Week 12 Story: Battle for the Playground
One bright, April day during recess at a suburban elementary school, the 4th grade bully Jake demanded that a group of three 3rd graders give him their backpacks and everything inside, yelling "If you don't, you are going to regret it for the rest of your life!" Jake felt extremely confident that the kids would give in to his demands as he was much larger than them (and most of the 5th grade class) and had a posse of pals right behind him who could step in should Jake start to lose the battle.
As Jake stood his ground, waiting for the three little kids to surrender their belongings, the 3rd graders decided that enough was enough. They had seen Jake go through this same ordeal with countless other kids and it was time to put a stop to his antics. One of the three, Sam, stood up to Jake and declared "There's no way I'm going to give you my stuff! Let's fight this out like men!" Sam readied his backpack, prepared to swing it at Jake's head should the older kid attack. The other two quickly filled with courage and stood by Sam, ready for battle.
Jake, taken aback by the bravery of the 3rd graders, took a step back and said "Hey, guys, it's not fair that you all have backpacks. Let's fight with our fists!" The 3rd graders looked at each other, shrugged, and dropped their bags, at which point Jake and his pals converged on the group, ready to pummel them into oblivion.
But sometimes the small prove to be mighty. Same, as it happened, had a mean right hook and managed to knock out Jake within 15 seconds, at which point the rest of Jake's gang paused in surprise. Their leader had never been defeated before, especially by a little kid like Sam! Sam stood triumphantly and declared "There's more where that came from if you idiots don't leave us alone!"
Jake, moaning on the ground, was helped up by some of his pals and led away, leaving Sam and his two friends the undeniable victors. As Jake stumbled away, the rest of the kids erupted into cheers while the teachers on duty turned in confusion, clearly having missed the entire episode. From that point on, Jake and his posse never messed with Sam or any other kids. He had lost the battle for the playground to a 3rd grader and would never live it down.
Author's Note:
This story is loosely based on the Robin Hood story called The Pedlars, in which Robin Hood harasses three peddlers, demanding that they drop their sacks so that he can take their goods. The three peddlers prepare to fight Robin and his men, ready to use their huge walking sticks to wallop Robin and his friends. Robin demands that he and his men be allowed to get large sticks in order to make the fight even. Robin ends up getting knocked out and the peddlers win the battle and are able to leave with their goods. I simply took that story and turned the characters into elementary school kids. Robin is the bully Jake and the three 3rd graders are the peddlers.
Bibliography:
The Pedlars in The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child (1882-1898).
As Jake stood his ground, waiting for the three little kids to surrender their belongings, the 3rd graders decided that enough was enough. They had seen Jake go through this same ordeal with countless other kids and it was time to put a stop to his antics. One of the three, Sam, stood up to Jake and declared "There's no way I'm going to give you my stuff! Let's fight this out like men!" Sam readied his backpack, prepared to swing it at Jake's head should the older kid attack. The other two quickly filled with courage and stood by Sam, ready for battle.
Jake, taken aback by the bravery of the 3rd graders, took a step back and said "Hey, guys, it's not fair that you all have backpacks. Let's fight with our fists!" The 3rd graders looked at each other, shrugged, and dropped their bags, at which point Jake and his pals converged on the group, ready to pummel them into oblivion.
But sometimes the small prove to be mighty. Same, as it happened, had a mean right hook and managed to knock out Jake within 15 seconds, at which point the rest of Jake's gang paused in surprise. Their leader had never been defeated before, especially by a little kid like Sam! Sam stood triumphantly and declared "There's more where that came from if you idiots don't leave us alone!"
Jake, moaning on the ground, was helped up by some of his pals and led away, leaving Sam and his two friends the undeniable victors. As Jake stumbled away, the rest of the kids erupted into cheers while the teachers on duty turned in confusion, clearly having missed the entire episode. From that point on, Jake and his posse never messed with Sam or any other kids. He had lost the battle for the playground to a 3rd grader and would never live it down.
Photo of playground, taken by SmartSign.com. Source: Flickr
Author's Note:
This story is loosely based on the Robin Hood story called The Pedlars, in which Robin Hood harasses three peddlers, demanding that they drop their sacks so that he can take their goods. The three peddlers prepare to fight Robin and his men, ready to use their huge walking sticks to wallop Robin and his friends. Robin demands that he and his men be allowed to get large sticks in order to make the fight even. Robin ends up getting knocked out and the peddlers win the battle and are able to leave with their goods. I simply took that story and turned the characters into elementary school kids. Robin is the bully Jake and the three 3rd graders are the peddlers.
Bibliography:
The Pedlars in The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child (1882-1898).
Hey howdy again Gage! This is a great retelling. Robin Hood, at least for me, is such a classic story. While your version does not stick too closely to the original, it is definitely still clear that Sherwood is peeking through from scene. I loved that the story had 3rd graders as characters. What a fantastic was to picture the story. Ha! A totally fitting picture to go along with that part, too. Great job here.
ReplyDeleteHey Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say that you did a great job on retelling this story. I really enjoyed imagining all those bullies from grade school and hearing this story while visualizing them. I also like how descriptive you were with the writing. It a good tone as well so kudos to you on that. Additionally, great job on the author's note as I had not read the story. Really helps whenever people give context so I can see it through your own perspective. Great job.
Hey there Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteThis story about the playground is something else! I really enjoyed it and it was truly a great read. I can really tell how much effort you put into the creation of this story. This was a really great job of changing up the original myth and folklore story into truly your own creation. Cant wait to Read more!
Hi Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI love how your story was inspired by Robin Hood’s story called The Pedlars. Your story was very entertaining and a fun read. I really enjoyed how the 3rd graders got the courage to stand up to the bully, Jake. Overall, I thought this was a well written story and there is not a major correction I would make.
Hi Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteGood story! We were all rooting for little Sam and the other baby 3rd graders. I am glad they defeated the bully. I thought this story was both cute and funny, and also a little inspirational. Sometimes, you can win big battles if you just have a little courage and some friends to back you up! I enjoyed this fun and well-written read.
Good luck with finals, and I hope you have a happy rest of your semester.
Ann