A painting of a scene from the famous King Arthur stories of British legend
One fine morning, a little boy by the name of Arthur headed out from his home in Brighton and went to school, as it was in walking distance and his parents both work full-time jobs. Arthur was an interesting and whimsical kid that was really into magic, dragons, mythology and legends, which of course meant that he was bullied by his peers for essentially knowing himself and his identity and interests. After a particularly rough day of being picked on by Ralph and his gang of insufferable peons that bombarded him with insults, Arthur decided to take an alternate route home to avoid the trouble that was surely to be caused if he walked near Ralph and his friends.
On his clever walk home, Arthur stumbled into an abandoned construction site, the ultimate playground for someone like Arthur. After hanging out for a while, Arthur noticed a large metal pole stuck into the ground, seemingly off to the side for no reason. As Arthur approached, he heard a man's voice holler "Who goes there?!" Arthur almost ran instinctively, but decided to face this foe. The man looked to be about 70, and scuttled over to speak with him. The old man explained that only a true king of power and might could pull it out of the ground, showing Arthur that he couldn't do it. Arthur walked over and he easily pulled it out (as it was barely sticking in the ground at all).
The old man erupted and began singing praises to Arthur and his might, which Arthur took to heart and really started to believe about himself. For the rest of his young adult life, Arthur easily tolerated and dismissed is bullies because the opinions of the common people could not be taken seriously. After all, what did commoners know about the life of a king?
Author's Note: I thought it would be funny and interesting to set the premise of the beginning of "King Arthur" in a modern context, and also if Arthur was just some gullible child. I also thought it would be interesting if Merlin was just some ordinary guy that maybe just didn't know what was going on and liked to prank some kid because nothing of consequence really happens, but really ended up giving Arthur some confidence to be himself.
On his clever walk home, Arthur stumbled into an abandoned construction site, the ultimate playground for someone like Arthur. After hanging out for a while, Arthur noticed a large metal pole stuck into the ground, seemingly off to the side for no reason. As Arthur approached, he heard a man's voice holler "Who goes there?!" Arthur almost ran instinctively, but decided to face this foe. The man looked to be about 70, and scuttled over to speak with him. The old man explained that only a true king of power and might could pull it out of the ground, showing Arthur that he couldn't do it. Arthur walked over and he easily pulled it out (as it was barely sticking in the ground at all).
The old man erupted and began singing praises to Arthur and his might, which Arthur took to heart and really started to believe about himself. For the rest of his young adult life, Arthur easily tolerated and dismissed is bullies because the opinions of the common people could not be taken seriously. After all, what did commoners know about the life of a king?
Author's Note: I thought it would be funny and interesting to set the premise of the beginning of "King Arthur" in a modern context, and also if Arthur was just some gullible child. I also thought it would be interesting if Merlin was just some ordinary guy that maybe just didn't know what was going on and liked to prank some kid because nothing of consequence really happens, but really ended up giving Arthur some confidence to be himself.
Bibliography: King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang. http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-king-arthur.html
Hello Chase,
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely an interesting story. I liked the way you put the old tale into a modern context. Arthur seems to think very highly of himself. I wish you would have named the old man in the story because I had no idea how he was until you mentioned him on your author's note. I also noted several run-on sentences so keep an eye out for those.
Hey Chase,
ReplyDeleteI loved your twist on King Arthur coming to fame. It cracked me up how you characterized what was formerly Merlin as an old troll of a man. Your goal was to place the story in a modern context, and you did exactly that! I really enjoyed reading it. Great work!
Brady