PROMPTuesday #12 - And the Moral of the Story
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Deb’s at it again. She made things more difficult this time, though.
(courtesy of The Cocktail Maven, who sadly, does not yet have a blog of her own):
The ancient Greek storyteller, Aesop is known for morality fables featuring anthropomorphic animals, insects, plants, and even statuary. This PROMPTuesday, I’d like to see everyone knock out a little fable of their own. Take a principle you live by, put it in a story and create your own axiom for the ages. The final sentence of your story should state the moral.
A little rusty on your Aesop? Think along the lines of “The Tortoise and the Hare,” “Androcles and the Lion,” “The Fox and the Grapes,” or this familiar one about the Ant and the Grasshopper:
In a field one summer’s day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.
“Why not come and chat with me,” said the Grasshopper, “instead of toiling and moiling in that way?”
“I am helping to lay up food for the winter,” said the Ant, “and recommend you to do the same.”
“Why bother about winter?” said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present.” But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.
Usual PROMPTuesday guidelines apply (see below). Have Fun!
- • You must write your entry in 10 minutes. This encourages top-of-mind, primal thinking before the ego and judgmental brain kicks in. Just set a timer, make your kid count to 600 slowly, whatever. It’s an honor system. And I trust you.
• Keep to 250 words or less.
• Please have fun. Don’t put pressure on yourself. Together, let’s rediscover the simple joy in the writing process.
• Post your submission in the comments OR post in your blog and leave a link to your blog in the comments.
My story for the ages:
There once was a girl who loved her grandmother’s kitchen, with all its heavenly smells and those wonderful jars of various colorful treats. She’d spend hours in there with Grandma and often asked her if she could have “just one” of the items in this jar or that. Grandma always told her, “take two, one’ll make you sick.” Not knowing what this meant, the little girl always did as instructed. Carefully, deliberately, she’d take two of whatever she’d selected for the day, pop them into her mouth one at a time, and enjoy the special yummy thing, whatever it was, although the girl’s favorites were the cinnamon candies. The years went on and the girl grew into a woman, but she never forgot her grandmother’s words, “take two, one’ll make you sick.” She still didn’t know what that meant, but it was a rule she lived by. One day, the girl-turned-woman was at lunch with friends and decided to have a piece of what looked to be delicious cantaloupe that was piled on two plates. The girl-turned-woman took one slice of melon and carefully bit into it, savoring the sweet juices. Suddenly, she doubled over in pain and yelled for help. The hostess of the party came over to help and said, “you forgot to bring your appetizer today, didn’t you?” The girl-turned-woman nodded, not understanding what that had to do with her agony. The hostess, ever so sweetly, said, “If you promise not to forget your assigned dish again, I’ll give you the antidote for the poison you just ate.” The girl-turned-woman nodded vigorously in agreement, so the hostess handed her another slice of melon from the other plate and advised her to eat quickly. The girl-turned-woman did and within a moment felt much better. She also finally understood her grandmother’s wise words.
Right, got it. Always take two of everything and don’t forget to bring an appetiser or your friends will poison you.
Comment by Oscar — July 8, 2008 @ 7:31 pm
You always rise to the occasion beautifully.
I haven’t even done this PROMPT yet and now you’ve intimidated me!
Comment by San Diego Momma — July 8, 2008 @ 7:41 pm
Oscar, always take two, but if there are two plates of the same thing, take one from each. Nibble at each. That way you’re prepared. Forget about the damn appetizers. Some of us are poor.
Deb, No, see, a NORMAL person would have made this about being a good guest or sticking with “take two” or something, but I garbled it. Still, it’s my world and let’s face it, nothing here is normal. It’s not intimidating. It’s just weird.
Comment by DaGoddess — July 8, 2008 @ 7:53 pm
i finally got mine done, Better Late Than Never
Yours is nicely encapsulated and has a beginning, middle and end. mine only has the end. I blame the lack of sleep.
Temple
Comment by Temple Stark — July 9, 2008 @ 10:59 pm
So great. Aren’t grandmother’s terrific? We always remember their kitchens, don’t we? My grandmother’s tiny kitchen in a tiny village in Germany, still burned coal. She had a vicious sense of humor and the family chin, both of which have been handed down for generations. Thanks for playing.
Comment by Cocktail Maven — July 10, 2008 @ 9:58 am
Yes, grandmothers are wonderful and I miss mine so much! I’m so glad my kids get to spend plenty of time with theirs.
A coal fueled kitchen? Oh my! And I bet she had perfect control over the temperature too. Anyone who grows up cooking with coal or wood is magic in my eyes.
Comment by DaGoddess — July 10, 2008 @ 12:23 pm