Week 10 Story: Wolverine and the Birds

 Once upon a time during the heart of summer was a wolverine running along a seashore looking for something to entertain him. The wolverine being from the wolf family was a cunning fellow that had a reputation of tricking weaker animals and then eating them. He saw a group of birds that consisted of many geese, clucks and loons. All these birds were innocently playing around in the water, minding their own business. The wolverine then yelled to them “Hey brothers, does the water feel good, I’m feeling hot and I want to join you guys for some fun!”

Wolverine in pond. Source

All the birds looked at each other with confusion as to why such a vicious animal was being nice. They seemed like they were falling for the wolverine’s trap or was he really that nice? Nobody could really tell yet, but one loon was feeling skeptical and was not so amused by the wolverine’s plan to join them in the water.

The wolverine was anxiously waiting and yelled “Come on brothers, I’m getting too hot out here waiting for you guys to decide!”. The birds looked at each other and told the wolf to join them in the cold refreshing water. The wolverine directly jumped in and caused a wave of water to splash on the little birds. This was a reminder of how bigger and stronger the wolverine is relative to the birds. The wolverine came closer to the group of birds who remained really close to one another. The birds were feeling anxious and frightened because the wolverine has come so close to them and they are not used to it. However, them being together is a essential because he would not be able to take them all at once.

As they sat in the water, the wolverine was nice to the birds and was conversing about the hot weather and telling them stories about the different animals he has been seeing recently. All that small talk was for the birds to feel comfortable around the wolverine and let their guard down. Later on, the wolverine didn’t have much to say so he proposed that they play a game “Hey brothers, why don’t we play a fun game? Let’s play tag, I will play against all of you but you need to scatter”. The birds looked at one another and wanted to have some fun so they agreed to the wolverine’s proposal.

The bird scattered around the water some going further than others while some remained close. The wolverine started the game by chasing one bird that was the heaviest one of the group. He chased him at a slow pace but away from the group so they could lose sight and he could drown him and leave him next to a tree to retrieve him later. However, he kept on yelling “Oh brother, you are a fast one I can’t tag you!” so the other birds would fall for his trickery.  The wolverine used this tactic with other birds until he collected enough birds to make a feast for him. Meanwhile this was happening, a hawk was flying around and observing the actions of the wolverine. In this hot weather, many predators are out and in search of food. No birds were left in the water, so the wolverine retraced his steps to retrieve all the birds he had killed, however he could find none. He started yelling “Where are the birds?! Who took them!!!!!”. The hawk flew closer to the wolverine and told him “Thank you for the birds, I’m sure they are going to taste great!”. The wolverine was devastated and felt foolish that he could never forgive himself. He later on went to search for more food but could not find any. A couple days later, the wolverine died from hunger.

Author’s Note: The original story is called Wolverene and the Geese from the Myths and Legends of British North America by Katharine Berry Judson. The story is about a wolverine that tricks a group of birds into joining him for a dance but ends up killing them and boiling their meat. A bird saw the wolverine’s actions so the bird went and told the Indians. While the wolverine was napping the Indians came and took the meat from the pot. I chose a similar approach to the story but with a small twist. I wanted the lesson to be that for people that do something unrightfully, the universe has its way of paying them back. Additionally, I wanted to highlight how people should not be trustworthy that easily especially in a prey/predator environment. This is relatable to our everyday life because the world is about the survival of the fittest. I chose a picture of a wolverine jumping around a pond to represent the setting I intended to portray while writing this story.

Week 9 Story: Journey of Ugakhpa

In the Northwest of America lived a tribe called Makah. Being in the Northwest, they had two extreme seasons of winter and summer. Summer was the time when the people of Makah worked really hard to gather enough food and supplies for the dreadful winter season. Every person in the small tribe feared winter. The harsh weather made survival an obstacle for the whole tribe. As summer was coming to an end, fishing season was at its highest point. Due to the aggressive climate in the Northwest, men were mainly responsible for fishing and hunting. Many casualties were faced while fishing and hunting for food as it was a dangerous but rewarding process. As November came to an end, winter was around the corner and the people of Makah were starting to feel the hardships of winter approaching.

A brave group of ten men were labeled as Ugakhpa. Ugakhpa were rewarded with this name because of their courage and ability to overcome the strongest streams in the toughest conditions. These group of men were responsible for gathering food for the whole tribe. One day they decided to set sail and gather fish for one last time before winter season accelerated in the month of December. As they set sail, the conditions were tougher than ever. The water was frozen but was not at as rigid and firm as it would normally be. That was dangerous for the Ugakhpa men as their wooden boats were not durable enough to withstand tough ice. The fishing process was a typical one where bait was attached to rod like strings but spears were used to kill the fish. The children of the tribe collected the bait from trees and soil around the community. The water levels were shallow so it was preferable to use spears, but the water was very cold and in winter conditions falling in the water is extremely detrimental. The Ugakhpa men struggled a lot trying to find food in the lake and with the strength of the wind, the little boats they used were very unstable. As they got deeper into the water, most men were starting to fear the conditions and contemplate whether it is worth it to risk their lives and go on.

Mahka Tribe Web Source

Tall Chief was the leader of the Ugakhpa men and was known for his bravery and great achievements. Tall Chief had the ability to speak to souls and interact with nature. He had such a strong connection with the nature around him that he felt and understood things around him which none of the other tribe men could understand. The rest of the Ugakhpa men decided to retreat to their camp but Tall Chief was determined to continue his journey until he retrieves enough food for himself and his community. The men left him and Tall Chief was left by himself against the grueling weather conditions.

The weather was only getting worse. The ice on the lake was completely frozen which led to the fish to migrate. At this point, it was unnecessary for Tall Chief to remain in the lake. Instead it was time for him to set foot on the land and look for something wild in the barring cold. Unfortunately for Tall Chief, the cold was taking a toll on his body and he felt like he would not survive too long as he only had a thick fur coat on over his worn out skin. The wind kept on increasing and Tall Chief was left with only one option which was to fight the god of wind in order to save himself. The god of wind was nicknamed Windwori by the Makah tribe. Tall Chief gathered some wood and leaves to cover himself enough and try to create a small fire. In these conditions a fire is obviously unsustainable due to the strong wind but fire was needed for Tall Chief to fight Windwori. Tall Chief performed the appropriate rituals to confront Windwori but the wind was too strong and he could not make it. Trying to perform this ritual was physically taxing and took a lot of energy from Tall Chief. Eventually, Tall Chief gave up to the wind and submitted himself to nature in hopes that he can save his people in return.

Windwori was not an evil spirit and neither were any of the spirits in the forest. By Tall Chief sacrificing his body, his soul remained in the forest and combined with other pure souls to try to give back to the people of Makah. Days later, the storm came to an end. It was still cold but relatively warmer for the Ugakhpa men to go out and try to look for Tall Chief as he had not returned to his tribe yet. As they went out to the forest, they found Tall Chief's body buried under a big block of ice. The nine remaining men of Ugakhpa pushed the block of ice and were able to find a vast amount of fish that could feed them for the whole winter. Tall Chief had sacrificed his body and used his soul to ensure that his people would not struggle the way he did in the grueling conditions looking for food. That is how a true leader should be and that’s how Tall Chief will be forever remembered.


Author’s note: This story is originally called Shin-ge-bis Fools the North Wind from the American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned. It talks about a group of fishermen that went out on their last round before the arrival of the extreme cold. However, a young man who was known for his bravery decided to stay longer than the others because he did not fear the North Wind. This man was called Shin-ge-bis. However, in the original story, he was not a typical man but also a spirit. He fought the North Wind by starting a big fire in his wigwam where he was hiding from the severe weather. It was so warm inside that the North Wind could not enter. Therefore, Ka-bib-on-okka also known as the North Wind asked the fisherman to leave his wigwam in order to fight and prove that he was not scared. I decided to change that to where Tall Chief, the bravest fisherman of the Ugakhpa men, wanted to sacrifice himself for the sake of his people. Through sacrificing his body, his soul can retrieve food for the community. This was to show how true leaders sacrifice themselves for the well-being of their people. The picture I used was shows a native American tribe in severe winter conditions. That was simply to reflect how the Mahka tribe were situated in rough weather conditions. 

Week 7 Story: The Greedy Crow

Once upon a time lived an average family in a lavish neighborhood in the suburbs of city. The Stevens family were humble, hardworking, religious and had a great relationship with each other. The father had been working as a construction worker for a real estate development company for more than 20 years. The mother was a stereotypical stay at home mother that had her children and her home as a main priority in life. The two kids Samantha and Avery were 13 and 17 years old respectively.

Samantha was a talented girl. She was one of the top students in her grade and was a natural at playing the saxophone. She was so good that her music teacher would give her private lessons just out of enjoyment of how quick she learned music. Samantha, however, had no friends, and was alienated from the rest of the kids. Being from a lavish neighborhood, all the kids dressed really nicely and were able to show off the newest phones and iPads. Internally Samantha was always sad because of how she was treated by the other kids and used music and the professor as an outlet for all her emotions. She never spoke to her parents about her feelings because she knew how hardworking her father was.

Avery was not as talented as his sister but he was still a smart kid. He was a computer nerd and spent 99% of his time in front of a screen operating on some type of monitor. He did enjoy video games and was really into playing League of Legends and he had a relatively good world ranking. Similarly to Samantha, Avery was alienated from the students in his grade because they were at an age where they all had cars and would go out just like your typical high school senior students. His father could not afford to buy him a car so his mother would drop him off which Avery felt was embarrassing. Avery was never invited to the parties or the senior events. It was truly sad to see a kid miss out on these once in a lifetime experiences. At nights where his classmates would meet to party or hang out, Avery was in his room playing League of Legends and just focused at that.

One day the senior students gathered to plan a prank. The prank they came up with was to steal Avery’s laptop during the 15 minute lunch break to get the password to his League of Legends account. The students successfully did that and took the password of his account. At this point, Avery’s only source of happiness was his League of Legends account. It was his pride, the only thing that he knew he excelled in. Later that night, Avery tried to sign in his account but realized that his password has been changed. He started freaking out and shouting in his house. His parents stormed into his room and were shocked at how furious and emotional Avery was.

Father: Son, what’s wrong?

Avery: AHHH, I hate my life!!! This can’t be happening!!

Father: SON! What’s wrong?! Are you OK?!

Avery continued to yell while crying and tossing things around having a mental breakdown.

The father approached his son and grappled him trying to calm him.

Father: Relax, son, whatever it is we will fix it.

After multiple attempts to calm him down, Avery finally calmed down. He explained to his father what happened and seemed to be very negative about it saying “I hate my life” and “Life is over”. Avery also told his father one really important thing which spilled a lot of his inner emotion.
Avery: "This is all I had.  Nobody talks to me or likes me. They all have nice cars and go out together and I am never invited because I’m a loser and this game was everything I had besides being a loser.”

His father felt with him and hugged him and explained to him that this is not what life is about.
Father: Money can never buy happiness son. Your mother, Samantha and I we all love you and we think highly of you. These kids that are judging you are still kids and don’t know any better! We have a roof over our head, we have food on our table and most importantly we have genuine love and care in this house! These things should not be taken for granted, Avery, you are lucky to have all these! Many people in life have no parents, starve from hunger or are homeless.

Avery then understood what his father was saying and from that day forward realized that he had to change his perspective in order to grow. He had to not take others' judgmental opinion and had to always look at things with the perspective of the cup being half full not half empty.

Glass Perspective

Author’s note: I read The Greedy Crow and was inspired to write this story. The story was about a crow that worked really hard to find meat. As soon as the crow found enough meat to feast on he saw a rat passing by who caught his attention. Out of greediness the crow left his meat to pursue the rat. A smaller and quicker bird was closer to the rat and was able to lure him before the crow could reach. The crow was disappointed and returned to his space where he found the piece of meat to be missing and was left with nothing. The moral of that story is that because the crow was not appreciative of what he had instead he was greedy chasing more food until he ended up with no food at all. I chose to modify the story by having a more modern and relevant setting. I felt like there was a great application of the message that the author was trying to portray but some modifications were necessary.  I chose to use a picture of a glass that is half full half empty which portrays a optimistic vs pessimist view as that was one of the morals I tried to portray in the story.

Filipino Popular Tales by Dean Fasler, The Greedy Crow

Week 5 Story: Sindbad's Fifth Voyage

Another day and another opportunity for Sindbad and Zoey to set sail on a voyage to the unknown. Sindbad decided to gather a set of sailors from neighboring states as well as take Zoey his best friend on board. Zoey was Sindbad's companion since day one. She helps in protecting the boat from invaders as well as retrieving items for Sindbad. Traditionally, taking people from different states was frowned upon but Sindbad explained to the Caliph that his motive for such a decision was to motivate more people to go on merchant voyages as there were many opportunities to find valuable treasure.

They set sail on a boat and drifted with the direction of the wind hoping that they would stumble upon an island. For hours, they sailed on to the ocean until the saw the shadow of an island at the end of the horizon. As they approached the island, the tall palm trees were the only thing visible. The island seemed to be filled with valleys of diamonds but there were eggs planted that were double the amount of diamonds there. The eggs belonged to the roc, which is a big aggressive bird. Sindbad directly warned the people on the ship to not approach the eggs when collecting diamonds upon arrival. Till this point, Sindbad had full control of the ship but the diamonds were too much of a temptation for other sailors. Sindbad and Zoey had a lot of experiences on their voyages and had seen much more valuable things than that valley of diamond. So they were not tempted to take any hasty decisions. The sailors on the ship but were mostly first time goers on a voyage and have not seen beyond the horizon of Baghdad. Sindbad would get sailors in such condition because he would want to train them himself. 

As they hit the shores of the islands, the sailors broke the word of Sindbad and ran to the valleys eager to gather as many diamonds as possible. As the sailors eagerly reached the valleys, they ran to the diamonds while stumbling near the eggs. Before the sailors gathered any diamonds, the rocs viciously flew into the valley and outnumbering the sailors they gathered around them and beat them to death. Sindbad could only sit back and watch as Zeoy was alert and warned them by barking but they were too naïve to listen to his expertise. Sindbad, being the lone survivor with Zoey on the ship, just waited and planned the safest way to gather all the eggs. To scare off the birds he thought to take Zoey and go down to the valley. Birds are intimidated by other animals and as long as they avoided the eggs, they would be able to gather the diamonds.

Sindbad and Zoey

As they left the ship into the valley, Sindbad and Zoey had to be extremely cautious as there were a lot of eggs scattered everywhere. They succeeded in gathering a bagful of diamonds and directly returned to the ship after that. They then continued to sail until they reached Serendib. They were welcomed by the King of India and awarded for their achievements. Zoey was given an honorary collar for her efforts, as well as unlimited steak treats and thick bones. They were able to sell all the diamonds to the king which made Sindbad extremely rich as he returned to back to Baghdad. The news of the deaths of the sailors saddened everyone and Sindbad felt guilty as he was responsible for the ship. As a gesture, Sindbad donated a large portion of the trip’s profit to the families of the victims and was loved and appreciated for his good deed. Sindbad learned his lesson but was looking forward to setting sail on his next voyage into the ocean.

Author's Note: This is a rewrite of Sindbad's fifth journey voyage. The story explains how Sindbad set sail to India and gathered sailors from different countries. As they reached an island, the valleys were full of diamonds but were surrounded with roc eggs. The sailors on the ship decided to take the eggs and cook the meat from them which pissed off the parents. They then dropped rocks on the sailors and killed them. Sindbad then met the Old Man of the Sea who gripped onto him for days. He then got him drunk to loosen up his grip and killed him.  After he left and met with other merchants who were able to gather coconuts. They then sold them and made enough money to make Sindbad rich. As he returned he gave back to the improvished porter as usual and waited until his next voyage. I chose to use a picture of Sindbad and Zoey his best friend Labrador that helped him distract the birds to gather the diamonds. Instead of making himself rich, this story focuses on the good deeds Sindbad is known for.

Bibliography: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

Image Information: I cropped Zoey from an existing picture of her and then used snapchat to insert her on the original photo of Sindbad.