On Two Stories

Koen,

Lately, we’ve been foregoing songs at night in exchange for a story. When I was little, I remember my dad could just tell me stories and he had a way of coming up with really creative stories. I hadn’t thought about that in a long time, but I noticed that it’s something I can do a pretty good job at too. So lately, at night, we’ve been doing stories.

Sometimes, I just retell some Disney story with different character names (main character is always “Koen,” though). Sometimes, I tell some children’s story like The Boy Who Cried Wolf or the one about the goats going over the troll bridge (again, at least one character is named Koen). But sometimes, I just riff. I just feel my way through it and you don’t seem to care if there is conflict + resolution, a thoughtful message, or even any need for the beginning of the story to come full circle in any shape or fashion.

So tonight was one of those…

Lately… you’ve also dipped your toe into the story telling waters and you do so with such certainty on the humor and gusto on the delivery.

{RINGLEADER VOICE:::]

So, without further ado, I preset mine and your stories from this evening.

THE LITTLE SEED by Dad

Once upon a time, in a land far far away (all our stories have to start this way), there lived a little apple seed. Do you know what that apple seed’s name was?

“What?”

“Koen.”

So Koen the Appleseed had a mom and dad and guess what they were?

“What?”

Apple trees. And Koen the Appleseed wanted to grow up and be a big giant apple tree. And his mom and dad said if he tried really hard, he could grow up to be a big apple tree just like them. So Koen tried and he tried, but one day, guess what happened?

“What?”

A big, black bird swooped down from the sky and picked up Koen the Appleseed. Koen got really scared because he’d never been that high in the sky before and it would have been like you flying on an airplane for the first time. Do you remember that?

“Yea.”

So Koen was sad because he didn’t know if he was going to ever be a big apple tree because the bird might eat him. Well, that bird flew over a park and dropped Koen the Appleseed into the grass. And Koen the Appleseed said, “:if I’m ever going to be an apple tree, I need to try really hard and do it now before another bird comes.” So he tried and he tried, and then guess what happened?”

“What?”

It rained. And the grass got really muddy and Koen the Appleseed crawled into the ground. And the next morning, the sun came out. and guess what happened?

“What?”

A leaf came out of the ground. And every day it grew a little bit bigger. And it grew and it grew and then it grew a branch and then it grew another lead and then guess what happened?

“What?”

Koen the Appleseed grew into a big, giant apple tree and people called him Koen the Appletree. And all the boys and girls came to the park and they all got apples and everyone lived happily ever after (all our stories have to end this way).

UNTITLED by Koen

“How’s it go?”

“Once upon a time in a…”

Once upon a time in a land far far away, there was a boy. His name was Daddy. And he had a golf. And there was also a car wash.

“Oh I love golf. And car washes. This story is good!”

Yeah. And the car wash had top brushes and side brushes. They went like this. And they had blowers.

“We love blowers!”

Yeah. And daddy went in the car wash.

“Did he have his car or did he just go in the car wash by himself?”

He had a car. And then the water and… He didn’t have a car. And he was super dirty and he got hit with the brushes and it was CRAZY!

“What happened to his golf club? Did he wash his golf clubs?”

No. And there were lots of car washes. And daddy could only go when the green light.

“Was kind of hoping we would have gone back to the golf, but great story buddy!”

The end.

—————

I texted my dad tonight because our stories made me think of when he used to tell me stories like that and I like thinking something like that can be passed down from one generation to the next. So thank you for reminding me of something special and thank you for the little person you are.

Love you forever and always,

Dad