A Story Told On The Fly

I may not be much of a story teller, but here's the story I told carnilius this evening.

debkafantastique: ONce upon a time, a long ways from here, there was a little girl who wanted to be a frog
Cow of Dance: Oh yeah? What was her name?
debkafantastique: Marina
debkafantastique: she wanted to be a frog So badly that one morning, she packed a bag of a few changes of clothes (for until she became a frog), some food (ditto), an extra pair of shoes (ditto), and some flies (for afterwards), and set off to find her fairy godmother, so she could ask her to turn her into a frog
Cow of Dance: I once knew a girl named Marina.
debkafantastique: probably not the same one
debkafantastique: did she want to be a frog?
Cow of Dance: I don't know, her English wasn't so good.
debkafantastique: fair enough
debkafantastique: in any case, Marina set out to find her fairy godmother, but she didn't really know where to go to find her
debkafantastique: so she wandered out her front door early in the morning, before it was really light out, and just set out walking
debkafantastique: she walked and walked, until she came to a large tree. She sat down to take a rest, and under the tree there was a squirrel just hanging out
debkafantastique: She sat down, and the squirrel didn't run off, as squirrels are wont to do
debkafantastique: So she settled down and offered the squirrel a few bites of her sandwich, which the squirrel accepted, and after he (the squirrel- this was a male squirrel) finished chewing (he was also a very polite squirrel), he asked her what she was doing wandering alone
debkafantastique: She explained that she was looking for her fairy godmother, because she wanted to become a frog
debkafantastique: the squirrel said that he had no idea how to find her fairy godmother, but that there were some very nice acorns up the next tree that would turn into whatever you needed if you asked them nicely, and she should take some to use along her trip
debkafantastique: so she gathered a nice handful of acorns and continued along her way
Cow of Dance: Why didn't she ask them to turn into her fairy godmother?
debkafantastique: I think because they turn into Whats, not Whoms
debkafantastique: does that work?
Cow of Dance: Sure.
debkafantastique: *grins*
debkafantastique: So she kept on walking, turning right when right looked good, and keeping on going straight when that seemed best, and every once in a while, just for a change of pace, turning left
debkafantastique: And as she walked, the town where she grew up got sparcer and sparcer, and soon she found herself in a wide open field, full of wildflowers and raspberries (but without too many thorns, because this is, of course, a fairy tale)
debkafantastique: she set off across the field, stopping to eat some raspberries along the way
Cow of Dance: Wait, this is a fairy tale?
Cow of Dance: I thought it was about your friend, Marina.
debkafantastique: it's a fairy tale about a little girl named Marina, who wanted to become a frog
debkafantastique: I've never met Marina, myself
Cow of Dance: Oh, okay.
debkafantastique: While she was picking some raspberries, a blue jay flew down and landed on her shoulder
debkafantastique: She offered it some raspberries, and after it ate a few, it asked her where she was going
debkafantastique: She once again said that she was looking for her fairy godmother because she wanted to become a frog
debkafantastique: The blue jay said "I'm not your fairy godmother, but I think that if you head across the brook at the far end of the field, you might find someone who can point you in the right direction". And then it flew off
debkafantastique: So she ate some more raspberries, contemplated picking some to bring along with her, and then gave up on that idea because she hadn't brought any tupperware, and kept on walking
debkafantastique: When she got to the brook, she hopped across, using some rocks in the middle, and almost managing not the get wet- except that she fell in just before the far bank. So she trudged out of the brook, and sat down to dry off her feet and change her shoes
debkafantastique: and while she was sitting, she wondered aloud whom she should be looking for who could direct her to her fairy godmother
debkafantastique: After she said it, she sat still, and heard a voice coming from somewhere behind her
debkafantastique: "I know where some fairy godmothers are. They like to visit the rock quarry over the next mountain, and have tea there."
debkafantastique: Marina was startled
debkafantastique: after she caught her breath, she thanked the voice, and asked who it was, and what she could do for it
debkafantastique: A response came from behind her again, sounding very low to the ground- "I'm a turtle. And I could really use a purple mint plant to put in my tea, but I don't suppose you'd carry anything like that around with you."
debkafantastique: She said "no, I don't, I'm afraid, but if I see one, I'll bring it back for you." ANd then she stopped and thought- 'Wait! I do have those acorns. I wonder if one would turn into a purple mint plant.'
debkafantastique: She said as much to the turtle, took out an acorn, and said "Acorn, please, if you don't mind too much, it would be really wonderful if you could turn yourself into a purple mint plant so that I can reward this very nice turtle for the help it has given me"
debkafantastique: And then she placed the acorn on the ground, gently, and backed away a few steps
debkafantastique: For a moment nothing happened
debkafantastique: And then there was a puff of red and orange and silver smoke, and when it cleared the acorn was gone, and there was a lovely, large and abundant, bright purple mint plant growing before her
debkafantastique: The turtle thanked her quietly, and she headed off towards the nearest mountain
debkafantastique: She started climbing the mountain
debkafantastique: Up and up she went, higher and higher, along winding narrow paths, across fields of rocks and rolling forested areas, stopping occasionally to rest, and once to have a nice snack
debkafantastique: She went on, and finally reached the peak of the mountain. She stopped to admire the view, and then headed down the other side
debkafantastique: However, after a short while, she came to a steep drop that she couldn't climb down
debkafantastique: She was afraid that she would have to go far out of her way to find a way down, and then have to walk all the way around the mountain
debkafantastique: She stopped to think
debkafantastique: and then she thought of her acorns again, and thought- 'if only I had a rope, I could get down this cliff in no time, and not die in the process, either', because she was a very smart little girl, even if she had very odd aspirations in life
debkafantastique: So she said "dear acorn, it would be really swell if you would turn into a rope for me, so that I can get myself down this cliff. If you would, I'd be very grateful"
debkafantastique: Much like before, there was a pause while she put the acorn down, and then a puff of colorful smoke, and when the smoke cleared, there was a long coil of rope before you. She tied it to a conveniently located tree, and tied the other end to her belt, and slowly let herself down the cliff
debkafantastique: at the bottom, she untied herself, thanked the rope, and headed off down the mountain to look for the quarry with the tea-drinking fairy godmothers, hoping that her fairy godmother did in fact like tea and quarries, and not, say, rose gardens and coffee
debkafantastique: or basements and coca cola
debkafantastique: thus thinking, she kept walking absent-mindedly, until she came to a rickety old sign that said "quarry, this way"
debkafantastique: unfortunately, the sign had an arrow which spun in the wind
debkafantastique: So she closed her eyes, spun around, and took off in a random direction
debkafantastique: She walked for a while, and, not finding anything resembling a quarry, she turned back the way she had come
debkafantastique: When she reached the sign, she spun around again, and struck off in a different direction
debkafantastique: This time, she started to hear the tinkle of tea cups and female laughter that got louder as she went
debkafantastique: following that sound, she suddenly found herself in a large quarry of stone with high walls with tumbling mounds of rocks at their base, and in the middle of the flat middle area, there were a group of small tables, each with a tea pot in the middle, and 3 or 4 ladies with wings drinking tea and chatting and laughing aound each table
debkafantastique: So she walked up to the first table, and asked diffidently "Excuse me, how would I find my fairy godmother?"
debkafantastique: The ladies stopped, looked at her, took another look, and said "I think she's a couple of tables over. See her, there, in the blue top, with the purple wings?"
debkafantastique: Marina nodded, and headed over
debkafantastique: She waited patiently until there was a break in conversation, and then said "Excuse me, are you my fairy godmother?"
debkafantastique: Her fairy godmother turned to her, said "well, yes I am. I wasn't expecting you to need much from me yet, but if you've come all this way, well, tehre must be something important going on. Usually my charges just conjure me."
debkafantastique: "So what's wrong?"
debkafantastique: Marina paused and then answered- "I want to be a frog"
debkafantastique: Her fairy godmother thought a moment, said "That's an unusual one, are you sure?"
debkafantastique: "I'm quite sure", Marina said. "I Like swamps, I like mud, I like ribbitting, and I think I'll like flies."
debkafantastique: "Well, very well then" said her fairy godmother.
debkafantastique: "If you change your mind, you know where to find me, and don't worry- I do speak Frog."
debkafantastique: Marina's fairy godmother pulled out her wand, looked through her guidebook of useful spells, mumbled briefly, and then pointed her want at Marina
debkafantastique: nothing happened
debkafantastique: she tried again, and again, nothing happened
debkafantastique: a third time, a dramatic wand-pointing, a pause...
debkafantastique: and then a swirl of blue and purple lights came out of her wand, circled Marina dramatically, and spun faster and faster
debkafantastique: they kept circling, going faster and faster and faster...
debkafantastique: until they spun off, and Marina the frog hopped out of her old clothes, caught a fly with her tongue, and hopped off into the distance, finally happy
debkafantastique: The End
debkafantastique: And now I'm afraid that it's bedtime for me
debkafantastique: I hope the story was at least a little bit worthwhile
Cow of Dance:
Cow of Dance: What happened to the third acorn?
debkafantastique: It's still in Marina's bag, which is hanging out with her fairy godmother in case she wants to become a girl again someday
Cow of Dance: Ah, okay.
Cow of Dance: Did you come up with this story on the fly?
debkafantastique: yeah
Cow of Dance: Neat.

A Story Told On The Fly

I may not be much of a story teller, but here's the story I told carnilius this evening.

debkafantastique: ONce upon a time, a long ways from here, there was a little girl who wanted to be a frog
Cow of Dance: Oh yeah? What was her name?
debkafantastique: Marina
debkafantastique: she wanted to be a frog So badly that one morning, she packed a bag of a few changes of clothes (for until she became a frog), some food (ditto), an extra pair of shoes (ditto), and some flies (for afterwards), and set off to find her fairy godmother, so she could ask her to turn her into a frog
Cow of Dance: I once knew a girl named Marina.
debkafantastique: probably not the same one
debkafantastique: did she want to be a frog?
Cow of Dance: I don't know, her English wasn't so good.
debkafantastique: fair enough
debkafantastique: in any case, Marina set out to find her fairy godmother, but she didn't really know where to go to find her
debkafantastique: so she wandered out her front door early in the morning, before it was really light out, and just set out walking
debkafantastique: she walked and walked, until she came to a large tree. She sat down to take a rest, and under the tree there was a squirrel just hanging out
debkafantastique: She sat down, and the squirrel didn't run off, as squirrels are wont to do
debkafantastique: So she settled down and offered the squirrel a few bites of her sandwich, which the squirrel accepted, and after he (the squirrel- this was a male squirrel) finished chewing (he was also a very polite squirrel), he asked her what she was doing wandering alone
debkafantastique: She explained that she was looking for her fairy godmother, because she wanted to become a frog
debkafantastique: the squirrel said that he had no idea how to find her fairy godmother, but that there were some very nice acorns up the next tree that would turn into whatever you needed if you asked them nicely, and she should take some to use along her trip
debkafantastique: so she gathered a nice handful of acorns and continued along her way
Cow of Dance: Why didn't she ask them to turn into her fairy godmother?
debkafantastique: I think because they turn into Whats, not Whoms
debkafantastique: does that work?
Cow of Dance: Sure.
debkafantastique: *grins*
debkafantastique: So she kept on walking, turning right when right looked good, and keeping on going straight when that seemed best, and every once in a while, just for a change of pace, turning left
debkafantastique: And as she walked, the town where she grew up got sparcer and sparcer, and soon she found herself in a wide open field, full of wildflowers and raspberries (but without too many thorns, because this is, of course, a fairy tale)
debkafantastique: she set off across the field, stopping to eat some raspberries along the way
Cow of Dance: Wait, this is a fairy tale?
Cow of Dance: I thought it was about your friend, Marina.
debkafantastique: it's a fairy tale about a little girl named Marina, who wanted to become a frog
debkafantastique: I've never met Marina, myself
Cow of Dance: Oh, okay.
debkafantastique: While she was picking some raspberries, a blue jay flew down and landed on her shoulder
debkafantastique: She offered it some raspberries, and after it ate a few, it asked her where she was going
debkafantastique: She once again said that she was looking for her fairy godmother because she wanted to become a frog
debkafantastique: The blue jay said "I'm not your fairy godmother, but I think that if you head across the brook at the far end of the field, you might find someone who can point you in the right direction". And then it flew off
debkafantastique: So she ate some more raspberries, contemplated picking some to bring along with her, and then gave up on that idea because she hadn't brought any tupperware, and kept on walking
debkafantastique: When she got to the brook, she hopped across, using some rocks in the middle, and almost managing not the get wet- except that she fell in just before the far bank. So she trudged out of the brook, and sat down to dry off her feet and change her shoes
debkafantastique: and while she was sitting, she wondered aloud whom she should be looking for who could direct her to her fairy godmother
debkafantastique: After she said it, she sat still, and heard a voice coming from somewhere behind her
debkafantastique: "I know where some fairy godmothers are. They like to visit the rock quarry over the next mountain, and have tea there."
debkafantastique: Marina was startled
debkafantastique: after she caught her breath, she thanked the voice, and asked who it was, and what she could do for it
debkafantastique: A response came from behind her again, sounding very low to the ground- "I'm a turtle. And I could really use a purple mint plant to put in my tea, but I don't suppose you'd carry anything like that around with you."
debkafantastique: She said "no, I don't, I'm afraid, but if I see one, I'll bring it back for you." ANd then she stopped and thought- 'Wait! I do have those acorns. I wonder if one would turn into a purple mint plant.'
debkafantastique: She said as much to the turtle, took out an acorn, and said "Acorn, please, if you don't mind too much, it would be really wonderful if you could turn yourself into a purple mint plant so that I can reward this very nice turtle for the help it has given me"
debkafantastique: And then she placed the acorn on the ground, gently, and backed away a few steps
debkafantastique: For a moment nothing happened
debkafantastique: And then there was a puff of red and orange and silver smoke, and when it cleared the acorn was gone, and there was a lovely, large and abundant, bright purple mint plant growing before her
debkafantastique: The turtle thanked her quietly, and she headed off towards the nearest mountain
debkafantastique: She started climbing the mountain
debkafantastique: Up and up she went, higher and higher, along winding narrow paths, across fields of rocks and rolling forested areas, stopping occasionally to rest, and once to have a nice snack
debkafantastique: She went on, and finally reached the peak of the mountain. She stopped to admire the view, and then headed down the other side
debkafantastique: However, after a short while, she came to a steep drop that she couldn't climb down
debkafantastique: She was afraid that she would have to go far out of her way to find a way down, and then have to walk all the way around the mountain
debkafantastique: She stopped to think
debkafantastique: and then she thought of her acorns again, and thought- 'if only I had a rope, I could get down this cliff in no time, and not die in the process, either', because she was a very smart little girl, even if she had very odd aspirations in life
debkafantastique: So she said "dear acorn, it would be really swell if you would turn into a rope for me, so that I can get myself down this cliff. If you would, I'd be very grateful"
debkafantastique: Much like before, there was a pause while she put the acorn down, and then a puff of colorful smoke, and when the smoke cleared, there was a long coil of rope before you. She tied it to a conveniently located tree, and tied the other end to her belt, and slowly let herself down the cliff
debkafantastique: at the bottom, she untied herself, thanked the rope, and headed off down the mountain to look for the quarry with the tea-drinking fairy godmothers, hoping that her fairy godmother did in fact like tea and quarries, and not, say, rose gardens and coffee
debkafantastique: or basements and coca cola
debkafantastique: thus thinking, she kept walking absent-mindedly, until she came to a rickety old sign that said "quarry, this way"
debkafantastique: unfortunately, the sign had an arrow which spun in the wind
debkafantastique: So she closed her eyes, spun around, and took off in a random direction
debkafantastique: She walked for a while, and, not finding anything resembling a quarry, she turned back the way she had come
debkafantastique: When she reached the sign, she spun around again, and struck off in a different direction
debkafantastique: This time, she started to hear the tinkle of tea cups and female laughter that got louder as she went
debkafantastique: following that sound, she suddenly found herself in a large quarry of stone with high walls with tumbling mounds of rocks at their base, and in the middle of the flat middle area, there were a group of small tables, each with a tea pot in the middle, and 3 or 4 ladies with wings drinking tea and chatting and laughing aound each table
debkafantastique: So she walked up to the first table, and asked diffidently "Excuse me, how would I find my fairy godmother?"
debkafantastique: The ladies stopped, looked at her, took another look, and said "I think she's a couple of tables over. See her, there, in the blue top, with the purple wings?"
debkafantastique: Marina nodded, and headed over
debkafantastique: She waited patiently until there was a break in conversation, and then said "Excuse me, are you my fairy godmother?"
debkafantastique: Her fairy godmother turned to her, said "well, yes I am. I wasn't expecting you to need much from me yet, but if you've come all this way, well, tehre must be something important going on. Usually my charges just conjure me."
debkafantastique: "So what's wrong?"
debkafantastique: Marina paused and then answered- "I want to be a frog"
debkafantastique: Her fairy godmother thought a moment, said "That's an unusual one, are you sure?"
debkafantastique: "I'm quite sure", Marina said. "I Like swamps, I like mud, I like ribbitting, and I think I'll like flies."
debkafantastique: "Well, very well then" said her fairy godmother.
debkafantastique: "If you change your mind, you know where to find me, and don't worry- I do speak Frog."
debkafantastique: Marina's fairy godmother pulled out her wand, looked through her guidebook of useful spells, mumbled briefly, and then pointed her want at Marina
debkafantastique: nothing happened
debkafantastique: she tried again, and again, nothing happened
debkafantastique: a third time, a dramatic wand-pointing, a pause...
debkafantastique: and then a swirl of blue and purple lights came out of her wand, circled Marina dramatically, and spun faster and faster
debkafantastique: they kept circling, going faster and faster and faster...
debkafantastique: until they spun off, and Marina the frog hopped out of her old clothes, caught a fly with her tongue, and hopped off into the distance, finally happy
debkafantastique: The End
debkafantastique: And now I'm afraid that it's bedtime for me
debkafantastique: I hope the story was at least a little bit worthwhile
Cow of Dance:
Cow of Dance: What happened to the third acorn?
debkafantastique: It's still in Marina's bag, which is hanging out with her fairy godmother in case she wants to become a girl again someday
Cow of Dance: Ah, okay.
Cow of Dance: Did you come up with this story on the fly?
debkafantastique: yeah
Cow of Dance: Neat.