Monday 27 April 2020

14. SWEET PORRIDGE

Child with no food.

Old woman gives her magic pot.

Must say “Boil, Little Pot, boil!” and "Stop, Little Pot, stop!”

Always had food. One day mother forgot how to stop it.

Filled village!

Girls then saw and stopped it.

Now can only enter village by eating the porridge!

13. DOCTOR KNOWALL

(Not good for game: about pure luck, not decisions.)

Peasant called Crab. Wants to be doctor.

Needs: 1. book     2. equipment     3. sign "Doctor Knowall"

Becomes doctor.

Rich man wants help in getting stolen money.

Crab's wife, Grethe, comes too.

Servants bring food.

"That is first" (meaning first course). Servant thinks he means "first thief"

Same with 2nd and 3rd. Fourth course is crabs. (Hidden.)

Rich man says prove your skill by guessing the food.

Does not know, so says “Alas! poor Crab!”

Servants heard and confessed. Doctor Knowall became rich and famous.

12. THE QUEEN BEE

(still looking for the shortest stories)

Two King’s Sons left for adventure. Lost.

Third, called Simpleton, found them. They mocked him for being simple.

The two want to destroy ants nest for fun. Simpleton said no.

The two want to kill and roast ducks. Simpleton said no.

The two want to burn bees nest. Simpleton said no.

Found castle with stone horses.  And door with three locks.

Man silently gave them food. Then beds.

3 tasks to save the castle, or be turned to stone.

1. find 1000 hidden pearls. The two brothers failed, and were turned to stone. The third got the ants to help him.

2. find key in lake. The ducks helped him.

3. Choose from three identical daughters. One had eaten honey. One, sugar. One, syrup. The bees helped.

The castle was saved, Simpleton married the youngest and sweetest princess, the other brothers married the other two.

11. THE THREE BROTHERS

(Looking for the shortest stories, to start my story code)

Man has 3 sons, 1 house, nothing else.

All want the house. Cannot divide: only has value as a whole.

Son who makes best object gets house.

blacksmith, barber, fencing-master.

barber shaved hare while running


blacksmith shoed horse while running

fencer stopped torrential rain from hitting him.

He got the house, BUT THEY ALL LIVED IN IT.

Happily ever after. When one died, so much love that the others died too, laid in same grave.

Saturday 18 April 2020

10. HAENSEL AND GRETHEL (Hansel and Gretel)

Woodcutter and wife very poor. Food runs out.
Wife: give children last bread, lose them in forest.
Husband hates the idea but knows they will starve at home.
Hansel collects white stones. Leaves trail back home.

Next time, drops the bread crumbs.
But the birds ate them.
Became very lost.

Found house made of food.
Owner gives them more.
Planned to eat them.

Shut Hansel in stable, made Gretel cook food.
(Four weeks later)
Told Gretel to climb into the oven to see if it is hot.
Gretel acted dumb.
Witch showed her by climbing in. Fell over and burnt to death.

Rejoice. And took her pearls (instead of the white stones)

On way home: cannot cross river.
Duck carries them across, one at a time.

Find their way home. Father is overjoyed. And bad wife is dead.

Happily ever after.

"My tale is done, there runs a mouse, whosoever catches it, may make himself a big, big fur cap out of it!"

Thursday 16 April 2020

9. THE WHITE SNAKE

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/52521/52521-h/52521-h.htm#hdr_2
GOOD FOR GAME: SIMPLE PUZZLES - GET THINGS TO SOLVE.

Very wise king: seemed to know everything!
Ate a special dish every day, alone. Nobody knew what was in it.
Eventually the most trusted servant (who took the dish away) looked.
A white snake.
The servant ate a bit.
Could understand the birds talking!

Queen lost ring.
They suspected that servant (as he was most trusted, so had access to the ring)
Gave him 24 hours to produce it or be executed.
Heard a duck say she had eaten the ring!
Got cook to kill the duck.
The queen got her ring, realised a duck had eaten it.
Apologised to the servant. Asked him to name his reward. A horse and money to travel.

He saved 3 fishes who were caught in reeds out of water.
He saved ants from getting trodden by his horse.
He saved hungry birds - killed his horse for their food!
Each promised to help him.

Walked to city. Saw beautiful princess.
The man who could do whatever task she asked could marry her. If failed, killed.

Had to fetch golden ring cast into the sea.
The fish helped him.

She did not want to marry a commoner, so...
Had to pick up ten sacks of scattered seed.
The ants helped him.

Wanted an apple from the Tree of Life.
He searched three kingdoms.
Lay down by a tree to sleep.
The birds helped him.

He married the princess and they lived happily ever after.

8. THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/52521/52521-h/52521-h.htm#hdr_2

Poor fisherman caught a large Flounder.
The Flounder said it was an enchanted Prince. The fisherman let it go.
His wife said he should have asked for a wish first.
He called to the fish, and the fish granted his wish: a nice cottage.

After a few weeks the wife wanted a castle instead.
The husband protested, but asked, and got it.
(Each time the sea water looked worse. Darker, smellier.)

The wife was still not content.
The castle had lots of land. She wanted to be the king of the land.

She got it. But wanted to be emperor.
Again the husband protested. But she insisted.

After this, she wanted to be Pope.
(Each time her palaces grew more majestic. By this time emperors queued up to kiss her feet.)

After this she wanted to be like God.
The husband tried to refuse, but she flew into a rage.
He asked the flounder to make her like God.
And as a result they were back in their filthy hovel.

Tuesday 14 April 2020

7. THE STAR-MONEY

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/52521/52521-h/52521-h.htm#hdr_2

Orphan girl. Had nothing except

  1. the clothes she wore
  2. A piece of bread some kind person gave her

A poor man asked her for the bread.
It was freezing.
A cold child asked for her hood.
Another cold child asked her for her jacket.
Another cold child asked her for her frock.
Another cold child asked her for her shirt.
It was dark in the forest, so she thought nobody would see, so gave it as well.

And she so stood, and had not one single thing left. Then suddenly some Stars from heaven fell down, and they were nothing else but hard smooth pieces of money!
And the finest clothes

Then she gathered the money and was rich all the days of her life.

6. LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/52521/52521-h/52521-h.htm#hdr_2

Little brother + little sister
Mother died, stepmother beats them
left home
rained
came to forest
hungry
slept in hollow tree

wicked stepmother was a Witch
had bewitched all the brooks in the forest.
each brook said "Who drinks of me, a [wild animal] be!"
finally so thirsty, brother drank. Became a roe deer.

Girl looked after deer,
Found empty house in forest.
Sister gathered roots and berries and nuts each day

The king sees them

King had hunt
Brother wanted to watch
“When I hear the bugle-horns I feel as if I must jump out of my skin.”
They injured his foot, and followed him back

The girl had grown up and was beautiful,
The king followed and wanted to marry her.
The roe deer lived with them.

The witch heard
Her daughter was jealous

The witch's revenge

The queen (the sister) had a baby boy.
That day, the witch took the form of a servant, ran a bath for the exhausted queen,
the heat suffocated the queen

The witch made her daughter look like the queen
Only had one eye, so lay on one side

The true queen came back (as a ghost) but nobody except the nurse saw her
She watched over her child and over the deer,
she could only come back one more time

The nurse told the king
The king waited, realised this was his true wife
She came back to life

The witch's daughter was judged: torn to pieces by wild beasts in the forest
The Witch was burnt.
The deer then changed back to be human again.
Ant they lived happily ever after.

5. Rapunzel

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/52521/52521-h/52521-h.htm#hdr_2

Couple want child

She sees beautiful rampion (Campanula rapunculus. salad plant) in a witch's garden
drama: "want it more each day! If I don't get it I shall die!"
// game: a good way to add interest to random plants!

Late in the evening, her husband stole some

She wanted some more.
Husband stole more. But the witch caught him.

She felt sorry for him.
Made a deal: punished OR, she will give him the rampion, AND let his wife have a child,
as long as the witch can adopt that child. // substitute any desired thing and high cost
Promised to be kind to it.

Husband agreed.
Later, wife has baby, and witch takes it as agreed.

Rapunzel grew very beautiful. Witch kept her in a tower in the woods.
Only way in: “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down thy hair.”

When bored, Rapunzel would sing.
Attracted attention of King's son.
Saw witch. Did same. // “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down thy hair.”

Brings silk when he visits (or anything easy to carry).
Silk + talent = ladder

Witch found out.
Cut off Rapunzel's hair.
Took her to live in a desert.

Next time that king's son visited, it was the witch!!!
He escaped, but fell into thorns and was blinded.

Years later wandered to the desert. Heard Rapunzel singing again.
Her tears healed his sight.
Married and lived happily ever after.

4. THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN LITTLE KIDS

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/52521/52521-h/52521-h.htm#hdr_2
watch out for danger! // (like the start of Treasure Island):

sign 1: rough voice, not soft
sign 2: black feet, not white

The wolf says he is their mother.
The kids see sign 1 and know it is him.

wolf + chalk = soft voice

The wolf says he is their mother.
The kids see sign 2 and know it is him.

wolf + flour = white feet // threatens to eat the miller if he does not help

The wolf says he is their mother.
The kids see no signs and let him in.
PANIC!! (drama)

Each kid hid in a different place
The wolf found (and ate)  all but one kid: youngest, in clock case.

Wolf is now tired, so slept under a tree.

Mother returns, cannot find children. // (the previous events can happen in cut scene)
Calls one at a time (for maximum drama) last one, the youngest, replies "I am in the clock case"
Weep (drama)

Later, find wolf snoring under tree
Look at wolf: stomach moves

Get scissors and needle and thread (and anaesthetic???)
Cut open stomach, kids escaped. Had been swallowed whole due to the wolf's greed
Rejoice! (drama)

To defeat wolf: sewed stones inside instead
     // military idea: get danger inside enemy camp
     // also, like disease
Wolf woke.
Went for a drink
leaned over well, stones made him fall in. Drowned!
Rejoice! (drama)

14. SWEET PORRIDGE

Child with no food. Old woman gives her magic pot. Must say “Boil, Little Pot, boil!” and "Stop, Little Pot, stop!” Always had fo...