The Pirate
04-24-2009, 3:22 PM
I recently had an assignment in my English class to rewrite a children's story with a different mood. Mine was The Three Little Pigs, and I went down the road of Grimm's fairytales. This was the result:
The Story of Bhig Badwulf
Bhig Badwulf trudged from the woods, a sharp hunger stabbing at his stomach and the fatigue of a lifetime dragging at his paws. This was a dark day for the Badwulf family. Freezing rain pelted at Bhig's skin even through his fur as he stumbled through the soggy ground. For weeks now his wife and children had felt this same hungry pain, living off of nothing more than the occasional rat Bhig was lucky enough to find. This was what he had been reduced to. He was on his way to beg from the very pigs that had ruined this land. When the pigs first arrived in this neck of the woods, they didn't seem to be much of a threat, but before long they began to cut down and sell the trees and destroy the homes of the forest animals. They had chased the quarry away, left his family sick and starving. As much as it killed him inside to do this, he had to beg for food from these savage animals. He would do anything for his family, even if it killed him. He would not watch them die.
After a while he arrived at a small clearing in the woods, with a little house in the center. It was not a strong looking house, more like a large tent made of woven straw. It didn't seem like it would be able to survive a storm like this, and he wondered if there was even anyone in it. Bhig imagined it must take quite an effort to keep up such a frail house, even without the winds. Through the straw he could see a faint light.
As he trudged toward the house it became more apparent that there was someone inside. He walked to the doorstep, and wiped his paw against the straw mat. As he stood at the door, staring down at his feet, he began to wonder if this was a mistake. "Just swallow your pride," he told himself. "This isn't for you, this is for them. They need you now more than ever." With a great effort he raised his paw to the door, and knocked. A few minutes passed with no answer. He knocked again. This time he heard a few hoof-steps on the other side of the door. It slowly creaked open, and a small head peaked through.
"What do you want?" the pig asked, staring at Bhig with disgust upon seeing him in his current condition.
"My name is Bhig Badwulf. My family is starving, and my wife has come down with a fever. I fear they will not live much longer without food. Please, spare us something, anything to get us by. I'll work for you if that's what it takes, but please--." The pig cut him off.
"Sorry, I don't give food to scum." he said as he shut the door. Bhig was frozen in place. He had come all this way, just to have a door slammed in his face. He fell to the ground in defeat. He thought of his family, of his sick wife and starving children. As he thought of them, of what would happen to them, a deep rage formed inside of him. He got to his feet. He huffed, and he puffed with anger, and with a mighty swing he struck a blow at the house, leaving a gaping hole in the straw door. He continued hitting until the door caved in. The section of wall above where the door should have been began to sink and eventually broke under the weight, the rest of the house following suit. He stood before the pile of wreckage. A few minutes of silence passed, and he began to weep. He had never meant to hurt anyone, even if it was one of these heartless pigs.
After a few minutes he heard a sound, and got back on his feet. He began to walk around the house and saw the pig crawling from the wreckage, trying to go unseen. Bhig began to apologize but the pig jumped to his feet and broke into a run. With the little energy he had Bhig ran after him. The pig's weight made him easy to keep up with, even with an empty stomach. In the distance he saw the shape of another small house. It appeared to be made the same way as the first, only this one was made from sticks. The pig got to the house and knocked on the door frantically. "Let me in, let me in, a filthy beggar is coming for me!" he shouted. The door opened.
A second pig stood behind the door, his head barely poking out. The first pig got in and the second shut and locked it behind him. Bhig got to the house and banged on the door. "Listen to me! I just want to feed my family! My wife is very ill and my children are starving! They need food! I'll do anything, anything at all just for some food!" Tears ran down Bhig's face as he stood at the doorway. Bhig went around the house to the window and looked in. The two pigs were sitting around a fire and eating as they laughed at Bhig’s failure. His family was at home starving and they actually had the nerve to laugh at him! Again rage filled every ounce of his being, and he pounded his paw against the window. The entire house shook, but nothing seemed to happen. This house was stronger than the first. Bhig began to hit even harder as twigs fell from the roof. Bhig didn't notice what he was doing, his anger was too blinding. The ground inside became littered with sticks, some of which were dangerously close to the fire.
Bhig stood back and looked at the house, feeling the sting from not only the rain, but from the mockery and shame. He huffed, and he puffed, and just as he was about to charge at the house one last time, it crumpled before him. With a puzzled look he saw a huge plume of smoke rising from the wreckage. It didn't take long for the entire pile to catch fire, despite the heavy downpour. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the two pigs running at full speed over a hill, slipping as they ran on the wet grass. This time, Bhig’s anger did not fade, but instead grew until a white film covered his sight. He had never felt such pure hatred. He ran. If the pigs would not spare him food, he would take it himself. He was going in for the kill. By the end of the day, his family would be having a feast of pig.
They ran over the hill, with Bhig close behind all the way. Not too far ahead, Bhig saw another house, this one made of brick. The pigs screamed as loudly as they could "Open the door, open the door" as they ran down the hill. The first pig was going slower than the other, still tired from the first chase. The door was already open by the time the pigs got to the door, and the third pig stood inside looking confused. "A mangy wolf is coming after us!" one of the pigs shouted. Just as the second pig reached the entrance, Bhig Pounced. He sank his teeth into the first pig's leg. The pig broke free and ran inside, then shut the door. Bhig tasted the blood in his mouth, and was ready for more.
"Get out here you cowards!" Bhig said. "First you deny my family food, than you actually have the nerve to laugh in my face! If you can't spare me food, I'll just take it!" he screamed. He threw all his weight against the wooden door. This wasn't his fault, he had been pushed to this. He had tried to be peaceful, but it wasn't enough. All he wanted was some scraps, but they didn't care, all they were concerned with was their own selfish needs. He thought of his family. Thought of the promise he made to his wife before he left, that he would bring them back food or he would die trying. He was prepared to be true to his word.
He huffed.
He puffed.
He gathered all of his force, ready to put the last of his energy into getting into the house.
"Stop!" said a pig from behind the door. This pig sounded different than the others. "Why don't we make an agreement? My friend here has been injured, and we need to take him to the doctor as soon as we can. I know that you won't give up, so I'm willing to make a deal. You let us go, and I'll leave all of the food in my pantry to you. All I ask is that you are gone by the time I return." Bhig thought about this for a moment. This could be a trick, he thought, but at the same time, it may be his only chance. What use was he to his family if he was dead? He had to give this a shot. For them.
"You promise you won't try anything?" he inquired.
"I swear by the hair on my chinny chin chin" the pig replied.
"Then you have a deal" Bhig said, with the first bit of optimism he had had in ages. The door opened, and he walked through. He looked around, but the pigs were nowhere in sight. He shook himself as dry as he could, and just as he began to turn around, he felt a sudden pain in the back of his head. He fell to the ground. With blurred vision he saw one of the pigs placing a large pot of water over a fire pit, and felt his legs being dragged by the other two.
Bhig’s last thoughts were of his family.
I figured since there are so many people on this website even more disturbing than me, at least a few people had made similar stories or would be able to at the spur of a moment so feel free to link to them if you have/are going to. And feel free to brutally critique my work.
The Story of Bhig Badwulf
Bhig Badwulf trudged from the woods, a sharp hunger stabbing at his stomach and the fatigue of a lifetime dragging at his paws. This was a dark day for the Badwulf family. Freezing rain pelted at Bhig's skin even through his fur as he stumbled through the soggy ground. For weeks now his wife and children had felt this same hungry pain, living off of nothing more than the occasional rat Bhig was lucky enough to find. This was what he had been reduced to. He was on his way to beg from the very pigs that had ruined this land. When the pigs first arrived in this neck of the woods, they didn't seem to be much of a threat, but before long they began to cut down and sell the trees and destroy the homes of the forest animals. They had chased the quarry away, left his family sick and starving. As much as it killed him inside to do this, he had to beg for food from these savage animals. He would do anything for his family, even if it killed him. He would not watch them die.
After a while he arrived at a small clearing in the woods, with a little house in the center. It was not a strong looking house, more like a large tent made of woven straw. It didn't seem like it would be able to survive a storm like this, and he wondered if there was even anyone in it. Bhig imagined it must take quite an effort to keep up such a frail house, even without the winds. Through the straw he could see a faint light.
As he trudged toward the house it became more apparent that there was someone inside. He walked to the doorstep, and wiped his paw against the straw mat. As he stood at the door, staring down at his feet, he began to wonder if this was a mistake. "Just swallow your pride," he told himself. "This isn't for you, this is for them. They need you now more than ever." With a great effort he raised his paw to the door, and knocked. A few minutes passed with no answer. He knocked again. This time he heard a few hoof-steps on the other side of the door. It slowly creaked open, and a small head peaked through.
"What do you want?" the pig asked, staring at Bhig with disgust upon seeing him in his current condition.
"My name is Bhig Badwulf. My family is starving, and my wife has come down with a fever. I fear they will not live much longer without food. Please, spare us something, anything to get us by. I'll work for you if that's what it takes, but please--." The pig cut him off.
"Sorry, I don't give food to scum." he said as he shut the door. Bhig was frozen in place. He had come all this way, just to have a door slammed in his face. He fell to the ground in defeat. He thought of his family, of his sick wife and starving children. As he thought of them, of what would happen to them, a deep rage formed inside of him. He got to his feet. He huffed, and he puffed with anger, and with a mighty swing he struck a blow at the house, leaving a gaping hole in the straw door. He continued hitting until the door caved in. The section of wall above where the door should have been began to sink and eventually broke under the weight, the rest of the house following suit. He stood before the pile of wreckage. A few minutes of silence passed, and he began to weep. He had never meant to hurt anyone, even if it was one of these heartless pigs.
After a few minutes he heard a sound, and got back on his feet. He began to walk around the house and saw the pig crawling from the wreckage, trying to go unseen. Bhig began to apologize but the pig jumped to his feet and broke into a run. With the little energy he had Bhig ran after him. The pig's weight made him easy to keep up with, even with an empty stomach. In the distance he saw the shape of another small house. It appeared to be made the same way as the first, only this one was made from sticks. The pig got to the house and knocked on the door frantically. "Let me in, let me in, a filthy beggar is coming for me!" he shouted. The door opened.
A second pig stood behind the door, his head barely poking out. The first pig got in and the second shut and locked it behind him. Bhig got to the house and banged on the door. "Listen to me! I just want to feed my family! My wife is very ill and my children are starving! They need food! I'll do anything, anything at all just for some food!" Tears ran down Bhig's face as he stood at the doorway. Bhig went around the house to the window and looked in. The two pigs were sitting around a fire and eating as they laughed at Bhig’s failure. His family was at home starving and they actually had the nerve to laugh at him! Again rage filled every ounce of his being, and he pounded his paw against the window. The entire house shook, but nothing seemed to happen. This house was stronger than the first. Bhig began to hit even harder as twigs fell from the roof. Bhig didn't notice what he was doing, his anger was too blinding. The ground inside became littered with sticks, some of which were dangerously close to the fire.
Bhig stood back and looked at the house, feeling the sting from not only the rain, but from the mockery and shame. He huffed, and he puffed, and just as he was about to charge at the house one last time, it crumpled before him. With a puzzled look he saw a huge plume of smoke rising from the wreckage. It didn't take long for the entire pile to catch fire, despite the heavy downpour. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the two pigs running at full speed over a hill, slipping as they ran on the wet grass. This time, Bhig’s anger did not fade, but instead grew until a white film covered his sight. He had never felt such pure hatred. He ran. If the pigs would not spare him food, he would take it himself. He was going in for the kill. By the end of the day, his family would be having a feast of pig.
They ran over the hill, with Bhig close behind all the way. Not too far ahead, Bhig saw another house, this one made of brick. The pigs screamed as loudly as they could "Open the door, open the door" as they ran down the hill. The first pig was going slower than the other, still tired from the first chase. The door was already open by the time the pigs got to the door, and the third pig stood inside looking confused. "A mangy wolf is coming after us!" one of the pigs shouted. Just as the second pig reached the entrance, Bhig Pounced. He sank his teeth into the first pig's leg. The pig broke free and ran inside, then shut the door. Bhig tasted the blood in his mouth, and was ready for more.
"Get out here you cowards!" Bhig said. "First you deny my family food, than you actually have the nerve to laugh in my face! If you can't spare me food, I'll just take it!" he screamed. He threw all his weight against the wooden door. This wasn't his fault, he had been pushed to this. He had tried to be peaceful, but it wasn't enough. All he wanted was some scraps, but they didn't care, all they were concerned with was their own selfish needs. He thought of his family. Thought of the promise he made to his wife before he left, that he would bring them back food or he would die trying. He was prepared to be true to his word.
He huffed.
He puffed.
He gathered all of his force, ready to put the last of his energy into getting into the house.
"Stop!" said a pig from behind the door. This pig sounded different than the others. "Why don't we make an agreement? My friend here has been injured, and we need to take him to the doctor as soon as we can. I know that you won't give up, so I'm willing to make a deal. You let us go, and I'll leave all of the food in my pantry to you. All I ask is that you are gone by the time I return." Bhig thought about this for a moment. This could be a trick, he thought, but at the same time, it may be his only chance. What use was he to his family if he was dead? He had to give this a shot. For them.
"You promise you won't try anything?" he inquired.
"I swear by the hair on my chinny chin chin" the pig replied.
"Then you have a deal" Bhig said, with the first bit of optimism he had had in ages. The door opened, and he walked through. He looked around, but the pigs were nowhere in sight. He shook himself as dry as he could, and just as he began to turn around, he felt a sudden pain in the back of his head. He fell to the ground. With blurred vision he saw one of the pigs placing a large pot of water over a fire pit, and felt his legs being dragged by the other two.
Bhig’s last thoughts were of his family.
I figured since there are so many people on this website even more disturbing than me, at least a few people had made similar stories or would be able to at the spur of a moment so feel free to link to them if you have/are going to. And feel free to brutally critique my work.