Portfolio Index

On the Shores of Santorini: This is an all new story based in the Greek region described by Homer's Iliad. Two of the main characters from his epic poem, Achilles and Hector, appear as main protagonists of the narrative leading the fight against the invading forces of the Spartan army.

From the Journals of Sinbad: Hamunaptra: The story focuses on the latest adventure for the world-famous sailor Sinbad. Rather than traveling the seas, Sinbad instead embarks on an excursion into the desert searching for the lost city of Hamunaptra and its hidden treasures. (Author's Recommendation)

The Country Mouse and City Mouse: This is a tale of two cousins who attempt to show each other the benefits of their way of life. Along the way they both learn to appreciate the other's way of life, while still preferring their own in the end.

The Poncas Take the Plains: The story of how the Ponca Nation came to be in possession of the horse, a tool that would change the tribe's control of the American Plains.   

Week 11 Story: The Poncas Take the Plains

For the Plains Indians there were few things as important to them as the horse. This creature that would come to be synonymous with the tribes of the Western Frontier and our nation’s advancement beyond the Mississippi was not even native to this land. Although it was brought to these shores by invaders it would come to play a major role in the Ponca Nation. This is the story as to how the Poncans came to know the horse, or as they call it, shóⁿge.

There came a day when the Poncan elders began to receive visions, proclaiming that their true homeland followed a watery snake trail. This watery snake trail was actually the Missouri River, which lay northward of their current location. They followed this river to a place where they could step over the water and it is here that they crossed into their new homeland. During this time the Ponca had no animals aside from dogs to aid in their daily tasks and travel requirements. This was the case until the Ponca Nation came into contact with the Padouca (Comanche).

The Comanche were initially extremely confrontational with the Poncans. They first came to blows with one another as the two tribes were both hunting on buffalo on the plains. During these early confrontations the Poncans marveled at the skill in which the Comanche rode on the backs of these large and agile beasts. While the Comanche were fine horseman they were severely lacking in terms of skill with a bow and arrow, as well as having produced inferior quality weapons compared to the Poncans.

Their conflicts would continue for many moons, with neither side holding the advantage. The Poncans’ skill with the bow and arrow outweighed the advantages that should have belonged to the Comanche who were on horseback. Feeling that further conflict would lead to nothing, chieftains from either tribe came together on neutral ground to begin negotiating a peace with one another. When the two chiefs came together the Comanche spoke first, in perfect Poncan. This shocked the Ponca chief, who would soon learn that the two tribes were not as different as he once believed them to be.

Soon the once opposing tribes were trading with one another; most importantly they began to educate the other in specific areas where one excelled while the other struggled behind. The Poncans showed the Comanche how to construct a better bow and arrow, while the Comanche gave the Poncans horses and instructed them on how to ride.

For a while following this there was peace between the two tribes, with each preferring to stay within their own hunting lands. This was until a Comanche hunting party ventured too far from home, resulting in an altercation with a group of Poncans who were hunting in the same area. The Comanches' attacked first, leading to an altercation that would mark the end for the Comanche in the region. While no men died in this skimish, the Poncans took this as a direct attack on the tribe as a whole. The following evening a group of Poncan warriors crept their way into the Comanche camp, where they stole all of the tribe's horses and killed the men who had attacked their clan members on the hunting expedition.

This would mark the end of the Comanche in the region, resulting in the Ponca Nation establishing a permanent foothold over the lands the Comanche once held. Without the acquisition of the horse this would have never been possible. The Ponca would go on to thrive during their time on the open plains, with bountiful buffalo hunts and excursions. This would come to be a period of prosperity for the nation. 

Author’s Note: The original story is a Ponca Nation tale explaining how they came to be in possession of the horse, Tradition of the Finding of Horses. The story depicts multiple interactions with the Padouca (Comanche) and how these altercations lead to the Ponca Nation receiving the skills necessary to tame the horse. The original tale explains in detail how the Poncas used their new tool in the horse to drive the Comanche from their region of the plains to eventually establish a larger foothold of control for themselves. My narrative remains fairly close to the original, with minor changes made to the descriptions of the tribes’ altercations. A major portion of the story I did remove from my narrative was how the Comanches came to know the Ponca language. My story is less historically based and more approachable for the average reader. I chose to provide more of a backstory as to why the Poncas eventually drove the Comanche from the plains, whereas the original jumps to a quick conclusion with little explanation. Aside from this, the main addition I chose to make was of an opening paragraph describing the importance the horse played in the lives of plains people, as well as the effect on our perception of these nations it has left upon our history. This is an important story to tell, the horse being introduced to this society was similar to the introduction of the automobile to 20^th century society.

Bibliography: Myths and Legends of the Great Plains, Katharine Berry Judson (1913)  

Photo 1 Information: A plains' indian hunting the mighty buffalo 

Source: Wikipedia 
Photo 2 Information: Map of the Missouri River watershed 
Source: Wikimedia Commons  

Further Information: Omaha and Ponca Digital Dictionary       

Week 6 Storytelling: From the Journals of Sinbad: Hamunaptra

The setting of our story, Africa in the year 1890

source: WikiMedia Commons 

18/03/1890: Suez, Egypt

Today is the beginning of our expedition westward into the desert. Supplies have been gathered and the camels have been prepared for the departure. We can only hope that the first leg of our expedition goes smoothly and we are able to reach Alexandria within the planned three days.

22/03/1890: Egypt

Four days into the expedition and we have already fallen behind schedule. A pack camel has broken its leg during an ascent of a sand dune, forcing us to lose a day determining a future course of action. Ultimately we were forced to shoot the camel and distribute the supplies amongst the other supply camels.

23/03/1890: Alexandria, Egypt

Two days late, but we have finally reached the city of Alexandria, where we will be gathering our remaining travelers. It is here that Dr. Nathan Walters, the proprietor of our expedition, joined us. Dr. Walters has faith in my research that leads us to believe there is a lost treasure in the desert. Hopefully I am able to deliver, for I fear if I fail the end result will be my own demise. 

01/04/1890: Sahara Desert, Tripoli

We have made our way further into the desert, following the directions from the various manuscripts I have spent the previous five years decoding. All of this work and preparation to now only be slowed by the travel time itself. We are moving slower than expected, several of Dr. Walters’ aides insisted on traveling with horses rather than camels. This foolish decision caused us to slow our pace when the horses become dehydrated.  

11/04/1890: Sahara Desert, French West Afrika  

Progress has been slow, but we are now only 800km outside of the lost city. It is becoming more real now than ever before just how close we coming to the possibility of finding Hamunaptra.

14/04/1890: Hamunaptra, Sahara Desert, French West Afrika

WE HAVE DONE IT! We found the city today. Dr. Walters is thrilled and his excitement even exceeds my very own. I still do not trust his aides though. There appears to be something off about them. As if they may be hiding something from the rest of the group. 

15/04/1890: Hamunaptra, Sahara Desert, French West Afrika    

Excavations began on the site today as we move into the second part of the expedition, finding the treasure room hidden here on the site. We have a set of clues to go off of here, but Dr. Walters’ expertise on these kinds of sites will be the ultimate guiding force behind our work efforts moving forward.

20/04/1890: Hamunaptra, Sahara Desert, French West Afrika

My distrust of Dr. Walters’ aides has proven to be true. Members of the group have begun to disappear after asking too many questions that these men did not seem fond of. Everyone is uneasy now, including Dr. Walters who seems to be the most fearful of us all here.

01/05/1890: Somewhere in the Sahara Desert.

It has been three days now since Dr. Walters was marched in front of the expeditionary force and shot by his “aides” for failing to find the treasure room in time. After witnessing this I began my plan to escape and take whatever I can with me. I have managed to get away with a map of the city and excavation grounds, along with enough rations for a week. God help me in finding help before my supplies run out. Or worse yet, the “aides” track me down.

Bibliography: The Voyages of Sinbad  

Image 1: View of the Suez Canal, Egypt, source: Wikimedia Commons
Image 2: View of Alexandria in Egypt, source: Col. Turner of the 3rd Regiment of Guards 
Image 3: The front of the temple Al Khazneh, source: Wikimedia Commons

Author’s Note: This is a new story told in the first person that centers on an adventurous character by the name of Sinbad. The inspiration for this work of fiction comes from the Voyages of Sinbad, a series of short stories depicting the voyages of Sinbad the Sailor and is told in the first person perspective. Sinbad is depicted as a strong and capable character in these stories, with the ability to overcome overwhelming odds when faced with a challenge. I chose to depict it as if you were reading his actual journal entries, providing a greater connection to Sinbad himself and a more personal look into his thoughts. The date is patterned in the European style due to the setting of North Africa, which also accounts for Sinbad using the European spelling of “Afrika” when writing in his personal journal. Further inspiration comes from the Indiana Jones film franchise and other adventure-based films from Hollywood. The city of Hamunaptra is actually taken from The Mummy series of films starring Brendan Fraser. The setting of Africa at the turn of the century remains true to the region of Sinbad’s traditional stories, while also capitalizing on the exploration fever that occurred during this period. Wandering through the desert in search of lost treasures may be a stereotype, but it is one that is always capable of producing an interesting story.         

Week 2 Storytelling: On the Shores of Santorini

(a Greek phalanx preparing for combat during the Bronze Age)

(source: WikiMedia Commons) 

The ultimate sibling rivalry has been raging for thousands of years between the Greek Gods Hades and his younger brother Zeus. The two were constantly going against one another, challenging the other's claim on ruling Earth's mortals. Hades began devising a plan to overtake the Greek peninsula by backing the most dangerous group of soldiers among all the city-states, Sparta.

The Spartans were from the western region of Greece located on the banks of the Eurotas River in Laconia. The Spartans were renowned for their warrior culture and deadliest army of the Bronze Age. Hades came to Prometheus, the Spartan King, during one of his dreams, explaining to him the glory that would be his if he did as he was commanded and took his forces to conquer Greece.

Just as the God Hades commanded, Prometheus took his Spartan forces , eventually burning Athens to the ground completely. Upon seeing this destruction consuming the Greeks and learning it was due to the actions of his older brother, Zeus took it upon himself to stop this Spartan conquest. Zeus began considering the major nations and their individual heroes.

Zeus turned to his fellow God Apollo, requesting his aid in garnering the support of the Trojans, who were devout followers of Apollo. The Trojans called the city of Troy home, which was located across the Aegean Sea on the banks of Asia Minor. Apollo agreed to help Zeus, hoping to Hades overtaking the other Gods.

Apollo chose to visit Earth directly to speak with the great Trojan warrior Prince Hector, hoping to convince him of the importance of war against the Spartans. At first Hector did not see a reason to enter into the conflict overtaking lands across the Aegean Sea from his homeland of Troy. However, Apollo was able to show him the inevitable future invasion the Spartans would launch against Troy after conquering their own neighbors. Hearing this reasoning Hector agreed to lead his Trojan troops to meet the Spartans on the field of battle. Having secured a major military force to go against the Spartans, Zeus knew there was still something missing from putting his force on equal ground with the Spartans. He needed to secure the services of the world's greatest warrior, Achilles.

Acquiring the services of Achilles and his mercenary army would be no easy task to complete, even for a God. Achilles was a man who would not simply be swayed by duty or even the promises of gold. Rather he preferred the possibility of becoming an immortal himself in the history books as an unstoppable force on the battlefield. Zeus came down from Mount Olympus to seek the services of Achilles, an event that had not occurred since the days of Hercules. This meeting with Zeus startled and shocked Achilles, who never expected to meet him until the day he died. Zeus began to explain the coming war between the men of Sparta and Troy, of the glory that could be had in this conflict. Imagining the possibility of his name going down forever swayed Achilles to Zeus's cause and he agreed to join the conflict.

Prometheus's scouts began reporting the news back to their leader: the nation of Troy beginning the preparation for war and Achilles joining their forces to end the Spartan advance. Hearing this news, he became concerned in the abilities of his own nation to win this conflict on their own, calling upon Hades to give them strength and power to overcome Zeus's forces. Hades surprisingly denied him this request, explaining the glory would only be his if he could finish the conquest alone.

Wishing to avoid useless loss of life by civilians and the scorching of precious land Zeus reached out to his older brother, wishing to have he war waged between their two forces on an island in the South Aegean Sea, Santorini.

The two armies arrived on the island a few months later, understanding that only one of their forces would be leaving the island. The first evening camped on the island the leaders of the two armies came together on neutral ground to discuss the rules of warfare, agreeing that the battle would be fought to the end, with no survivors from the losing force being allowed to leave the island alive. The battle began with an eagle soaring overhead, followed by thousands of arrows being unleashed from both forces as the armies moved forward. The battle waged for hours, with no force noticeably holding the upper hand, while the Gods Hades and Zeus watched together from a mountaintop overlooking the conflict. Thousands of men were battling below, battling one another for what they believed was right. Just after midday was when the Trojan Prince Hector fell in combat to the spear of a Spartan hoplite. Seeing their leader fall in combat encouraged the Trojans to reorganize under the command of Achilles who was still leading the attack. The battle continued for several hours more with only a few hundred soldiers remaining on either side as they both pushed forward.

At this point the two Gods overlooking the battle realized neither would truly be victorious this day and that they had simply both sacrificed thousands of men for no true cause. Hades saw no issue with this occurring, while Zeus on the other hand vowed to prevent such a senseless war from occurring again under his leadership. By the end of the day both Achilles and Prometheus had perished on the field of battle, with only a few dozen remaining alive. There was no true winner this day, only losers, and one God with a new resolution to protect those on Earth more than ever before. Zeus struck his brother down and trapped him in the depths of the Underworld, himself returning to Mount Olympus to overlook humanity and prevent such a conflict from occurring again.

Bibliography: Homer's Iliad (retold by A. J. Church) 

Author's Note

I took several characters and the region depicted in the epic poem by Homer know as the Iliad as the basis for my story. Homer's Iliad describes a story when neither side truly comes away victorious in the end, rather both leave the story having lost more than is won in the end with thousands of lives changed forever due to the conflict described. It is still debated whether or not the city of Troy ever existed, or even if this battle could have possibly occurred during this time period. The story has become a popular epic poem for thousands of years and has been the basis for countless other retellings, sequels, or theories. Other than Hector and Achilles this is a story of my creation, forming a story of useless slaughter to show the futility of man and their willingness to go forth into the unknown, simply following the commands of another who they respect and revere. The story is set on the island of Santorini which is located in the South Aegean Sea. Over two days I read the poem and took notes from the reading to use here in my own writing, whether it transitioned well I am unsure of, only time will tell when I revisit this writing in the weeks to come. 

Week 1 Story: The Country Mouse and City Mouse

Maintaining a connection with one's family is not always a simple task and on occasion requires some compensation between the two parties on a variety of different situations. This is the case concerning the cousins who are at the center of our story. One is a simple farmer, Country Mouse, tending to the fields and harvesting his livelihood from the Earth, relying only on himself and the work ethic instilled into him by his own parents as a child. The other, City Mouse, a well-to-do aristocrat from the city who has never experienced dirt and grime during his life, preferring instead to spend his time attending fancy balls and gatherings with others like himself, paying no mind to how the feast in front of him was prepared or contributed to. 

 One day City Mouse decided he would find out for himself why his cousin continued to live alone and in the middle of nowhere in what he believed to be a sad existence. So he boarded a train and left the city limits for the first time, escaping to the open prairies of his cousin's livelihood. Country Mouse was thrilled to have his cousin coming to visit for the first time. As they had only previously communicated through letters this would be their first time meeting one another. Country Mouse took his cousin on a grand tour of his farm, and that evening prepared for the City Mouse a meal he believed was fit for a king. The City Mouse, however, was shocked at the simplicity of the meal and the way of life his cousin had chosen for himself. He believed if Country Mouse could only see the City and all it had to offer someone, then he would surely leave the farm and come to live there with him. Country Mouse was hesitant to accept this suggestion, having always enjoyed the quiet and views presented to him by the open landscape. Feeling he owed it to his cousin to at least hear him out and make the trip to see this wondrous place he spoke so highly of, he agreed to go.  

The two cousins set off the following morning for what would be a visit the Country Mouse would never forget, but not for the reasons his cousin would hope for. Upon arriving the City Mouse took his innocent cousin on a tour of the City, beaming with excitement as he showed him the amazing sights and the hundreds of people calling this place home. As with the visit to the country, the two cousins shared a meal that evening prepared by City Mouse this time, allowing him to show his cousin the exotic and new foods the City had to offer. 

After the meal the cousins began discussing the visit, whereupon the City Mouse began to assume his cousin would immediately wish to move and leave the dust and dirt behind. This was not the case, though, as Country Mouse would explain, "This may be home to you, dear cousin, but to me, the place where we should all call home and hang our hat at night is where our heart feels whole." Upon hearing this City Mouse lamented, understanding his cousin's connection to his farm, and his own to the sprawling urban landscape. Family does not have to be the same to love one another. Our differences can strengthen our relationships and in turn bring us closer together in the end by allowing one another to experience new and wonderful things. 

Author's Note 

This story began as the Aesop Fable of The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse. The story is of two family members who go to visit one another to see just how the other side lives. Along the way the city mouse and country mouse both learn new things about themselves personally, while being introduced to how the other side of life lives. Eventually the City Mouse denounces his previous way of life and grows fond of the lifestyle his cousin has introduced to him. I did deviate from the original story in that the two main characters chose to continue their lives in the manner they were accustomed to. Of course I included some more modern cues to the story, while retaining the old-world feel. Ideally my desire is for the reader to imagine the story taking place near the turn of the 20th century, where the old world truly came to an end and the new modern age began to overtake the past. I was drawn to reading this story originally due to the memory it brought forth of spending time at my grandparents' house where they owned a VHS copy of this story being told in a cartoon format. I really enjoyed the cartoon as a child and sitting there with my grandparents. Now it is nice to be able to look back fondly on this memory and smile.        

"The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse," The Fables of Aesop, Joseph Jacobs (1894) 

The Country Mouse and City Mouse, oil on canvas painting by Scott GustafsonSource: The Art of Scott Gustafson) 

The New York City skyline lit up at night, Oarabile Mudongo: Wikimedia Commons

Country road scenery, Marco Farouk Basir: Wikimedia Commons