I am going to tell you a story,
A large group of children are sitting together in a simple and empty room. The room has four shiny white walls and a shiny white floor. There are no doors, or windows. All there is, are the children and a single countdown clock.
The 196 children are sitting together in silence. Looking around, sizing up one another, after a long silence one of the children looks up and begins to speak. “I come from a land made up of 40 different shades of green. Of winding rivers, lakes and canals.”
As the child is speaking, vivd images captures the room, transforming it into the landscapes they’re describing.
“We are surrounded by the whitest sand beaches, which frame our beautiful mountain tops.”
The other children are amazed at the sights around them, trying to absorb all that they see, one can overhear the faintest “oh wow!” or “look at that!”.
The first child continues “Our mountain ranges are mysterious, as they are scattered with huge caves and crevices fills with centuries of history. We are surrounded by the ocean…”
In the middle of the sentence another child bolts up and exclaims “My home is made up of low mountains and and fertile plains filled with rice paddies. There are sandy beaches, and coastal mountains on the islands which run along our coast. Our northern mountains are next to some of the highest in the world, and they are decorated with granite ridges that were formed millions of years ago. We have rivers and streams that run through our valleys, and rolling mountain ranges. I am simultaneously surrounded by bright colours from our past and glowing lights from our present.
One by one each child stands up and tells their stories, each more vivid from the last. The room is continuously transforming from mountains to valleys, deserts to ice fields, and lakes to rivers to oceans. The children were in awe of the beauty and colours from everywhere around the world.
After the group had heard from the first 195 children, ecstatic and happy, thinking they have heard it all, the last child stands up, reluctantly, knowing that it is their turn.
Standing, they take a deep breath and begin to speak.
“I recognize the places you have all spoke about, however I know them very differently. I only know of arid valleys, and barren mountain tops. I have never seen pristine beaches, only shorelines full of debris of completely abandoned and destroyed cities. I know of the deserts you have talked about, but where I am from they have spread much farther then you ever imagine. They are far into the farms and grasslands everywhere around them, making food very difficult to find. I have never seen a rain forest, a coral reef or a glacier. I have seen many fires, and storms of ice, wind rain and hail.
Loud and upset whispers echoed throughout the crowd drowning out the voice of final child.
As images of destruction run through the room, the rest of the children shudder with fear. ““Okay you win,” they said” weeping, looking at their beautiful world destroyed.
““But what you said just now — it isn’t so funny. It doesn’t sound so good. We are doing okay without it. We can get along without that kind of thing. Take it back. Call that story back.”
But, of course, it was too late. For once a story is told, it cannot be called back. Once told, it is loose in the world” and it is too late to go back.
First off, thank you for making it through my story. I really struggled with this assignment as I would never have referred to myself as a ‘storyteller’. In school I study architecture, so we learn that every decision we make needs to have a purpose, nothing can be arbitrary. So although they’re was definitely a formula that went along with changing this story, I really struggled with arbitrarily making one up.
However, I really enjoyed telling the story to my friends. It was interesting how much the story changed every time, mainly due to being interrupted mid sentence to answer questions. However each of these questions helped to formulate the final version of the story. It made me understand what was working both story wise, and through the style in which I was telling the story. Taking a note from King’s book, where he spoke about the difference in the ways he told each creation story, I hoped to tell my story in a stylistic manner, as opposed to a descriptive manner, and accomplishing this was difficult. I hope you enjoyed it, and remember, turn off your lights, separated your garbage, and try walking instead of using a vehicle, because every little bit of effort can help the world.
References
King, Thomas. The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative. Peterbough:Anansi Press. 2003. Print.
“Ireland’s Special Landscapes.” Ireland.com, www.ireland.com/en-us/about-ireland/discover-ireland/landscapes-with-attitude/.
Hafner, James A., et al. “Thailand.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 18 Jan. 2019, www.britannica.com/place/Thailand.