Week 11 Story:
My Grandmother's Stories
Author's Notes: My story inspiration this week is from Iagoo, the Storyteller. This story is meant to introduce the character of Iagoo, as wise and wonderful storyteller. He has a way of winning the hearts of all those he comes across through his storytelling, specifically children. I wanted to follow a format similar by describing the amazing way someone could portray stories but with using a family member instead. This isn't particularly about my own grandmother but, this is just a general idea of a grandparent. Being idolized by her grandchildren for the way she tells them stories and does things for them. It will be told through the perspective of one of her grandchildren who is of a pretty decent age (maybe 17-24?) and recounting the moments they were invested in the tales their grandmother would tell to them.
My eyes never lit up as bright for anyone as they did for my Grandmother. My siblings and I never dismissed the ideas of any of the stories she wanted to tell. She seemed to know the mysteries that lurked in the forests, and could interpret the meanings from all creatures from land and sea. Her emotional understanding was only matched by her brilliant ability to captivate an audience even just by one sentence. All my life, I knew she had a strong connection to the outdoors, the spiritual ties to the world, and all the weird things you'd expect crazy old women to be passionate about. She never taught us to be prim and proper adults, but more so the fact that she taught us moral lessons that shaped who we are today.
Her favorite way to teach us was through storytelling. She had a vast variety of stories to tell and I honestly don't remember ever hearing the same one twice. She knew fairy tales from what seemed to be all regions, and had learned most of what she knows through her parents passing the stories down to her and generations of the same trend taking place. If there was on take away you could get from my grandmother, it was that the world was a mysterious and mystic place that was full of beauty advice if you ever desired it.
We all loved my grandmother. Every single one of us. It was like a floodgate would open when my parents announced that we'd go to visit for the weekend. I remember running to the car as soon as the doors opened and jumping around in my seat waiting until I could see even the roof of her home. She had this rug that sat out by a leather recliner that she loved to sit in. Around that rug sat myself and all of my siblings, eagerly waiting to see our grandmother. She would walk out with a tray of chocolate chip cookies that to this day, no one has been able to master the way she did it. It was like she had a magic spell on us because we almost lost all train of thought on anything else but her.
Visits to our grandmother's mostly occurred during the holiday season. Whether it was snowy glaze coating the cracked pavement or crisp orange leaves falling from the trees, she was always inspired to tell a tale. My favorite times were when we could bundle up in warm blankets and sip on hot cocoa while listening to fairy tales of heroes, princesses, magicians, and even pirates. I felt connected to all parts of the world when I got to hear stories from my grandmother. She never failed at rallying us up to her while giving my parents the break they definitely deserved.
Years have passed since I was able to meet with my grandmother for stories. As that time passed, she left us to float amongst the breeze by nature. She was free to swim with the dolphins and soar the skies with the eagles now. My heart still yearns to hear those stories once more, but I knew that I had to allow them to live on through me. I will pass down her legacy as a brilliant, wise storyteller who is loved by her family. I will instill deep relationships with the earth and sky to the people who give my tales a chance. To the people who are open to getting a feel for my grandmother, I wish for them to accept me with open arms and buckle up for a new insight on life.
Image: Grandma (Pixabay)
Bibliography: American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned, with illustrations by John Rae (Un-Textbook)
Hi Jasmine!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your story this week. It was interesting that it was a story about storytelling and stories. I feel like most people can relate to sitting and listening to their grandparents tell stories so this was a sweet reminder of that for me. Also, now after hearing about her making chocolate chip cookies I really want one so thanks. lol
Hi Jasmine! I really enjoyed this story. I loved the grandma’s character and could tell how much she meant to the other characters as well. I think many people can relate to this story and the connection the characters have with their grandmother since this could apply to any close friend or family member as well. Overall, I liked how you wrote this story and I hope to read more from you in the future!
ReplyDeleteHello Jasmine, I really liked what you did with your version from the original story “Iagoo, the storyteller.” I changing the storyteller to a grandmother was a fantastic idea. Everyone has that idea of grandmothers telling great stories so I thought it fit perfectly. Overall I thought your story was absolutely wonderful, keep up with the great work that you are doing!
ReplyDeleteHi Jasmine! I thought it was really neat that you wrote a story about storytelling... so meta! I loved the imagery and details you included in your story, like the cookies and bundling up by the fire! They really added to the feeling that your narrator was going to their grandmother's house. I really liked how your story told the impact that stories can have on people.
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