Portfolio Guide

Gimme Some Color
 A lonely cactus finds himself as the outcast in his hometown. He lives a very lonely and dull life. In this story, you will see how he becomes more than bland.

The Innocent Murderer
My mother always told me to never talk to strangers. She was right.

The unFOURgettables
A small wager can have a big price!

A Parent's Nightmare
It can pay off to listen to your parents the first time.

Week Ten: Storytelling

The unFOURgettables

One sunny afternoon, there were two high school boys hanging out with their girlfriends, the Jackson sisters. The "unFOURgettable" group was known for their after-school routine. You could always find the group of four at the local Shake Shop, cracking jokes on each other and enjoying a basket of loaded cheese fries. They were close friends and went on double dates everywhere.

Senior prom was approaching, which was to be quickly followed by high school graduation. The real world was creeping around the corner like the Grim Reaper. It was time to figure out a blueprint for their senior prom! The decisions made about critical details would determine the fate of the most epic night of high school. They wanted to live the night as they were; young, wild, and free. It was unanimous vote that their night would be unforgettable.

The boys, Jack and Alex, competed in just about everything that they did such as sports, grades, and anything else that can be turned into a competition. The unFOURgettables were trying to decide which hot ride they would arrive at prom in. Jack had an old school Chevrolet Camaro that is the color of sugary red Kool-Aid and rumbled like the king of the jungle. He was sensitive about his car because he and his father refurbished it just before his father passed away of an heart attack. Unfortunately, Jack and his mother struggled financially since the man of the household unexpectedly died.

On the bright side, Alex had a matching Chevrolet Camaro just like an awesome best friend would. The only difference between the two cars is that Alex bought a new Camaro off the dealership floor. Alex and Jack thought it would only be right that bestfriends would have the same car. Jack's car had more sentimental value than Alex's car, so he felt that they should arrive to prom in his car. Jack felt that prom deserved a first-class arrival in a brand-new sports car.

The Jackson sisters knew that the boys could not come to an agreement because they had been arguing for about a week. It was a tough time for the Jackson sisters because they had to be supportive of their own boyfriend's decision, which could cause separation between the sisters. The unFOURgettables spent less and less time together as the days went by until the sisters had a great idea. They suggested that the boys race to determine who had the greatest car. Whoever won the race would be chosen to drive the group to prom. Of course, the news about the race got around school as quick as a an intercom announcement.

After school, everyone arrived at the dilapidated  Stephenson junk yard to see the battle of the old school Chevrolet Camaro versus the new school Chrevolet Camaro. The cars lined up side by side and at the count of three they were gone with the wind. The cars raced side by side with each boy hoping to take the cake. Suddenly, Alex's car began to drag a little until it jerked left and jerked right. Alex could not control the car since it was going at the speed of lightning. The car flipped and crashed into Jack's car. Both cars began to roll off of the nearby cliff followed by an explosion.

All of the Meadowbrook High School students quickly dispersed the junk yard. No one wanted to be arrested for illegal activities right before prom. The Jackson sisters stood in disbelief that their dumb idea ended so tragically. When the boys arrived to the hospital, they were announced dead at arrival. The twin sisters forever blamed themselves for the death of their boyfriends.

When doing wrong, no one wins. A friend lost can hurt, but two friends lost can kill.

Source

Author's Note: I chose to base this week's storytelling assignment from the Two Fast Runners from the Blackfeet Indian Stories by George Bird Grinnell (1915). An antelope and a deer were good friends. They enjoyed the sunrise and sunset together. They gossiped and laughed together. They always debated about who could run the fastest; therefore they decided to race to crown the winner. During the first race, the antelope won the race in the prairie. The deer believed that the antelope only won because he had home court advantage. The two friends ran a second race in the woods, which was home to the deer. Of course, the deer won. The title of the original story gave me the idea for my story.  I was not sure of my direction for the story, but as I started to write it came to me! I changed the main characters to humans and added two more characters. I chose to base the story around prom because it is that time of year. Also, I chose for the characters to race cars because Fast Furious 7 in theaters.  The ending is very dramatic because I wanted it to be similar to a real movie. In high school, I had friends that died while racing cars on the highway. There is always a lesson or some sort in movies or real life and that is what I strived for. 

Week Six: Storytelling

A Parent's Nightmare

The night was late with a nice spring breeze. The stars illuminated Norman, Oklahoma, sometimes referred to as Nompton. It was the eve of May Graduation at the University of Oklahoma. Students, graduating and not graduating, crowded Asp Avenue with intentions to celebrate their accomplishments big and small. Destiny, a graduating fifth year senior, was one of the few that did not have such a jovial spirit as she laughed, drank, and danced with friends and strangers. It was as though she was just there so that she would not get fined.

Many students on campus admired Destiny's beauty, her poise, her intelligence, and her involvement in the community. She also considered herself to belong to the elite on campus. Her resume was very extensive. She believed that during her collegiate career that she remained faithful to her morals, values, and goals. She rarely dated because she had standards that could not be questioned. She was very selective with who she chose to associate herself with. The thought of being seen on social media in the wrong way frightened her.

Bang! A door slammed and hit Destiny.

"Hey! Watch out for the beautiful lady. You should still have some type of respect even if you are drinking!" said this tall Italian guy. His curly brunette hair blew in the breeze and his muscular arms flexed. He turned and smiled at Destiny with perfection. His teeth were white and straight.

It was love at first sight.

Destiny found herself consumed by admiration and unable to respond. Her friends began to laugh and sing, "Ooooh...Destiny has a crush." The two lovebirds locked eyes and time stood still. He held her in his muscular arms for her knees seemed weak. He took in her beauty.

Four weeks later...

As Destiny's father walked her down the narrow church aisle covered with roses, family and friends gazed in awe at her elegance. Her mother could not stop crying her eyes out. Her sobbing was somewhat distracting but no one could blame her. Her tears expressed the pain that she was feeling. Her little girl was marrying a random boy that she barely knew and moving overseas the next day.

"I do!", said the two newlyweds. They left the altar with bright smiles and focused on a happily ever after. The newly married Mr. and Mrs. Tinkleberry traveled hours to their new home, Chris Tinkleberry's hometown.

Unfortunately, their honeymoon did not last very long. Chris only wanted to marry Destiny to help grow his illegal businesses. The plan was for Destiny to lure rich druglords while Chris robbed them of their riches. Chris's sister, who was also part of the illegal festivities, felt sorry for the beautiful girl. The sister knew that her brother was up to no good and did not deserve such a wife. The sister knew that Destiny was raised in a different environment.

The sister started stashing money so she could send Destiny back home. Destiny once was a beautiful girl that had her whole life ahead of her. Unfortunately, one wrong decision ruined her life. After about two weeks, she sent Destiny back home by boat.

Once Destiny arrived home, she became a different person. She followed her parents' wishes and married a family friend. They lived happily ever after forever.

The Proposal at graduation

Author's Note: I chose to use The Disobedient Daughter that Married a Skull for this week's storytelling. Afiong had beauty that every other female in Calabar wanted and that made every man fall in love. Afiong was aware of her beauty and denied every man that asked for her hand in marriage. She wanted to marry the best-looking man on earth. She knew that she was not going to settle for just anyone because she deserved better. A skull borrowed body parts from other skulls so that he could look the best for Afiong. He got a new leg here. He got a new arm there. Her parents warned her about him. They knew that all that glitters is not gold. Soon enough they realized that there was nothing that they could say to their daughter. They finally let the two marry. The skull took Afiong back to the graveyard, which was not what Afiong imagined. She thought they would live in a luxurious home and have a luxurious future. The skull's mother wanted to send her back to her parents. His mother knew that he was up to no good. She disguised Afiong and really wanted to return her back to her parents. I decided to add a little drama to my story. I tried to make the story somewhat like what would happen in a movie. I changed the setting of the story and made it something that I could relate to. Many men did not ask to marry Destiny but wanted to date Destiny. Instead of a graveyard, I changed it to a bad neighborhood. Also, I changed the mother that sent Afiong home to a sister.

Bibliography: Folk Stories From Southern Nigeria by Elphinstone Dayrell (1910).

Week Two: Storytelling

Gimme Some Color

Once upon a time, there was a a cactus, born and raised being bullied by everyone around him. His own parents did not want much to do with him because they said that he just did not fit in with the family. He spent his days alone doing the rain dance, which he created himself. The cactus, Christen, considered his rain dance a way of showing respect and a way of praying to the rain gods. No one ever understood why the cactus always wanted it to rain so much. According to everyone else in town, the rain ruined all fun activities. When it rained, students did not get a recess, employees missed a day of work, and no one could enjoy nice weather. The cactus did not have any friends because of his strange belief.

"Dear Rain Gods, I really wish that it would rain, that it would pour. Rain, Rain, don't go away. Come back and don't stay away. Please."

After a long, deep sleep, the cactus awakened to cats and dogs falling from the sky, literally. He ran outside to happily jump from one puddle to the next. Christen knew what was coming next and could not wait to fall in love all over again. He wanted to see the rainbow, taste the rainbow. Ooooh rainbows! The rainbow brought such vibrant colors to his dull and lonely life. He lived in such depression with all of his white cactus flowers. He knew that he was destined to shine bright like a diamond. Diamonds have a way of sparkling in any light! He knew that there was a reason why he did not fit in. He just wished that everyone else recognized why he did not fit in. Christen needed a creative idea that would help him prove it.

Finally, the sun came out! The rain gods answered his prayers. The rainbow started to form in the sky. It stretched and arched across the town. He knew that the rainbow was selfish and did not want to share all of its color. Christen created a plan to trick the rainbow into sharing its color. After all, he did not want that much. He grabbed some grass to camouflage himself and hid in the bushes. His goal was to blend in with the bushes so that the rainbow would fall onto him without knowing.

The rainbow continued to grow and grow while searching for a place on the ground to land and place its golden treasure. Yay! The rainbow was getting closer and closer to the ground. The cactus moved a few steps to the left, then a few steps to the right. The cactus scooted towards the north and slid towards the south. He was successful in getting really close to the rainbow. Before the rainbow realized it, it was sharing its color with the cactus. The rainbow tried to move but the cactus was holding on for dear life. He was never letting go because this was his only chance.

Later that day, the cactus went back in town glowing with color. Everyone looked and noticed that the weird boy was now the coolest boy in town. They ran to him asking for autographs and how he became so cute. The cactus just laughed. He said, "Please don't kill my vibe." Christen's colorful legacy lived on for eternity.

Source: Michael Fletcher

Author's Note:

When the Rainbow was Torn, from the Tejas Legends, was a simple reinvented life lesson. I chose this writing style because it reminded me of the original story. Sadly, there is always someone that lives a life with no friends, no love, and no support. Many times there is someone in the world that goes unnoticed or unloved until someone else needs something from them. By that time, it is usually too late to become friends with that unwanted person. Never judge a book by its cover. This story was great. I believe that it just needed a boost. I added a main character, Christen, and a plot. Personally, I feel that the color white can sometimes be very boring and lonely. So, I chose to give the cactus a boring and a lonely life. The first thing that came to mind was a child that has suffered from bullying and being made the outcast of his family. From that thought forward, the rest of the story seemed to fall into place. I have found that the easiest storytelling is that which reminds me of a movie. That is a true story. It gives me the visuals to provide more detail and the entertainment to actually like what it is that I am writing.

Florence Stratton and illustrated by Berniece Burrough (1936).