#talkingstory

[lets-talk-story]

The Tiger's Whisker

Once, in the old days, there was a loving Husband and Wife. Their days were filled with joy- until the Husband left for war. When the Husband returned; he was like a different person. No longer warm and loving; he was cold and distant. His Wife was at a loss, so she went to a Mudang for help. The Wife asked if there was anything the Mudang could do to cure her Husband. The Mudang replied she could make a potion to heal him, but the Wife would need to gather whiskers from a living tiger to complete it. The Wife swore she would do anything to help her husband. The next day, the Wife went into the mountains with a large bowl of rice and meat sauce. When she found a tiger's cave, she placed the food in front of the cave opening. She left and came back the next day with more food. She did this for several days, not waiting for the tiger to eat; until she found the tiger waiting outside the cave for her. The Wife placed the bowl of food on the ground and sat herself far away while the tiger ate. As each day passed, she measured the tiger's mood. And when it seemed comfortable with her, she'd sit a little closer. Eventually, the Wife was able to sit right next to the tiger. The tiger now trusted her enough to allow her to cut some whiskers off. The Wife ran back to the Mudang with the whiskers. But when she handed them to the Mudang, the Mudang threw them into the fire. Before the Wife could get upset, the Mudang explained, "You have shown you have the patience to tame a tiger. You now know have gentleness and patience you need to help heal your husband's soul." The Wife returned home wiser. She must have succeeded for eventually the couple was seen as loving and happy as before.

The End

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The beginning of Wily Dalilah and her daughter

   Our story takes place in Baghdad, under the reign of Caliph Harun al-Rashid. The Caliph had just made Ahmad al-Danaf and Hasan Shuman the new captains of the watch. A parade was held in their honor, and announced to all that they were worthy of respect. However, there were two women that felt bitter towards the mens’ good fortune- Wily Dalilah and her daughter Zaynab the Swindler. The women knew the captains of the watch were Calamity Ahmad and Hasan the Pestilent, two retired thieves that had come to Baghdad from other kingdoms. The mens’ quick wit soon earned them the respect of the Caliph and a monthly salary of a thousand dinars.    “Those two have everything, while we sit here unemployed,” Dalilah sniffed indignantly. “When the Caliph should have given us a stipend, as my father was the keeper of the royal carrier pigeons before he passed away.”    “Or at least, part of father’s old income, as he was the town captain of the Baghdad,” Zaynab sighed apathetically. “Yet the Caliph has forgotten the women of his dutiful servants.”     Dalilah sat in deep thought, and then replied with a mischievous grin, “Well if those two thieves can get respected through their wits, I suppose I must do the same to get the Caliph’s attention.”  And thus began the misadventures of Wily Dalilah. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

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Snow Daughter and Fire Son

Once upon a time, there was a Husband and Wife that desperately wanted children of their own. One winter's day; the couple stood beneath the eaves of their house, which had been covered with icicles. The Wife said longingly, "How wonderful it would be if I had as many children as there were icicles~" Just then, a small piece of icicle fell into her mouth. The Wife smiled, "Perhaps I'll give birth to a snow child now!" The couple laughed at the thought and went back inside. However within a few days, the Wife gave birth to a daughter as white as snow and as cold as ice. If the baby was anywhere near the hearth; she'd yowl in pain. Their daughter grew up quickly and within a few months, she could walk and talk. She was terribly sensitive to heat. In the summer, she remained in the cool of the basement. In the winter, she would sleep outside in the snow. She was named Snow Daughter. One evening, while their daughter slept in the snow; the couple sat by the hearth, discussing their unusual daughter. The Wife sighed, "Maybe things would have been easier if I had given birth to a son of fire." Just then, a cinder from the fire jumped into her lap. The Wife smiled, "Perhaps I'll give birth to a fire son now!" The couple laughed at the thought. However within a few days, the Wife gave birth to a son as red as fire and hot to the touch. He cried when he was away from the hearth, and yowled in pain when near his sister. Their son grew up quickly and within a few months, he could walk and talk. He was terribly sensitive to the cold. In summer, he'd revel in the heat. In winter, he'd practically sleep in the fireplace. He was named Fire Son.

The two siblings suffered in each other's presence, so they did their best to stay apart. This changed when their mother and father died. Fire Son wanted to explore the world. Snow Daughter had no other family, so she went with him. She made them great fur coats that protected him from the cold and her from the heat. Thus for the first time, the siblings could happily live together. In winter, the siblings made themselves homes in a big forest. Fire Son made himself a hut where the fire was always burning. Snow Daughter made the winter snow her home. Thus the two were content. One day, a nearby king rode through the woods and happened upon Snow Daughter. He was taken by her beauty and immediately asked for her hand in marriage. Snow Daughter was not opposed to the idea, but quickly let the King know that there were conditions to marrying her. The first condition was that she wanted her brother to live near them, as he was her only family. The second was that she only loved the cold and her brother only loved the heat. The King saw no problem with this and agreed. The King and Snow Daughter had a magnificent wedding. For Snow Daughter; the King had an underground room built that was filled with ice, so she could always feel cold even in the hottest of summers. For Fire Son; the King built a home surrounded by ovens, so he could always feel toasty warm. Fire Son loved his new home as it felt like living in a fire place. However, the perpetual heat made it dangerous to get close to him. The King did not know this when he invited his brother-in-law to a great feast. When Fire Son arrived at the palace; he emitted such a powerful heat, all the guests ran outside for safety. The King was angry at Fire Son. "How dare you ruin my feast!" The King shouted. "If I had known how much trouble you were, I'd never have invited you!" Fire Son laughed, "Do not be mad, dear brother. I will leave your feast, after we embrace as friends again." Before the King could protest, Fire Son had already hugged the King and burning his body. The King screamed in pain. Snow Daughter heard the cry and ran from the room she had been hiding from the heat in- only to find the burnt remains of her husband. She howled in grief and lashed out at her brother. The two got into a terrible fight. When the court rushed to see what happened all that remained of the tragic siblings was a puddle of water and a pile of ashes.

The End

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The Woman In The Red Shroud

There once was an old woman that worked on a priest's farm. The farmhands often made fun of her, but none more than Jon. Jon played so many pranks on her; that on her death bed, she promised to get revenge for all the harm he did her. Shortly after the old woman's death; Jon got lost in a snow storm and died. When his body was eventually recovered, the villagers buried him in the local graveyard. However... after Jon was buried, the villagers found the grave dug up and the coffin smashed to pieces. They buried Jon again and again, but to no avail. Each morning, they awoke to find Jon's grave destroyed. The villagers remembered the old woman's words, and knew Jon would not find rest in death. Left with few options, the priest put Jon's bones in a bag and left them behind the safety of the church door. Some time later; the priest's servant, Gudrun, lost her snuff box. She raised such a ruckus about it; that in exasperation, the priest offered to buy her a new one if she passed a test of courage. If Gudrun could take the bag of bones from behind the church door and bring them to him; he would not only get her a new snuff box, but fill it to the brim with the best snuff. To the priest's surprise, Gudrun immediately went to the church and brought back the bones. Gudrun received her snuff box, but her actions had consequences. That very night, Jon's ghost appeared before her. "You disturbed what little peace I had," he wailed. "To repay me for this injury; you must go to the church on New Year's Eve, when the dead hold their mass. Go in and find the old woman in a red shroud. Ask her to forgive the skeleton that lives behind the door." The fearless Gudrun did as she was asked. That New Year's Eve, she walked into the church amongst the dead and found the old woman with a red shroud. Gudrun told the old woman all that had happened, ending with, "So will you forgive the skeleton that lives behind the door?" In a cold voice, the old woman answered, "Yes." Pleased with herself, Gudrun returned home. The next morning, she told the priest everything that had happened. Jon's bones were buried one more time, and thankfully, never disturbed again.

The End

Notes: I told a version of this story some time ago. As fun as it was, parts of it didn't work well, so I wanted to find an older version that explained what was happening. The only thing I changed to the story, was adding some cultural explanations.

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Bitter Woe

Once upon a time there were two brothers, a rich one and a poor one. It seemed like what ever the Rich Brother did, only brought him more wealth. Whereas the Poor Brother's hard work, never gained him a penny more. The Rich Brother took advantage of his Poor Brother's finances by offering to employ him for pennies a day. The Poor Brother accepted because he'd at least have enough money for a loaf of bread, which he would have to share with his family. To everyone else in the village the Rich Brother appeared to be doing them a favor. But it was all an act. When the Rich Brother invited his Poor Brother to his birthday banquet, he ensured that the poor soul didn't even get any food or drink. When everyone else left happy and full, the Poor Brother was hungry as ever. The Poor Brother tried to pretend he had a good time, less the villagers thought him ungrateful. He tried to sing a little tune, but when he did he heard a terrible shrieking voice sing along. The Poor Brother demanded the singer show themselves Out stepped a skeleton in yellow rags. "Who are you?" The Poor Brother demanded. "I am Bitter Woe," the skeleton replied. "I am friends with all weak creatures. You seem lonely, so I have come to keep you company." The skeleton then jumped on the Poor Brother's back. The Poor Brother was too weak to throw him off, and could only crawl home. All the while, Bitter Woe sang, "I am Woe, the brave, I am Woe, the bold; He who lives with me Has his griefs controlled, And when money is lacking I'll find him gold." Bitter Woe then directed the Poor Brother to the pub, where the man drank what little money he had. When he awoke the next morning, Bitter Woe told him to go drinking again. "I have no money," the poor brother replied. "Did you forget my song?" Bitter Woe retorted, "You will always find gold with me. You will work hard for it through your labors, and then spend it on me again." And so the Poor Man did, not having the courage to fight Bitter Woe. Day after day, Bitter Woe forced the Poor Man to use whatever money he had earned on alcohol. Bitter Woe was ready to trade everything the man had in his life for drink. But the Poor Brother refused to let Bitter Woe get the best of him. Instead, he came up with a plan.

The next time Bitter Woe told him to work to buy drinks, the Poor Brother began to moan to the demon, "Oh if only I was strong enough to life the big boulder in the woods. I was told as a child that underneath it was a hoard of gold. Then I would have enough money to drink all day." Bitter Woe was intrigued and demanded the Poor Brother to take him to this boulder. They walked deep into the woods, and there was indeed a giant boulder. It would have taken 5 men to lift it themselves, but Bitter Woe and the Poor Brother worked together to find a way to lift the boulder up. Under the boulder was a very deep hole and a shimmer of gold. "Can you go down and throw me some gold, while I keep the boulder up?" The Poor Man asked. The demon jumped down into the hole and tossed up a jar of gold. Bitter Woe proclaimed, "There's not just one container of gold, but enough gold for a king!" The man dropped the boulder back onto the hole, sealing away the demon, explaining, "But this is more than enough for me." He made the sign of the cross, so the rock couldn't be moved and returned home a more hopeful man. He used the money to get out of debt and help rebuild his life. Within a year; he had a new profession and built a new home for his family. Now this change was not unnoticed by his rich brother. The Rich Brother invited his newly Better Off Brother to a meal and asked what had happened to cause this change. The Better Off Brother explained everything, including the demon Bitter Woe and how he tricked him. The Rich Brother thought his brother was foolish to only be satisfied with one jar of gold, when there was so much ready for the taking. So the next day, with an expensive tool, the Rich Brother went to the boulder and moved it himself. In a moment, Bitter Woe jumped onto his back. "I may have been tricked once, but I will not be removed again!" Bitter Woe hissed, clinging onto the Rich Brother's back. From then on, no matter how much money the Rich Brother had, he lost it to Bitter Woe and became a miserable man. Whereas the Better Off Brother knew that to keep off Bitter Woe, you had to be satisfied with what you had- and he continued to be prosperous and happy.

The End

Notes: This story also goes by the title Woe Bogotir. Normally I try to keep the vibe of the area a story is told in; but this one kept turning into a story that could take place anywhere.

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The Fox and the Rooster

One day Fox approached the farmer's Rooster and said, "I once heard your father sing. He'd close his eyes and let out a magnificent song that could be heard miles away. I was wondering if you sang as beautifully as your father did." Rooster thought nothing of this request because he considered himself a wonderful singer. Just as Rooster closed his eyes and was about to sing- Fox snatched him up in their jaws! As Fox ran home with Rooster in their jaws; Rooster berated himself for being tricked by Fox's kind words. The people of the town saw Fox running away with Rooster and began to cry out, "Fox has caught the farmer's rooster!" The townsfolk began to give chase and throw stones at Fox. This gave Rooster an idea. Rooster suggested, "Brother Fox, if you tell the townsfolk that you tricked me fair and square; they will stop chasing you." Fox thought this was a good idea, and shouted, "This is MY rooster! I caught him and it's my right to eat him!" Just as Fox opened their mouth to shout, Rooster flew away. Fox realized they had been tricked and cursed their foolishness. That day, Fox and Rooster learned the dangers of being boastful and the advantages of being silent.

The End

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Wiley and the Hairy Man pt. 2

When Wiley returned home, he told his mama everything that had happened. She told her boy, "Wiley you're mighty lucky that the Hairy Man made a bet with you. Otherwise you wouldn't be here." Wiley asked her why. She replied, "Because the Hairy Man is fierce conjurer that can change shapes and sizes. He can grow so tall, he could've plucked you out of that tree. However, the Hairy Man cannot resist a bet. So he was stuck on the ground, when your hound dogs came back." "But don't you worry," Wiley's mama said with smirk. "I'll teach you how to beat that old Hairy Man, so he never comes back to bother you." The next day, Wiley did what his mama told him. He tied his dogs to the porch and walked out into the swamp with nothing, but a burlap sack. Within minutes, the Hairy Man appeared before him.

Wiley didn't run away, instead he politely greeted the Hairy Man. "Hello Hairy Man. My mama told me, you're the best conjurer in these parts." "I'm the best conjureman in the world," the Hairy Man corrected. "Hm...." Wiley looked at him skeptically, then replied, "Naaaaw... I've been told about conjuremen that can turn themselves in animals. And I bet you can't turn into a giraffe." The Hairy Man couldn't resist a bet, so he transformed himself into a giraffe. "Wow!" said Wiley. "But I bet you can't transform yourself into an alligator." The Hairy Man couldn't resist a bet, so he transformed himself into an alligator. "Alright, alright," Wiley said skeptically. "But it's no trouble to transform yourself into something the same size. I bet you can't transform yourself into a possum." The Hairy Man couldn't resist a bet, so he transformed himself into a possum. Wiley scooped up the possum in his burlap sack and threw it into the river. Wiley turned around to go home, but the Hairy Man stood in his way. "I turned myself into wind and escaped. Now you're gonna see what real conjuring is like-" Before the Hairy Man could finish his threat, Wiley interrupted with a scoff. "You got some neat tricks, but I bet you can't make things disappear and go where no one can find them," Wiley said. "That's my specialty," the Hairy Man growled at the audacity of this child. "I bet you can't make my rope belt disappear. My mama enchanted it." Wiley stated matter of factly. "I can make all the rope in the COUNTY disappear!" the Hairy Man roared. In a moment, the rope around Wiley's waist was gone. However the rope tying his hound dogs to his porch was also gone. And the dogs chased the Hairy Man away.

End of Part 2 Part 1 Part 3

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Wiley and the Hairy Man pt. 3

Wiley ran home and told his mama how he tricked the Hairy Man. Mama hugged him, pleased by his success. "You've done mighty fine, Wiley. The Hairy Man is going to be fierce angry now. But if we trick him a third time, he'll leave us alone forever. And I'll need your help to do it." Mama then explained what they needed to do. First, Wiley brought in one of their piglets. He put it into his bed, and covered it with a blanket. Second, he crossed a broom and axe handle over the window. Third, he built a roaring fire in the fire place. Finally he hid in the house's loft. Then Mama put the dogs safely away in the shed and waited for the Hairy Man to come round. Once the dogs were put away, the Hairy Man could be heard stamping around the house. With the window and fireplace blocked off, he had no choice but to use the front door. The Hairy Man pounded on the front door. "Mama, I've come for your baby!" The Hairy Man hollered. "If you don't give him to me; I'll have lightning strike and burn down your house, I'll dry up your well, I'll have sicken your livestock, and trample your fields!" Mama calmly replied, "You wouldn't do all that; that'd be mighty mean of you."

"I'm a might mean man," he growled in irritation. "I'll do that and worse!" "If I give you my baby, will you go away and leave everything else alone?" she asked. "I swear I will!" The Hairy Man agreed impatiently. With that out of the way, Mama opened the door for the Hairy Man and invited him in. She pointed to the bed and said, "My baby is over there." The Hairy Man ran over and pulled the covers away. To his surprise, there was only a piglet in the bed. "There's only a suckling pig!" the Hairy Man yelled. "Yes sir. I said I'd give you my baby, not my son." Mama replied with a grin. The Hairy Man grabbed the pig and stomped out of the house. He tore through the swamp, angry at being tricked. However he was true to his word; so the Hairy Man never bothered Wiley and Mama ever again.

The End

Part 1 Part 2