The End

(God 

Beowulf yells, "Close the gate!"

The whole town runs around in fear. Beowulf, Adam, Eve, Mr. Rabbit, and Alice all run to the top of the front gate as fast as they can. They all are knocked left and right from the sporadic crowd. Beowulf, Adam, and Eve make it to the top of the front gate. Alice and Mr. Rabbit get separated from them. 

"What do we do?" Adam and Eve cry to Beowulf. 

Beowulf picks up his sword and says, "WE FIGHT. Do not be afraid. God is on our side."

Then he yells, "Come on! Archers get ready! Fire when I say so!"

The army of devils approaches quickly. They are all in a dead sprint toward the castle. 

Beowulf tells the archers, "Wait! Wait!"

The army is nearing the castle about four hundred feet away.

Beowulf continues, "Hold! Hold!"

The men's arms get tired from holding their bows. Their aim gets more difficult. The army is two hundred feet away now. 

Beowulf gives the order, "Send these beasts back where they came from! Fire!"

Arrows knock down devil troops left and right. It looks like their attack is failing, and the castle is holding! Beowulf's army's hopes are short-lived though. The army makes its way for the castle door's main entrance. 

Eve yells, "We must make for the gate!"

Beowulf nods in approval. He and Adam follow Eve to the gate. 

Adam yells, "To the gate, men! We must fight for our lives!" 

Boom! The gate rattles. All on the inside stand behind the gate ready to give their lives. 

Beowulf looks at the men and women. They all have fear in their eyes. 

Beowulf raises his sword."With God as my witness, we will win this battle today. We shall save the town. Ready your arms and do not fear. It is time to show them what real power looks like!" 

The whole army cheers in agreement. The gate booms again. Men, women, and children cry, holding onto their last moments. One more shot at the gate and it will fall. 

A loud boom rings out as the last hit to the door clangs.  The army rushes in. They start tearing through the crowd. Beowulf, Adam, and Eve fight, keeping the battle focused on them in the middle. All of a sudden, they see a portal open up and out come Mr. Rabbit and Alice with the evil Queen of Heart's army from Wonderland. The Queen's army of cards seeks to deal the enemy a different hand this day. 

Mr. Rabbit yells, “Charge!”

Alice yells, “After them!”

The Queen of Hearts yells, “If anyone is going to cut someone's head off, it will be me Satan!”

All smile and look above the portal as it closes. They all see God winking back at them. Satan’s army is getting pushed back!

Beowulf leads the charge with his sword that magically starts flaming. He takes it and stabs it in the ground as hard as he can yelling, “Thou giveth and thou taketh away!”

Boom! A line of fire is set between Satan’s army and the castle. Satan’s army flees from the castle.

The crowd and Lord’s company are yelling shouts of joy. The whole castle can finally lay down their weapons.

God appears suddenly and says, “Beowulf, Adam, Eve, Mr. Rabbit, and Alice, you have finished your duties. It is time to go back to your homes now. “

Beowulf says, “I don’t know if I want to.”

God replies, “What?”

Eve replies, “ Yeah, I’m with him. We’ve been through too much together to call it quits now."

Eve smiles. Adam, Mr. Rabbit, and Alice nod in agreement.

God says, “ Okay then, I will watch after you. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me.”

God disappears and the heroes turn around to face the town. Cheers ring out and a large festival begins.

Author's Note: In the original story Suicide and Salvation,  Adam and Eve both decided to die because of their sin against God by listening to the serpent. The serpent told them to eat the fruit from a tree that they are not allowed to eat from. Adam and Eve, disgusted with themselves, took their lives. However, God brought them back to life and took all of their sin and put it on himself. So, God then destroyed their sin and forgave them. 

In my story, God saves our characters from death as well by bringing an army from Wonderland. I chose to write it in third person narrative because it helped me develop the story better with different voices and views of people. The goal for this story was to have a surprise moment where everyone is saved from Satan's army. I thought that was pivotal and would make for a very entertaining short story. I built the story up to have this massive ending so I figured I needed a miraculous surprise. I wanted Alice and Mr. Rabbit active. I believe they were the biggest surprise of all. My last goal was to bring the message from Suicide and Salvation into the story. In essence, I wanted to show God saving the day in a small way. I didn't want him fighting the battle for them, but to assist them. 

Bibliography: Suicide and Salvation, The Forgotten Books of Eden, Rutherford H. Platt, (1926)

Portfolio Guide

 Alice and Rabbit in Eden
Alice runs into Mr. Rabbit and they suddenly fall into a new world. They see they're in the Garden of Eden. They discover their true calling and fight for survival. The world is in their hands.

Finding Beowulf
Alice, Mr. Rabbit, Adam, and Eve run into Beowulf. Beowulf has lost his kingdom due to a dragon that has taken everything from him. Alice, Mr. Rabbit. Adam, and Eve help Beowulf by delivering a gift from God that will help him defeat the dragon so he can lead God's armies. They plan to strike at dawn.

Battle Inferno
Alice, Mr. Rabbit, Adam, Eve, and Beowulf find the dragon, but find out things aren't what they seem. The enemy has been waiting. Beowulf must look within himself to find courage to fight for his friends. It's either win, or die trying.

The Deep Silence Before the Plunge
The whole crew is shown another world after defeating the dragon. However this time, the real Devil shows himself. The fight comes to our heroes Beowulf, Adam, Eve, Alice, and Mr. Rabbit in a castle that offers no escape. Let the greatest battle of time commence.

The End
Satan's army of Thirty million crashes into the castle. It is overrun, and hope looks bleak. The heroes must fight with all their might and pray for a miracle.

The Deep Silence Before the Plunge

(Hero Commander)

Beowulf falls down with the dragon and he bodyrolls. 

The dragon looks at Beowulf and utters his last words, "This isn't over."

The dragon lets out an ear-piercing scream. Suddenly, the time travel portal opens again. 

They hear God's voice saying, "Come on! Run, you fools!"

Mr. Rabbit, Alice, Adam, Beowulf, and Eve jump into the portal without question. They all are screaming as they are weightless and have no control. All of a sudden, boom! They all hit the ground after falling out of the portal. 

Eve yells to God, "What is the meaning of this? We have done what you have asked."

Mr. Rabbit follows her lead. "Yes! I am homesick and wish to go back now." 

God speaks, "You have one last task. You must defeat Satan's army."

Adam says, "We know bu-"

God replies, "No buts. If you do not defeat him, we all will perish. When you killed the dragon, you saved one of my worlds. Satan has control over every world currently but that one you just saved. The only way for Satan to be in total control is for you to lose the battle against his army. I waited to send you on this journey late into other realms so you could pass through them unsuspected since he leaves once he's conquered land."

Alice, "So where are we? What do we do, God?"

God says, "Follow this road you've landed on to the castle. Satan will arrive at dawn for battle."

Beowulf looks up and says, "Will we hear from you again?" 

God says, "Only if you need me. I am never far off."

God closes the portal and leaves them. 

Beowulf says, "Okay, let's move out."

They walk to the castle and are very tired by the end. 

The castle guard yells from the top of the wall, "Who goes there?"

Beowulf responds, "God's chosen company. I am Beowulf and this is Alice, Mr. Rabbit, Adam, and Eve."  

The guard eagerly opens the door. When it finally opens, a cheering crowd meets them. The whole crew is greeted with phrases like "The last warriors!" "Saviors!" "Finally, at last."

The whole crew is taken to the king of Mecken, the final free realm. He greets them with joyous laughter, "Finally, the ones who will save us!" 

Eve responds, "Sir, Satan is coming and we must act quickly before he catches us off guard."

Alice responds, "This is true. If you haven't fortified, you must."

Mr. Rabbit, "We are hilariously out numbered."

The king replies, "We are fortified. We have just been waiting on you friends!" 

Beowulf talks quickly, "Okay, well, lets talk fighting strategies then."

The king responds, "We have those in place as we-"

All of a sudden, they hear a loud boom! Everyone runs to the gate. Satan, a massive black figure with black armor, stands four hundred yards out with his staff in one hand. He pounds it on the ground again and a whole army of devils comes up out of the ground behind him. Satan lifts his staff up and forward signaling his army of thirty million to attack. 

Author's note: In this story I used third person narration because it is my favorite writing style. My goal for this story was to set the stage for the final last battle between God's heroes and Satan's army. The story needed a dramatic feel and entrance for Satan. I believe I delivered well on that point. My other goal was to try and boost the confidence of the heroes as they came into the castle. I wanted people cheering their names and making them feel like they are the answer to all the problems. They are about to face Satan after all! Finally, it happens. Satan shows up and they must face the greatest battle of their days.  

In the original story, The Sunrise and the Serpent, Satan is a snake and attacks Adam and Eve at dawn. He attacks out of jealousy, but is thwarted by God's power. 

In my story, it is just conceptually accurate with the original. Satan attacks at dawn out of jealousy towards God's power. 

Bibliography: The Sunrise and the Serpent, The forgotten Books of Eden, Rutherford Platt, 1926. 

Battle Inferno

(dragon illustrated by Henry Pitz)

Beowulf, Eve, Adam, Alice, and Mr. Rabbit walk to find the dragon. 

Beowulf speaks, "Be on your guard. I have seen this beast kill more than I wish. We must use caution."

The whole company walks for three hours. They pass through forests, an abandoned home, and finally come to a stony, desolate land. The air smells like dead bodies and the heat keeps rising. Everyone looks around with sweat drenching their bodies. They hear something. It is a loud bang every couple of seconds. 

Adam points, "Behind that huge boulder. That's where the sound comes from." 

Beowulf signals for them to stay put. He walks and sneaks up behind the massive stone Adam directs him towards. With his back against the boulder, Beowulf peeks around the corner to see what the commotion is about. He sees the dragon's tail making the sound. As the dragon dreams, it moves its tail. Beowulf signals for everyone to quietly come to him. They all tip toe to him. 

Alice says, "What do we do?"

Mr. Rabbit speaks, "Yeah, what now?"

Beowulf tells them, "In order for me to kill the beast, I'll have to get close enough to where I can pierce its heart. This means I am going to need a lot of distractions." 

Everyone gulps. They all stare at each other and hear another slam of the dragon's tail. 

Beowulf continues, "Mr. Rabbit and Alice, can you go to the dragon's tail? Pull it only once I've gotten close enough. When it stands with its belly off the ground, I will go for the heart." 

They both look back and nod their heads. 

Beowulf speaks his last words, "Adam and Eve, you are to watch my back. If anything is going wrong, signal me immediately."

Adam and Eve look back nodding their heads grudgingly also. 

They all move into position. Alice and Mr. Rabbit go to the dragon's tail, dodging it as it swings about. Beowulf starts walking towards the dragon, feeling its hot breath. Beowulf slowly walks step by step to not wake the beast. The dragon breathes extremely hard blowing Beowulf back. Everyone else watches in terror. The dragon shudders in a dream and Beowulf falls to the ground like he's dead, thinking it was awake. It's still asleep and Beowulf keeps walking. He signals to Alice and Mr. Rabbit to pull its tail. They do so and when the dragon stands, it disappears. It was a spell that the dragon used. All of a sudden, Adam and Eve feel hot breath on their necks. They turn around and see the dragon. It lets out a huge roar. Everyone runs for their lives. 

Beowulf yells, "I'm coming, Adam and Eve! Run!"

They run towards Beowulf and get behind him. The dragon sees his old foe. 

The dragon says, "Hello, Beowulf, any last words?"

Beowulf responds, "My last words will be the ones I say at your funeral." 

The dragon grimaces and becomes angry yelling, "Lets see about that!"

The dragon breathes fire at him left and right. Beowulf rolls and dodges with all of his might. 

Beowulf says, "You've gotten slow, old friend." 

The dragon keeps breathing fire. Beowulf keeps taunting him. 

The dragon yells, "Fine. If you won't come out, I'll go after your friends!"

Beowulf yells, "Wait!"

There is so much smoke the dragon cannot see Beowulf. 

Beowulf speaks, "You know how you killed my family?"

The dragon smiles. 

Beowulf continues, "You know how you're destined to burn in hell?"

The dragon responds, "No man will kill me." 

There is dead silence. The dragon looks through the smoke to locate Beowulf. 

Beowulf runs and jumps off a rock while yelling, "That day is today!"

Beowulf flies through the air with his sword in one hand. He loses his balance and his hands tire. He finally gets to the dragon and stabs it in the heart, hanging in mid-air. The dragon yells out a moan that rattles the gates of hell. 

The dragon dies yelling, "No!"

Author's note: Again, I chose third person narration because it offers many more options when writing. It lets you add so much more detail! My main goal for this story is to create tension and intensity from the time everyone meets the dragon until the time it dies. 

In the original story, Battle with the Dragon, Beowulf fights a dragon the entire time, but in the end it says Beowulf grows tired. It is initiated by a man disturbing the dragon. The man is in the wrong place at the wrong time and the dragon thinks he has come to steal his treasure. Beowulf goes to protect his people from the dragon. Beowulf actually dies during his fight with the beast. He wins the fight though, with the aid of his companion, Wiglaf. 

In my story, Beowulf does fight the whole time, but in order to save his friends. The dragon tricks them with a spell, which it couldn't do in the original, and surprises everyone. Beowulf then seeks to save Adam and Eve by having the dragon breathe fire at them so smoke will give them visual cover. Lastly, my story actually has a conclusion and it ends with Beowulf jumping into the air stabbing the dragon in the heart. 

Bibliography:Battle with the Dragon, The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs (1933)

Finding Beowulf

(illustration by A. R. Skelton) 

Mr. Rabbit, Alice, Adam, and Eve all stand up looking around at the new world that is before them. It is cold and night time. They stand in the middle of the woods hearing moans from bears and wolves. All look around to assess the situation.

Adam says, "Where has this black hole taken us?"

Eve responds, " I do not know."

Mr. Rabbit tells everyone, "Be on your guard. If what God says is true, Satan lurks wherever we are, seeking to destroy us."

Alice says, "Well, what do we do then?"

Eve points towards a little flicker of light she sees in the distance and yells, "Guys! Come on! Follow me!" 

They all file in following her lead. 

Mr. Rabbit says, "Why should we go that way?"

Eve responds, "Do you have a better idea?"

Grudgingly, Mr. Rabbit continues to follow. They are closer now and start to marvel at a miracle they are seeing. 

Alice says, "What is that?"

Mr. Rabbit says, "It looks like a flaming sword."

All of a sudden, the wind whirls and blows them to the ground. The sword is no longer flaming. Eve picks up the sword.

Eve speaks, "Oh my gosh, it is freezing! How could this be?"

They all hear an ominous voice. "Oh, hello there. I see you all have found my sword."

Adam replies, "Where are you? Show yourself!"

The voice says, "Ahahahaha. I do not answer to men, Adam." 

A black huge body reveals itself; it is a dragon. 

Mr. Rabbit yells, "Run!"

They run into the woods, but the dragon is too fast flying through the sky. They will soon be killed if they do not find shelter. 

"Over here!" a voice says. 

Adam sees the person and tells all to follow him. They do as they are told and go into a hole in the ground. 

Eve asks, "Who are you?"

"I am Beowulf," the voice says. 

Adam replies, "Wait, the Beowulf?" 

Beowulf replies, "You know me?"

Adam tells him, "I am Adam, and this is Eve. God created us first, and he told us many stories of his greatest warriors to be. You are at the top of the list." 

Beowulf says, "Really? Pleased to meet you! Oh my gosh, what do you have there?" He points at the sword. "That is the sword of life only given to those working for God's cause in the end of times."

Mr. Rabbit gulps, "You mean the end of the world?" 

Beowulf nods. 

Alice says, "Beowulf, your name is on the sword! What does this mean?"

Beowulf tells them the prophecy, "It is said that the one who uses that sword will slay one of Satan's greatest and first powers. This person will then lead God's army against Satan's after defeating Satan's first creation: the dragon. I believe the dragon is one of Satan's."

Eve says, "Is that what was chasing us?" 

Beowulf says, "Yes, yes, it was. That thing has killed my whole family and destroyed my whole kingdom."

Eve tells him, "It's because you are going to help us save the world from Satan. It all makes sense now. That sword was sent as a gift to us, and we were put here to protect you as you fulfill your destiny to slay one of Satan's greatest powers, the dragon. That sword is for you and you are to lead God's armies!"

They all discuss what to do in the hole in the ground for an hour. 

Beowulf calls for silence, "Okay, it is settled then. Tomorrow we send the foul dragon back where he came from! Glory to God and may we see that wretched beast burn!"

Beowulf raises a glass and then all join him. 

Beowulf yells, "To our heavenly father and to the saving of our world!" 

Author's note: This is the second story in my time traveling series. I chose third person narration because it allowed me to incorporate detail about the story, environment, and characters' dialogue. My main goal for this story was to set the stage for the next one, which will be about the battle between all the characters and the dragon. 

In the original story The Arrival of the Dragon, Beowulf is a king and is sitting in his chambers. A stranger that will not reveal his name tells the king that there is a dragon he has seen. Beowulf hears what he has to say and questions the man telling him he will die if he lies. The stranger presents him a jewel that could only belong to a dragon.  He then plans to kill it. That is how Beowulf finds out about the dragon in that story.

In my story, Beowulf is one of the last living men in his village and family. His kingdom gets destroyed because of the dragon. The dragon chases Adam, Eve, Mr. Rabbit, and Alice into Beowulf's home in the ground. Beowulf tells them the prophecy that I created, but then the four main characters tell him the piece of information he never knew; he is the chosen one to slay the dragon. This is confirmed with Beowulf's name when they all see Beowulf's name engraved on the sword. They all decide after this to go and defeat one of Satan's greatest powers: the dragon. So, the whole state Beowulf is in before he meets the characters is different from the original. Also, the reasoning for going to defeat the dragon is different. Lastly, obviously all of the characters have never been in a story together before. 

Bibliography: The Arrival of the Dragon, The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs (1933)

Storytelling Week 2: Alice and Rabbit in Eden

(Illustration  by Sir John Tenniel)

Alice walks into Wonderland and runs into her friend Mr. Rabbit. Alice realizes what Mr. Rabbit is running from, a wolf. So, they both run to the nearest rabbit hole falling down. They look around and see that they are in a garden. It is a completely new place and they can't believe it. They are in a new world. Why though?

A voice speaks from the heavens, "Mr. Rabbit and Alice, welcome to the Garden of Eden." Mr. Rabbit and Alice ask why they are there and who the voice was.

The voice replies, "I am God and you are here to make my newest creations, Adam and Eve, perform good choices. You are my creations as well and your job is to make sure that Adam and Eve do not eat from the tree of knowledge or know anything outside what I tell them. You all have knowledge since moving into my world; I am starting a new one. Okay, you have all you need. Goodbye!"

"Wait!" they yell, but it's too late. Alice asks Mr. Rabbit, "How will we know what Adam and Eve look like?"

Mr. Rabbit replies, "They are the only things in this world; we'll know them when we see them." 

Over the hill, they hear something.

Mr. Rabbit grabs Alice and says, "Dear Lord, I think I found Adam and Eve."

Alice says, "What? Oh my God!"

Adam and Eve are completely naked while running up to them.

They say, "Hello."

 They try to hug Mr. Rabbit and Alice. They both push Adam and Eve off them.

"Okay you all, God wants us to tell you two never to eat from the tree of knowledge and to know nothing outside of what God has told you."

Adam replies, "But I already knew Eve before you all got here."

Rabbit says, "What?"

Adam says, "Yeah, three times."

Alice thinks about the logic Adam uses.

Rabbit replies, "How do you know someone three times?"

Alice chimes in. "Yeah, how?"

Adam says, "Through the power of the Holy Spirit." 

"Okay enough jibber jabber," Rabbit says.

"Hey, do you all want some fruit?" They all hear this, but see nothing. They all look up in the tree and there lies a snake who is Satan.

Alice says, "No, that is the tree of knowledge and Adam and Eve are not to eat from there."

Satan says, "Do you always do what you are told? You all are hungry. I can see it in your eyes." Again, they all refuse based on the Lord's commandment. Satan finally threatens, "You all could be more knowledgable than God and if you choose not to eat, I will bite you infecting your body with venom. Then I will feed myself."

Adam replies, "No! Everyone get behind me!" Satan starts to rear up his head as he looks for a good striking point. Satan's ready to strike and right when he does Mr. Rabbit jumps in front of his bite. Mr. Rabbit lies on the ground still from the venom. Satan gets ready to strike again when boom! Mr. Rabbit starts thumping Satan's head up and down with his foot because the venom doesn't affect creatures from other worlds.

As he does this, Mr. Rabbit recites, "In the beginning, God didn't make snakes. Feel the power of seven days of creation bouncing your head in where you came from. P.S. Watch out for birds." Satan is struck down and now Mr. Rabbit with Alice heads back to Wonderland.

Alice and Mr. Rabbit start walking back, but everyone hears God's voice.

"Alice and Mr. Rabbit, it is not time to return home. As a matter of fact, you will be new disciples along Adam and Eve to save all creation from the war to come." Eve, Adam, Alice, and Mr. Rabbit have curious looks on their faces.

Alice says, "I thought all we had to do was save Adam and Eve."

God replies, "Yes, I know, but the world needs you now. I am sending you all into the future to stop Satan's reign over humanity."

Mr. Rabbit responds, "Why should we? I just want to go home."

God says, "If you do not, your home will have never existed for I see the future and what it holds."

Satan shows up with an army of snakes.

Alice yells, "Look!"

Mr Rabbit yells, "Run!" God opens a black hole to transport them to another world. They all jump at the last second just outrunning the snakes and the black hole shuts. All four yell as they jump into a black abyss. They land and see the world they are in is extremely different. 

Author's Note: I chose third person narration as the storytelling style for this story with emphasis in farce. I chose this style because I feel like a large amount of the time when it comes to Bible stories they are always so serious. So, I decided to lighten the mood and make people laugh showing them a story they have always heard in a way they have never seen. So, I chose one of my favorite stories as a kid (Alice in Wonderland)  and incorporated it into the Adam and Eve story in the Bible. My main goal for this story was to present Adam and Eve's ultimate decision in a funny way. I wanted the reader to understand this was a work of fiction and that it is okay to laugh in certain sensitive areas for people. I want people to know from this story that they should enjoy life, laugh, and take it easy. Lastly, I am making a series of time traveling stories and this is the first one. I decided to take many famous stories and mix their characters. Mr. Rabbit, Alice, Adam, and Eve now must figure out how to help God save the world from Satan one world at a time.  

In the original story in the Bible, God created Adam and Eve. God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge. Eve is tempted by a snake and started eating from the tree of knowledge. Adam and Eve then knew they were naked after eating the fruit. They each started getting knowledge they never had before. That part of the story is known as the fall of man where sinning started. As a result, they were forced to work for everything.

In Alice and Wonderland, Alice chases a white rabbit, Mr. Rabbit, into Wonderland. There she discovered she must stop the queen. So, she took back Wonderland with all of her friends.  

Link to Story: Alice in Wonderland, Link to Story: Adam and Eve

Bibliography: Eve- King James Bible (1611), Un-Textbook

                       Alice in Wonderland- Lewis Carroll (1865), Un-Textbook