So we just finished up the Exploring Europe through the Humanities class. It involved a lot of museums in Paris and in Freiberg (using the Black Forest as a backdrop) it studied where Fairy Tales came from and how they have changed through out the centuries. I probably wouldn’t have gotten as much out of the Fairy Tale portion of the class had it not been for a comic book called Fables that I have been reading religiously for a couple of years now…thanks to that I enjoyed the class as least on that level.
(Side note: it occurred to me during both the Theater class and this Humanities class that everything I knew about both these subjects I learned from comic books. Not trying to make any broad point here, but it’s definitely true: I’m smarter because of comic books.)
For the last assignment of the class we had to use the elements of the old Fairy Tales and make our own. I’m not saying that mine is the best ever, but I think it came out pretty OK…please don’t criticize too harshly – we only had a day to write it.
Once upon a time…(a little obligatory, I know, but I was trying to get an A)
There was a man and a woman who lived together at the edge of a thick forest known as Darken Wood. Darken Wood was no ordinary forest as not a single leaf grew within its bounds nor did any animal call it home. All the trees of Darken Wood resembled coal more than anything living, and no matter the weather, one could always expect grey skies over Darken Wood.
The man was very large, as he had worked in the fields all his life and done quite well for himself too, as he owned all the land that surrounded Darken Wood. The woman was very beautiful and dressed as so, using their wealth to buy clothing and jewelry from all around the world.
The man and the woman lived in a large cabin that was on the other side of his fields from Darken Wood. There, they lived with their three sons. The eldest son, as well as being the largest, was quite stupid, but could work from dawn to dusk and was known for his immeasurable strength. The middle son, who always dressed in black, was not to be trusted and had been caught several times stealing pennies out of the collection plate on Sunday. The youngest son, who was the most handsome of the three, could beat anyone in the neighboring villages when it came to games of intelligence. The three sons had worked for their father since the day they could pick weeds and had developed a keen sense of what it would take to run their own farms in that time.
So, one day, the brothers came to their father and mother and said, “we have worked for you since we were able and have decided that it is time for you to divide up your land and give it to us. We will take care of you, but we want to own the land that we work.” The father, being proud of his accomplishments, thought over his son’s offer and refused, deciding that he would rather work his land until the day he died.
Not wanting to keep his sons from prosperity, the father told his sons, “there is more land than I keep under Darken Wood. Go to the center of our lands and clear the forest and that land will be yours.”
The brothers, uneasy with the thought of spending any time in such a place began to fight over what would be the fastest and best way to clear the land. The eldest brother, known for his strength, and dim-wittedness, suggested that the three get axes and cut the forest down. The middle brother, known for his cunning and deceit, suggested burning the forest down. The youngest brother, handsome and bright, decided that it would be easiest to use a horse to up-root the forest. Not being able to agree, the oldest and youngest brothers started to fight over what the best way to remove Darken Wood would be. The middle brother, wise in the ways of getting past people and getting what he wanted, broke up his squabbling brothers and suggested that they all start from opposite ends of the forest and work their way in using the way each thought best. Being deceitful, he figured that his brothers would be consumed by the fire he set that he would be able to keep the land for himself. Similarly, the oldest brother realized that he could hack his brothers to pieces and the youngest brother planned to use the rope from up-rooting the trees to hang his brothers. All three brothers wanted the land for themselves.
Separated, the brothers began to work on opposite ends of Darken Wood. The oldest brother began to chop away at the first tree. As he worked he failed to realize the black, vine-like branch that began to wrap itself around his leg. With a creek and a tug, the oldest brother was on his back being pulled – leg first – into the forest. A second later, only the axe remained.
The middle brother, giddy with the thought of his new land as well as being rid of his brothers, whom he never really liked that much anyway, began to kindle his fire. The branches of Darken Wood stirred with a breeze and put his fire out. Determined, the middle brother began to work harder and closer to the fire he was trying to set. With his head down, he didn’t notice the coal-black branches creep down from above. With a creek and a yank, the middle brother was pulled up into the air and was thrown into the middle of Darken Wood.
The youngest brother, being smart about his work, had brought a horse to up-root the trees. Having tied a rope to the base of the first tree, he got on the horse and started to whip it. As the whip cracked against the horse, the branches of Darken Wood reached out and grabbed both the youngest brother and his whip. With a tug and a crack, the youngest brother was pulled on his back into the forest as the horse ran off.
The father and mother, wondering where their sons were at the end of the day, went to bed with great concern. As the next day dawned, the forest had overtaken all of their farmland as well as the cabin. Branches locked the doors and covered the windows.
Some say that the cabin is still in Darken Wood. Consumed by the forest; holding the family that tried to destroy it imprisoned forever. For this reason, Darken Wood remains untouched and will live, without being threatened…
…Happily Ever After.
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