You Might Be Mythtaken

( illustration by Walter Crane ) Opening scene, a mother and her daughter on stage. Mother: Honey, you never do anything. Daughter: But its just so boring. All you ever want me to do is spin spin spin and I'm not doing it I refuse. Mother: Honey, you have to! If you don't what are you good for! Nothing! Mother crossing stage towards daughter, closer to the window. Daughter: Oh, so the only reason you had me was to be labor! I can't believe you don't want me! Actually, no, I can believe it. You have never shown an interest in me, just my spinning! Queen's head pops through the window, looking in at the mother and daughter inside. Queen: Your only interested in her spinning? Is she a good spinner? I need a good spinner. Mother: Yes, she is wonderful! I can't get her to stop spinning. The finest quality you could ever want! Daughter looks at the mother in confusion. Daughter: What are you- Mother elbows daughter in the side. She continues while look...

Raccoon Dog of Nogeyama Zoo by Toshihiro Gamo. Found on  wikimedia . An old man lived in Tokyo, in a very tall building with very few neighbors who paid attention. One day, on the way home from the market, the old man found a kettle on the side of the road. Now, the kettle was a little dirty, but he could tell that it would be beautiful once it was polished. So he cleaned it and carried it into his kitchen so he could use it. It was a very good kettle, sturdy, and he had been needing one. It was one less thing he would have to do. He set the kettle on the stove and begun to heat it, planning on making himself some tea. The kettle apparently did not agree. It turned into a tanuki running around the room, which fair, it had been set on a hot stove. The animal darted around the pristine room, knocking things over out of there perfect places. The old man was upset that his house was going to be ruined by this mischievous animal. His neighbors didn't come check on him, even th...

King Arthur, Charles Ernest Butler (1903). Found of  Wikimedia.   The future of Camelot lied in the hands of Prince Arthur... and his sister Morgan le Fay. Arthur, a knight, had been trained for this, raised to be the king and lead his kingdom. Morgan le Fay on the other hand had learned of the forbidden arts, the magic deeply hidden from view. She had been growing and becoming strong to take her brother out and claim the kingdom. She sat by his side and waits for the opportune moment too strike, to get revenge for the death of her beloved.  She waited and waited. But finally the time for her revenge came. Arthur was just a short horse ride away, in a small abbey near the woods. "Quenevere?" she asked the queen. "I have news for the countryside. May I bid you leave to ride and deliver it?" "Yes, but do be back soon. Your brother will want to see you on his return." "Thank you my lady." She rode to the abbey. Once she was ther...

( polar bear ) The village was cold, but only in terms of weather. The people there took care of each other. They made sure that everyone had what they needed, especially the old woman close to the shore. When someone went hunting, they made sure she had enough food to get through to the next one. When they killed a bear and found its cub nearby, they gave it to her so she wouldn't be lonely anymore. "Little cub, you are so cold," she said. "That won't do. Here come by the fire, get warm." And she began caring for the cub. "Now, you are too small. Come eat this meat, get bigger and stronger." And the bear grew. One day he began talking back to her. "Thank you for the meat," it said. "I'm big enough and strong enough to go out and see the village. I want to play like the others I see." And so he did. He played and played and the children loved it. Until one day they didn't. "Ow," said a small child, ...

The Darvaza gas crater at night. Found on  Wikimedia Commons . Now, I think my son might be crazy. Like, actually crazy. But at the same time, with everyone talking about the end of the world, can he really be that crazy? "Mom, I know how to save us from the fire," he said. "Sure you do, honey," I said. "No seriously. This is how we are going to be safe." Then he takes out a bow and shoots arrows in each of the cardinal directions. "This land that I have outlined with arrows, it will be safe from the flames." "Son, this is absolutely ridiculous. There is no way this will save us when the world is in flames," my husband said. "No, really, this will work. We will be safe at the end of the world when everyone else is dead," my son said. My husband did not believe him. My husband left that day, and we never saw him again. "Okay so what's the plan? How will this save us?" I asked. "Here the earth is...

Raccoon Dog of Nogeyama Zoo by Toshihiro Gamo. Found on wikimedia . The Magic Kettle Story Planning More detailed notes on the story can be found here . This story comes from The Crimson Fairy Book by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1903). A man lived on the side of a mountain and found a kettle after hearing a weird noise. It was a kettle he had never seen before, but he needed a new one so he cleaned it and began using it. It turned into a creature on the fire, running around his house. He called a neighbor and they caught the creature in a trunk. They called for a salesman to get sell the creature. When they opened it back up, it was a kettle again and the salesman bought the kettle. It kept getting heavier as he moved away from he house. In the night, the kettle transformed into the creature. The salesman decided to create a show out of it and became rich. He returned the kettle and a fee for renting it to the man who originally found it. They all lived happily e...

Codiesta by Techfiesta. Found on Wikimedia . NOW The heir to the so called thrown, the company was being walked away in handcuffs. He looked back on what had happened. How he got here. And all he could think was... Was this fate? THEN "Dad, I'm not saying that she isn't a wonderful person. Or that it would really even be a bad relationship. But an arranged marriage?" said Alex. "Son, you know why we have to do this. This will link out companies together and expand our empire. Isn't that what you want? To be the CEO of the biggest company the world has ever seen?" "Yes, but come on! I don't want to get married just yet. Plus, right now I like the way my life is." "Of course you do. But not all of the board members like your reputation as a playboy. It's having a negative effect on the company's perception in the media. DO you want this to be what tanks us?" "No! No, of course not. Just give me a little time ...

Romantic and Atmospheric Graveyard (World’s Best Music, 1900) by Helen Kendrik Johnson. Found on  wikimedia . From a very early age, Mindy realized that she had no fear. Her mother would ask her to do things and she wouldn't know why, like locking the door or staying in at night. Eventually, she started to seek out this mysterious feeling that drove her mothers actions. "Mother, I'm leaving," she said. "Oh Mindy, you mustn't. There are so many dangerous in the world," her mother replied. "I know, mother. I'm going to find them." And so she left on a quest to find fear. On her way she came across a group of vagrants squatting in a abandoned rail station. They looked at her with awe and confusion as she walked up to them. "Escuse me? Do you know where I can find fear?" she said. "Miss, now why would you be looking for something like that?" one of the bedraggled men replied. "I haven't been able to fi...

T he Tower of Babel  by  Pieter Bruegel the Elder  (1563). Found on  wikipedia . When the Tower began, it was just an idea. The idea of reaching into heaven, of waging war against God. Now the Tower didn't have a choice for it's use. It's stationary you see. But it was proud. It would be tall enough to reach heaven, taller than anything in the world, it would be the best. Even if it didn't necessarily like the way it was being used. But what choice did it have, it is stationary. Now, the Tower grew, one brick on top of each other it grew taller and taller. It reached for the sky, with people buzzing all around it making sure that every brick was in it's place. And as the Tower grew, the people working on it changed. They began with the goal of heaven of reaching into the sky, but now people were angry, uncaring, obsessed. They dropped the bricks and wailed at the loss of time, because every brick took a year to reach the top of the Tower. But, they didn...

Vénus d'Arles by unknown artist. The work currently resides in the Louvre. Found on wikimedia . Psyche sighed from her pedestal, the one that people put her on so they could gaze upon her beauty. Her whole life had been life this, people wordlessly looking at her, unable to engage. Whenever she tries to strike a conversation, it always ends the same. People seem unable to form words or even thoughts when she is around, simultaneously making her revered and isolated from the world. People worshiped her, comparing her to a goddess they neglected in favor of Psyche. But it was so lonely, being held in such regard for her so-called loveliness.  The only people who talked to her were her family. Her sisters were jealous of her looks, but they were able to find husbands, much to the pleasure of their father. Her father, the one so anxious to hand her off to an eligible bachelor, constantly complained about her lack of suitors. Because people would rather gaze at her than hold a conv...

Gloomy view of a forest clearing in Alsace, Eastern France. Photo by JovanCormac. Found on Wikimedia . The ghosts watched on as a warrior entered their forest, intent on gaining honor on his warpath. His footing was sure and his face determined as he reached his stopping point for the night. As he set up his camp, the ghost gathered to discuss the new arrival. "Who will go first? What test should this warrior meet?" said the gnarled woman as she gazed at the young warrior.  "Me," said the singer, "his strength and perseverance needs to be tested."  "His intelligence and courage surely need to be tested first. He is near my grave," said the woman, "So that gives me first claim."  "Fair enough, but I get to test him as he travels deeper into the woods.”  And so it was. The woman approached the sleeping warrior, moaning "My son! My son!" She inched closer and the man still feigned sleep. She grabbed his foot,...