(Originally published at https://www.journeymouse.net/ on 4th March 2014)
The Background
Some time go, my niece Jen had some homework from school that involved using some cut out prompts to make up stories (oral telling) with a basic hero's journey / monomyth approach - not that it's explained to seven-year-olds in those terms, of course. It goes without saying that I made a pain in the unmentionable of myself, so Jen (and her mum / my sister, and her granpa / my dad) set me homework. I was to use the cards left over to produce a story for her. The order I persuaded Jen to use the cards in while she was story telling was:
Character
Problem
Quest Object (what's needed to solve the problem)
Journey
Monster
Resolution
I've followed the same outline but I didn't have any "problem" cards as Jen had used them both (a choice of a branching path or a storm) so I've made up my own problem. Hopefully clear from how I wrote the captions under the preceding and following cards.
The Story
Robert joined the Princess's Bodyguard as soon as he graduated from Knight School. The Princess was beautiful and charming as a princess should be but she was cold and cruel to the people of her kingdom.
"Highness," said Robert. "Please don't be so mean to your people."
The Princess simply laughed at him. "What is 'mean'? I am a princess and I behave accordingly."
And Robert asked, "Have you no heart?"
"No," the Princess said very seriously, "My fairy godmother removed it at my christening."
Robert stared at the Princess.
"It's not like I need it," she added.
"Where is it?" he asked.
"In a little wooden chest very, very, very far away," she said.
"How far away is this chest?" asked Robert.
The Princess shrugged. "Miles and miles and miles. In a cave, on a beach, by the ocean, at the end of the world, beyond the place where the sun rises."
So Robert cleaned his sword, packed his bag and rode his horse in the direction of morning until he got to breakfast.
After eating an egg and bacon sandwich, Robert got back on his horse (who'd had a bale of hay with a side of carrots) and trotted on until he got to dawn. Then he got his torch out of his bag and turned it on. He rode further at a slow walk, watching the uneven ground for stones in the dull before-daylight.
When it got black with night, Robert knew he had got to a place beyond where the sun rises. In the darkness, he could hear weaves lapping on a stony shore.
There was a loud roar that made the horse jump and dumped Robert on the floor. The fall broke the torch and bent his sword.
"What is that?" Robert asked.
Whatever it was roared again. The horse ran away.
Something darker than the black night loomed ahead of Robert as he scrambled to his feet. He could hear something large crunching across the pebble beach and breathing as loud as a storm wind.
Robert held his bent sword out, point aimed where he thought the monster was. "Stop right, there!"
The crunchy footsteps stopped.
"What do you want, little man?" a deep voice boomed.
"I've come for a little wooden chest," said Robert, hoping the creature couldn't see the point of his sword shaking.
"I don't have one of those," said the voice. "But I have a splinter. If you take it from my foot, I'll let you go away."
"And If I don't?" Robert asked.
"Do you see anything else to eat around here?" asked the voice.
Robert squeaked and then said, in as low a voice as he could, "Show me this splinter."
A foot as large as Robert's horse bumped into him.
"Ow!" he said.
"Sorry," boomed the voice.
Robert had to feel around the hard and scabby foot but eventually he found a square shape that didn't belong, lodged between two toes. He pulled as hard as he could until it came out with a little "pop!"
"Ah," said the voice. "That's much better. Now run away before I change my mind."
Robert ran from the beach, and ran through the dawn, and ran through breakfast, and lunch, and dinner. He ran until he was back at the Palace. It wasn't until he stopped that he realised he still held the monster's splinter - and that it wasn't just any old piece of wood but the chest he'd gone looking for.
"What's that?" the Princess asked from behind him.
He still couldn't breath from all the running so he held the chest out to her, saying nothing and hoping it didn't smell like monsters' feet.
"Oh," she said. "What a pretty little box."
She took the little wooden chest from him and opened it. There was a bright flash of red light. She blinked and then looked at Robert.
"Oh," she said. "What a brave knight."