The Core Art of Storytelling

[Jan Morrison always manages to get me thinking. This post is inspired by her fantastic post on 'The Core Art', which she posted over at Burrowers, Books & Balderdash. Do head over if you haven't read it yet, but only after spending a minute reading this!]

"Mamma, tell me the story of the monkey that stole your friends' oranges." I oblige.
"Did the monkey peel the orange before eating?" "Yes, it did", I guess.
"And what did the monkey do with the seeds?" "It spat them out", I improvise.
"Did the seeds hit your friend?"

The kids love old stories- new details are added, old ones embellished, the stories evolve, and yet remain the same. They love new stories too.

All these months when the kids have left me no time to write, they have been challenging the storyteller in me. I shouldn't complain, should I?

_____

A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

I Went to China

"What did you do during the holidays?"
"I went to China!"
[to me]"You went to China and never even told me?"
"I had fun in China."
"What did you do there?"
"I learnt kung fu and I played with the pandas!"
"And Mamma let you do that?"
"I didn't go with Mamma, I went with Lalit*."
"Who is Lalit?"
"My best friend. In school. He is a kid, like me."
[to me]"How could you allow such a young kid to go to China alone."

Should I smile at the gullibility of adults, or admire the imagination of my five-year old?

* name changed
_____

A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.