Last week we asked kids to write stories about Robbi’s painting of disaster at sea, and apparently, the darker-than-usual subject matter struck a chord.
Here is the image in question.
Kids had all sorts of ideas about what is happening.
We’ll start with a story from Lena, which, according to her mom, has an ending that some might consider not quite kid-appropriate. Lena’s mom went on to point out that it was Robbi who drew the scary picture that led to the dark ending. Which is to say, if you are frightened or saddened or otherwise displeased with any of the following stories, please blame Robbi. It’s my policy, and it has always served me well.
Lena
The Pirate Ship and the Princess and the King and the Queen
Once there was a pirate ship full of pirates. There was a princess trapped on the bottom of the pirate ship. There was a queen trapped on the bottom of the pirate ship too. And there was a king trapped on the bottom of the pirate ship too.
The princess, the queen, and the king escaped by unlocking the pirate ship, but the pirates told them to go back inside. Then, the pirates were nice to them. The pirates said, “Arrrr, maties! You can live on our pirate ship with us.” The pirates gave them food. The food was heart-shaped cookies for dinner.
On Thursday an octopus came and ate them up. Then they were dead in the octopus’ belly.
Dark indeed! But also delightful. I like how ruthlessly Lena fills with hope as our royal heroes escape the threat of dreaded pirates only to deliver us back to the depths when the hungry octopus appears.
Ian
GIANT SQUID!
It is a dark summer night everything is still and peas-full [too still!] A large cargo ship is headed to ENGLAND. The crew was uneasy. The lookout saw a large ripple coming towards the boat! He shouts “rip…”, but never finishes.
The lookout has been snatched from the ship by a giant tentacle. The crew didn’t notice because they weren’t looking. Then 8 arms wrap around the ship followed by 2 tentacles, 1 of witch snaps the boat in half! Then one by one eight arms snatch people from the ship. And finally 2 more giant tentacles smash down on the ship splintering it. There was one survivor who escaped on a small boat and told the tale for many years. Scientists have now concluded that it was a giant squid.
I love the specificity of Ian’s tale. The ship is headed for England. There are eight arms and two tentacles. I feel like I’m actually there. But my favorite part is the tone shift offered by final beat as the story shifts from the stuff of legend to cool, scientific reporting. I like your style, Ian. Keep it up!
Travis
The Kraken
The third day out to sea. The ship pushed on across the Pacific Ocean. Captain Hector was trying to sail around the world. Suddenly, the ship began to shake. Eight giant tentacles burst out of the water. It was the Kraken! The captain was snatched out of the boat! The lieutenant ordered the rifles to fire. They shot the tentacle that was holding the captain. He was flung onto the ship.
Meanwhile, the Kraken slipped back into the sea. They say it still is out there waiting for revenge on the one who shot him, the lieutenant.
Again, I am taken by the details. Travis’s Hector must surely be an allusion to the Hector of Greek mythology, who I’m pretty sure was a tough guy. Let’s hope the lieutenant is also a sturdy sort of fellow. I’d hate to be the target of the Kracken’s unresolved anger issues.
Tyler
Boat Loat in my Tote
What is happening is that there’s a boat, and there are poor people in there. The second ship is not poor and it doesn’t treat people nice (it’s the one in the picture). But the number one ship (the first ship) has a kind of medicine that makes people good. So the ship where people are really mean, come over and the poor people give them the medicine and then the second ship people turn into really nice people. And then they help the number one ship to not be poor anymore. The end.
It seems that Tyler might have stumbled onto the solution for universal harmony while also raising several important questions.
1) What does the title mean? What is a “Lote”? What is the relevance of the tote? I’m sure there is something profound going on and I feel not quite equal to the challenge.
2) Why is there no mention of the tentacles? I consider this omission a daring choice on Tyler’s part.
3) Where can I get some of this medicine that makes people good? I want to give some to Robbi.
I think it worth noting that the following story has some rather mature themes and might not be appropriate for some readers (in case any of you parents are reading out loud to the young and impressionable).
Spencer
BAD GUYS ARE LOSING! GOOD GUYS ARE WINNING!
It is a picture of a boat and the octopus is attacking it, but the ship is the bad guy and the octopus is the good guy. The ship is a bad ship because it’s trying to kill the military. This boat has a lot of sails so it can get to the good guys more quickly. The one that is in the picture has the biggest missile so it can destroy the military. The octopus is the good guy because he is saving the world by killing the bad guys that are trying to kill the good guys. There are more bad guy ships behind it, but the octopus just puts them upside down in the water so the bad guys can’t breathe. And some of the ships are just given to the policemen so they can be put in jail. The bad guys are losing and the good guys are winning. The water is cold because it’s in the winter. The red dot is the sun.
In a surprising (and satisfying) twist, Spencer’s octopus is the hero, a kind of vigilante of the seas, thwarting bad guys and protecting the armed forces (I’m sure they appreciate it). I also like how Spencer focuses on the action and leaves for the end such less relevant details as the temperature of the water and the identity of the sun.
Joe
Naughty Octopus
There is a naughty octopus living at the sea.
He is bored.
The only thing he is into is the flags of ships.
Whenever there is a big ships passing by, the octopus would try to touch the flags, spray the flags, or wave his arms and legs to do a little silly dance.
He thinks it’s fun!
But it always makes the sailors very nervous.
The sailors think the octopus is gigantic and scary.
However, the octopus really doesn’t care about the sailors.
He doesn’t even eat them.
What a big mess.
I appreciate how Joe’s octopus isn’t fully bad, just “naughty.” It makes sense, of course. It must be exceedingly dull to have all those tentacles and no flags to wave. Who can blame him for having a little fun when the ships go by? Any game that stops shy of actually eating the sailors is fine with me.
As he is known to do, Joe has provided us with his own wonderful version of Robbi’s drawing.
As for Robbi, she just finished adding all the color to the Trouble at Sea painting a few minutes ago.
Gosh, I wish I could draw and paint as well as Robbi can.
But for now I’ll just keep on writing stories and asking Robbi to draw pictures to go with them.
If you like Robbi’s painting as much as I do, you will be glad to know that it is currently up for auction over on Ebay. Bidding ends Sunday at 12:30pm EST. I hope those poor good/bad people on the boat can hold out until then. That octopus seems really good/bad/naughty/[add adjective here].
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