Once upon a time, there was a group of fish who lived in a little pond. The pond was lovely during the winter months, as it was small and therefore warm and cozy with all the fish swirling around. However, as the days got longer and the months got warmer, the little pond became stifling, too hot and small for the fish to be comfortable. In fact, with the water in the pond evaporating due to the heat, it was only a matter of time before the pond dried up entirely.
Living nearby, there was a Crane that watched the pond's progression, and noticed the fish's increasing dismay. This Crane was crafty and hungry, and wanted to take advantage of the fish's plight to trick them into letting him eat them.
Also nearby the Crane and the pond was a large lake, deep and cool and refreshing. The Crane approached the fish and said, "Hi, fish. I know you may not trust me, but there is a lake just over from here, and I can see that if you do not get to it, in a few weeks you will die. I am offering to help move you over there, and in return you just need to tell your friend the Crab to avoid me, for his claws are sharp and can harm me."
The fish knew that the Crane was not acting just out of benevolence for them, but they trusted that it was in the Crane's self-interest to make and adhere to the deal, and so they agreed.
Meanwhile, the Crab had been hanging out nearby, at the pond's edge, and had perked up in curiosity when he was mentioned. He listened to the whole exchange closely, being sure to stay out of sight of the Crane.
Now, by this time the Crane was incredibly hungry, and his mouth was watering at the thought of all those tasty fish. So he said, "Come fish! I will take you all at once; it will be too much energy for me to make too many trips."
The fish were as excited as the Crane, so they clamored eagerly into his mouth, where the Crane swallowed them all up in one big gulp. He let out a big burp and a contented sigh.
It was then that the Crab emerged from his hiding spot at the pond's edge. The Crane, too happy and full to be worried, said good-naturedly, "Hello Crab. I've cleared out the pond for you, so you may have all the space you desire and need not bother me."
The Crab replied, "But those were my friends you cleared out, and now I am lonely in this pond. Please take me over to the lake so that I may make new friends."
The Crane agreed, still in a good mood and wanting to stay on the Crab's good side, and brought him over to the lake. However, as soon as they touched down on the mud, the Crab said, "Foolish Crane! You even said yourself that my claws can harm you, and you ate all my friends! Silly of you to think you could appease me now by bringing me over to the lake." And the Crab proceeded to slice at the Crane's stomach, where all the fish were still swimming about, because the Crane had swallowed them whole. The fish flopped out right into the lake, where they swam around and lived happily ever after with the Crab.
Living nearby, there was a Crane that watched the pond's progression, and noticed the fish's increasing dismay. This Crane was crafty and hungry, and wanted to take advantage of the fish's plight to trick them into letting him eat them.
Also nearby the Crane and the pond was a large lake, deep and cool and refreshing. The Crane approached the fish and said, "Hi, fish. I know you may not trust me, but there is a lake just over from here, and I can see that if you do not get to it, in a few weeks you will die. I am offering to help move you over there, and in return you just need to tell your friend the Crab to avoid me, for his claws are sharp and can harm me."
The fish knew that the Crane was not acting just out of benevolence for them, but they trusted that it was in the Crane's self-interest to make and adhere to the deal, and so they agreed.
Meanwhile, the Crab had been hanging out nearby, at the pond's edge, and had perked up in curiosity when he was mentioned. He listened to the whole exchange closely, being sure to stay out of sight of the Crane.
Now, by this time the Crane was incredibly hungry, and his mouth was watering at the thought of all those tasty fish. So he said, "Come fish! I will take you all at once; it will be too much energy for me to make too many trips."
The fish were as excited as the Crane, so they clamored eagerly into his mouth, where the Crane swallowed them all up in one big gulp. He let out a big burp and a contented sigh.
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| Crane Fishing Source |
It was then that the Crab emerged from his hiding spot at the pond's edge. The Crane, too happy and full to be worried, said good-naturedly, "Hello Crab. I've cleared out the pond for you, so you may have all the space you desire and need not bother me."
The Crab replied, "But those were my friends you cleared out, and now I am lonely in this pond. Please take me over to the lake so that I may make new friends."
The Crane agreed, still in a good mood and wanting to stay on the Crab's good side, and brought him over to the lake. However, as soon as they touched down on the mud, the Crab said, "Foolish Crane! You even said yourself that my claws can harm you, and you ate all my friends! Silly of you to think you could appease me now by bringing me over to the lake." And the Crab proceeded to slice at the Crane's stomach, where all the fish were still swimming about, because the Crane had swallowed them whole. The fish flopped out right into the lake, where they swam around and lived happily ever after with the Crab.
Author's Note:
What I disliked about the original
story is that the fish were innocent victims. I wanted to find a way that the
fish would be able to survive, while preserving the Crane's story arc. The way
I did this was by having the fish remain alive in the Crane's stomach and get
cut out, Grannie in Little Red Riding Hood style.
Original Story:
The Giant Crab, and
Other Tales from Old India by WHD Rouse Link
I was also dissatisfied that the only living creature in the end was the crab, so I love that you maintained the character arc of the Crane though you chose to change the outcomes of the fish. In the end, this allowed the fish justice as well as a second chance that the original story denies them. In this way, you maintained the integrity of what the original author presumably wanted as far as message is concerned while creating an ending that gives readers who sympathize with the victims an ending they can celebrate. Also, in your author's note- "Little Red Riding Hood Style"- brilliant! Your inspiration from this popular fable totally comes through and I think completely exemplifies what this class is all about-- taking classics and through them telling a whole new tale!
ReplyDeleteI liked the changes you made to the story. It really made it more interesting to read and made the story more rounded overall. I also like how the Crane and the Crab are interconnected the whole time in your story versus in the original version. It's cool that you connected it to "Little Red Riding Hood" too and made it so that it had that fairy tale element to it.
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