There once was a husband who was trapped in a marriage. His wife, a horrible woman named Daphne, had forced him to marry her in order to save his family. His family was poor and about to lose their home to the landlord. But the landlord's daughter Daphne had been pining for the young man since she had seen him. Dan was a catch: kind, handsome, smart. She said that if Dan married her, she would arrange for his family to stay in their home. Of course, the unselfish Dan agreed.
But since that day, his life was filled with distress. He earned his small income, only to have Daphne spend it all immediately. She had sent their beloved children to a far away boarding school, and Dan was never allowed to go out to see his friends or family.
Now one day, Dan thought to himself, "I've got to leave Daphne. There's no reason for me to stay. But how will I pay her back for everything she's cost me?"
For the next several months, he thought to himself, until finally he got an idea.
"I'll get a parrot. It will be my present to her." Dan knew that Daphne would show off the parrot to all her friends. And he started his scheme.
He got the parrot and started to train him to say a phrase that would save his life. He would only say the phrase when he saw a rose.
On Valentine's Day, Dan gave Daphne the parrot. She was ecstatic and exclaimed, "Oh, Dan! Thank you so much. I love it! It's beautiful! I can't wait to show the girls."
Dan replied, "I'm glad, Daphne! His name is Mischief."
"What kind of name is that, silly! I'm naming him Secret. Isn't that cute?"
"Of course, darling. That suits him even better," said Dan with a knowing smile.
Daphne hurried to call the girls over. She served them the finest drinks and began to gush about Dan.
"He's just the sweetest. Look at what he got for me! Isn't he beautiful? And he's so smart. His name is Secret, and he watches everything and talks too! Dan's got such an eye for things and knows exactly what I like. We're perfect for each other."
The other girls rolled their eyes. They had gotten tired of hearing the same thing over and over. Of course, they were all jealous of Daphne and Dan, but to hear this repeatedly was annoying.
At that moment, Dan came in with a bouquet of roses. But before, he could do or say anything, Secret started screaming, "DAN HAS A GIRLFRIEND! I SAW THEM TOGETHER!"
The girls were appalled, and Daphne was speechless. She didn't know what to do. She could feel her reputation dropping. The girls quickly made up excuses and left the home.
"Well, I got to go do some laundry."
"I need to clean the house."
"I have to go shopping."
One by one, they all left. Daphne was furious. Without thinking, she screamed,
"GET. OUT. OF. MY. HOUSE. NOW."
Dan packed his bags and with a smile on his face, he left. He picked up his family and moved far away, never seeing Daphne again.
Image Information:
Parrot; Source: Flickr
Author's Note:
This story was originally about a man who bought a parrot to keep an eye on his wife while he was gone. One weekend, when he returned from his travels, he found out his wife had done some bad things and punished her. The next weekend he had to leave, the wife put the parrot in a different room, and made the parrot think it was storming. When the husband got back, the parrot said that he couldn't report anything because it was storming all weekend. The husband knew it hadn't rained, so he got angry and killed the parrot.
In this story, I decided to use the same characters, but change the plot. I felt bad that the parrot died, so I also wanted to keep him alive, and I wanted the husband to get away from his horrible wife.
Bibliography
But since that day, his life was filled with distress. He earned his small income, only to have Daphne spend it all immediately. She had sent their beloved children to a far away boarding school, and Dan was never allowed to go out to see his friends or family.
Now one day, Dan thought to himself, "I've got to leave Daphne. There's no reason for me to stay. But how will I pay her back for everything she's cost me?"
For the next several months, he thought to himself, until finally he got an idea.
"I'll get a parrot. It will be my present to her." Dan knew that Daphne would show off the parrot to all her friends. And he started his scheme.
He got the parrot and started to train him to say a phrase that would save his life. He would only say the phrase when he saw a rose.
On Valentine's Day, Dan gave Daphne the parrot. She was ecstatic and exclaimed, "Oh, Dan! Thank you so much. I love it! It's beautiful! I can't wait to show the girls."
Dan replied, "I'm glad, Daphne! His name is Mischief."
"What kind of name is that, silly! I'm naming him Secret. Isn't that cute?"
"Of course, darling. That suits him even better," said Dan with a knowing smile.
Daphne hurried to call the girls over. She served them the finest drinks and began to gush about Dan.
"He's just the sweetest. Look at what he got for me! Isn't he beautiful? And he's so smart. His name is Secret, and he watches everything and talks too! Dan's got such an eye for things and knows exactly what I like. We're perfect for each other."
At that moment, Dan came in with a bouquet of roses. But before, he could do or say anything, Secret started screaming, "DAN HAS A GIRLFRIEND! I SAW THEM TOGETHER!"
The girls were appalled, and Daphne was speechless. She didn't know what to do. She could feel her reputation dropping. The girls quickly made up excuses and left the home.
"Well, I got to go do some laundry."
"I need to clean the house."
"I have to go shopping."
One by one, they all left. Daphne was furious. Without thinking, she screamed,
"GET. OUT. OF. MY. HOUSE. NOW."
Dan packed his bags and with a smile on his face, he left. He picked up his family and moved far away, never seeing Daphne again.
Image Information:
Parrot; Source: Flickr
Author's Note:
This story was originally about a man who bought a parrot to keep an eye on his wife while he was gone. One weekend, when he returned from his travels, he found out his wife had done some bad things and punished her. The next weekend he had to leave, the wife put the parrot in a different room, and made the parrot think it was storming. When the husband got back, the parrot said that he couldn't report anything because it was storming all weekend. The husband knew it hadn't rained, so he got angry and killed the parrot.
In this story, I decided to use the same characters, but change the plot. I felt bad that the parrot died, so I also wanted to keep him alive, and I wanted the husband to get away from his horrible wife.
Bibliography
The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang; link to the reading online.
Jessica, I did my story this week over the Tales of a Parrot but my original plot line was different. I really enjoyed your story and I liked how you changed the parrot into helping the man. I was curious on the reason for the roses but the laughed when I read what the parrot said when he saw the roses. I was a little confused on the era that the story was set in. At some points, it seemed modern and at other is seemed dated. Great story!
ReplyDeleteJessica,
ReplyDeleteYour author's note was very helpful! Thank you for providing such a clear and concise summary. I enjoyed reading your story, especially all the dialogue. I love that you wanted to rewrite this story with a more positive ending. I am glad that you kept the parrot alive, and helped save the husband from living a miserable life. This was a great story, keep up the great work!