Hey everyone,
I hope no one minds my being the first to post in this forum, but ever since I heard about the pilot for this show (and where it was set), I couldn't help but think of an English assignment I submitted back in college around 2004.
The assignment was to write a story within a story, so I submitted this because I had already written it a couple of years ago and figured it was acceptable.
When I submitted it, the title was a play on the Tori Amos song, "A Sorta Fairytale" since I had gotten the album two years later when it was released.
The setting is somewhat similar, although it's a little darker in tone in the beginning. As time went on, it took on a life of its own and became a dark comedy.
I'm only posting a small portion of it, but if any of you out there are interested, I'll post more, so let me know!
A Not So Fairytale
He lived in a quaint house in the Storybook Forest. His name was Adam. His father was a drunk, and his mother was dead. On the outside, they appeared to be an average family, but they were anything but. When the doors were closed, all hell broke loose inside their home. Adam's father would guzzle 40's, and get high constantly. Inside the basement of the house lived a big, bad wolf. This wolf was particularly jealous of Adam and the attention he seemed to easily garner from everyone. In its mind's eye, the wolf set out on an adventurous trek to destroy Adam and all his happiness. He planned a fate worse than death, he planned a life of suffering. The wolf calculated carefully and cut into Adam when he knew it would hurt him the most. The wolf was merciless. He enjoyed, and was even gluttonous with his torture. The abuse Adam suffered at the hands of the big, bad wolf was so painful that it made him cry. Adam couldn't show his emotions because to show his emotions in his mind was a means of forfeiting to weakness. Consequently, Adam bottled up his raging emotions. To escape the wolf's cruelty, Adam hid in every imaginable place he could, but he was found nevertheless.
When he could no longer stand it, Adam ran from the house into the dark, ambiguous woods. One day, while trying to find food, Adam saw a young girl walking through the forest. She was wearing a red cloak and dress. She was also carrying a picnic basket. He walked up to the young girl and they began talking.
"You're a strange little girl," said Adam.
"Yes, I am," replied the girl.
"Well, I'm a strange little boy, would you like to be freaky with me? That's what it would be, our connection anyway. You're strange, I'm strange, we're bound to be freakish together."
"It sounds intriguing, but I'm busy."
"Busy with what?"
"Don't you know anything, strange little boy? People who live in the Storybook Forest have jobs you know. I'm bound to a life-long contract.
"Oh, I see. So, you're busy working. What do you do?"
"Well, every year I have to do the same thing over and over. You see, I have to run away from a big, bad wolf in order to escape to my grandmother's house. When I arrive there, I learn that this wolf has killed my grandmother and has taken her place. In order to maintain real-world peace, for all the people who read this story, I have to pretend that I have no clue he's really there. Right now, though, I don't have time to tell you what happens, but I just signed a movie deal with NBC two weeks ago, you'll see soon enough."
"I see. I am in the process of running away from my big, bad wolf too."
"I understand. Just don't sell yourself to some heartless hack like I did in order to make money."
"I wont, I'm not that stupid. Hey, what are you carrying in that picnic basket, a nuclear bomb?"
"No, I wish, but it's sort of the same thing. It will kill you, anyway. As you know, I'm traveling to my grandmother's. She needs supplies."
"What kind of supplies?"
"Heroin and cocaine."
"Oh my goodness, what kind of grandmother do you have?"
"Well, since we've been enslaved into the Storybook Forest, my grandmother has aged. She's over 100 years old. She can't function without receiving a little kick in the morning. These drugs just give her a little more edge so that she can stay conscious for fifteen minutes at a time. She also has a small drug business on the side so that she has enough money to buy ingredients for the baked goods she sells at PTA meetings."
"Wow, she sounds like a busy, dedicated grandmother. My grandmother isn't like her at all. I have one of those grandmas who watches TNN all day long. It can really get on your nerves, but sometimes you feel obligated to sit with her even though you know you don't have anything in common with her."
"That sounds like a drag, at least she doesn't watch Martha Stewart all day long like my sister Beauty."
"Sleeping Beauty? The young girl who was poisoned by an evil witch and later woke up by means of a kiss from a prince?"
"Yes, she is my sister. I hate her. It should be me living in that mansion. I should be the one eating the gourmet dinners, I should be the one having sex seven days a week, not her. She's horrible, she's not even fit to be a wife. When she was under the spell of that wicked witch, who in my opinion is a Godsend, that fine prince came knocking on my door. We had something going on for awhile, but then she just had to wake up. I'm suing the witch. Her powers weren't strong enough to successfully carry out our agreement. Anyway, Beauty was nothing until that blind prince came along. When she met him, she was just another hooker selling herself on the streets of the Storybook Forest. He made her what she is today, but it's all a lie. One night, she got really drunk and was arguing with my aunt. She said that the prince didn't make her, she made herself. That girl would sell anything for crack. Of course, he had to come along and save her but hey, good for her I guess."
"She sounds like a psycho," replied Adam.
"Oh, you have no clue. She once tried to run him over in his grandmother's driveway. I thought it was really funny, but it could have been dangerous. So what's your story anyway strange little boy?"
"Well, I'm running away from my own big, bad wolf. I'm making my own fairytale. Maybe someday it will end."
"Maybe, but I must go on now. It is another day, another dollar. I hope things work out for you, I'm sure they will. See you around."
The girl then disappeared into the forest.
I hope no one minds my being the first to post in this forum, but ever since I heard about the pilot for this show (and where it was set), I couldn't help but think of an English assignment I submitted back in college around 2004.
The assignment was to write a story within a story, so I submitted this because I had already written it a couple of years ago and figured it was acceptable.
When I submitted it, the title was a play on the Tori Amos song, "A Sorta Fairytale" since I had gotten the album two years later when it was released.
The setting is somewhat similar, although it's a little darker in tone in the beginning. As time went on, it took on a life of its own and became a dark comedy.
I'm only posting a small portion of it, but if any of you out there are interested, I'll post more, so let me know!
He lived in a quaint house in the Storybook Forest. His name was Adam. His father was a drunk, and his mother was dead. On the outside, they appeared to be an average family, but they were anything but. When the doors were closed, all hell broke loose inside their home. Adam's father would guzzle 40's, and get high constantly. Inside the basement of the house lived a big, bad wolf. This wolf was particularly jealous of Adam and the attention he seemed to easily garner from everyone. In its mind's eye, the wolf set out on an adventurous trek to destroy Adam and all his happiness. He planned a fate worse than death, he planned a life of suffering. The wolf calculated carefully and cut into Adam when he knew it would hurt him the most. The wolf was merciless. He enjoyed, and was even gluttonous with his torture. The abuse Adam suffered at the hands of the big, bad wolf was so painful that it made him cry. Adam couldn't show his emotions because to show his emotions in his mind was a means of forfeiting to weakness. Consequently, Adam bottled up his raging emotions. To escape the wolf's cruelty, Adam hid in every imaginable place he could, but he was found nevertheless.
When he could no longer stand it, Adam ran from the house into the dark, ambiguous woods. One day, while trying to find food, Adam saw a young girl walking through the forest. She was wearing a red cloak and dress. She was also carrying a picnic basket. He walked up to the young girl and they began talking.
"You're a strange little girl," said Adam.
"Yes, I am," replied the girl.
"Well, I'm a strange little boy, would you like to be freaky with me? That's what it would be, our connection anyway. You're strange, I'm strange, we're bound to be freakish together."
"It sounds intriguing, but I'm busy."
"Busy with what?"
"Don't you know anything, strange little boy? People who live in the Storybook Forest have jobs you know. I'm bound to a life-long contract.
"Oh, I see. So, you're busy working. What do you do?"
"Well, every year I have to do the same thing over and over. You see, I have to run away from a big, bad wolf in order to escape to my grandmother's house. When I arrive there, I learn that this wolf has killed my grandmother and has taken her place. In order to maintain real-world peace, for all the people who read this story, I have to pretend that I have no clue he's really there. Right now, though, I don't have time to tell you what happens, but I just signed a movie deal with NBC two weeks ago, you'll see soon enough."
"I see. I am in the process of running away from my big, bad wolf too."
"I understand. Just don't sell yourself to some heartless hack like I did in order to make money."
"I wont, I'm not that stupid. Hey, what are you carrying in that picnic basket, a nuclear bomb?"
"No, I wish, but it's sort of the same thing. It will kill you, anyway. As you know, I'm traveling to my grandmother's. She needs supplies."
"What kind of supplies?"
"Heroin and cocaine."
"Oh my goodness, what kind of grandmother do you have?"
"Well, since we've been enslaved into the Storybook Forest, my grandmother has aged. She's over 100 years old. She can't function without receiving a little kick in the morning. These drugs just give her a little more edge so that she can stay conscious for fifteen minutes at a time. She also has a small drug business on the side so that she has enough money to buy ingredients for the baked goods she sells at PTA meetings."
"Wow, she sounds like a busy, dedicated grandmother. My grandmother isn't like her at all. I have one of those grandmas who watches TNN all day long. It can really get on your nerves, but sometimes you feel obligated to sit with her even though you know you don't have anything in common with her."
"That sounds like a drag, at least she doesn't watch Martha Stewart all day long like my sister Beauty."
"Sleeping Beauty? The young girl who was poisoned by an evil witch and later woke up by means of a kiss from a prince?"
"Yes, she is my sister. I hate her. It should be me living in that mansion. I should be the one eating the gourmet dinners, I should be the one having sex seven days a week, not her. She's horrible, she's not even fit to be a wife. When she was under the spell of that wicked witch, who in my opinion is a Godsend, that fine prince came knocking on my door. We had something going on for awhile, but then she just had to wake up. I'm suing the witch. Her powers weren't strong enough to successfully carry out our agreement. Anyway, Beauty was nothing until that blind prince came along. When she met him, she was just another hooker selling herself on the streets of the Storybook Forest. He made her what she is today, but it's all a lie. One night, she got really drunk and was arguing with my aunt. She said that the prince didn't make her, she made herself. That girl would sell anything for crack. Of course, he had to come along and save her but hey, good for her I guess."
"She sounds like a psycho," replied Adam.
"Oh, you have no clue. She once tried to run him over in his grandmother's driveway. I thought it was really funny, but it could have been dangerous. So what's your story anyway strange little boy?"
"Well, I'm running away from my own big, bad wolf. I'm making my own fairytale. Maybe someday it will end."
"Maybe, but I must go on now. It is another day, another dollar. I hope things work out for you, I'm sure they will. See you around."
The girl then disappeared into the forest.
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