Friday 10 May 2013

A Little Bit Traumatised Ever After

May Meme 10 - yes, I know I haven't been keeping up.  However, today's experience of storytelling in a school gave me the perfect fodder to write on today's theme, which was supposed to be "Something You Created". It's 28 words over my limit, but nobody's perfect...

The Lindworm


“And they all lived...?”


There's an amused silence. I have just told the gruesome story of the Lindworm to a group of 14-18 year olds, mainly boys. Twenty minutes ago they thought fairy tales were for little kids. Now they're mentally savouring the image of a naked girl scrubbing the last layer of skin off a giant maggot with a toilet brush.


“...A little bit traumatised ever after?” suggests one of the boys, finishing my proffered sentence.


As a storyteller, what do I create? Not the stories themselves. The tellings? Only in part. But stories create shared silences and opportunities so that something is new every time.


As for “A little bit traumatised ever after” - that's how I'll be finishing that story from now on!

1 comment:

  1. Sounds like Stephen King! I love teenagers' comments. Very funny.

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