Story: The Rose Tree

There once was a dog, who had no owner, that was often seen stealing various objects from the grocery store. Many people felt bad for the poor dog and handed her a few pieces of food every now and then. There were also those that  disliked the dog scavenging around and shooed her away. Regardless, she always came back. 

One day, a young woman was leaving leaving the store with groceries in hand when she noticed the dog cowering behind a car in the parking lot. This woman was new to town and had never seen the dog before. She looked into her paper bag and decided to give away some of her food. The woman took her loaf of bread, opened the package, and grabbed a couple of slices to offer to the dog. As she squatted to the ground she called out and waved the bead in its direction. The dog was wary at first but couldn’t resist the free food. It slowly inched closer to the woman until it was close enough to snatch the bread slices and run off. The woman smiled knowing that she had helped the starving dog. 

The next day, the woman came back to the grocery store and looked for the dog after she had bought her items. Surely enough the dog was sitting in the parking lot. The woman reached in her bag again and pulled out a few pieces of pre-cooked chicken for the dog. This time the dog was less timid and ran to the lady, grabbed the chicken, and ran behind the store. The woman watched carefully and noticed that the dog had gone that same way the day before. She also realized that it never ate the food right away. 

The woman went to the store for a third day, and bought more bread and chicken for the dog. This time when she gave the dog some food she followed after it. The dog ran behind the small grocery store, past the dumpsters and into a group of bushes beyond. When the woman finally caught up she heard whimpering and realized that the dog had puppies that she was feeding. The dog noticed the woman and instantly became defensive, but the woman handed her more food and she calmed down. The puppies then ran towards her and showered her in a flurry of puppy kisses. The woman laughed and handed them each a a few pieces of bread. She then decided to take them all home so that she could take care of them properly. The mother dog was thin from giving all her food to the puppies. 

One at home the dogs settled in nicely. They especially liked the warmth of the fireplace and soft couch. After the dogs were nursed back to health she found homes for all the puppies and gave each new owner a candle. She wanted each puppy to be connected, even though they were going to live separated from one another. The woman decided to keep the mother dog and one of the puppies for herself. From that moment on the dogs never went hungry again. 

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Author’s note: I used the “Rose-Tree” for this weeks story post. In the original there was a dog who kept stealing the candles that a girl bought from the grocery store day after day. The dog wasn’t a significant character, and it was never explained why it was doing this. I decided to write about this dog and the possible reasons it might have for hanging around a grocery store. I decided that it was a mother dog that was only trying to feed her puppies. I took a lot of creative liberties for this story, but I did try to keep the candle element. Instead of the dog stealing candles I decided to have those be given  to each new owner of the puppies. 

Bibliography: “The Rose-Tree” by Joseph Jacobs. 

Reading: Welsh Fairy Book, Part A

When I started reading “March’s Ears” I wasn’t expecting him to actually have horse ears. I think the concept was interesting, he could have anything he wanted but he was insecure about how his ears looked. 

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Bibliography: Welsh Fairy Book by Jenkyn Thomas

Reading: English Fairy Tales, Part A

In "Tom Tit Tot" I thought this quote was funny: “she meant, you know, the crust would get soft.” While I read this story it also seemed like the king was disappointed that he didn’t get to kill his wife: “and as I reckon I shan't have to kill you”

When I read the “Rose-Tree” I kept wondering about that dog who kept stealing the candles. What was it doing with them? 

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Bibliography: English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs 

Story: Hey Diddle Diddle

There once was a little dog, more specifically a brown chihuahua, who had been born with the ability to wield magic. He was known to wander and as a result he never stayed in the same place for long. This was ideal since he had the tendency to cause mischief wherever he went. Of course today was no different. 

As the tiny dog was strolling along the roadside he came across a quiet farm. He noticed a cow speckled with black spots standing by the barn, and a brown tabby cat lounging on the farmhouse porch. Beside the cat was a worn-out fiddle, dish, and spoon. Instantly, an idea popped up in the chihuahua’s head and he headed for the grazing cow. She didn’t take much notice of him until he cleared his throat. Once her gaze was on him he spoke. 

“Hello there, I was just wondering-“ 

“No,” the cow interrupted. 

“I just had a question miss. Would you believe me if I told you that I have magic?” The dog asked. 

The cow rolled her eyes before responding. “No.” 

The chihuahua’s patience was starting to waver, but he continued on. “Well, what would you do if I could prove that I have magic?” 

The cow stopped chewing for a moment to consider this. “I’d jump over the moon.” 

“Deal!” smiled the little dog. He then turned to head for the snoring tabby on the porch. As he approached he began to recite a spell. “HEY! Diddle, diddle. The cat and the fiddle.” As the last word came out of his mouth the magical dog barked once and the cat woke up, grabbed the fiddle, and started to play. 

The cat was wide eyed and confused. “DUDE! What’d you do to me!?” 

“Just a little spell,” replied the dog. He then turned towards the dish and spoon before starting a new spell. “HEY! Diddle, diddle. The dish ran after the spoon.” Once again he barked at the end and the spoon flew from the bowl and started running towards the sunset. Then the dish became animated and raced after it like there was no tomorrow. 

The tabby cat audibly gasped and the dog heard a deep bellow from behind him. 

“You actually did it…” The cow trailed off. “Too bad I can’t actually jump over the moon.”

The little brown dog brightened up at this. “I can arrange that. I still have one more spell.”

He took a deep breath and recited, “HEY! Diddle, diddle. The cow jumped over the moon!”

And with that the cow began to glow and rise slowly off the ground. She climbed higher and higher and eventually she began to gain speed. In just a few seconds she was hurtling out of the atmosphere. The chihuahua watched as this happened and couldn’t help but burst out laughing. He blinked away tears as he saw the cow round the moon and come flying back to Earth. She then landed safely next to the dog. 

(the cow jumping over the moon, source)

“ARE YOU CRAZY?” she yelled. “YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!” 

“But I didn’t, and you’re safe aren’t you?” the dog asked. 

“I guess that was kinda cool.” the cow sighed and looked over at the cat. “You should probably take the spell off of him.” 

The dog glanced over his shoulder and barked twice. As a result the cat dropped the fiddle and yawned before falling back asleep. The chihuahua magician then said goodbye to the cow and went on his way. 

To this day there’s still an antique dish and spoon running across the Earth. 

Author's note: I based this story on the "Hey Diddle Diddle" nursery rhyme. There weren't many details so I had to make up some things, such as the dog being magical and causing chaos. I tried to keep the elements form the nursery rhyme, such as the cow jumping over the moon and the cat playing the fiddle. I also based the dog character on my own chihuahua, Hunter!

Bibliography: Nursery Rhymes by Andrew Lang

Reading: Nursery Rhymes, Part A

“There Was a Crooked Man” was pretty interesting to me, is he physically crooked or is he “crooked” personality wise?

“The Lion and the Unicorn” had a cool dynamic to it as well. I would have never pictured a lion and a unicorn fighting over the leadership of a kingdom. 

(Illustration from "The Lion and the Unicorn," source)

The riddle about the dog’s name being “Take” was clever too. 

Bibliography: Nursery Rhymes by Andrew Lang 

Reading: Nursery Rhymes, Part B

I enjoyed these nursery rhymes, and they would all be fun to base a story on! The illustrations were also very nice.

Of course I liked “Hey Diddle Diddle” and I think it would be a nice challenge to try and lengthen it into a story. I want to know why all these things are happening, like why the cow is jumping over the moon. 

(Illustration for "Hey Diddle Diddle," source) 

I feel like I could use this rhyme as a sequel to a story I wrote earlier in the semester about Petal the cat. 

Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, where have you been?

PUSSY-CAT, pussy-cat, where have you been?

I've been to London to look at the queen.

Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, what did you there?

I frighten'd a little mouse under the chair.

“What Little Boys are Made of” reminds me of the Powderpuff Girls with “sugar, spice, and everything nice.” 

Bibliography: Nursery Rhymes by Andrew Lang 

Reading: American Indian Fairy Tales, Part A

In “Iagoo, the Story-Teller” I really liked the line “and there was magic in almost everything.” It felt almost whimsical, and caught my attention. I also think Iagoo is an interesting character and I would like to know more about him. Was he always good at telling stories? Will he pass his stories onto a new person in the future?

I also enjoyed “The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds.” I loved the description of the valley and the interactions between all the animals to save the two kids. 

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Bibliography: American Indian Fairy Tales by Henry Schoolcraft