Chronicles of the Story-Keeper: Book 1 Chapter 1
By: jungleboy69
Chapter 1: Once Upon a Time
"Once upon a time…" Mrs. Johnson said to her class. "These are the most magical words our world has ever known and the gateway into the greatest stories ever told. They're an immediate calling to anyone who hears them—a calling into a world where everyone is welcome and anything can happen. Mice can become men, maids can become princesses, and they can teach valuable lessons in the process."
Soren Richards listened to her with great interest. He enjoyed Mrs. Johnson lessons, but fairy tales was something especially close to his heart. "Fairy tales are much more than silly bedtime stories," the teacher continued. "The solution to almost every problem imaginable can be found in the outcome of a fairy tale. Fairy tales are really life lessons disguised with colorful characters and situations.
"'The Boy Who Cried Wolf' teaches us the value of a good reputation and the power of honesty. 'Cinderella' shows us the rewards of having a good heart. 'The Ugly Duckling' teaches us the meaning of inner beauty." She added.
Soren's eyes widened with delight. He was a simple boy with auburn hair and piercing gold eyes like a cat. He had a warm and friendly smile, like those of his mother and father. One thing that separated him from the rest of his classmates was his love for fairy tales.
However, the other students stared at their teacher, as if she was speaking in another language, was something Mrs. Johnson had never grown accustomed to. So, she would often direct entire lessons to the front row, where Soren sat.
Mrs Johnson was a tall, slim woman who wore a light green turtleneck sweater, a dark green skirt with a black zigzag stripe, and a gold circle belt chain. She had dark pink hair, which is wrapped into a bun styled, and held together by a pencil.
(Based on Agnes Johnson from the Loud House...)
"Sadly, these timeless tales are no longer relevant in our society," Mrs. Peters said. "We have traded their brilliant teachings for small-minded entertainment like television and video games. Parents now let obnoxious cartoons and violent movies influence their children."
"The only exposure to the tales some children acquire are versions bastardized by film companies. Fairy tale 'adaptations' are usually stripped of every moral and lesson the stories were originally intended to teach and replaced with singing and dancing forest animals. I recently read that films are being created depicting Cinderella as a struggling hip-hop singer and Sleeping Beauty as a warrior princess battling zombies!"
Soren groaned and shook his head sadly. He preferred fairy tales that were told traditionally, not those terrible adaptations. "Awesome..." he heard one student whisper to himself behind her.
"I wonder if the world would be a different place if everyone knew these tales in the way the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen intended them to be known," Mrs. Peters continued. "I wonder if people would learn from the Little Mermaid's heartbreak when she dies at the end of her real story."
"I wonder if there would be so many kidnappings if children were shown the true dangers that Little Red Riding Hood faced. I wonder if delinquents would be so inclined to misbehave if they knew about the consequences Goldilocks caused for herself with the Three Bears." She listed.
Soren had to resist the urge to nod. Mrs. Johnson's words had truth in them. Real-life was nothing like the fairy tales he heard. If only if more people would understand the true meaning of fairy tales, the world would be a much better place.
"There is so much to learn and prevent for our futures if we just open our eyes to past teachings. Perhaps if we embraced fairy tales as much as we could, it would be much easier to find our own happily-ever-afters." Mrs. Johnson finished, smiling.
To Soren, Mrs. Johnson deserves a medal for that speech and for her devotion to fairy tales. Unfortunately, all that followed her classes was a mutual sigh of relief among the students, thankful that they were over.
"Let's see how well you all know your fairy tales," the teacher said with a smile, and began pacing the room. "In 'Rumpelstiltskin,' what did the young maiden's father tell the king that his daughter could spin hay into? Does anyone know?"
She looked around at the class waiting for an answer, but none raised her hand. "Mrs. Johnson." Soren spoke, raising his hand. "Yes, Soren?" She asked, smiling at him. "The miller claimed that his daughter can spin straw into gold." He replied.
Mrs Johnson beamed. "Well done, Soren." She replied. To her, Soren was one of her most dedicated students. When she gave him homework, he completed it on time. Whenever she gave a group project, Soren's group always completed first.
Soren wasn't so proud of it. He was the living definition of a bookworm. It didn't matter what time of day it was—before school, during school, after school, before bed—he was always seen with a book in his hands, reading. He had a thirst for knowledge, and, because of it, he was usually the first person to answer Mrs. Johnson's questions.
However, it did have its drawbacks. He heard his classmates teasing him behind his back, with the words 'teacher's pet' echoing over and over. During recess, one would find him under the shade of a tree, reading an open library book with two of his best friends, Zoe and James.
"Now, can anyone tell me what the compromise was that the maiden made with Rumpelstiltskin?" Soren waited a moment to let others had a chance to answer. He didn't want to seem like a total teacher's pet. Sadly, no one did so he raised his hand again. "Yes, Soren?" Mrs. Johnson asked.
"In exchange for turning the hay into gold, the maiden promised to give Rumpelstiltskin her first-born child when she became queen," Soren explained, making Mrs. Johnson smile again. "That's a pretty steep deal," said a boy behind Soren. "What's a creepy old short man want with a baby anyway?" a girl next to him asked. "Obviously, he couldn't adopt with a name like Rumpelstiltskin," another student added. "Did he eat the baby?" someone else asked nervously.
Soren shook his head and turned around to face his clueless peers. "No, he didn't." He explained. "Rumpelstiltskin took advantage of the maiden's plight because she was in need. The story teaches us about the dangers of a bad negotiation. What are we willing to give up long-term in the future for something short-term in the present? Get it?"
Mrs. Johnson beamed with pride. "Well done, young Richards." She praised. "I must say, in all my years of teaching, I've rarely come across anyone with as much in-depth knowledge as you or your father."
As soon as she said that, Soren grew downcast and lowered his head. Mrs. Johnson's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. "Oh dear..." she muttered. "Soren, I didn't mean..." "It's alright, Mrs. Johnson." Soren replied. "It doesn't matter, no apology can bring my dad back."
The whole classroom grew cold as if it was inside a refrigerator. "Still, your father had an excellent taste in stories, especially with fairy tales." Mrs. Johnson added, trying to lighten the mood. "I mean, who else can write such fantastic stories; it's no wonder why the 'Lion's Chronicles' is such a big hit."
Soren smiled. The 'Lion's Chronicles' was his father's best-selling books, popular with adults and children alike. Most of the students in his school have at least one copy of it. In fact, most of his father's books were best sellers, most of them were classic fairy tales retold in different cultures from different parts of the world.
There was Hanselito and Gretalita, a Cuban tale of Hansel and Gretal, Little Red Happy Coat, a Korean version of Little Red Riding Hood and White Snow, a Native American folk tale of Snow White fairy tale. These were just some examples of his father's work.
"Now, class, I want you all to get out your literature books, turn to page one hundred and seventy, and read 'Little Red Riding Hood' quietly to yourselves," Mrs. Johnson instructed. The students did as they were told. Soren made himself as comfortable as possible at his desk and began reading. The story, the pictures, and the characters were all so familiar to him. Although, he loved his father's work, nothing beats the classics.
One thing that Soren enjoyed the most when he was very young were the trips to visit his grandmother. She lived up in the mountains in the heart of the woods in a tiny cottage like something out of a storybook, if such a thing still existed.
It was a long journey, a few hours by car, but he loved every minute of it. His anticipation would grow as they traveled up the windy roads and through the endless trees, and when they crossed a yellow bridge, he would excitedly exclaim, "We're almost there! We're almost there!"
Once they arrived, his grandmother would greet them at the door with warm smiles, open arms and hugs so tight they would almost pop. "Look at you! You've both grown a foot since the last time I saw you!" Grandma would say, even if they hadn't, and then would lead him inside, where a freshly baked batch of cookies waited for him.
His father had grown up in the woods and would spend hours each day telling the twins his adventures as a kid: all the trees he'd climbed, all the streams he'd swum, and all the ferocious animals he had made friends with. Most of his retellings were highly exaggerated, but he loved this time with him more than anything else in the world.
His father also enjoyed telling stories about his childhood 'imaginary friends.' They were beautiful queens and mighty kings, beautiful fairies, cunning goblins, gentle mermaids and even a big friendly dragon. He described them so perfectly that Soren felt that they were real. His father just smiled and replied they were like a second family to him.
"Someday, when you're older, I'll take you to all the secret places where I used to play," their father would tease him. He was a tall man with kind eyes that would wrinkle whenever he smiled, and he smiled quite a lot, especially when he was teasing his 'lion cub' which was Soren's nickname.
At night Soren's mother would help his grandmother cook dinner and, after they had eaten, as soon as the dishes were done, the family would sit around the fireplace. His grandmother would open her big storybook, and she and their father would take turns reading him fairy tales until they fell asleep. Sometimes they would be up until sunrise.
They told the stories with such detail and passion that it didn't matter how many times Soren heard the same story. They were the best memories any child could ask for and he wished they would never end. It was no wonder where he got his love of fairy tales from.
Unfortunately, when his father passed away, he hadn't been back to his grandmother's cottage for a very long time...and when he visited, it was no longer the same. Without his father, it seemed all the light and happiness had been sucked out of it, leaving behind an empty shell of a house.
"Soren...what's wrong?!" The said boy snapped out of his reading and looked up to see everyone staring at him; Mrs. Johnson had a look of concern on her face. Soren felt his eyes burning and his cheeks wet with tears.
"Sorry, Mrs. Johnson!" He replied, quickly rubbing his eyes with his hands. "Got something in my eyes..." Mrs. Johnson was not convinced. "It's okay if you want to stop reading." She suggested. "It's okay, I'm fine." Soren assured.
"What a baby!" A voice called out, causing the entire class to turn to the source of it. "Mr. Will!" Mrs. Johnson scolded. The said boy scoffed; he was a muscular blond boy with piercing blue eyes and an arrogant expression. "It's true!" He replied. "He's just a weakling who can't toughen up just because his dad kicked the bucket!"
"Plus, it's not fair that he gets special treatment just because his old man is a great writer of baby stories!" He added. "You may be good friends with him, doesn't mean that he needs to be treated like a teacher's pet!" Some of the other students murmured.
Soren felt like he was being eaten alive on the inside and more tears began welling in his eyes. He tried his best to hold his sobs, but a few strangled sounds came from his throat. "You see!" Will jeered. "The only thing he's good for is showing off and crying!" "Since he like baby stories so much, maybe he should work in a nursery!"
"ENOUGH!" Mrs. Johnson shouted, jumping off her desk and making everyone flinch in their seats. "Mr. Will Davis!" She commanded, an enraged scowl on her face. "Report straight to the principal's office!" "What?!" Will protested. "But-!"
"No buts!" Mrs Johnson shot back. "I will not have this kind of attitude from any of my students!" "Now march, or you'll get detention for the rest of the year!" She added, pointing straight at the door.
Will growled as he got up from his seat and trudged towards the door. He cast an hateful glance at Soren before walking out. Soren didn't have to look at him to know how much he was in for it now.
Mrs. Johnson breathed "For homework," She said, and the room unanimously slumped in their seats, "you are to pick your favorite fairy tale and write a paper, due tomorrow, on the real lesson the tale is trying to teach us."
She returned back to her desk while the students began working on their assignment with the little class time remaining. Soren flipped through his literature book, deciding on which story to write about. The pictures weren't as colorful and exciting as they had been in his grandmother's book, but seeing all the characters she had grown up reading about made him feel at home, a feeling that had recently become a rarity.
Apart from his grandmother, his father understood. He always believed that you're never told old to stop reading fairy tales. To him, it was a way to stay young and innocent at heart while you grow up.
"If only fairy tales were real," He thought. "Somebody could wave a wand and magically make things how they used to be."