Author's Note. The original story begins with a dying man telling his son these specific guidelines he must follow to live a happy life. They seem very strange and the son listens, but chooses not to follow them anyway. He winds up breaking the first instruction by telling his wife one of his secrets before they have 10 children together. He decides to test her by killing a pig dressing it up and convincing her that he had killed a man. Like his father had warned him, once she got angry she turned against him and called the police telling them that her husband was a murderer. So, he ends up getting locked up in jail for a crime he didn't commit. The father had also warned the son that he should only keep friends with dark colored eyes. So, when his friends come to visit him the four with light colored eyes tell him that there's nothing they can do to help him and leave. His last friend with dark colored eyes comes and says he will do what he can to get him out and succeeds in freeing him from prison. When reading the story, I was curious as to how the father had come up with these guidelines. I felt like there had to be a reason behind them so I thought it would be interesting to tell a story about where they came from to connect the dots!
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Now the young boy was curious, just like many youngsters
are, so he asked his father why it was necessary to follow these specific
guidelines. Of course he wanted to live a happy life… the guidelines just
seemed so strange and random. His father sighed heavily and said, “Well if you
must know I guess I can share with you what happened to me when I was just
about your age…” The two walked into the cozy living room and sat across from
each other with the fire dimly lighting the room.
Growing up I lived in a small house in the middle of the
woods. My parents would always send my brothers and I into town with a list of
items to get at the beginning of each week. Now, the woods were dangerous and
you had to make sure to take the correct path or you could wind up in some
serious trouble. That’s why my parents always sent us together.
One week, one of my brothers came home from school with a
stomach bug that got everyone in the house sick except for me. So, my mom
tentatively handed me the list for the week and said I could go into town on my
own as long as I made sure I was on the correct path and was back before dark.
So, I excitedly set off on my own into the forest.
Everything was going great and I was halfway there until I came to the dreaded
fork in the road. Every time my brothers and I fight about whether to go right
or left and we always manage to pick the right way. This time I was on my own
and was more confused than ever… I finally gave up, closed my eyes, spun around
three times, and pointed in a random direction and which happened to be left.
(Fork in the road photograph. Source: Rethinked)
Everything seemed fine until I came across this old man just
standing there in the middle of the road. He immediately stopped me and said I
could only pass if I answered his riddle correctly. I sat there for hours and
hours trying to figure it out but I couldn’t and it was already starting to get
dark! The old man got annoyed and cursed me saying, “You may turn back and go
home, but now you shall be cursed by never being happy in your marriage when
you find a wife and never having true friends. Not only will you be cursed but
also will your children, and grandchildren, and so on for the rest of your
lineage. In order for them to live a happy life you must warn them that once
they are married they can never trust their wife with any secrets until after
they have had 10 children. Also they must never choose someone to be their
friend if they have light colored eyes. If they follow these things they will
live a happy life. Unfortunately it is too late for you, but hopefully your children will listen.” I thought I heard a rustling noise so I glanced
behind me and when I turned back to look at the old man he was gone.
I walked home without any items from the list and told my
mom that I had gotten too scared to make it into town. She hugged me and was
just glad that I had made it back safe… or at least that’s what she thought. I didn’t
tell anyone of my encounter with the old man, but everything he said has come
true. You’ve known for years that I’m unhappy in my marriage and I’m sure you’ve
always noticed that I never have any friends to go out to the pub to drink with
after work. So I decided now was the time to share with you these specific
guidelines to follow so you can avoid living the same lonely life as I have.
Wow, you did a great job with this story. Your authors note is very informative, and does a good job of doing a lead in to the story.
ReplyDeleteAt first when I read you story I was really wanting to know what the guidelines where, but then you ended up telling this to your reader at the end. It worked really well, and now I understand why these are very strange guidelines for a boy to hear. Good job, this story was fun to read.
I really like what you did with this story. It seems so strange to be cursed with so many different parts. Knowing me, I would not be able to answer a riddle correctly and be the one that is cursed from then on. I like how at the end of the story you made it into kind of a warning. It is like this person is writing his thoughts down so that he can benefit others. I can't quite say I'd be able to stick to those guidelines!
ReplyDeleteI really think you chose an excellent picture for this story! It made it feel all the more real. It was almost like I was at the fork in the road. I agree, those guidelines the father has made seem rather odd. Also, why would a man expect his wife to not call the cops if he killed a person. If I was the wife I think I would be scared for my life after knowing something like that. I think you did a great job telling the story and it was very creative!
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