"Scoot it over towards me!" Brady directed, indicating with his hands the stool that stood between him and his older sister Jamie.
"No, I think this is right!" Jamie responded. Getting on her tippy toes and stretching her legs as far as possible, she was barely able to reach the first step on the bottom of the stool. Climbing up step after step, she had made it to the very top of the stool. Extending her hands as far as possible, they came just short of the cookie jar.
Earlier that morning, the toddlers' mom had spent a few hours making all kinds of baked goods for the party they were hosting that night. She forbid Brady and Jamie from touching them until the party, something about "spoiling" something or other. However, the kids just saw this as a challenge. They watched as she placed the last of the cookies in the tall, crystal jar and scooted it to the back of the counter. Bring it on, Brady thought. He was already devising a plan.
Mom had gone back to her room to 'work on bills', which the kids knew really meant that mommy was taking a nap. By their approximation they had around thirty minutes to retrieve the cookies. Their first attempt being to take the stool out of the pantry and see if Jamie was tall enough to reach the jar.
She wasn't.
"What are we gonna do now?" Brady asked. "That was my best idea!"
"I know! Let's see if we can get one of the stools from our bathroom and put it on top of this one!" Jamie exclaimed excitedly.
They ran to their bathroom and took one of the stools they used to see the mirror when they brushed their teeth. Lugging it behind the two of them, they came to the kitchen and pondered how they were going to get it on top of the other stool. In the same manner as the first time, Jamie climbed as high as she could on top of the first stool. Brady did his best to shove the other stool as high up as he could, managing to also climb on top of the first stool. The two of them, while balancing together, managed to lift and place the second stool on top of the first. The best news? The top of the second stool was even with the countertop!
Jamie began to climb as Brady tried to stabilize. She got about halfway up, but accidentally took a step a little too far to the left, throwing Brady off balance, and sending the two of them toppling down to the tile. The commotion was too much- and Mom came running out of her room.
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?" she was breathing hard and fast. "Oh..." she said quietly as she digested the situation. Then she began to chuckle and chuckle and chuckle. "Not today, you two!" And with that remark, she swept up the cookie jar and put it in the very top cabinet- forever out of the reach of her two little cookie monsters. (Well, until that night anyway!)
Image Credit: The Cripple Gate
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Author's Note: This story is based on The Fox and the Grapes from the La Fontaine Aesop's Fables unit. The original story is short and sweet:
Rosy and ripe, and ready to box,I like this idea of having something that is so sweetly desired almost dangling in front of your face, and then realizing that it isn't going to happen. When I first read this I immediately thought of my cookie jar days, and knew immediately that it would be a fun story to write. Obviously, the cookies represent that grapes and the toddlers represent the fox. It was just out of reach for both stories! Not really a central theme or lesson, just a fun story!
The grapes hang high o'er the hungry Fox. —
He pricks up his ears, and his eye he cocks.
Ripe and rosy, yet so high! —
He gazes at them with a greedy eye,
And knows he must eat and drink — or die.
When the jump proves to be beyond his power —
"Pooh!" says the Fox. "Let the pigs devour
Fruit of that sort. Those grapes are sour!"
Hi Avery,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, your story is both quaint and enjoyable to read. The sentences were short - but not too brief - and flowed well. I also really enjoyed the descriptions you used; I could easily visualize the anticipation of the two young kids as they climbed up to reach the cookie jar (discreetly) and then tumbled down to cause a commotion.
Nice work!
Hey Averi!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your story. It brought me back to the good old times – childhood – where the only worry I had was trying to get to the cookie jar. The picture you selected for you story fits perfectly well into your story; the child’s hand reaching for the cookie jar – so close but not close enough. I look forward to reading more of you writing!
Nice story Avery! I enjoyed reading this. This story took me back to when I was a child. I love how the children had a plan for getting the cookies even before mom left to take a nap. That was funny. The ending was even more funny because the kids were still going to try to get the cookies even though mom put them up further. I remember I would do the same things as a child. I would push up a chair, then get up on the counter, and get whatever I wanted without my mom knowing. Those were the days.
ReplyDeleteHey Avery, I love the AEsop tales. I had a chance to read them last semester and at the beginning of this semester and I think that they are all very good. I like that you updated your story from the original. It was a very creative way to approach your retelling. I think you chose a subject matter that all of us can relate to because we all remember being little and even as adults we all have had the feeling of wanting something really bad. Overall I think you have done a great job with your story.
ReplyDeleteWow! I thought that your reinterpretation of this fable was so great! It’s really relatable and fun to read. The view you get into the mind of the toddlers is really accurate. It is exactly how you imagine little kids think about things. I think we’ve all tried to get to the cookie jar when our parents weren’t looking. The amount of dialogue you had in the story was perfect, and I think you did a really great job!
ReplyDelete