"BYE, baby bunting,
Daddy's gone a hunting,
To get a little hare's skin
To wrap a baby bunting in."
(traditional nursery rhyme)
In a conservative log cabin in late November, a small child was born to a young couple. The baby boy was happy and delicate but as winter snow enveloped the land, the parents became worried about their small child because he began coughing and seemed more feeble. The young parents had never had a child before and were concerned. However, they were far away from the closest town and needed a short-term solution before they made the trek out into the cold in order to seek out a doctor for their son. Thus, the young father decided that he would trek into the snow-covered hills to hunt in order to provide fur for his son to stay warm.
Unfortunately, most of the animals were hibernating in out of reach places and the father felt defeated as he could not find any large game to bring home to his family. As his strength and stamina gradually waned, he knew he didn't have much time left to get home before dark. After about half an hour or so of his trek back towards the cabin, he spotted a hare not too far away from where he was standing. The hare froze in its tracks as it seemed to sniff the ground, unaware of the lurking danger. Not skipping a beat, the young father whipped out his bow and arrow and ended the rabbit's life in order to extend the life of another- the life of his son. As he carefully bent down to pick up the slain hare, he paused to think of his small son and sweet wife back at the cabin. With newly found energy, he raced back to the cabin to find his wife anxiously peering out the door scanning the woods for him. As she spotted him, a smile grew across her face as her husband had returned safe and sound. After the young wife crafted a fur blanket to wrap her son in, they made plans to journey to the neighboring town the next morning.
Author's Note: First off, my story is based off the nursery rhyme "Bye, Baby Bunting" which is included in The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang in 1897. When I originally read the rhyme, I thought about a father's love for his son and what great lengths he would go to in order to ensure the health and wellness for his child. The picture and beaty of love was really inspirational and painted such a beautiful portrait in my mind of a young couple doing everything they can in order to work together to raise a healthy, young baby. I chose to make the story based in the past where it wasn't as easy for parents to simply drive down the road and see the doctor- the dad sacrificially wandered through the snow in search of warmt for his son and risked the fact that he may not find anything at all! The mother also was a great help and did her part at home- tending to the baby as needed and welcoming her husband home with open arms as soon as he arrived.
Taylor! You're such a great writer! I really liked the descriptions and emotion of the story! I could feel the father's sacrificial nature and love for his son. Your story really fleshed out the characters and helped the story rhyme become more meaningful. Although the situation they were in was not good because of the baby's condition, the love of the parents made the story seem so cozy.
ReplyDeleteTaylor,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your recreation of the nursery rhyme, and I appreciated your inclusion of the original version. You are a very good and creative writer. I particularly liked how your story added an extra layer of depth by providing a scenario in which the father had a need for the hide. I also liked what you did with the authors note. Since I don't consider myself to be the most creative of writers, I learned a lot from this post. Good job!