Wife: And you're unbelievable!
Once again the only two people on Earth were having a fight. They fought over everything. Who fetched water from the spring last? Who didn't go hunting this morning? Why didn't you feed the wolves? Why do you take all the blanket! There was always something new to fight about. This day seemed like any other day, except the argument ended differently.
Husband: I can't stand you! All you do is complain and point out everything that I do wrong!
Wife: You think you're easy to handle?! I always have to clean after you, and you never appreciate me! You just assume that I sit around the house all day!
Husband: Well it's because you do! I'm out hunting in the freezing cold or under the scorching sun while you sit in the house!
Wife: I maintain our house and protect it from wild animals! I tend to my garden which provides us with medicinal herbs and spices for our food! You just wander around in the forest and return empty-handed!
Husband: Here we go again! Point out all my flaws why don't you! I wish I could be lost in the forest so I wouldn't have to come home to YOU!
Wife: UGH! I'll make it easier for you! I'll wander in the forest! *stomps out of the house* This is the last you'll see of me!
Husband: GOOD RIDDANCE! *slams door*
For the first time in history, the husband and wife were about to be apart. The wife traveled into the forest for several miles, never looking back for a mere second. The husband stayed in the wooden house, fuming about the most recent quarrel. Each person believed that they could live without each other just fine. But after the first couple days, they both began to see their shortcomings.
(Back at the house)
Husband: My leg aches and burns. It looks swollen. It must be infected... I don't remember what herbs my wife used to rub on my wounds to heal them... I miss my wife. I wish she would come back to me.
(In the forest)
Wife: I'm so hungry. I can't catch a single rabbit to eat. I have no idea how my husband managed to catch six of these critters at a time. *stomach growls* I can't bear my hunger any longer. I miss my husband... I wish I knew my way home.
I could not bear it any longer. With the husband's infected leg, I knew he was not capable of walking far. However, I could direct the wife towards her husband. At that moment, I knew exactly what to do. The wife wandered aimlessly in the forest. Near her feet, I made a patch of strawberries grow. Bright, red strawberries which have never existed on Earth before caught her attention. The wife plucked a red berry and tasted their delicious sweetness. I made a trail of strawberries that ended at the front of her house. When she arrived at home, she couldn't have been happier to be reunited with her husband.
Wife: My dear husband! I am home! I apologize for my accusations... I realize that you do so much for me. Never leave my side again.
Husband: My sweet wife! You're home to me! It is I who must apologize for not appreciating your hard work. Never leave my side again!
Wife: Look! I brought this strange fruit for us to eat. Don't they look delicious?
Husband: They look strange... Are you sure they aren't poisonous?
Wife: Of course they're not poisonous. I ate a batch already, and I'm still alive.
Husband: Well you can't be too sure. I know you're the one to eat everything...
Wife: Are you calling me fat? Do I look like a hippo to you? Did I not starve enough in the forest?
Husband: I didn't call you fat. You just eat a lot. I mean you just ate a basket of potential poisonous fruit.
Wife: So now I'm stupid?
Husband: Gah, I didn't say that! But you might as well be!
Wife: You ALWAYS do this! How could you be so mean?! I try to be nice and understanding-
Husband: I always do this?! No it's YOU! Everything was fine until YOU had to mention some stupid berries-
Ah. Another argument ensued. All was well again.
| The strawberry trail to home. Source. |
Author's Note: I wrote this story based off of James Mooney's Myths of the Cherokee. In this story, it explained the origins of strawberries. I didn't stray too far off from the original story. The first man and woman on Earth were arguing which lead to the woman leaving the man. The man pleaded to God to help the woman return her way home. God then tried several types of fruits to lead the woman towards the man, but no fruit worked until God made the strawberry. She followed the strawberry path and picked fruits to give to her husband. They reunited, and all was well again. I gave the story more dialogue, and I tried telling the story from God's point of view. In the end, I had the couple arguing again just for some comedic relief.
Bibliography: Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900)
Great story! I definitely got a laugh out of it when they began arguing again in the end. I like how you communicated the wife and husband in the story. It was better than reading the regular dialect. I am doing my story book on the Cherokee myths from James Mooney so I am familiar with the story. I think you did a great job of rewriting your own story. It was very creative.
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