Week 2 Story: Fairy Tales Beauty and the Basilisk
Once upon a time, there was a father with three sons in a far far away land, which was known for its beautiful valleys and stunning mountain views. One day, the father and the middle son were at the farmers market. The son said "father, I would like a loaf of bread." The father started to panic because he knew he could not afford the loaf of bread.
Meanwhile, the son and father continued to walk around the farmers market. There were lots of families, businesses, and dogs wondering around. The son kept telling his father how badly we wanted a loaf of bread. The father would always try to change the subject or show his son the vegetables, which is what he could afford.
While walking around the farmers market, a strange creature approached the son. Son soon realized it appeared to be a basilisk. The son started to run away, but the basilisk was too quick and immediately caught up to him.
The basilisk told the boy that he could get him a loaf of bread, in return for one thing. The boy was extremely happy but eager to learn what the exchange was going to be. The basilisk told the boy that he would have to exchange his father.
The boy started running away in fear, but the basilisk picked him up and flew away. The boy was terrified. The basilisk gave the boy a loaf of bread. He said, "now that I have given you this bread, you must give me your father."
The boys eyes were filled with fear, but he agreed to the basilisk because he was so frightened. They returned to the farmers market and the boy was running around searching for his father.
Finally, the found the father. The basilisk immediately snatched the father and the son began to cry. The father was trying to fight off the basilisk every way he could. The father eventually gave up.
The basilisk told the father that he would have to stab him to death in order to get his son back. With no fear or thinking, the father did it. The basilisk became so angry, he turned into a wolf. The wolf ran off, found the son, and carried him back to his father.
The father and son were reunited, and the basilisk (now wolf) ran off into the woods.
Author's Note: I chose to "recreate" the story "Fairy Tales: Beauty and the Basilisk." Instead of using the mother and three daughters, I used a father and three sons. I completely steered this story into an opposite direction because it helped me grow my creativity and inspired me to write something I have never written before. I still used the character the basilisk because I thought it was a good character to use that is evil.i
Bibliography: This story is from the version in: The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922).
Image from: The Basilisk by Friedrich Johann Justin Bertuch (1747-1822).
Hi Kylie,
ReplyDeleteI like how you made the story a father/son story instead of the traditional mother/daughter dynamic. It seems that in literature, movies, or television, there are fewer father/son narratives than others types. What stood out to me most was the strong family connection in the story! The father would do anything to save his son and the son wanted to keep his father safe. The picture you've included is really great! It gives a great picture of the creepy creature that attempts to steal away the main characters. It helped me to have a better mental image as I read your story! Great job!
Hey Kylie,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your take on this story. It shows just how bad temptation can be and that you need to be thankful for what you have. I have not read the original story yet, but you peaked my interest to see what it was like. You painted the scene quite well and helped me to imagine what the story looked like. Good job! I can't wait to read more from you!
Best,
Payton