Homework Assignment - Modern Beowulf

Okay so this is not very good, but I thought I'd embarrass myself anyway, and post it. Seeing as though I just posted about Beowulf. So please note that this has really pretty much nothing to do with the old Beowulf. And I still think you should read the real Beowulf. (Because unlike this one.....IT'S REALLY GOOD)

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This is a children’s story. Though older people may like it. It is a modern retelling of the old tale Beowulf. A story of danger, bravery, monsters, loyalty, and friendship. It was originally meant for older people, like teens or adults. But why keep younger children from reading classics? Why not write the old classic, in a more simple form? And in a way children can relate to. Well, today that is what I’m doing. I’m going to write a simpler form of Beowulf, the great classic story. Everything I’m about to tell you is all fictitious, for often that is what children are able to understand with perfect clarity.

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Somewhere in the world, let’s say in the city Geatville there is a boy. He is a strong boy. And when this boy was very young, he lived in a different town. The town Daneport. And this boy lived in someone else’s house, because he was very young. And the “someone else” lived in a large country house. A farm, I guess you could say. And this farm had all kinds of animals, and barns. It has cows, and horses, and pigs, and sheep, and of course dogs and cats. But the most prized animals there were the chickens. Yes, the chickens. See, these chickens were the prettiest chickens you ever did see! And the eggs they laid were so numerous, and perfect that everybody came there to buy eggs. Even if they had chickens themselves! The man who owned all this, his name was, Ezra Kemuel. Ezra was a good man, but he was getting old, and with age, comes weakness, and when you get weak, you aren’t able to keep up with all the work of a large farm like Ezra’s. But anyway let’s get back to our “young boy”. Let’s give him name. His name will be Ezekiel White. But most people just call him Zeke. Well, as we were saying, when Zeke was young he lived on this farm. He had just about as much fun there as a little boy could have on a farm! But when Zeke turned eleven he moved away, to go live with his Uncle Andrew and his Aunt Mercy. They did not live on a farm. No, they lived in a the huge city, Geatville. And though moving to a city was much different than living on a farm. Zeke wasn’t too upset. He liked the city just as much as Ezra’s farm. But Ezra was old now, and he had to sell almost everything. In fact Ezra sold everything except his beloved chickens. Those he kept. Well, a couple years went by until we get back the beginning of our story.

Somewhere in the world, let’s say in the city Geatville, there is a boy. He is a strong boy. And his name is Ezekiel White. But most people just call him Zeke. Zeke lives with his Uncle Andrew and his Aunt Mercy. And he lives a happy life with the two of them. And even here, in the busy city, people buy Ezra’s Eggs, in the local stores. We rejoin Zeke when he is now thirteen, at a crowded birthday party for friend where he has just heard some most unpleasant news.

“Wait! What did you just say?” Asked Zeke, in a very anxious tone of voice.

“I said that it’s really too bad.” Answered Jacob, he was the boy having the party.

“No, no. Before that.” Zeke clarified, “You said something about Ezra’s Eggs.”

“Oh, that? I said that Old Ezra is currently unable to sell any eggs.” Jacob did not seem too concerned about it, after all there were plenty of other egg sellers out there.

Zeke, although he was thirteen and should be able to control himself, was having a very hard time staying calm. “Why can’t he sell eggs? Won’t people buy them anymore?”

“Well, yes I suppose people would buy them...if he could get any eggs anymore.” It was irritating to Zeke at how uninterested Jacob sounded. “But he can’t collect any eggs from his chickens anymore, because there is a fox that’s scaring them all so bad that they won’t lay any eggs. It’s being said that the fox has actually killed about fifteen of Ezra’s chickens. Too bad ancient Ezra is so ancient. He’s helpless before that sly fox. They’ve even given the fox a name! Can you imagine! Giving a fox a name just for eating some chickens! They say his name is Nigel, which means Dark.” It was easy to tell that Jacob thought that the whole thing was boring. But to Zeke, it was crisis that must be stopped!

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As soon as Zeke was back home, he ran to his Aunt and Uncle. He told them the whole story, and by the time he was done he had thought of a possible solution.

“What if I go and help Ezra! I could trap Nigel the fox, I know I could! Ezra would be there to protect me! I would be alright really!” This was very important to Zeke. He wanted Ezra to be able to continue to sell his eggs. Otherwise he might have to sell the farm! And then Zeke couldn’t go visit anymore!

Uncle Andrew was willing to let him try, but Aunt Mercy wasn’t sure about the idea. “If Ezra can’t even take care of his own chickens, how is he supposed to protect you, Zeke?”

“I think that Zeke is old enough to take care of himself.” Uncle Andrew replied for Zeke. “Ezra will keep him from doing foolish things. And as long as Zeke is being smart, he should be fine, Mercy.”

Zeke was getting excited now. “Please, Aunt Mercy!”

Aunt Mercy looked Zeke up and down, “All right, I’ll let you go. I’ll call Ezra tomorrow morning to let him know you’re coming. But you need to promise me something, Ezekiel White. You need to promise that you’ll be smart. Smarter than the fox, so that you’ll stay safe. You got that?”

“Yes, Aunt Mercy! I promise! Oh, Thank you both!” Replied Zeke as soon as the words were out of his Aunt’s mouth.

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He was really going! Zeke was on his way to Ezra Kemuel’s farm right now! He was going on a bus, because both Uncle Andrew and Aunt Mercy had to work and weren’t able to take him. But it was fine with Zeke, he was going on an adventure. He was going to trap Nigel, and save Ezra’s chickens. At least that’s what he hoped was going to happen. No one could really be sure if Nigel would strike again, although he seemed pretty consistent.

When Zeke finally arrived at the farm, he was a little disappointed. The farm that was so large, and fresh, and beautiful, in his memories. Was now, little more than a couple of run down barns, and old rickety house, all with the paint coming off. The only thing that looked brand new was the chicken coop. That at least looked as shiny as a bright, new dime. Zeke looked in the chicken yard, sure enough there were signs of a struggle. Nigel must have been there the night before.

Ezra’s house was up on a little hill, and all the barns were down below it. Zeke remembered that when he lived here only a few years ago, he would pretend that the house was a huge castle and that the barns made up the castle’s village. Now, however, it reminded him more of an crusty, western, ghost town. With the chicken coop being the well of the town. Both the well of that imaginary ghost town, and the chicken coop of this actual farm are needed to keep the people living there alive.

A figure walked out of the front door, as Zeke stood standing in the gravel road that led up to the house. Zeke recognised the man instantly as Ezra Kemuel. Oh, how Zeke missed that old farmer! He ran up the hill to meet Ezra, who was on his way down the hill. The two met on the hill and gave each other a hand shake, but Zeke couldn’t help giving Ezra a hug as well.

“I’m here to catch that fox, Mr. Kemuel! I’m going to trap him tonight when he comes for your chickens.” Stated Zeke.

The light that was so evident on Ezra’s face just moments ago, vanished at the mention of Nigel the fox. He spoke slowly, “How are you planning on doing that? Hmm?”

Zeke relayed his plan to Ezra with confidence, “Well, if you have a place to put the chickens tonight, other than in their coop, then I think I can catch Nigel tonight. If we move the chickens to another barn or something I could trick Nigel. I could stay up and watch the chicken coop, then when Nigel comes tonight I could quickly patch the hole he gets into, and then he would be trapped inside. Then I would put him into a cage, and then tomorrow morning we can bring him about ten miles away, and he won’t bother you anymore!”

Ezra smiled, “I will let you try, because it doesn’t sound too dangerous, but I’m not sure it will work.”

“Do you have a cage that I can use, Mr. Kemuel?” Asked Zeke , ignoring the fact that it might not work.

“Yes, follow me, I’ll show you.” Ezra was amused by Zeke’s anticipation to help.

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After Zeke looked over the cage and found it “satisfactory” he asked Ezra to show him where he could put the remaining 25 chickens to keep them safe. The answer was in the house. All the other barns were so full of holes you could look right through them. So in the house the chickens went, thankfully they were able to put all of the chickens in one room and shut the door. When that was finished Zeke went out to look around the chicken coop and yard, to see if he could find any holes that Nigel might use. He found four holes in the dirt that led into the chicken yard and the one that went into the actual coop. He filled in the four holes going into the chicken yard, but left the one going into the chicken coop, so that Nigel could still get in. The he set the cage with some bate right inside the coop in front of the hole, that way when Nigel went in, he wouldn’t be able to get away inside. Next Zeke shut all of the doors, just in case Nigel did happen to get of the cage. He was all set! He would hide in some nearby bushes to watch and wait for Nigel, and when he came he would run out of his hiding spot, and block the fox’s escape with wood. Now all he had to do was wait.

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Zeke waited, and waited, and waited. Finally the shadows of evening descended upon him like dark colored sheets. And yet, still he had to wait for Nigel to transpire from wherever it was that he sheltered himself all day. Not used to being up that late, Zeke started to fall asleep, it was boring just sitting there, not doing anything. But then without warning, he caught a glimpse of a something running swiftly towards the chicken coop. The night was filled with darkness, and it was almost impossible to see Nigel gliding among the grass. Zeke’s eyes were sharp, however, and so he was able to watch Nigel’s every move. Then Nigel did it. He went into the hole in the chicken coop! Out rushed Zeke to patch up the hole. He got there just in time, the fox was smart, and was able to tell immediately that something was wrong, so it had turned around and was about to jump back out of the hole when Zeke got there with his wood. He slammed it into place, and nailed it shut. Then he went around to the inside of the coop, where the fox had gone back into the cage, and was now starting to panic. Quickly Zeke moved the cage away from the wall enough to shut the door. He decided to leave Nigel in the cage, and leave the cage in the chicken coop, for the rest of the night. When he woke up tomorrow he would deal with the disposal of Nigel.

Zeke turned to go out of the coop, but there standing in his path was another fox! This one was bigger then Nigel, and it was a girl. It must be Nigel’s mother, thought Zeke. She must have been watching him through the bushes, and when she saw me come in after him, she followed me in! She was a beautiful creature. Her grey fur looked silver in the pale moonlight, and her eyes were an icy blue. She glared at Zeke in defiance. And promptly a name for this wonderful fox snapped into mind; Sapphire. If he could trap Sapphire in the chicken coop, while he searched for another cage, then he could probably catch her right now! But he would have to move fast. He would have to be smarter than the fox. First off, he had to get her to come towards him, instead of standing right in the doorway. He found a long, narrow piece of wood leaning against a wall. He slowly took hold of it. Sapphire was still staring at him with those cold eyes. With the wood in his hands, Zeke inched himself over to one side of Sapphire. For one second her eyes went to her son, Nigel, still trapped in his cage. In that second Zeke leaped across to the door, gently nudging Sapphire away with the wood, so he wouldn’t land on her. Sapphire realized her mistake too late, and found herself unable to escape. Quickly, Zeke closed the door, and ran to look for another cage he could use. It was almost dawn, and the rising light was dancing on fragile drops of dew. There! Zeke spotted a cage in the barn he used to play Tarzan in, over the hay. He snatched the cage, and hoped that Sapphire hadn’t been smart enough to dig her way back out. Or worse, free Nigel. Zeke had to be careful opening the door, because he didn’t want Sapphire to make a dash for freedom when he opened it. He slowly opened the door, and hopped inside. Amazingly, Sapphire was still there! She was pawing at the cage Nigel was in. She stopped when Zeke entered. Zeke had made sure to pick up some more bait on his way back to the chicken coop. He now set down the cage in front of him, and put the bait inside. Then he gradually moved it closer to Sapphire softly calling to her.

Sapphire was smart, however, and did not fall for this trick. She could see what had happened to her son, and did not want to fall upon the same fate. Instead she tried to dart around the cage and out the now open door. But Zeke was fast and he kicked the door shut with his foot, before Sapphire was able to exit. I have to be smarter then the fox, remembered Zeke. He thought for a moment. He placed the empty cage next to Nigel’s, then moved to go around Sapphire. He imagined himself as one of those big, tough, boxing guys he saw on TV once. Circling his opponent. When he had Sapphire positioned in front of the cage, he darted forward, causing Sapphire to jump backwards, right into the cage. Before she could react, Zeke had latched the cage shut. He had caught two foxes in one night.

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The next morning, Ezra and Zeke took the two hunters fifteen miles away from Ezra’s house. There they dumped Sapphire and Nigel in a forest, where they could live. Then they headed back to Ezra’s farm.

“Thank you, Ezekiel, I don’t know if I could’ve done that. I’m not what I used to be you know.” Sighed Ezra sadly.

“Yes, Mr. Kemuel, I know. But it was actually pretty fun!” Replied Zeke trying to keep the mood light.

Ezra laughed, “I bet it was! When we get back to the house I’ve got something I want to give you.”

“I don’t need anything for helping! I did it because I wanted to help you!” Zeke said quickly.

“Now, don’t give me that! I’m going to give you something if you want it or not! So sit tight.” That made Zeke be quiet for the rest of the trip.

Of course he wanted something. Doesn’t every boy want something in return for work? But he didn’t want to take advantage of an old man who didn’t have enough money to keep his farm together!

When they arrived back at the farm, Zeke followed Ezra into the house. They walked up two staircases to get into the attic. There was so much stuff up there, you could hardly move! Ezra went straight to one of the boxes, and opened it. Out of it he pulled a coonskin hat, a toy rifle, and some leather chaps.

“I want you to have these. They were mine when I was your age, and I played with them constantly.” Said Ezra with a hint of longing in his voice. A longing to be young and strong again.

Although Zeke was thirteen, he loved the items that were being passed to him. He responded to Ezra with genuine gratitude, “Thanks, Mr. Kemuel! I’ll keep them real nice, I promise!”

It was evident that this pleased Ezra, “You’re welcome. Now we should probably get you back on that bus and on your way back home. You don’t want your parents worrying.”

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And so, Ezekiel White became known throughout the countryside as the boy who saved Ezra’s chickens. Several years went by. Nine in fact. That would make Ezekiel twenty-two years old. And unfortunately, Ezra has passed away. But in his will he left what was left of his farm and his chickens to our boy, Zeke. Well, Zeke sold the farm, but kept the chickens. And with the money that he made on the farm, he bought a farm of his own outside of Geatville. It was nice farm, and had a great chicken coop on it already. And with that Zeke started selling eggs. Everyone around was talking about his eggs! People from miles away would come to buy Zeke’s Eggs. Zeke continued selling eggs for many more years. Twelve to be exact. That makes Ezekiel thirty-four. Uncle Andrew and Aunt Mercy were very old now, and being old, means you can get sick a lot easier. Which happened to Aunt Mercy. Aunt Mercy received some very disheartening news. She had cancer. And it was spreading quickly. She was beyond surgery at this point, and the treatment for her cancer would be extremely expensive. Uncle Andrew and Aunt Mercy did not have enough money to pay for her to be properly cared for. Zeke wasn’t about to sit back and let his Aunt die, because she didn’t have money to pay for medicine. The problem was, that he didn’t have enough money either. They were able to get by for a little while, by combining their money together. But that didn’t last very long. And Aunt Mercy wasn’t getting any better. Zeke thought and thought, about how to raise enough money to help his Aunt. Finally, he came up with an option. He didn’t like it, but it was his only choice. He told his idea to his Aunt and Uncle. They told him not to go through with it. It wasn’t worth it! The plan was worth it to Zeke though. So he did it. Zeke sold his farm. He sold all his beautiful chickens. He had enough money though, and that’s why he did it. He sold the chickens that he helped feed and water when he was young. He sold the chickens that he had saved from Nigel and Sapphire. He sold the chickens that Ezra had been so proud of. That had provided him with money enough to keep his farm in decent shape. Compare that to the life of the Aunt who had loved, and raised him. And you have a clear choice.

Somewhere in the world, let’s say in the city Geatville, there is a man. He is a strong man. And his name is Ezekiel White. But most people just call him Zeke. He lives with is Uncle Andrew and his Aunt Mercy. He lives a happy life with the two of them. And even here, in the big city people talk about Zeke and his generosity towards his Aunt. He kept her alive by selling all his precious chickens. He is good man, that Zeke. He is wise and unselfish. He is loving and kind. He is brave and obedient. He is what every one of us should strive to be.