No Rain Checks

Once upon a time, there were two twin brothers. One was named Mr. Fox and the other was Mr. Faux. The two looked identical, but were very, very different. Mr. Fox had all the smarts: he was brave, rich and successful. Mr. Faux was not so lucky. He was manipulative, cold-hearted and lonely. Mr. Fox tried to help Mr. Faux to acquire some of his valued characteristics, but Mr. Faux did not want to be like his twin brother. Instead, he enjoyed the dark, lonely world he lived in. Mr. Fox fell in love with a woman named Lady Mary, and he did not want Mary to ever find out about his brother. This was easy to do, as the two didn't cross paths much. In fact, the only place where you could find Mr. Faux was in the family castle. Mr. Fox and Lady Mary planned to get married. Mr. Fox wondered if he should tell Lady Mary about his brother, but decided against it. After all, they didn't hang out much and she might be frightened off if she knows the dark truth about his brother. So, M...

Once upon a time, there was a family that was highly looked down upon. The family consisted of a young girl and her four children. However, they weren't like any regular family. The young girl gave birth to four puppies. This is because she was impregnated by a dog who turned into a human at night. The girl's family was embarrassed by her, as they thought she lied about how she got pregnant since she was only ever with her dog. The family left her alone to fend for herself. The girl gave birth to four puppies and raised them alone. The puppies had something in common with their father: they, too, turned into human boys. The girl raised the boys alone, away from the society that so harshly ridiculed her. She knew they wouldn't understand her lifestyle. The only being that knew about her children's inhumane abilities was the local Crow, who often watched the puppies turn into boys. When the mother spotted the Crow watching her family sing and dance, she knew she had t...

One day, in the heart of South Africa, there was an Elephant. Elephant was extremely dehydrated, and he had been searching for water for days. Elephant begged the Earth to rain, but had no luck. He eventually set out to find someone or something that could get him water. South African Elephant.  Photo from Wikipedia. Elephant talked to many animals that could not help him. Once he spoke to a Crow who cast lots to produce rain, rain fell into lagoons. Elephant was overjoyed, but quickly saw that the water supply was not nearly enough. He needed to keep this water while also continuing to search for more. The Elephant came across a Tortoise near the water. He asked the Tortoise to watch over his water supply and to not let any other being have it. The Tortoise agreed, scared of the Elephant's size. As the Elephant searched for more water, he didn't find any luck. He went back to the lagoon to drink what he had left, but when he arrived there was no water. Tortoise explai...

One day, out of nowhere, a discombobulated man was washed up onto my island. I'm the king of the island, so I knew it had to be my decision if he went or stayed. Because he looked so frantic, I allowed him on my island. All he had was a piece of wood, what kind of guy would I be if I didn't give him shelter and food? Here's what Sindbad described his shipwreck looked like.  Photo from the original story . It turned out the man's name was Sindbad. He claimed to have undergone a tragedy in which he lost his ship and crew. I didn't think much of it, because that happens all along. He was lucky to have even made it this far. Sindbad told me all about his adventures. He underwent such trauma that I opened my island to him, offering him food and shelter. He quickly found a home on my island, and was a functioning member of society. One day, a cargo ship beached on my island to drop off a usual load of merchandise. However, this ship was not our usual visitor....

Once upon a time, there was a man that believed heavily in fate. He believed so much so that his life seemed to depend on it. The man had positive experiences with fate, and he assumed that meant he was being blessed due to his good behavior. When he wanted information about the future, he'd consult with an akhund to reveal his horoscope. One day, the man wanted to know if he'd have children. To his surprise, he consulted with his horoscope and found out that he would have a son. However, it was not going to be a positive experience. The akhund revealed to the man that his son would be torn to pieces by a wolf, no matter how much he protected him. Worried, but not discouraged, the man knew he could reverse fate and protect his first child from this tragedy. Becoming a father meant everything to the man. The man was overjoyed with the news. He immediately began building a chamber for his son to live; a chamber in which he knew his son would be protected from wolves. The ma...

There was once a Saint named Saint Francis, and he was known for his unmatched joy. Saint Francis had nothing: no home, no money and no food. Though offered all of these things, he denied each of them in hopes of embodying a life similar to his own master, God.  Saint Francis loved all things, and all things loved him back. He was not only kind to creatures that were not loved by others, but he was also always positive amongst the beggars who could not act in this same way. Saint Francis was a servant of God, and it showed in all of his emotions and actions.  Painting of Saint Francis of Assisi in Mexico. Taken from WikiMedia. Because of his joy, Saint Francis was offered many gifts. He was able to bring spirits up when they were so low, and people wanted to repay him for his positivity. One day, a wealthy woman came to Saint Francis bearing gifts. "Take these gifts," the woman said, "you have done so much for me, now I must repay you." Saint Fra...

Way back when, there was a woman named Mary. Now Mary was the mother of baby Jesus, which I know some people have been informed about, and others think, is a myth. Mary’s miracle of birthing a child on behalf of God’s terms was undoubtedly a mystery, but did that really mean she had superhuman powers? Way back when, there was a woman named Mary. Mary was the mother of baby Jesus, and had this child because God called on her. Some believed this story, while others believed it was a myth. Clearly a virgin having a child has to be given some sort of superhuman powers, right? Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Photo from Wikipedia. Mary was thought to be a healer: someone with unordinary power to heal all kinds of things that seemed to be a lost cause. At this time, there were many success stories about Mary’s powers on people that needed healing. Specifically, healing people with a particular disease. One day, a disea...