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The Three Baseballs
One warm, summer day in the 1950s, in a small town in central Nebraska, a mother was preparing for a trip into Omaha. She asked her three sons if they needed anything while she was visiting the big city. The older two boys, ages 15 and 14, gave her a long list of toys, pastries, and other such luxury items that they didn't really need. Her youngest son, age 11, responded that he didn't really need anything.
"Are you sure?" asked the mother.
"I'm sure," he responded, "but I would love to have just three new baseballs to play with."
So the mother set out for Omaha, determined to get him those three baseballs. After a long day of shopping, she realized it was getting late and left the city for home. It was beginning to get dark outside, and she took a wrong turn onto an old country road. She didn't panic and kept driving. A few minutes later, she passed a run-down store selling sports equipment and decided to stop to ask for directions. No one seemed to be at the store, but she saw a bucket of brand new baseballs outside. She realized that she had forgotten to get baseballs for her son!
"I'll just take three and get back on the road," she thought to herself, "no one will even notice."
Just then, as she grabbed the baseballs, a large, tough-looking dog emerged from behind the store. The dog spoke forcefully, demanding her youngest son in return for the three stolen baseballs. The mother was distraught, yet quickly realized she had no power to change the situation.
She found her way back to the main road, returned home to her boys, and explained the situation. Her youngest son, John, was thankful for the baseballs and even seemed happy to go to the strange place; he loved sporting goods stores!
As John's mother dropped him off at the store, the dog appeared and commanded John to pet him for three hours. The dog slipped into the shadows after this, and John looked around the store for a while. John felt perplexed yet oddly calm.
A while later, the dog returned bearing an old hunting knife and told John to cut his tail off. John, who loved all types of animals, tried to refuse. "I could never do that!" he cried.
Yet the large, fierce dog insisted. As the tail fell off, some human-looking skin appeared to emerge through the dog's weathered back hair. The dog lit up with excitement! "Hurry, shave all of my hair off!" yelled the dog.
As John began to shave, something strange started to happen. The talking dog was turning into a small girl about his age! When the transformation was completed, there stood a kind-looking child. "The baseballs belonged to me, and so now you have to be my best friend," she said.
The girl's family, who had been worried for days, was soon found. She remained close friends with John for years to come.
Author's note: This story is a modern, American adaptation of a classic Czech fairy tale. The basic plot remains similar in structure, yet the characters and the details of the events have been changed!
Bibliography. "The Three Roses" from The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922). The story source can be found here.
Hey Derek!
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful modern retelling! You've done a great job changing up the details while still allowing the original plot to shape the direction of the story. I like that you've changed up the gender dynamics, and that you've created an ending based on friendship rather than romance. It is a refreshing take, as most of these types of situations in folklore involve an inevitable romance.
Hi Derek,
ReplyDeleteI was not expecting that story to turn out the way it did. I was kept on the edge of my seat towards the end. I thought at first it was going to be a family friendly feel good movie type of story. Then, I thought it was a taking a dangerous twist the the dog, and then it returned back to a wholesome feel good story. It made me really interested and I wanted to read the original tale.
Hi Derek! I loved the story. I agree with Joni that the switch from romance to friendship is a nice change. I liked how John had to shave the dog; it made me laugh a little imagining it. I also like how you merged the modern with the fantasy by making it seem like a talking dog was normal. It will be fun to read more of your stories as the semester continues!
ReplyDeleteThis story was a whirlwind! I' curious about the setting your retelling takes place in? It said in Omaha in the 1950s, but there wasn't much alarm over a talking dog. Does the story take place in an alternate universe, or is Nebraska a state where strange occurrences are commonplace? I liked the Night Vale vibe from your story, and I'm interested to see how you can create a seemingly-normal world with supernatural elements mixed in.
ReplyDeleteDerek! I really enjoyed this rendition of the three roses story! I loved how you set it in Nebraska and replaced the original characters with people who were more relatable. With the original story, and other stories like it I often find it hard to follow due to its old tone, but you successfully took this story and made it your own, thus making it enjoyable to read, Thanks!
ReplyDelete