Your task is to take the story that Kings tells about how evil comes into the world at the witches conference [In “The Truth About Stories” ] — and change the story any way you want — as long as the end remains the same: once you have told a story, you can never take it back. So, be careful of the stories you tell, AND the stories you listen to.
——-
There is a story I know. It is about how evil came into this world. A long, long time ago, a hole in the world opened up and Hell seeped in. No one was aware of this hole or how it even opened up to begin with, but its presence would soon become responsible for the creation of malice, deceit, violence, and corruption. There is some speculation of where the hole originated; some say that there are still remnants of the hole somewhere in Honduras; others believe that the hole originated somewhere in North America, Mexico, Asia… The hole started off small and undetectable, but as more malevolent spirits crept through, the hole began to broaden and deepen. The forces coming from within the Hellmouth began to strengthen. The once utopian world known to mankind soon became overrun with a plethora of varying evil spirits: deception, gluttony, envy, vengeance, defamation – all with the same agenda: to deliberately inflict pain upon an innocent. Having seeped through the hole, these Hell-originating evil spirits began to distribute themselves throughout parts of the world, corrupting each person in their path with an intangible and unescapable degree of evil that would permeate within them. For many centuries, people searched for ways to stop the permeation of evil and close the hole. These people desperately tried to take back the innocence of their world. “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” (King, 10).
Creating stories hasn’t always been a strong point for me; however, I actually found this assignment to be easier than I anticipated. I was able to mesh together ideas in my mind and develop a unique take on an origin story. Upon telling my story to some family members, I found that it was well received. Of course they initially weren’t exactly sure why I was bringing up the origins of evil at the dinner table, they added their own insights and further discussed the fictional tale I presented before them. I recited my story during a dinner at my house with extended relatives present, and it generated quite a bit of conversation on the concept of story-telling, and in particular, the topic at hand: how indeed did evil come into this world? While some family members seemed to have no grasp of where this table conversation was going, others were entirely invested and intrigued by the discussion. “A Hellmouth? Interesting concept, I never thought of evil originating in this manner…” or “I wonder what the world would be like today had a solution for evil been found”. My story about the opening of a Hellmouth and the release of varying evil spirits that traveled throughout the world corrupting innocence catalyzed a rather in-depth, family brainstorming session regarding other potential ways we could imagine how evil came to be.
“The truth about stories is that that’s all we are” (King, 2). This assignment has allowed me to better understand the power of story telling. Stories provoke conversation, wonder, perplexity, and ultimately, they can be retold countless times. To me, one’s individuality is derived from the various stories that make you, you.
Works Cited
King, Thomas. The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative. Peterbough:Anansi Press. 2003. Print.
Zombardo, Philip. “The psychology of evil” TED. Feb. 2008. Lecture.
“Power of Story: Serious Ladies at 2015 Sundance Film Festival.” Youtube. Youtube, 24 January 2015. Web. 28 January 2016.
Hi Neia,
Great post! I really enjoyed your story of how evil came into the world. I liked how you changed up most of the story from the original, it was very refreshing to read something that I did not read before. It was a little difficult for me to think of an entirely different story to write, and I think you did a perfect job on it! When I was reading your version of the story, it made me think about the Greek mythology of Pandora’s Box. Have you heard of it before? It was about a girl who received a box as a gift and was given the instruction to not open it. However because she was very curious, she decided to open it. When she lifted up the lid of the box, all things evil came out of the box. Since your story had evil come out of a hell hole, it reminded me of this story of how evil came out of the box! What inspired you to write this version of the story? Did you get any influences from past stories?
Cheers,
Althea
Hi Althea,
Thanks for the feedback! 🙂 Honestly, what inspired my rendition of this story was actually this show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I am not too sure if you are familiar with it, but the premise is that a young girl who is the slayer lives in this town that is situated on top of the “Hellmouth” which is an area thriving with supernatural evils. With this concept of the Hellmouth in mind, I contrived a story about a hole through which evil escaped from, and thus permeated throughout the world. 🙂
– Neia
Hi Neia! I really enjoyed your version of the story. And likewise, I shared my story with my family and found it rather interesting to see the reactions. The concept of evil started a huge discussion, including whether or not evil was a binding concept or was fluid depending on the context. I felt that the story, the teller, and the audience all interacted to create that experience. I was wondering, did you find that your retelling of the story the second time was in any way influenced by the whole interaction with your first audience?
-Maryam
Hi Maryam!
Thanks so much for your comment! Yes, I did find that my retelling it a second time was impacted by the first time. Mainly because I was more confident in retelling the story, and as a result, was more animated in my storytelling. Since my family responded to it rather positively, I really embraced the role of storyteller when I told my story the second time, and just had a lot of fun with it! 🙂
– Neia
Hi Neia,
I have to disagree with you on one point. You are a very good story teller. As I read your story I was thinking of how good of an imagination you must have. What really stuck with me was how you mention the hole being small and undetectable at first and then widening over time allowing more evil to enter. This is much how stories spread and gain momentum the more they are told and in the technological world we live in, it is clear how the word can spread very quickly. What I also find interesting while reading everyones stories is how we touch on different concepts such as “hell” in your story. It made me really think of where this idea of “hell” came from? I guess it must have come from a story as King mentions in his book, “the truth about stories is that that’s all we are” (King 2).
Danielle
Hi Danielle,
Thanks for your comment. I definitely understand your point that with technology, the spread of anything is quick and noticeable. I tried to situate my story in a time that was long ago, pre-dating the emergence of technology; so I hoped to get across the idea that during this time, the hole was initially undetectable, but as it became bigger, evil’s influence progressively became more and more unstoppable and noticeable. I agree with you! The different angles and perspectives people had on the origins of evil was immensely thought-provoking; it really does make one want to further research the concept of “hell”.
– Neia
Great imaginative story Neia,
You took the original idea and really made it your own rather than simply adapting or making minor adjustments. Like some of the other critics, I too got to thinking about the concept of hell and when and where it comes from. It is a strictly religious entity or does it predate modern religion?
Also, I took note of the relevance of the ‘hole’ and wondered if you chose this location for any particular reason. The Chicxulub crater is what first came to mind.
Thank you, Alex!
I am glad you enjoyed my version of the story. 🙂 Having gone to private Catholic schools for both elementary and high school, I have been taught to believe that the concept of hell is a predominantly religious entity. Of course, who really knows if this is the case? I think the origins of hell and where it comes from is subjective. While my background has impacted my decision, I am sure that if I did not have an extensive religious education my perception of hell would be quite different. This assignment really has me wishing I had all the answers to these questions!
As I noted in my response to Althea, I actually derived the Hellmouth concept from this show entitled, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While the show depicts the Hellmouth as a city, or epicentre of supernatural evils, I decided to make it a literal hole through which evil emanated from. Yes! The Chicxulub crater is a great visual representation of what I intended for the hole in my story to look reminiscent of. 🙂
– Neia