Tales of Form

[LightningTopaz]

"A class sleepover, huh?" a brown haired boy asks, interested in his younger sister's proposition.

"Yeah--Miss Yamada felt a reward was in order for a great school year, Brock." a brown haired girl with similar features to her brother replies. "So when she asked for entertainment ideas, I asked if you could come chaperone and tell a few stories based on our folk tale comparison project that we did this spring."

"The one I recorded 'The Statue Girl' for?" Brock asks.

"That's it!" the girl smiles. "Only Miss Yamada heard the different stories, and I really wanted to let everyone hear you tell 'The Statue Girl'"

"So we have the 'Snow White variant covered...what other stories were represented, Terra?" Brock wonders.

"Lily's group did 'Little Red Riding Hood'..." Terra muses...

"Which I can tell 'Grandma Raikou' or 'Darkrai and the Three Sisters' for..." Brock replies.

"Lily included 'Grandma Raikou' in her group's recordings--not your version, but her big sister's version--but when I told her about the Darkrai variant you knew, she said she wanted to hear you tell that one." Terra continues. "Jake's group did 'Jack and the Beanstalk'...."

"Now I know an intresting Houen variant on that one--only swap the giant for a Dragonair." Brock interjects. "It's called 'How the Dragonair Met His Match'"

"Kari's group did 'Cinderella'"... Terra muses...

"Besides the version everyone knows, I also know a variant of that one named 'The Golden Shoe'" Brock muses.

Terra thinks for a moment, trying to remember what stories the remaining three groups did. "Darren's group did 'Rapunzel'..."

"In addition to the version everyone knows, I also know a Shinou variant Lucas told me once called "'Mei-chan in the Tower'." Brock replies.

"Nick's group did 'The Fisherman and his Wife', which I know you'd tell 'The Stonemason' for..." Terra muses. "...and Alison's group did 'The Three Little Spoinks'."

"...which I know a variant named 'The Three Pidgeys'" Brock replies as he gets up from the table, pesumably to practice his program. "You want me to bring the guitar or not?"

"Most of my class hasn't heard you play before, so I'm sure they'd love the guitar." Terra smiles. "Especially if you play what you played to back yourself when you told "The Statue Girl"

"Sounds good--and I'll even throw in a question story to warm up." Brock adds.

"Oh boy!" Terra is excited--in these kinds of tales, Brock would tell the story, then pose a question to the audience, usually what they thought would happen next, before telling the rest of the story. She loved speculating what would happen next, particularly if the hero was in danger. Exactly which question story he would tell was a question to be answered on the day of the party.

One week later...

"Here we are!" Terra announces as she and Brock enter a large open room at the school's activity center. A number of other children and Misss Yamada are already there, organizing their supplies.

"So this is the school activity center...." Brock muses as he finds a chair overlooking the room with a guitar stand close by.

"It was intended to be a place for students, their families, and the public from the beginning." Miss Yamada explains as she brushes a strand of her auburn hair away. "We've held fundraisers of all kinds, shows, sporting events, and parties here. Some of them were for the school, and some were not."

"Remember the craft sale last year?" a boy asks Terra. Terra smiles as she remembers the various paintings, candles, carvings, sewing, and even instruments that were sold to benefit the arts programs.

"Yeah--Ash was there to both make and demonstrate whistles." Brock smiles as he tunes up. Once he is in tune, he finds himself playing both one of his favorite tunes to play on guitar and one he has heard both Ash and Dawn frequently play: "The Rainy Day Fancy".

"Very nice!" Terra leads the applause. "I've never heard that song before..."

"Well, I heard Ash playing it on Pokeflute once and thought it sounded nice, so when I asked what the name of it was, he said its most common name was 'The Rainy Day Fancy'." Brock explains. "So I sat down and tried to learn it in the same key Ash had played it in--E minor." He plays a few measures of the tune in that key to illustrate his point. "Which is doable on guitar, but trying to mimic a wind instrument with strings proved to be the hard part. So I thought, 'What if I tried playing it in the key that fiddlers usually play it in?'--since I do use fiddle tunes to practice fingerpicking. Closest fiddler I found was Dawn, and I happened to catch her about to begin her practicing for the day that afternoon."

"And then?" Terra is interested in the story now.

"I explained I wanted to learn 'The Rainy Day Fancy' and asked what key she had learned it in." Brock replies as he acknowledges his growing audience for his ancedote. "She said she had learned it in A minor, and asked if I wanted to record her playing her version. So I recorded her playing it at speed and slowly, and listened to the tape a zillion times. Once I had the basic melody down, I worked on making it sound as fiddle-like as possible...and the end result sounds something like this." With that, he plays the complete tune twice, to some applause.

"Do you play that one a lot?" a boy asks.

"Yes--both alone and with Ash and Dawn." Brock replies.

"What does a Pokeflute sound like?" another girl asks.

Brock sets his guitar aside and gets up from his chair. "I happen to have a tape of a solo set he did while Dawn danced...it sounds something like this." With that, he slips a tape into the tape deck and hits PLAY, making some rhythmic clacking fill the air. Every so often, the clacking is punctuated by a Pokeflute playing random notes. "Dawn practicing while Ash is tuning up." he explains. "They had no idea I was recording this."

Finally, the clacking begins to pick up speed, but the Pokeflute is still going slow. "A little faster, Ash..." Dawn's voice requests. As if in response to its partner's request, the Pokeflute begins to play "Ninetales' Blessing" at the same speed as the clacking. After playing that through twice, Ash segues into "Road to Celadon", followed by "Rainbow Lights", Dawn's feet providing a steady beat for him to follow.

"Wow!" The kids are impressed.

"I wish I could hear him live!" a girl dreamily sighs as Brock shuts off the tape deck.

"Fortunately, our next gig is right here in a few days, so you'll get your chance very soon." Brock assures the girl as he returns to his seat and his waiting guitar. "But now, let us turn our attention to a different sort of tale..." Excited whispers fill the air. "Just a few weeks ago, your teacher gave you a project to compare different versions of some of the world's most beloved stories..."

"They all did a great job on that, by the way." Miss Yamada interjects.

"I've traveled all over the world, and learned many folk and fairy tales--some of which you may have collected on your project, and some you've never heard before." Brock continues. "But before we dive into some of the greatest stories ever told and the variants thereof, the first story I want to tell you requires that you pay attention--I'll be asking you a question at some point to see if you've been paying attention." With that, he picks up his guitar and plays a calm melody as he begins his tale. "Once a man was passing through a town, when he came upon a Raikou that had been locked inside a steel cage. He thought nothing of it at first--capturing Raikous in cages was quite common in those days--until the Raikou said to him..." He switches to a deeper version of himself. "Please, sir, let me out of the cage long enough for me to have a drink."

As himself, he continues "The man balked at this, and told the Raikou..." He switches to a slightly older sounding version of Ash. "But I can't do that, you would only eat me as soon as I opened the cage door!"

"I would never be that ungrateful!" he protests as the Raikou.

As himself, he continues. "So the man took pity on the Raikou, and opened the cage..." His melody turns tense. "But no sooner had he done so, did the Raikou pounce on him and knock him to the ground, intent on eating him." His melody turns calmer as he adds. "The mean pleaded..." As his "older Ash", he begs. "Please, Raikou, don't rush to kill me so quickly! I was the one who let you out!"

"You knew good and well that I would eat you if you let me out, and now you must die!" he intones as the Raikou.

"Let us first ask the opinions of six others, and if even one says that it is unjust and unfair to have you eat me after I rescued you, you are to let me go. But if they all say that you are justified in wanting to eat me after I set you free, only then I will I lay down my life." he suggests in his "older Ash" voice.

"So who did they ask?" Terra is interested.

"The Raikou agreed to the man's offer, and so they set off down the road." Brock replies as himself. "They walked until they came to a grove of trees, where Shaymin was resting on a Nanab branch, as was her custom during the heat of the day. The man called to her.." He switches to his "older Ash" voice again. "Shaymin, please hear and give judgement."

"On what should I judge?" he asks in a breather version of Dawn's voice.

As his "older Ash", Brock explains. "I let this Raikou out of a cage to get a drink on the assumption he wouldn't harm me when I did. Once I opened the cage, he now wants to eat me--is this fair?"

As himself, he interjects over a slow melody "Shaymin thought for a moment, then told the man..." He switches to his "Shaymin" voice again. "Humans often rest under these trees when it is hot, like I do, but once they are rested they break off these branches, and scatter the leaves as if they own them! The Raikou is justified, since humans are so ungrateful!"

Everyone laughs as the voice Brock has chosen to characterize Shaymin for a moment before Brock continues as himself "The man and the Raikou went and asked some other Pokemon--they asked a Numel, a Tauros, a Pidgeot, and a Feraligatr, and they all said the same thing--the Raikou was justified, since humans were so ungrateful. The sixth Pokemon they asked turned out to be a Ninetales..." He stops his song for a moment. "Now, my question to you is, how do you think the Ninetales will answer the man's question? Will she too say that the Raikou is justified, or will she be the one that says otherwise?" He lets that hang and plays another dance tune as the children discuss their predictions.

 

[TeamGalacticMercury]

Very nicely done so far! I'll be sure to keep reading!

 

[LightningTopaz]

You're welcome!

How do you think this first tale will turn out?

 

[TeamGalacticMercury]

Very well!

 

[LightningTopaz]

"Now then...shall we find out the answer to my question?" Brock asks the kids as he concludes his song. Cheers fill the air in reply. Brock smiles and continues his tale: "The merchant called to the Ninetales "Ninetales, please hear and give judgement."

He then switches to a voice reminescent of a young woman to represent Ninetales. "On what must I judge?

As himself, he continues. "The merchant explained to Ninetales his predicament, and tensely watched as Ninetales thought long and hard about his dillema. After a few minutes, Ninetales said to him..." He switches to his "Ninetales" voice again. "It will be difficult for me to decide who is justified until I know where each of you were at the time." As himself, he continues "So the merchant and the Raikou led Ninetales to the place where they had first met, and showed her exactly where they had been when they had met some hours before. No sooner had the Raikou gotten back in the cage, did the Ninetales shut it and lock it. The Raikou tried to protest, but Ninetales scolded him, saying..." As Ninetales, he scolds "You wicked and ungrateful Pokemon! When the merchant opened your cage door, was eating him the only thing you would do in return for his showing kindness? You will remain there for the rest of your days, and no one will ever let you out again!"

The children laugh as Brock concludes as himself "The merchant was grateful that the Ninetales had saved him, and went on his way, rejoicing all the while...the end."

"That was wonderful!" Miss Yamada raves as she applauds.

"Thank you..." Brock acknowledges his applause before beginning another relaxed melody. "To kick off my contributions to the Comparing Tales project, I first want to tell you guys the tale that Terra lent to her group--a variant of 'Snow White' from Fiore called 'The Statue Girl'". With that, he begins the tale: "There was once a merchant who had three daughters...One day, he was called on a long journey on business, so he called the girls together and told them..." He switches to a deeper version of himself. "I will be away for a year at least, so before I leave you, I want to give you three a gift so that you will be happy while I am away--name what you want, and it is yours."

As himself, he continues "The girls thought about their choices for a while, then told their father they wanted gold, silver, and silks. So their father bought the three items, and left on his journey the next morning, wishing the girls well.

He pauses his melody for a moment. "The youngest of the three girls was prettier than her sisters--I'll call her Ori. She had hair that was as soft and smooth as honey, and was the same golden brown. She had a spring in her step, a voice rivaling an Altaria, and her emerald green eyes sparkled with wonder and curiosity--the picture of a healthy and happy young lady." Some of the children grab some paper in an attempt to draw Ori based on Brock's description. "Of course, Ori's sisters were obviously jealous. Not long after their father had left, then eldest sister took the gold to be spun. The middle sister took the silver, and left the silk for Ori. That evening after dinner, they sat with their wares to spin. As Lugia begin his evening flight across the sky, Jirachi, the Wishmaker, flew on ahead of him, painting millions of stars in the night sky." He plays a few harmonic notes to illustrate Jirachi making stars. "As Jirachi passed by the window, he saw the three girls spinning, and sang this blessing to them..." He then plays a calm melody with plenty of harmonics as he sings in a high pitched male voice that almost sounds female to represent Jirachi. <i>Beautiful is the lady in gold, and lovely is the lady in silver, but the lady in silk is the loveliest of all...sweet dreams to both schemers and dreamers!</i>

"Just like we recorded..." Terra sighs nostalgically.

"Appalled at being called schemers, Ori's sisters decided to swap threads in hopes Jirachi's blessing would include them." Brock continues. "The next evening, they gave Ori the silver, and sat by the window to spin. As Jirachi flew past, painting the stars in the sky, he again sang a blessing to the three girls..." With that, he sings as Jirachi as he plays the calm melody again. <i>Beautiful is the lady in gold, and lovely is the lady in silk, but the lady in silver is the loveliest of all...sweet dreams to both schemers and dreamers!</i>

When the applause dies down, the calm melody turns tense. "Ori's sisters were furious at this, and began taunting and teasing Ori so much, she didn't know what to do." Brock continues. "The next evening, they gave Ori the gold to see what Jirachi would say when he flew past. So that night, the three of them sat down to spin, and Jirachi flew past, just as he did every night, singing this blessing as he flew by...." As Jirachi, he sings over the familiar calm melody <i>Beautiful is the lady in silk, and lovely is the lady in silver, but the lady in gold is the loveliest of all...sweet dreams to both schemers and dreamers!</i> As himself, he continues "By now, Ori's sisters were furious, so they took Ori to the barn and locked her away in the hayloft, figuring that if Jirachi couldn't see Ori, he couldn't sing about her. Ori cried and cried all night long, her tears desprate pleas to the heavens. Jirachi heard Ori crying, and flew back to the barn. After carefully opening the window with some stardust, he motioned for Ori to follow him into the starry sky. Ori took Jirachi by the hand, and Jirachi carried her to the top of a high mountain, where Ruaira, the house where Jirachi rested during the day, stood.

"What does Ruaira mean?" a boy interrupts.

"Ruaira is Mew for 'the house of stars'--Fiore tradition says it is where Lugia and Jirachi rest during the day." Brock explains. After making sure no one else has a question, he goes on. "The next evening, Ori's two sisters sat down by the window to spin, and Jirachi passed the house as he did every night, singing this blessing as he went by..." As Jirachi, he sings <i>Beautiful is the lady in gold, and lovely is the lady in silver, but the lady in the stars with me is the loveliest of all...sweet dreams to both schemers and dreamers!</i> As himself, he continues "The sisters hurried to the barn and looked in the hayloft, but Ori was not to be found. So they went into a forest where a dark mage named Arsha lived and asked her where their sister was. Arsha consulted her star charts, and said that Ori was safe and well cared for in Ruaira. The two sisters asked how they could have Ori killed, and Arsha assured them she knew just the thing. So Arsha disguised herself as peddler, and made the long hike to Ruaira. Figuring that Arsha was just an ordinary peddler, Lugia welcomed her inside. But no sooner had Arsha carefully put one of her cursed pins in Ori's hair, did she turn to stone."

"NO!!!" the kids gasp, fearing the worst.

"When Jirachi returned and saw what had happened, he quickly removed the cursed pin, bringing Ori back to life. Lugia told Jirachi what had happened, and both agreed that someone was after Ori, and that they needed to keep a closer watch on her." Brock continues, making the kids heave sighs of relief. "A year passed, and Ori's sisters visited Arsha again, seeking confirmation that Ori was dead. But Arsha consulted her magic books and saw that Ori was very much alive, and the two sisters pleaded with her to try and kill Ori again." Panicked whispers and "Oh no"s fill the room. "So Arsha went on her way to Ruaira again, this time with a box of cursed combs. When she arrived, Jirachi was staying with Ori, as Lugia had gone to attend to an errand for the Great Lord Arceus. Ori was enamored by the combs, and asked Jirachi if she could have one. Jirachi relented, but didn't know that they were cursed until Ori had turned to stone a second time. Jirachi quickly restored Ori to life and warned her to be on her guard--there was definitely someone out to get her."

"And then?" Even Miss Yamada is worried about Ori's fate.

"When Lugia had heard what happened, he and Jirachi agreed that should the evil peddler return a third time, they would drive her away themselves." Brock continues. "A year passed, and the two sisters sent Arsha to Ruaira a third time. Arsha took with her a cursed gown that turned anyone of pure heart that touched it to stone--but Lugia and Jirachi were waiting this time--and very angry!" He plays an adventurous melody as he continues "Lugia and Jirachi fought long and hard to keep Arsha and her cursed wares away, but in the confusion, Ori accidentally touched the gown and turned to stone."

"Oh no..." a girl comments as she struggles to hold back tears.

"Lugia and Jirachi had no choice but to watch the statue fall down to the earth far below." Brock continues, running a finger down one string to mimic something falling. "It landed upright in a pile of brush not far from the mountain. A prince happened to be passing that way, and saw the statue lying in the brush. He cleaned it, took it to the castle, and mounted it on a pedestal in his chamber, dreaming for many days what the stone girl would look like if she were alive."

"Were the ladies of the castle jealous of the statue?" a boy asks.

"Not so much the ladies than the two princesses of the castle, who grew deeply concerned about their brother." Brock replies. "So one day, they came into their brother's room and began wiping the statue down--no sooner had water touched it, did Ori come back to life!"

"YAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!!!!" The kids are overjoyed Ori is alive.

"The princesses were naturally scared out of their minds at first, but Ori told them her tale, and the princesses told her to hide behind a curtain to surprise their brother when he returned. The prince was panicked when he saw the statue missing, but his sisters introduced him to Ori and told him her story from start to finish." Brock continues before starting a regal melody. "Ori and the prince soon fell in love, and they were married not long after. The night of the wedding, Lugia flew over the castle with Jirachi not far behind. When Jirachi saw that Ori was the lucky bride, he sang this blessing to her as he painted the sky with stars... " With that, he begins the "blessing song as he sings in character is Jirachi <i>Beautiful was the lady in gold, and lovely was the lady in silver, but the lady in the castle is the loveliest of all...sweet dreams to both schemers and dreamers!</i> As he finishes the song, he interjects as himself "So Ori never had to worry about her jealous sisters again, and lived happily ever after with her lover, the prince, for many years...the end."

"Bravo!" Miss Yamada leads the applause.

"Thank you..." Brock acknowledges his applause, then starts a new melody. "Next we'll turn our attention to a different tale--one that features a girl in red and a crafty Mightyena...I speak, of course, of 'Little Red Riding Hood'"

"But everyone knows that one!' a boy protests

"Well, like all folk and fairy tales, that story has many different versions, as I'm sure you discovered on your project. One version I like to tell kids is called 'Grandma Raikou', which features a Raikou instead of a Mightyena." Brock explains. "Darkrai is another popular variation for the threatening Pokemon. This particular Darkrai variant I learned while staying in Eterna City once...it's called "Darkrai and the Three Sisters."

"But isn't this the same plot?" a girl asks.

"Although this is from Shinou and 'Grandma Raikou' is from Johto, both stories are strikingly similar--but this one has one big difference." Brock adds before beginning his tale. "Once upon a time, in a land far away from here, there lived a woman who had three daughters. The eldest daughter was tall and strong, so she was named Naira, which meant "big and strong". The middle daughter was very energetic and always on the go, so she was named Daithi, which meant "the wild child". The youngest daughter enjoyed fishing and swimming in the lake by the house, so she was named Manami, which meant "love of the water".

"One day, the mother called the three sisters together and told them that she was going to visit their grandma for the day, warning them not to open the door for anyone until she returned that night." Brock continues. "The mother set out early that morning, while it was still dark. Darkrai happened to be passing that way, eager for someone to curse. He saw the mother approaching on the path, and after a long struggle, left the mother unconscious by the roadside. Some of the mother's clothing had been torn in the struggle, so he transformed himself into a young woman and put them on, and crept in a bush to wait for nightfall.

When evening came, he tapped on a window and called to the girls in the best female voice he could muster..." He switches to a young female voice. "I've returned! Won't you let your mother in?" As himself, he continues "Naira heard the voice, but refused to open the door out of fear. Next, he tried calling for Daithi, but she too refused out of fear. But when he called for Manami, Manami figured that their mother had returned, and eagerly let Darkrai inside. Darkrai walked over to the mother's bed and stretched out upon it. While Darkrai rested, Naira noticed that their "mother" was unusually pale and had torn clothes and odd red eyes, and told her sisters what to do should Darkrai try to lure them to a gruesome demise."

"A-and then?" a boy stammers.

"After he had dozed for a while, Darkrai saw his chance to try and eat the three sisters, and beckoned for Naira to sleep with him on the bed. But Naira refused, saying that she preferred her own bed. Then he asked for Daithi to sleep with him, but Daithi refused, saying she was too old for that. Manami eagerly accepted, but this was only a ruse for her to scatter some roasted carrots by Darkrai's side to fool him into thinking she was really there. Once Manami had laid out all the carrots, she joined her sisters on the floor. All three of them slept with an eye open in case Darkrai tried to trick them again, and they shuddered when they heard crunching around midnight--it could have been Manami's bones that Darkrai was crunching on instead of carrots, and Daithi thanked Naira for sparing Manami from a grisly fate."

"So what did the girls do?" Lilly asks, interested.

"Not long after midnight, Daithi remembered their true mother's jewelry box, and how the jewels inside supposedly had magical power." Brock continues. "But to get it, they would have to pass Darkrai. So she waved to get Darkrai's attention and said to him..." He switches to a young girl voice. 'Mother? I need to use the bathroom...' In his "young woman" voice, he adds 'Well, come right back in here when you finish..." before continuing as himself. "...Darkrai replied. This bought Naira time to grab their mother's jewelry box, and the three girls fled into the night. Once outside, Naira fished out a ruby and called..." He switches to an "older girl" voice. "Ruby-san, become a high, rocky cliff!" As himself, he narrates "No sooner had the ruby hit the ground, did a high rocky cliff appear in a flash of red. It was so high, it appeared to touch the sky and even go past the full moon. Meanwhile, Darkrai had discoverd that the girls had escaped, and rushed outside, only to find the cliff blocking his path. Although it was a long climb, and Darkrai slipped backwards many times, he could sense where the girls were fleeing to, and before long, the sisters could hear him gasping for breath as he reached the top."

"Oh no!" Terra gasps.

"Knowing Darkrai was coming, Daithi took an emerald from the jewelry box and called..." He switches to his standard female voice."Emerald-san, become a thick, leafy forest!" As himself he continues. "The emerald hit the ground and became a thick and leafy forest in a flash of green. Darkrai, having successfully climbed the high cliff, now found himself in a dense forest, where the trees blocked any moonlight. He bumped into many trees, but the girls soon heard his screams of pain as he approached. Just before Darkrai could emerge from the forest, Manami took a sapphire from the jewelry box and called... " He switches to his standard "young girl" voice. "Sapphire-san, become a great rolling sea!" As himself, he narrates. "The sapphire hit the ground and became a great rolling sea, leaving Darkrai on one end and the sisters on the other. Knowing he couldn't swim, Darkrai tried to use a rock as a boat, but soon sunk beneath the waves, never to be seen again. By this time, the girls found their true mother waking up from her encounter, and she was relieved to see that the girls were safe. Naira told her about all that had happened, so to protect against Darkrai ever returning, they tied a gold ribbon to the doorpost--a practice still continued in Shinou today...the end."

"Amazing!" a girl raves--she, along with the rest of the class, is eager to know which of the stories featured in the project Brock will tell next.