Microfiction: Two Tales of Whodunnit
Story 1 || 100 words:
Mr. Owl fancied times where he could fly through the woods, singing with joy. One day, Miss Owl went out to pay a visit and bid Mr. Owl to watch the home and eggs. Yet, Mr. Owl yearned to sing, so he went off to teach at the singing school. Upon his absence, Miss Cuckoo, stubborn as she was, came and left her eggs in the nest. Upon this discovery, Miss Owl was not happy at all and sent Mr. Owl in search of the culprit. So, he still flies searching for who did it and forgot how to sing.
Story 2 || 50 words:
Mr. Owl loved to sing. While he was out realizing his passion at the singing school, someone left eggs in his nest. Now Miss Owl was quite angry. So, now he searches for who left her eggs. He sang 'Who' for so long, he forgot how to sing anything else.
Author's Note: For this week's set of microfictions, I opted to retell the story of Why Mr. Owl Can't Sing. The original story tells of an owl who loved to sing. He flew through the forest singing his heart out. However, there was another bird, Miss Cuckoo, who passed her time by laying eggs in strangers' nests. So, when the Owls were gone, Miss Cuckoo left her eggs in their nest. Upon their return, Miss Owl was quite upset, sending Mr. Owl to search for who the eggs belonged to. His constant outburst of 'Who' eventually took away his ability to sing anything else. For the first microfiction I wrote, I was able to illustrate how much Mr. Owl loved to sing. I captured most of the plot from the original story and was able create my own rendition with the same characters. I explored the emotions of the various characters, as well as their interactions and activities. As a result, there is little left to the imagination to conjure up. For the second microfiction, I captured the underlying plot without much of the finer details of the original story. In a sense, it results in a mystery for the readers, for they were not informed of who the eggs belonged to. So they can emphasize with Mr. Owl as he flys through the forest, searching for the culprit. Though, there is much less detail than the original, and even less than my first microfiction, I actually prefer the 50-word rendition of the story. There may be less words and detail, but it leaves more to the imagination as to how Mr. Owl flies through the forest, demonstrating his love for singing and loyalty to Miss Owl.
Bibliography: Why Mr. Owl Can't Sing from Animal Tales from North Carolina, in Journal of American Folklore v.25 by Emma Backus and Ethel Hatton Leitner (1912)
Mr. Owl fancied times where he could fly through the woods, singing with joy. One day, Miss Owl went out to pay a visit and bid Mr. Owl to watch the home and eggs. Yet, Mr. Owl yearned to sing, so he went off to teach at the singing school. Upon his absence, Miss Cuckoo, stubborn as she was, came and left her eggs in the nest. Upon this discovery, Miss Owl was not happy at all and sent Mr. Owl in search of the culprit. So, he still flies searching for who did it and forgot how to sing.
Story 2 || 50 words:
Mr. Owl loved to sing. While he was out realizing his passion at the singing school, someone left eggs in his nest. Now Miss Owl was quite angry. So, now he searches for who left her eggs. He sang 'Who' for so long, he forgot how to sing anything else.
Boreal Owl - Courtesy of eBird
Author's Note: For this week's set of microfictions, I opted to retell the story of Why Mr. Owl Can't Sing. The original story tells of an owl who loved to sing. He flew through the forest singing his heart out. However, there was another bird, Miss Cuckoo, who passed her time by laying eggs in strangers' nests. So, when the Owls were gone, Miss Cuckoo left her eggs in their nest. Upon their return, Miss Owl was quite upset, sending Mr. Owl to search for who the eggs belonged to. His constant outburst of 'Who' eventually took away his ability to sing anything else. For the first microfiction I wrote, I was able to illustrate how much Mr. Owl loved to sing. I captured most of the plot from the original story and was able create my own rendition with the same characters. I explored the emotions of the various characters, as well as their interactions and activities. As a result, there is little left to the imagination to conjure up. For the second microfiction, I captured the underlying plot without much of the finer details of the original story. In a sense, it results in a mystery for the readers, for they were not informed of who the eggs belonged to. So they can emphasize with Mr. Owl as he flys through the forest, searching for the culprit. Though, there is much less detail than the original, and even less than my first microfiction, I actually prefer the 50-word rendition of the story. There may be less words and detail, but it leaves more to the imagination as to how Mr. Owl flies through the forest, demonstrating his love for singing and loyalty to Miss Owl.
Bibliography: Why Mr. Owl Can't Sing from Animal Tales from North Carolina, in Journal of American Folklore v.25 by Emma Backus and Ethel Hatton Leitner (1912)
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