Trickster Tales
Last week (but now it all seems long, long ago) I taught 13 Gremlins (you know who you are!) ages 9-14 about mythological tricksters. They created their own tricksters, wrote a tale to go with them, and then we worked as a group. If you want to see what 11 boys, 2 girls, and 1 teacher came up with, read
Bobbo, the Wonder Trickster, Gets a Wife
by
the Trickster Talesters 2007
I will now bludgeon you over the head with a story about a radioactive flying cheese puff.
In some far-off world, Bobbo, the wonder Trickster, said, “I need a wife.”
The sea god had all the female cheese puffs.
Bobbo flew to the oceanside and stuck his head into the water and called out, “Sea god, will you give me a wife?” Bobbo tripped and fell into the sea. The sea god appeared and rescued Bobbo.
“Thank you for rescuing me!” Bobbo said. “Could you get me a wife?”
“I won’t do anything for you!” roared the sea god. “Unless you bring me a green ping pong ball.”
“That’s too easy,” Bobbo said. “But if you insist on giving me an easy task, I’m not complaining.”
The sea god said, “You must do what I say, or you will be thrown into the middle of the ocean!”
Bobbo burped. “That’s what I’m saying. I will do the task.”
“But I’m not finished,” the sea god said. “There is more you must do. You must bring me-
a blue Lotormola laser
a cold pocket
and
a rock.”
“Well, that’s hardly conventional,” said Bobbo. “One easy task and three hard tasks.”
“Fine,” said the sea god. “I will drop the green ping pong ball.”
A green ping pong ball fell on the ocean.
Bobbo flew away to look for the Lotormola laser.
The Lotormola laser was in the Leprechaun’s pot of gold.
Bobbo flew until he found a rainbow. He followed it to the end and there, on the pot of gold, lay Lotormola lasers of every color. He grabbed the blue one and flew straight to the sea god.
“You did bring me the Lotormola laser, but you still need to bring me a cold pocket,” roared the sea god.
Bobbo flew off agan. He flew 47,628,692 miles to the nearest grocery store.
There were the cold pockets. They cost $10,000,000.99. Bobbo took out his ATM card. He checked to see how much money he had.
$9,999,995.99.
What was he going to do?
He took out his wireless and hacked into the financial system. There was the Leprechaun’s account. Bobbo guessed that the password was “pot of gold.” It was.
Bobbo took out all the Leprechaun’s money, all $5 trillion of it.
Bobbo went to the counter and paid for the cold pocket. He kept the change. All $4,999,999,994.01 of it. As Bobbo walked out of the store, a leprechaun approached the ATM.
Bobbo was so tired he decided to walk back to the sea god. Several miles down the road the Leprechaun caught up with him.
The Leprechaun yelled, “You idiot! You stole my Lotormola laser and my god. I’m going to nuke you.”
“Ok,” Bobbo said. “Nuke me, boil me in lava, just don’t throw a rock at me. I hate rocks.”
The Leprechaun glared at him, pulled a rock out of his pocket, and launched it at Bobbo.
Bobbo dodged the rock and snatched it out of the air.
“Thanks for the rock,” he said, and flew back to the sea god.
Bobbo gave the cold pockets and the rock to the sea god.
“I accept your hard work,” the sea god said. “Now you may have your wife.”
“Ok, thank you,” said Bobbo. As he walked away to meet his wife, he looked back and saw the sea god open the cold pockets.
The sea god took one bite and froze. All the female cheese puffs poured out of the sea god’s palace/belly button. And to this day cheese puffs everywhere recognize Bobbo for releasing all the female cheese puffs.
The End
Bobbo, the Wonder Trickster, Gets a Wife
by
the Trickster Talesters 2007
I will now bludgeon you over the head with a story about a radioactive flying cheese puff.
In some far-off world, Bobbo, the wonder Trickster, said, “I need a wife.”
The sea god had all the female cheese puffs.
Bobbo flew to the oceanside and stuck his head into the water and called out, “Sea god, will you give me a wife?” Bobbo tripped and fell into the sea. The sea god appeared and rescued Bobbo.
“Thank you for rescuing me!” Bobbo said. “Could you get me a wife?”
“I won’t do anything for you!” roared the sea god. “Unless you bring me a green ping pong ball.”
“That’s too easy,” Bobbo said. “But if you insist on giving me an easy task, I’m not complaining.”
The sea god said, “You must do what I say, or you will be thrown into the middle of the ocean!”
Bobbo burped. “That’s what I’m saying. I will do the task.”
“But I’m not finished,” the sea god said. “There is more you must do. You must bring me-
a blue Lotormola laser
a cold pocket
and
a rock.”
“Well, that’s hardly conventional,” said Bobbo. “One easy task and three hard tasks.”
“Fine,” said the sea god. “I will drop the green ping pong ball.”
A green ping pong ball fell on the ocean.
Bobbo flew away to look for the Lotormola laser.
The Lotormola laser was in the Leprechaun’s pot of gold.
Bobbo flew until he found a rainbow. He followed it to the end and there, on the pot of gold, lay Lotormola lasers of every color. He grabbed the blue one and flew straight to the sea god.
“You did bring me the Lotormola laser, but you still need to bring me a cold pocket,” roared the sea god.
Bobbo flew off agan. He flew 47,628,692 miles to the nearest grocery store.
There were the cold pockets. They cost $10,000,000.99. Bobbo took out his ATM card. He checked to see how much money he had.
$9,999,995.99.
What was he going to do?
He took out his wireless and hacked into the financial system. There was the Leprechaun’s account. Bobbo guessed that the password was “pot of gold.” It was.
Bobbo took out all the Leprechaun’s money, all $5 trillion of it.
Bobbo went to the counter and paid for the cold pocket. He kept the change. All $4,999,999,994.01 of it. As Bobbo walked out of the store, a leprechaun approached the ATM.
Bobbo was so tired he decided to walk back to the sea god. Several miles down the road the Leprechaun caught up with him.
The Leprechaun yelled, “You idiot! You stole my Lotormola laser and my god. I’m going to nuke you.”
“Ok,” Bobbo said. “Nuke me, boil me in lava, just don’t throw a rock at me. I hate rocks.”
The Leprechaun glared at him, pulled a rock out of his pocket, and launched it at Bobbo.
Bobbo dodged the rock and snatched it out of the air.
“Thanks for the rock,” he said, and flew back to the sea god.
Bobbo gave the cold pockets and the rock to the sea god.
“I accept your hard work,” the sea god said. “Now you may have your wife.”
“Ok, thank you,” said Bobbo. As he walked away to meet his wife, he looked back and saw the sea god open the cold pockets.
The sea god took one bite and froze. All the female cheese puffs poured out of the sea god’s palace/belly button. And to this day cheese puffs everywhere recognize Bobbo for releasing all the female cheese puffs.
The End