Last week, we showed you a little-known portrait of Darth Vader’s little brother Brett and asked you to tell us his story. Of course, you did.
Joe’s story
He Poked Me
Brett Vader is Darth Vader’s younger brother.
He also does bad things like his older brother, but a little differently.
I know just what he does.
He pokes little kids on the head on the school bus (when they’re going home.)
He likes to hide in the bus and wait for kids to sit on their seats.
Then, out of no where, he pokes them on the head from behind and hides down again.
“No!” “Stop it!” “He poked me!” The kids would say…
But no one knows what to do.
The driver doesn’t even notice. (Or maybe she ignores it.)
And the parents couldn’t understand who is it the kids try to tell.
Brett Vader does it intentionally.
He thinks it’s fun to upset the kids.
He never got to ride school bus like others when he was little…
Nor did his older brother.
He says he doesn’t care.
Never before has the world been privy to the deep-seated pain that underlies the fundamental badness of the Vader clan. It all makes so much sense in retrospect. Of course they were picked on when they were little. Of course they never got to ride on the school bus (living on a forlorn and arid planet as they did). Thank you, Joe, for clearing this up. I’m letting George Lucas know immediately.
Alden’s story
He lives in a castle. He fights big critters so they don’t get in to any trouble. And he looks after everybody, even the babies that live in the castle. The End.
Of course, I am confused. Having established my understanding of Brett as a belligerent kid-poker, I now have to wrap my mind around the idea that he only wants to care for babies. While it’s true that many of the greatest characters in literature have contained this degree of interior complexity, I’m having difficulty buying into the idea that Brett is one of them.
Kato’s story
He was looking for lollies at the bank but he couldn’t find them. And he saw one and he lost it and he threw the wrapper in the trash. And he saw one and another and another and another. He found one and he did the right thing. He threw the wrapper in the trash and he ate it. He liked the lolly and he ate it. The end.
Kato’s Brett conforms a bit more neatly to model Joe fleshed out. A kid poker could very well be charmed by sugary treats and yet be conscientious enough to throw away the wrapper when he’s done. Implausible, but not impossible.
For those of you who enjoy “process shots” of artists at work, here is Kato in his “studio,” poring over his “manuscript.”
August’s story
Unintelligible mumbling. Translation: Milk. Please. More. Milk. Please.
Tyler’s story
Brett Vader is fighting Luke and says, “Luke, I am your Uncle!”
Tyler shows that the quality of a story is not measured in word count. I wonder if he knows how insightful and funny he is. Tyler, if no one has told you, you are insightful and funny. And that is (one of the many reasons why) we love you.
Spencer’s story
The End of Brett Vader
Brett Vader looks just like Darth Vader because they are brothers. He is a bad guy because he uses the dark side of the force to kill Jedis. But when Luke was born, Obi Wan Kenobi killed Brett Vader. Darth Vader went even more to the dark side because he was so angry. He also felt very sad. He and Brett were best friends and brothers.
If someone was going to take Brett’s story to a dark place, I’m glad it was Spencer, an author with the power and subtlety to manage the ominous undertones of his character. As a Star Wars fan, I can hardly believe that Obi Wan would do such a rotten thing as offing Brett for nothing more than poking other kids in the back of a head. It seems a little harsh. No wonder Darth Vadar got so peeved. No wonder things got so complicated in the galaxy. Thanks a lot Obi Wan, master of overreaction.
And here’s a note from Spencer’s mom:
[Spencer wanted to submit the 2 attached drawings as well. One drawing is Spencer’s take on Brett Vader. The other drawing is of Luke’s X-Wing Starfighter on its way to shoot down the Death Star, with other x-wings exploding behind it.]
Sweet drawing of an X-wing Spencer!
And this drawing of Brett is masterful. I love the colors you chose and Brett’s tiny, ineffectual arms. Spencer, will you please teach Robbi how to draw better? I can’t help thinking that our books might be better received if she could just learn a few basic skills.
Thanks everyone for sending us your stories (and drawings). We’ll be posting the next prompt this afternoon!