Week 13 Storytelling: Faith

Faith

Anita Patel lived with her parents and little brother, Aneesh. The Patels were a religious family. When anything good happened to them, they went to the temple to pray and thank God. The Patels were filled with faith. Growing up, Anita was taught to turn to God when she was facing any difficulties. Not only that, she was also taught to turn to God when anything good happened to her. Her parents explained to her that God is there through the good and the bad, so she should turn to Him when anything happens. 

When Anita started high school, she met a group of girl friends that didn't have the greatest reputation. They partied a lot and did poorly in school. As Anita began to hang out with them more, she picked up some of their habits. It should be noted that, before meeting these girls, Anita was top of her class. She was also on the high school soccer team. Everyone knew she had a bright future ahead of her. 

(Soccer. Source: Free Stock Photos)

As Anita entered her sophomore year, she dropped down in class ranking. She was no longer in the top 1%. She was also in trouble with the soccer coach because she would skip practice far too often. Anita also stopped going to the temple with her parents. She hardly ever prayed. She complained when her parents reminded her to thank God for anything and everything. She would tell them that her life had been going great for so long that she didn't need to thank Him anymore. Her parents didn't know what to say to convince her otherwise. 

As sophomore year went on, Anita fell farther and farther behind in school. Her and her friends would skip class to go to the mall and meet up with older boys. She would party every weekend. One day, when she was hanging out with this college boy at a house party, the cops came. They told every underage kid that they couldn't leave the premises until their parents came to pick them up. Anita knew she was in trouble. Anita tried to pray to God, but it seems like He wasn't listening. When her parents got there, they were enraged. 

On the night before her big Calculus exam, Anita was out with her friends instead of studying. She decided that she didn't need to study because cool kids don't study. On the morning of her exam, she began to panic. She realized that if she got anything lower than a B on the test, she would not be eligible to play soccer. She started to pray to God, but again, it seemed like He wasn't listening to her pleas. When the test grades came back, Anita realized that she got a D on the exam. She couldn't play soccer for the rest of the semester. 

Anita went and cried to her parents. She explained to them how she kept praying to God when she needed something good to happen. Her parents were very upset with her. They reminded her that God wasn't there just to listen to her problems. He should be thanked regularly, when good things happen. They reminded her that a true child of God wouldn't just go to Him when they needed something. Her parents told her that she needed to start thanking God for the good and the bad. This would be the only way He would hear her prayers again. 

(Girl praying at candle temple. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Author's Note. This week, I read the 18 chapters of the Bhagavad Gita. In chapter 12, Of the Religion of Faith, Lord Krishna explains to Arjun that he must have endless faith in Him. I based my story on this concept of faith in God and thanking Him for everything that happens in your life. 

Bibliography. Bhagavad Gita, Edwin Arnold. (1885)

Week 12 Storytelling: Nataraja

Nataraja

"Risha! Come downstairs right now!" 

"Mom, I'm finishing my game right now. I'll be down in a second," exclaimed Risha. 

"Okay, Risha, tonight I want to tell you a quick story about Lord Shiva," Aarti informed her daughter. 

"But, Mom, Raj isn't here...do we have to have story time without him?" 

"Beta*, this story is more for you anyway. You will relate to it more than your brother."

After some bribing, Aarti was able to convince Risha to listen to the story of the Great God, Shiva. 

"Okay, Risha, this story is important for you to hear because it has to do with your dance classes."

Risha has been doing Bharatanatyam, classical Indian dance, for almost three years. 

"Did you know that every time you go to class and do your opening prayer dance, you are praying to Lord Shiva? Lord Shiva is known as the King of Dance. In this form, he is called Nataraja."

"Wait, are you talking about the copper statue we pray to before we start dancing?" 

"Yes, Risha, that is Lord Shiva in the Nataraja form. In this form, he is known to be the universal dancer. Lord Shiva does his divine dance so he can destroy the worn out universe and get it ready for renewal."

"Wow, I didn't even think that I was praying to Lord Shiva when I did Bharatanatyam." 

"See, beta, this is why I wanted to tell you. Can you tell me what the Nataraja statue looks like?"

"All I really remember is the color. The Nataraja is copper. Oh, also, Lord Shiva is doing a Bharatanatyam pose. One of his legs are up."

"Beta, the pose comes from the Nataraja. So, whenever you are dancing to a story about Lord Shiva, I am sure you will strike this pose at least once."

"Can you tell me what else is on the statue," asked Risha. 

"Well, there are flames around Lord Shiva. This represents the universe. In the statue, he has 4 hands. In two of his hands, he is holding a small drum and a small flame. In one hand, he is doing a pose that means fearlessness. And in the last hand, he is pointing at his foot. He points at his foot to represent uplifting."

"So, mom, why is Lord Shiva also Nataraja?"

"Well, you see, Lord Shiva is the one who does the Divine dance so that he can free everyone's souls from lies and fantasy."

"Now every time I go to dance class, I'm gonna think of Lord Shiva!" 

"That's great, Risha. Thank you for listening to this story, beta. You can go back to your game now," Aarti said. 

(Lord Shiva as the Nataraja. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Author's Note. This week I read a little bit about Lord Shiva. For my story, I decided to keep the characters and story style the same as my Storybook project. I found it would be easiest to write about Lord Shiva in a bed time story. I decided to read about Lord Shiva's different forms. The Nataraja stuck out to me most because I grew up practicing classical Indian dance. Like my story states, at the beginning of each class, we prayed to this Nataraja statue. I remember my teacher explaining to us the meaning behind the Nataraja, but it was nice to refresh myself on it.   

Bibliography. Nataraja, Wikipedia.

Week 11 Storytelling: Solutions

Solutions

It was a warm Tuesday evening. Rose and Marissa had their weekly psychology class at 5. They were both dreading going to class because they have grown bored of the class set-up. Every week, they go to class, listen to the professor lecture, take a quiz, and then listen to more lecture. But this particular Tuesday, Rose remembered that they were doing something different in class. She didn't know what, but she remembered that her teacher said they would be sitting on the floor. This made the two girls a little less apprehensive about attending class. 

When they got to class, the first thing they did was take their weekly quiz. Usually, the quiz was given in the middle of the three hour lecture, so they were confused. What would they be doing tonight that changed up the weekly routine? 

As they were taking their quizzes, the professor was walking around and putting uncooked spaghetti and yarn on random tables throughout the classroom. The professor also put some tape and a marshmallow on the tables. A marshmallow?! What was going to happen in class today?

After the quiz was over, the professor explained that they would be doing a marshmallow challenge to build group unity. He broke the classroom into eight groups. Unfortunately, Rose and Marissa were in different groups. Once everyone was in their assigned group, the professor explained the assignment. Each group had in front of them, 20 sticks of uncooked spaghetti, one yard of yarn, one yard of tape, and a marshmallow. Their task was to make the tallest free-standing structure that could hold the weight of the marshmallow at the top. They only had 18 minutes to do so. 

(Marshmallow challenge. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Once the timer started, Rose's group kept complaining about how they couldn't make anything with the flimsy sticks of spaghetti. They spent a good eight minutes complaining about the problem. By the halftime mark, they had barely any ideas about how to make a solid structure. 

Marissa's group, on the other hand, immediately started to figure out solutions on how to get the marshmallow to stay at the top. They prototyped different ways that they could build a strong enough structure to hold the marshmallow. Within the first ten minutes, Marissa's group had two very strong structures to choose from. 

When the 2 minute warning went off, Rose and her group fell into a panic. They started to tape random pieces of spaghetti and yarn together in hopes of a strong structure. About 30 seconds before time was up, their wimpy structure collapsed and the marshmallow hit the floor. 

At the 2 minute warning, Marissa and her group had a very strong structure. It looked like it was over 2 feet tall and the marshmallow was sitting perfectly at the top. They had won the challenge. 

After cleaning up, the professor explained to the class that this task was assigned to teach the students that they shouldn't always focus on the problems at hand. Instead, they should focus on the solutions they can come up with to solve the problem.

(Motivational poster made by me) 

Author's Note. I go the inspiration for this story from a few sources. I wanted to write a story that had a moral because this week in class, I read a collection of fables in Indian Fables and Folklore. I decided to find a good moral from The Mahabharata. The lesson I took away from the Mahabharata was to focus on the solution, instead of the problem. In the Mahabharata, when Lord Krishna went to the Kauravas to tell them that the Pandavas wanted to end the dispute, the Kauravas basically laughed in his face. Instead of focusing on fixing the issue, the Kauravas focused on expanding their fight with the Pandavas. Because they couldn't see a solution, the 100 Kauravas were defeated by 5 Pandavas. I got the idea for my story from my psychology class. We did the marshmallow challenge this past week and I realized that this lesson, "focus on the solution, not the problem," could apply here too. 

Bibliography. Indian Fables and Folklore, Shovona Devi. (1919)

Week 6 Storytelling: The Four Friends

The Four Friends

It was a warm autumn afternoon in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Bhakti, Kapil, Vidya, and Suraj were walking back from school. The seventh grade had just started two weeks ago and the four friends still couldn't believe summer was over. On their walk home, the kids talked about what they missed most about summer. Kapil and Suraj's families went on a cruise together and all the boys could talk about was their time on the ship. Vidya went on and on about the youth camp she was at for one month. Bhakti just listened to her friends talk about their fun adventures because she stayed in Tulsa all summer. 

When they arrived at their neighborhood, Kapil invited everyone to come over to his house. This was their tradition everyday after school. One of the four friends would invite everyone to their respective house and the kids would hang out and do homework until they went home for dinner. Kapil informed his friends that his grandparents were visiting from India and they always had a lot to talk about. Kapil's grandparents taught him a lot about the Hindu religion and he was excited for his friends to listen. 

When the kids walked into Kapil's house, his grandpa was the first to see them. He advised them to take off their shoes before entering any further into the house. This is a respectful gesture that many Indian families do. Bhakti, Vidya, and Suraj realized that their parents did take their shoes off before entering the house, but they never forced the kids to do it. They liked that Kapil's grandpa told them to do this. The kids could tell that they were going to enjoy talking to him. 

Bhakti, Kapil, Vidya, and Suraj went to the dining room where Kapil's grandma left some snacks and juice. The kids sat at the table and waited for Kapil's grandpa to start telling them something cool about Hinduism. His grandpa came and started by asking them if they know anything about the old Indian caste system. All of the kids had puzzled looks on their faces. Kapil's grandpa was a little surprised, but he went on to explain to them how the caste system worked. He told them that the caste system basically put each individual into one of four different groups, based on their birth. A person's last name signified which group they were in. 

Kapil's grandpa explained that the Brahmins were known to be religious, studious people and the Kshatriyas were rulers and warriors. He told them that the Vaishyas were merchants and farmers and the Shudras were the laborers and service providers. He also told them that this system was under a lot of scrutiny because it made some people look better than others. Kapil's grandpa even told them about the untouchable group and how they were the lowest of all. 

The four friends were really intrigued by the concept of the caste system. They were talking about it all evening. Bhakti had this crazy thought that each of them could fit under one of the four groups. Bhakti pointed out that Kapil was the tough one of their group and he always protected his friends. Kapil would have been the perfect Kshatriya. Bhakti also noted that Suraj always did all the work during group projects, almost like a Shudra would do. Vidya was the perfect Vaishya because she was always trading things and doing business with people at school. Kapil let everyone know that Bhakti was the epitome of a Brahmin in that she loved school and always taught her friends concepts that only she understood.  

(Brahmin man. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

At school that day, Bhakti noticed there was one boy in their class that no one ever talked to. She automatically thought about the caste system and how that boy would be looked at as an untouchable. She was unhappy with this thought and decided to go and talk to the boy. At lunch, she told her three friends about the boy. They all decided that the caste system was a good idea, but it shouldn't exclude people. After school, the kids decided to go back to Kapil's house and talk to his grandpa about what they discovered. Bhakti explained how each of the four of them had their perfect role in their clique, but how some people might feel left out, like an untouchable. The kids told Kapil's grandpa about how they wished the untouchable group didn't exist. 

This is when Kapil's grandpa told them that the ideas of the caste system are not really in place anymore today. He told them that he was proud of them for deeply thinking about what he told them. Bhakti, Kapil, Vidya, and Suraj thanked him for introducing them to something they had never heard of before. The kids told Kapil that they would definitely be back at his house again to learn more from his grandpa. 

Author's Note. I very loosely based this story off of the section in the Mahabharata when Hanuman and his half-brother Bhima met up. In this section, Hanuman give his half-brother a brief overview of what he has done in regards to his adventures with Rama. Hanuman ends up telling Bhima about the different ages of humanity and how the idea of the caste system came about in the third age, called the Dwapara Yuga. In this age, all actions were based upon the caste system and each individual's specific role in society. I got inspiration from my story from the idea of the caste system. I wanted to explain the system a little. I also wanted to touch on why it isn't in use anymore. 

Bibliography. PDE Mahabharata. Part C. Section 46. Various authors. 

Week 5 Storytelling: Draupadi's Choice

Draupadi's Choice

Author's Note. This week, we began reading the great Indian epic, Mahabharata. I am already quite familiar with this epic so it was nice to refresh my mind on some of the smaller details. Since I was younger, I was always intrigued by how Draupadi was married to five guys. As a kid, you see your mom and dad married to each other and that's it, no other wives/husbands in the mix. So to hear about this story where a woman has five husbands is always interesting. This week I decided to write my story based on Draupadi's Swayamwara. I decided to make my story into a Screenplay because I felt that this scene would be perfect to act out. To change it up, I decided to let Draupadi make a decision about who she gets to marry, rather than her having five husbands. 

KUNTI, wife of King Pandu, mother of Yudhishthira, Bhimasena, and Arjuna

YUDHISHTHIRA, eldest Pandava brother, name means one who is steadfast even during war, son of      Kunti and Dharma

BHIMASENA, second Pandava brother, name means "of terrible might", son of Kunti and Vayu

ARJUNA, third Pandava brother, name means "of stainless deeds", son of Kunti and Indra

NAKULA, fourth Pandava brother, name means "the charming one", son of Madri and Nasatya

SAHADEVA, youngest Pandava brother, name means "equal to a thousand gods", son of Madri and        Nasatya

KING DRUPADA, king of Panchala

DRAUPADI, "fire born" daughter of Drupada, wife of the Pandava brothers

FADE IN

In the kingdom of Panchala, a swayamwara for King Drupada's beloved daughter is to be held. The regents and princes from all over were invited to take part in this challenge to win Draupadi's hand in marriage. 

KING DRUPADA [to himself]: I need to set up the perfect challenge so that only the greatest of men can marry my beautiful Draupadi. I must make a bow and arrow shooting challenge. But this won't be any ordinary bow, it will be such a powerful bow that only a very strong gentleman could bend and string it. But that will not cut it. Let me make this even more difficult. After all, whoever wins this challenge gets my lovely daughter in return. Here, let's add a spinning wheel that the arrow must go through. Oh, but not only that, the man who wins my daughter must have terrific aim. He will have to get the arrow through the wheel and also shoot this here golden fish. Whoever can do all of this will marry Draupadi. Ah, yes! This is the perfect swayamwara. Ha ha! Now my daughter will have the best husband. 

DRAUPADI: Oh father, what a challenge you have made! I am doubtful that any man can stand up to this mighty swayamwara. 

KING DRUPADA: Draupadi, the perfect man will come and win you. I am sure of it. 

[to himself]: Oh how I hope the mighty Arjuna will attend and complete my challenge. In my           eyes, he is the best man for Draupadi. 

The swayamwara begins 

KING DRUPADA: Come all might men who desire to marry my Draupadi! We shall see who is strong enough to bend and string this here bow. 

NARRATOR: Many men stepped up to the bow and attempted to lift it. One by one, they failed. Some were able to lift the powerful bow, but none were able to string it. Suddenly, Arjuna comes up to the bow. 

ARJUNA [dressed as a brahmin]: Here, let me attempt this. 

NARRATOR: Arjuna is able to lift and string the bow with ease. In one swift movement, he shoots the arrow, it goes through the wheel, and hits the golden fish. 

CROWD: Oh my! Who is this brahmin who was able to string the bow? 

DRAUPADI [running up to Arjuna]: You have done it! Finally, a man strong enough to complete my father's challenge. I am so excited! 

[pauses] Wait! I know you, you are that Pandava, Arjuna. My father is always talking about you. I'm sure he is very happy that you have succeeded in completing his challenge. 

(Draupadi's Swayamwara. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The Pandavas and Draupadi go back home

KUNTI: I have heard of the wonderful feat you have accomplished, Arjuna! You have brought great honor to the Pandava name, but also, you have gifted yourself and each of your brothers a beautiful wife. 

ARJUNA: What? What do you mean I have gifted my brothers with a wife? I have won Draupadi fair and square. None of the others stepped up and tried to string the bow. I am the rightful winnter. 

KUNTI: But it is written that she will marry you all. It must be done this way, son. 

ARJUNA: No, mother, I do not like this.

YUDHISHTHIRA: Mother, how is this fair to anyone? Arjuna has won Draupadi fair and square. 

BHIMASENA: Well, shoot! I don't mind sharing Draupadi. I mean, look how beautiful she is. Brothers, let's marry her. 

NAKULA: Bhima, what the heck? Are you crazy? Draupadi is a person just like us. She should have a say in her future. Let her pick who she wants to marry. 

ARJUNA: What do you mean, "let her pick?" Nakula, I was the one who completed the challenge. I get to marry her. 

DRAUPADI: Arjuna, as happy as I am that you won, I agree with Bhimasena. I feel like I should have a say in who I marry. I do not want to be married to five men, especially five brothers. That does not seem like a good future to me. Please allow me to choose. 

ARJUNA: I guess you are right. Please, tell us Pandavas who you have in mind to be your husband. 

DRAUPADI: Thank you, Arjuna, for understanding. I would like to marry your younger brother, Nakula. He is the only one who acknowledged my choice in this matter. He seems to be the most genuine of the Pandava men. I will be happy to marry Nakula. 

NAKULA: Oh dear Draupadi, I am humbled by your decision. Let us get married at once.

NARRATOR: Looks like Draupadi made a surprising decision in the end. I guess Nakula was able to live up to his name, "the charming one." 

FADE OUT

Bibliography. PDE Mahabharata. Part B. Section 26-27. Various authors. 

Week 2 Storytelling: How Rama Won Sita

How Rama Won Sita 

It was a chilly Saturday evening at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All of the students were in their respective houses’ common rooms. The ladies of Gryffindor were all sitting together in front of the fireplace. There was a dim glow in the room from the bright orange flame that Ginny conjured up. Hermoine Granger and Lavender Brown were taking up the seats on the couch. Standing in front of the fireplace were the twin sisters, Padma and Parvati Patil. Tonight, the girls decided to tell stories of their native countries. The Patil sisters decided to talk about the Ramayana.

(Gryffindor common room. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Padma explained to her peers that the Ramayana was an epic Sanskrit poem that was written by the Hindu sage, Valmiki. The Ramayana is one of the most well-known epics of India. The Ramayana tells the story of Rama, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu, and how he goes about trying to save his wife, Sita. Sita was abducted by the evil king of Ayodhya, Ravana. At this point, Parvati cuts in and corrects Padma. “Ravana was the evil king of Lanka, Padma. You should know this by now. Mom and Dad would be so disappointed in you.” All the girls laughed at Padma’s expense. “Anyway, as I was saying, Sita was abducted. But girls, we want to tell you how cute Rama and Sita’s love story was,” Padma announced. All the girls were particularly intrigued at this point and couldn’t wait for the Patil sisters to tell them the story.

Parvati began by explaining to the girls that Sita’s father was Janaka, King of Mithila, and he set up a challenge for any guy that wanted to pursue his daughter. There was this mighty bow that was in Janaka’s possession. Many warriors and rajas tried to bend the bow, but their attempts were unsuccessful. Janaka claimed that whoever was able to bend the bow would be able to have Sita’s hand in marriage.  This feat seemed next to impossible for every guy that showed up for Sita. Janaka began to think that know one was worthy of marrying his beautiful daughter, Sita. Then, suddenly, Rama comes in. With respect, Rama asks Janaka if he may lift and bend the mighty bow. “Guys, OMG, this is the best part. Listen up!” exclaimed Padma.

(Rama breaks the mighty bow. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Parvati goes on to tell the girls the rest of the story. She excitedly tells them how Rama lifted up the bow with great ease, like lifting up a feather. With almost no force at all, Rama was able to bend the mighty bow. She made sure to tell them that before the competition started, Rama and Sita laid eyes on each other in the garden and instantly fell in love. Padma buts in and says, “Janaka was extremely impressed by Rama’s success and almost instantly accepted Rama as his Sita’s husband.”

“Aww, that was quite possible the coolest way to win someone over,” Lavender whispered. All the girls were intrigued by the story. They couldn’t wait til the Patil sisters gave another installment of the epic love story, Ramayana.  

Author's Note. I decided to write about when Rama wins Sita. I remained very close to the actual story of when Rama broke the bow. I have always loved this story of how Rama was the only raja who was able to lift and break the mighty bow of Lord Shiva. I touched on the part of the story before Rama wins over Sita through the competition. I briefly mentioned how Rama and Sita had already seen each other before the competition. But my spin on the story was to make it seem like Padma and Parvati Patil were telling the story to their friends at Hogwarts. I was browsing the random storytelling site generator and the Harry Potter style really stuck out to me. I have read and seen all the Harry Potter books and movies so it was easy for me to write a story based on the characters.  I love Harry Potter so it was fun for me to incorporate it into the Ramayana. I obviously chose an image that showed Rama breaking the bow and surprising all of the bystanders. This was the climax of the story, in my opinion. I hope anyone who reads this enjoys the mix of the Patil sisters and the Ramayana. I wanted to write a fun, light-hearted story about Rama and Sita.

Bibliography. PDE Ramayana. Part A, Section 9-10. Various authors. 

Week 1 Storytelling: The Girl Who Cried Best Friend

Week 1 Storytelling: The Girl Who Cried Best Friend

There was once a girl, let’s call her Sally, who was quite obsessed with one particular friend of hers. She claimed that he was her best friend. In her mind, Bob (the “best friend”) was the closest person to her. Sally disregarded all of her other friends after she had met Bob. Friends she had known for years and years became old news for her. For some reason, Sally was sure Bob was going to be there for her through it all. 

Of course, Sally had other very close friends. Christina and Joey were always by her side, even when Bob was not. You see, Sally was the type of girl who always found herself in harm’s way. Whether it be a small car crash or forgetting her homework at her apartment, she was always in some sort of dilemma. Living in a college town away from her family, Sally needed good friends around her that would be there for her whenever she found herself in a sticky situation. 

Sally lived with her three friends Bob, Christina, and Joey. Another thing to know about Sally is that she was obsessed with the notion that a person can only have one best friend. She always seemed to fall back on one person. 

(4 best friends)

So one day, Sally lost her flash drive and desperately needed to transfer a document. She called her “best friend” Bob but he said he was too busy to bring her his flash drive. Lucky for her, Joey offered to give her his flash drive, but Sally refused to accept it because that was something only her best friend would do for her.  

(flash drive)

Later that week, she was riding her bike to campus and forgot her bike lock. She couldn’t just leave her bike unlocked, free for anyway to steal. She, once again, called up her “best friend” but he was asleep so he didn’t pick up his phone. Christina happened to see Sally at the bike rack and walked up to her. Sally explained her situation to Christina. Christina told her that she could borrow her bike lock, because she was heading back to their apartment anyway. Again, Sally rejected Christina’s offer because only Bob could do something like that for her. 

(bike rack)

Because of stuff like this, Christina and Joey began to distance themselves from Sally. To their dismay, Sally didn’t even seem to notice because she was always with Bob. 

One day, Sally received a call from her mom. Sally found out that her grandmother was very sick and her mom suggested that she come visit home before things got worse. Sally didn’t have enough money for a plane ticket and her parents couldn’t gather enough money up quickly enough to help her out. Sally was desperate to see her grandmother. She asked Bob if he could spot her some money that she would pay back as soon as she could. As usual, Bob was not able to help Sally. He did not have any money to spare for Sally. At this point, Sally was willing to do anything. She decided to ask her other roommates for some money. Much to her surprise, they were not willing to help her out. They told Sally that she should just ask Bob again because, after all, he is her best friend. 

(plane ticket)

After this incident, Sally realized that she can’t just rely on one person to be there for her when things went wrong. She learned that she can’t push other friends aside because after a while, they will just leave.

Author’s Note. The original fable, The Shepherd Boy and The Wolf, was about a boy who was left to look after his master’s sheep. Ultimately, the boy found this task very boring and one day decided to cry, “Wolf! Wolf!” Upon hearing this, the villagers ran to the pasture where the sheep were. All the villagers saw when they got there was the boy laughing about the joke he played on them. Some time later, the boy played the prank again and the villagers ran to him. Again, they only saw the boy laughing. So when there was actually a wolf in the pasture trying to kill the sheep, the boy cried, “Wolf! Wolf!” but no one believed him. For my story, I thought about some people I have seen who actually think that they have only one best friend. Not only that, but they also think that they can only rely on this one person. I decided to twist the boy who cried wolf story into the girl who cried best friend. I was hoping to get the point across that friendship is an important part of everyday life, but you shouldn't be choosy about who you are closest to. 

Bibliography. This story is based on the fable “The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf” in the book Aesop for Children, by anonymous, illustrated by Milo Winter (1919).