not how the world works. Mary was mean and stubborn, it would not be fair for her to get the best life when her sister actually deserved it.
Professor Gibbs suggested we give each story feedback based on the three W's. For your story, I give this a WOW because of the creative and realistic story twist. It was simple and easy to read and you even included a nice image that helped gained insight into what the creatures looked like. Nice work, I can't wait to read more stories from you as the semester continues!