A few months had passed since the Jackal/Lion cub was made fun of for using his voice. Many had forgotten as he had fell into the background during the games and activities that he went to. He still had the body of a lion and that was enough to stop others from continuing to make fun of him. The worst part about not using his voice is that the cub was terrified to pursue his true dream: to sing.
One day the cub was running errands for his father (the lion). He had some food strapped on his back that he was carrying home and was getting bored on the long walk back home. Then, a thought popped into his head. He looked around and saw that no one was there, so he began to sing. What many do not know about a jackal's voice is that they have the most beautiful singing voice. It had been so long since the cub had been able to use his voice that is was a little hoarse, but shortly it became a lovely clear tune that his mother (the jackal) used to sing for him when he was little.
Every day for the next few months the cub would sing on his way back home from running errands. He would sing old songs and even make up his own. It was the only time that he felt like he could be himself. When he would return home, he would not use his voice and continued to stay silent around everyone else, even his dad.
One day, the cub's father decided to leave the house to go run errands for himself, so the cub was left home alone. He was disappointed that he did not get to sing on his trip home, so he made a brave choice. He decided to sing at home since no one was there. He started singing one of his own songs that he had made up; however, what he did not know is that his father had forgotten something and came back home. The lion heard the voice and it reminded him of the cub's mother. He came through the door and the cub immediately stopped singing. He started to apologize when his father stopped him.
"Do not be sorry. You have a beautiful voice, just like your mothers'. Do not be afraid to use it my son, for you are talented."
After that, the cub decided to start using his voice. When everyone heard him sing, they did not even care that he had the body of a lion, but the voice of a jackal. He was finally able to be confidant with who he was.
Authors Note: This story is my own continuation of a Jataka Tale called "Silence is Golden". I hated how the story ended with the cub being made fun of so he vowed to never speak again. I decided to make a much better ending and one that would have a better message to it.
One day the cub was running errands for his father (the lion). He had some food strapped on his back that he was carrying home and was getting bored on the long walk back home. Then, a thought popped into his head. He looked around and saw that no one was there, so he began to sing. What many do not know about a jackal's voice is that they have the most beautiful singing voice. It had been so long since the cub had been able to use his voice that is was a little hoarse, but shortly it became a lovely clear tune that his mother (the jackal) used to sing for him when he was little.
Every day for the next few months the cub would sing on his way back home from running errands. He would sing old songs and even make up his own. It was the only time that he felt like he could be himself. When he would return home, he would not use his voice and continued to stay silent around everyone else, even his dad.
One day, the cub's father decided to leave the house to go run errands for himself, so the cub was left home alone. He was disappointed that he did not get to sing on his trip home, so he made a brave choice. He decided to sing at home since no one was there. He started singing one of his own songs that he had made up; however, what he did not know is that his father had forgotten something and came back home. The lion heard the voice and it reminded him of the cub's mother. He came through the door and the cub immediately stopped singing. He started to apologize when his father stopped him.
"Do not be sorry. You have a beautiful voice, just like your mothers'. Do not be afraid to use it my son, for you are talented."
After that, the cub decided to start using his voice. When everyone heard him sing, they did not even care that he had the body of a lion, but the voice of a jackal. He was finally able to be confidant with who he was.
(Singing Lion Cub. Source: AllFreePhotos)
Authors Note: This story is my own continuation of a Jataka Tale called "Silence is Golden". I hated how the story ended with the cub being made fun of so he vowed to never speak again. I decided to make a much better ending and one that would have a better message to it.
Hi Jacob. This is great. I love that you took a story with a sad ending and created a new, happy ending. At first I was a little confused about the cub, not putting two and two together that he was half jackal and half lion, but later when you were mentioning his mother (the jackal) and father (the lion), everything made sense. One suggestion, I would include a link to the original story in either your author's note or in a bibliography. I couldn't remember the original tale off the top of my head and wanted to check it out. Other than that, this is really good!
ReplyDeleteHi Jacob,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this story. Personally I can't sing but when I am alone or the music is loud enough I tend to sing alone with the music. I like that you made the ending happier, sometimes I think the stories end pretty sad. I think making it happy was great. I also like that you made him confident in his voice. I enjoyed the story.
Hi Jacob! I like that you took a regular story and added some sort of twist on it. It allowed me to see the efforts taken to change the ending from the cub being made fun of and never speaking again to have a better message at the end since it is more of a positive ending rather than a sad one. This was a good message and way of creating something unique to a story at this point of the course. I liked the story overall because everything was easy to understand and it was basically a twist of another story just changing the ending. Like Dave mentioned, adding an author's note would probably make this a little bit clearer but other than that, good job!
ReplyDeleteHey Jacob, first of all, I loved how you changed the ending, so that the overall message can be a positive one compared to the message conveyed from the original story. No one should ever be made fun of. Periodt! I personally did not read this story but you made me want to read it! I really enjoyed the story, keep it up!
ReplyDeleteHi, Jacob! Great job with this story too! I am a sucker for a good singing story! I think you do a great job of capturing the shy and timid nature of this character. The suspense really builds when the father comes back home. I think you use your dialogue wisely. I like that the father encourages his son to use his talent. He seems like a good dad.
ReplyDeleteHey Jacob! I really enjoyed your twist on the ending of this jataka. I'm glad that you gave it a happier ending. While reading your story, it almost reminded me of Happy Feet and Madagascar. Singing/dancing as an unusual talent pops up a lot in stories it seems. Isn't it crazy how a lot of jatakas have basic plots very similar to modern day stories? Anyways, I thought that your story was very entertaining!
ReplyDeleteHey Jacob, another fun Jataka tale that I haven't read! I like how you decided to give it a happier ending. I too personally enjoy singing, but I don't often sing in front of people because I don't like my singing voice being judged. It does kinda remind me of Happy Feet too, Mumble was afraid to dance because people might laugh at him. He ended up helping saving the penguins. I don't really have any suggestions for you. This was a well-done story, I really enjoyed it. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteHi Jacob! What a cute story! I was delighted all the way through seeing how the cub gained the courage to pursue his passion of singing to the point he could share this skill with others. This story definitely gives me flashbacks to an assignment early in the semester you may remember about Growth Mindset, or learning to enjoy the process of becoming secure in your skills and abilities as they are developed over time. This also reminds me of a Little Golden Book I read as a kid about a lion, and something about your story-telling style gives me childhood story vibes since it's just so quaint. It would be great for an audience of that age as bullying starts young! Anyways, great work with this- a very enjoyable and encouraging little tale!
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