The Princess and the Bird
The princess ran downstairs to her mother and told her what had happened. Being the queen, her mother told her daughter not to worry and that she would get Stanley back. The princess began to cry because she did not know how her mom could get Stanley back. Her mother informed her that true love would bring Stanley back home.
Knowing that the princess needed to find a husband, the queen decided to use this situation to hold a competition to find Stanley and marry off her daughter. The queen sent out for all of the single men in the kingdom to arrive at the castle the next day if they wanted to marry the princess.
Men showed up from near and far, ready to marry the beautiful princess. The queen informed the men that whoever could find Stanley and bring him back to the castle would have the privilege of marrying her daughter.
Almost immediately, the men went searching for the bird. Some of the men teamed up while others ventured out on their own. The princess watched from her window as the men exited the castle gates.
Days went by and no one had come back to the castle with Stanley. A few men showed up with similar birds and even different animals, but the princess would not accept anything but Stanley.
The princess was beginning to lose hope when all of a sudden there was a knock on the door. The king and queen raced to door and when they opened it they were completely shocked. There was Stanley in the arms of a man who did not appear worthy to marry their daughter.
The queen imagined a handsome and wealthy man with large muscles and a perfect smile would bring Stanley home. To her surprise, the man was covered in dirt, was not very strong, and had a bit of bend in his smile.
The princess came to the door to see what was happening and that is when she saw Stanley. Her tears stopped rolling down her face and she smiled bigger than she ever had before. She thanked the man repeatedly and then invited him in.
The queen looked at her daughter and then back at the man. Then she pulled the princess aside and told her that she did not have to marry this man. That she was the princess of the kingdom, and that she could go back on her word if she felt that she needed to do so. The princess laughed while holding Stanley tight and told her mother that she believed with her heart the true love would bring Stanley back home, and that is what happened. Her mother seemed slightly shocked but nodded her head and let the princess invite the man inside.
From that day forward, the princess and the man took care of Stanley together and lived happily ever after.
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| (Photo taken from WikiMedia Commons) |
Author's Note:
The story that gave me the inspiration for The Princess and the Bird was How They Brought Back the Tobacco in the Cherokee Myths unit. In the original story, there was a woman who needed tobacco to survive. Her tobacco was stolen from her, and anyone who tried to get it back was killed. Eventually, a tiny hummingbird was able to sneak in and get the tobacco for the woman. I felt thought that the story line was a little bit extreme so I wanted to lighten it up by making the main character miss something terribly, but not need to survive. The princess in my story missed her bird but was not going to die without it. I also did not want any of the characters in my story to die. I felt like having the contest in order to marry the princess fit well into the whole fairytale kingdom theme. Many men would show up to win the princess, and all would fail except one. I chose to put the fairytale love story spin on it so it would fit well in my portfolio too. I did not want the winner to be a typical Prince Charming either. I felt the it needed to be a more grounded man who wanted to help the princess more than he wanted to marry the princess.
Bibliography:
Myths of the Cherokee
James Mooney, 1900
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Hi Molly,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job with this story. I like how you broke it up into small, easy to read paragraphs. I found the original story a bit depressing so I enjoy that you lightened it up and made it more sweet. It was also cool how you made it into a fairytale. I enjoy reading your stories and look forward to seeing how your portfolio develops!
I definitely think you lightened the mood by making the story more about a princess finding love and her bird. The story kept my interest and was very entertaining. I thought the Author’s note was very explanatory for where you got your ideas of how to change the story. I also thought the picture of the castle was a nice touch to the story.
ReplyDeleteHi Molly,
ReplyDeleteThat was such a cute story. Reading your author’s note, I would have never known that the original story had been so different. I really enjoyed reading your spin and found it more enjoyable than the other one. I also liked how you made it fit into your fairy tale theme and you made it unconventional by making the finder of the bird a more humble man. I also think it is funny that the queen decided to kill two birds with one stone by marrying her daughter and finding the bird. There are a few edits I would recommend. I think the second sentence in the first paragraph should have been, “let the sunshine in”. In the same sentence, I believe there should be a comma after “One sunny afternoon”. The picture of the castle was also very beautiful. I think you portfolio is coming along nicely and I am sure your next story will be great as well.
Hi Molly,
ReplyDeleteThis was such an adorable story! I find it amazing that you came up with this, after I read your author's note! It's so different, but still so good. It really reminded me of some of the Grimm princess fairy tales. It was so well written and creative.
I think that it was great that the Queen was so ready to marry off her daughter that she made it part of finding Stanley. And can I say what a wonderful name that is for a bird?! I really liked that the man who finally returned with her precious bird was one who most royalty would not consider worthy of her hand. I also liked that you had the princess honor her word, even though the queen said that she did not have to. I love that twist!
I did not see any grammar mistakes in any of your stories, which is awesome!
Hi Molly, what an interesting story. I like that the queen in your story used Stanley as a way to find the princess a suitor. I think the phrase "a bit of a bend" sounds a little awkward. Maybe something along the lines of "a crooked smile" instead? I like that you said in your author's note that you didn't want any of your characters to die. I hate it when characters (especially the main ones) die in a story. However, I felt like you could have developed the character of the man who found the bird even further since only his physical appearance was described. There wasn't much about his personality, which I would have liked to hear about. Or maybe add something on how the two interacted before they ended up married. The picture you used was pretty! It's definitely a "happily ever after" kind of castle. Good job!
ReplyDeleteMolly,
ReplyDeleteYour Princess and the Bird story was wonderfully written. I can’t remember if I have visited your blog before but I’m glad I found my way over here even if it is basically the very last day of class. It is always interesting when people write about true love, because it is something that is such a diverse topic, and individuals often have differing opinions on the topic. It was cute how you used the loss of her beloved pet as a plot device to move the story along with an impending marriage—it gave the battle for her hand a larger purpose while also aims for her happiness. She was so inspired by the fact that she got her pet back that she believed fully that the man who brought her back was her true love. I thought that that was a cute twist, to make it so that the man was her true love when at the beginning it was alluded to that the love of Stanley for the princess is what would bring him back. Great job, it was a very enjoyable read.