Sandra was our lively host while Margo once again provided brief, gentle interludes of music on her Hang (a Swiss instrument, pronounced “Hung”) for an evening that included visiting tellers who surprised and delighted us. The first was no less a personage of renown than Emily Carr in her 'second life', portrayed by Molly Raher Newman. Molly, as an EDUTAINER, provided us with lesser known insights into Emily's life and had us all singing along with her, accompanied by her mandolin.
Sarah Vincent, one of four talented youngsters 'scouted' by Lee at the Festival of the Arts, personified The Killer Cat in "The Diary of the Killer Cat and Trip to the Vet", referred to by the veterinary staff as a "furry psychopath." Hilarious!
Jaya Scott then told the Japanese tale, "The Man Who Bought a Dream,”about a poor farmer who, against his wife's wishes, took what little money they had to follow a dream in search of hidden treasure, only to find it gone. The disappointed farmer, afraid to return home empty handed, found his wife jubilant as golden coins poured from their attic. The gift-giver was a golden bee who valued the distribution of wealth to the less fortunate.
Mary Vincent's story, "The Brave 7th Grade Viking Warrior," by Taylor Mali touched all our hearts. The Viking Warrior was a boy who, when he lost his hair to chemotherapy, found that his classmates had joined his hairless predicament by having their heads shaved, too. The history teacher's class project, to create a miniature Viking ship from popsicle sticks and balsa wood, became an unforgettable lesson when they burned their Viking ship, according to ancient custom, to carry their young Viking Warrior's soul to heaven.
Meghan Scott brought us "the Boy and the Devil,' a convoluted tale of transformation and trickery from which the Devil, used to having the upper hand in encounters with humans, learned to be very wary of boys who can read.
Shoshana shared the oral version of her story "Frida's Flute," which was published recently in an anthology of Canadian Folklore by the Edmonton School Board. Shoshana told us how the story got started in Poland in the 1700's and then evolved into a more modern version after the fall of the Soviet Union. Then she launched into her tale of Frida, a talented young musician who saved the world with music and learned how to read in the process.
Shirley once again wove the gift of homemade merriment into a story of her family's delight as they surprised their Dad on a special birthday. Remember her "Hide and Seek" story from January when her Dad hid under a big hat, among a group of picnickers in the park? This time, total strangers waiting in the arrivals area of an airport became the world’s first “Flash Mob” as they sang “Hello Wally” to the tune of “Hello Dolly” while sporting "Welcome Home Wally" buttons. Shirley’s shy brother, faced with the barrage of unknown welcomers, was now the one who wished he could vanish into thin air.
Jan, with the Cowboy Poem "the Whole Load," took us into a new-to-some-of-us genre: the world of Waddie Mitchell from Nevada, a "...renowned cowboy storyteller and buchaneer poet," according to Wikipeida where you can go to find out more about the 'homespun' philosophy of his poetry.
Anne's musings on the horizontal vs. vertical cutting of a very fine muffin led to her mother's tale of a couple married for half a century. Blessed with the delivery of a freshly baked breakfast roll each day, their tradition of each asking the other which half they preferred continued for 50 years before their true preferences were revealed.
The timid among us were advised to cover our ears to avoid hearing the gory details in Jennifer's story, a tale of a husbandless grandmother who became a professional assassin but, by a twist of fate in court, convinced the Judge that her despatch of a terrible monster was true.
Submitted by Janna
