Storytelling for Week 10: Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home
 
In the early years of Indian history, there once lived a brother and sister. They lived on a large island near the Gulf of Mexico. They loved their home. The land was bountiful with vegetables, animals, and fruits. For fun the brother and sister enjoyed painting their shoes or moccasins bright colors, such as blue, yellow, red, and white. They loved and were proud of their shoes. Everybody from the ends of the world knew about their shoes and envied them.

For a long time the brother and sister were happy on the island until the volcano on the island erupted. Stone fell down from the volcano on to the brother and sister’s home. Red- hot melted rock ran down the volcano, burning everything it touched. The Brother and sister frantically ran to their home and gathered all they could that was important to them. They packed some food and most importantly their many shoes.

The brother and sister canoed their way to the mainland and stood at a safe distance and watched their home get burned down. The brother and sister cried for days. They eventually gathered their things and made their way to find a new home. Even though they were in search of a new home, they did not wish to forget their original home. The brother and sister began leaving their shoes along the trail so that they could retrace their steps and find their home again. Unfortunately without the brother and sister’s knowledge, their shoes were magically turning into a little orchid, colored like the moccasin.

Eventually, the brother and sister came upon a beautiful home. The brother and sister were so hungry and tired they decided that this place shall be their new home. They knocked on the front door and was greeted by an elderly woman. The woman welcomed the brother and sister into her home and fed them well – a little too well. The brother and sister never ate so much. Whatever their stomach desired, the old woman gave to them. They ate all day.

Eventually though, the brother and sister felt sick and bloated. They wished to leave the old woman’s home. When the brother and sister confronted the old woman, the old woman became angry, revealing her true intentions. She was fattening the brother and sister so that she may eat them. Hearing this the brother and sister ran away as fast as they could. Fortunately, the old woman was not able to catch up with them because of her old age and weak body.

Once again, the brother and sister were homeless. Living at the older woman’s home made the brother and sister realize that there is no place better than home. The brother and sister decided to go back to their island and rebuild it. They tried to find the trail of their shoes that led to the island but found them to be nowhere. Instead they found orchids that were the same exact colors as their shoes. They finally realized that the orchids took the place of their shoes and that the orchids will lead them to their home. With the help of the orchids, the brother and sister made it home safely.

(Orchid)

 

 

 

 

Author's Note:
This story is based on A Tribe That Left Its Shoes.  This story can be found in Tejas Stories. The story of the "A Tribe That Left Its Shoes" is about the origin of the orchid. The story began by introducing a village on an island that enjoys painting their moccasins all kinds of colors. Their home is threatened by a volcano that erupts. This natural disaster forces the villagers to move away from their home. To not forget their way back to the island the villagers leave a trail of their colorful shoes. In place of the moccasin grew a little orchid, colored like the moccasin. And the part of the flower that looked like toe area of the shoe was pointing in the direction of their home -- south. In my story "Home Sweet Home," I decided to add a Hansel and Gretel twist because the leaving a trail of shoes reminded me of how Hansel and Gretel left a trail of bread crumbs. I made the story about two characters, a brother and sister like Hansel and Gretel, instead of an entire village. I also included an antagonist -- the evil older woman. This older woman is similar to the evil witch in Hansel and Gretel in that they both fatten the brother and sister and wish to devour the children. I wanted to end the story with a happy ending so I allowed the brother and sister to return to their home by following their trail of shoes that turned into orchids. This is similar to the original story, "A Tribe That Left Its Shoes."




"A Tribe That Left Its Shoes" from Tejas Stories (1936). Web source: Sacred Texts.