Author: Ariel Goodbody
-
The Red Mountain
—
Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: Anti-blackness, Arrest, Attack, Bail money, Brutality, Colonialism, Corruption, Fearless, Fight, Funeral, Heartless, Immigrant, Knight, Look like, Marry, Prince, Princess, Protest, Racism, Slave, Theory, Tower, Weak, WeaponWord Count: 2084Original Author: Beatrice ValleferroOnce, there was a horrible king. He loved killing people. If someone bothered him, he said, ‘Fight me!’ and made the person fight him. He always won the fight, and the floors of the castle always had blood on them. Everyone was afraid of him. His family was afraid of him, his friends were afraid of him, and the people of his country were afraid of him. When the King was not there, they called…
-
The Curse of the Clock
—
Genre: HorrorSetting: MedievalNew Vocabulary: Apprentice, Astronomical clock, Blind, Curse, Master, Mayor, Mechanics, Mysterious, Put back together, Take apartWord Count: 1369Original Author: Czech MythsToday in Prague there is the astronomical clock, a great and mysterious clock. It brings in tourists from around the world. But many do not know that the clock has a dark history. It happened over 500 years ago…
-
The Cello That Spoke
—
Genre: DramaSetting: ModernNew Vocabulary: “For all intents and purposes”, Air freshener, Bird’s nest, Bow (music), Cello, Cockney, Echo, Ecstasy, Gruelling, Note, Recital, Rhyme, Standing Ovation, Tree stumpWord Count: 2127Once upon a time, there was a talented cello player. She loved her cello like a son, and practised on it for hours every day. Sometimes, she concentrated so hard that she could practically see the notes floating in the air around her. But one day, as she sat down to practise before breakfast, she was met with a rude surprise: as she put the bow to the strings, the cello spoke.
-
The Paper Man
—
Genre: Children’sSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: Attack, Blind, Blow (wind), Burn, Cardboard, Disabled, Flatten out, Giant, Human, Insult, Jealous, Keep away, Save, Scrunch upWord Count: 883Once there was a man made of paper. He was called the Paper Man. He lived in a town called Dull. In Dull, the people hated anyone strange. They hated clowns, they hated magic people and they hated anyone who didn’t do what they did. Of course, they hated the Paper Man as well, because humans are not made of paper!
-
The Mirror of Misurina
—
Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: “I don’t have a clue”, Curiosity, Fairy, Giant, Humble, NHS, Play a joke on someone, Smack, Spoiled, State (country), Tell off, Throughout, Throw a tantrumWord Count: 1613Original Author: Beatrice ValleferroOnce upon a time there was a father and his daughter. The father was called Sorapis, while his daughter’s name was Misurina. Misurina’s parents were the King and Queen of the land, and they were both giants. Misurina, however, was a tiny little girl. She could comfortably sit in her father’s jacket pocket and ride around. She often did this, and she made many jokes about her father, who was slow and heavy.
-
The Other Mermaid
—
Genre: RomanceSetting: ModernNew Vocabulary: Cast a spell, Curse, Juggle, Mermaid, Octopus, Shipwreck, Spin (movement), Tentacle, Wallow in self-pity, WizardWord Count: 3328You have probably heard of a certain mermaid, who came from Denmark and fell in love with a human prince. She made a deal with a witch, turned into a human and tried to win his heart, but she was unable to. So she turned into sea water and disappeared. Well, I’m sorry to say that the mermaid in this story does not fall in love with any evil prince living in a fancy castle,…
-
Rumplestiltskin
Molly had always been a clever girl. As a child, whenever her mother asked her to do work, she always found some way to get out of it. Either she got someone else to do the work for her, or she made it look like she had done it when really she hadn’t. And whenever her mother found out what she had done, Molly was nowhere to be found.
-
The Elephant and the Hare
—
Genre: Children’sSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: Antelope, Catch up to, Drop, Hare, Play a trick on someone, Referee, Rip off, Skin, Smell, StoneWord Count: 715Once there was a group of elephants. They were going to visit their family, and they wanted to bring them honey. So they went and collected honey, and started walking. On the road, they came across a hare. The hare wanted to go across a river, but the water was too deep.
-
The Singing Bone
Once there were two brothers. The older brother, Brian, was very clever, but also very proud. The younger brother, Frederick, was not so clever, but he was kind, and everyone liked him. The brothers lived in peace in the countryside, but one day, a villager ran into town. He was covered with blood.
-
Towards the City
Once upon a time, in Ancient Greece, there was a man called Byzas. Byzas was the son of Nisos, the King of Megara, a city in Greece. ‘My son,’ said King Nisos one day. ‘It is time for you to go out and make your way in the world. Find your own land and build a city there.’ ‘I will make you happy, father,’ said Byzas.