Microfiction: The Blundering Elephant and the Avenging Rabbit
Story 1 || 2 sentences:
The elephant, massive as he was, barely noticed when he squashed the home of the rabbit, flattening his little children. Avenging the deaths of his children, the rabbit set ablaze the ears of the elephant, burning the hinges so the elephant couldn't lift them up anymore.
Story 2 || 25 words:
Avenging the deaths of his children who perished at the foot of the large elephant, the rabbit set fire to the ears of the elephant.
Author's Note: For this set of microfictions, I decided to write my own renditions of the story of Why the Elephant Has Floppy Ears. The original story tells of how the rabbit had children in a small den in the woods. However, the massive elephant unknowingly stepped upon his home, squashing the children of the rabbit. So, the rabbit desired to avenge their lives and set out planning his vengeance. He set the ears of the elephant on fire, destroying the hinges so that the elephant could not lift them anymore. For the first story of 2 sentences, I was surprisingly able to capture a significant amount of the original detail of the story. The story illustrates the massive size of the elephant and tells of his blunder of the rabbit's children. It also tells of how the rabbit avenged his children, setting ablaze the elephant's ears and destroying the hinges. I tried to capture as much detail of the original story as i could, while still condensing the story significantly. This story will still make complete sense to readers, telling the tale of the elephant and the rabbit. The second story of 25 characters is notably more condensed than the first. Though, there is less detail as to how the elephant squashed the rabbit's children, readers can imagine the circumstances in which it occurred. The devious act of arson committed by the rabbit is also left up to the imagination as to why the elephant has floppy ears. Surprisingly, though the second story lacks the significant detail of the original story, it is my favorite of the two above stories. The little characters written present enough detail for readers to interpret the entire story, and it is more fun for readers to draw their own conclusions and use their imagination.
Bibliography: Why the Elephant Has Floppy Ears from Negro Myths from the Georgia Coast by Charles C. Jones (1888)
The elephant, massive as he was, barely noticed when he squashed the home of the rabbit, flattening his little children. Avenging the deaths of his children, the rabbit set ablaze the ears of the elephant, burning the hinges so the elephant couldn't lift them up anymore.
Story 2 || 25 words:
Avenging the deaths of his children who perished at the foot of the large elephant, the rabbit set fire to the ears of the elephant.
Female African Bush Elephant - Courtesy of Wikipedia
Author's Note: For this set of microfictions, I decided to write my own renditions of the story of Why the Elephant Has Floppy Ears. The original story tells of how the rabbit had children in a small den in the woods. However, the massive elephant unknowingly stepped upon his home, squashing the children of the rabbit. So, the rabbit desired to avenge their lives and set out planning his vengeance. He set the ears of the elephant on fire, destroying the hinges so that the elephant could not lift them anymore. For the first story of 2 sentences, I was surprisingly able to capture a significant amount of the original detail of the story. The story illustrates the massive size of the elephant and tells of his blunder of the rabbit's children. It also tells of how the rabbit avenged his children, setting ablaze the elephant's ears and destroying the hinges. I tried to capture as much detail of the original story as i could, while still condensing the story significantly. This story will still make complete sense to readers, telling the tale of the elephant and the rabbit. The second story of 25 characters is notably more condensed than the first. Though, there is less detail as to how the elephant squashed the rabbit's children, readers can imagine the circumstances in which it occurred. The devious act of arson committed by the rabbit is also left up to the imagination as to why the elephant has floppy ears. Surprisingly, though the second story lacks the significant detail of the original story, it is my favorite of the two above stories. The little characters written present enough detail for readers to interpret the entire story, and it is more fun for readers to draw their own conclusions and use their imagination.
Bibliography: Why the Elephant Has Floppy Ears from Negro Myths from the Georgia Coast by Charles C. Jones (1888)
Hey Jackie,
ReplyDeleteI saw you are quite the avid microfiction writer and this topic jumped out at me. I love elephants. This is such a cute story for why elephants ears are the way they are. I mean, it is a little sad, but I have always enjoyed reading stories that explain nature. I think your microfictions did a good job at telling the overall story. I haven't read the original story, but got the sense of it from your microfictions before reading the authors note. I agree that it is fun for readers to form their own interpretations of the larger story. These are a good brainstorming tool for writing stories as well as they really let your mind wander.