Fox-Fire
I decided to continue on with the Chinese Fairy Tales for my second story of the week. This time, I chose the story called Fox-Fire. I really enjoyed all of the stories in this section 2, but I thought this would be an easier one to adjust to make my own unique story.
It begins with a young farmer who is on his way home from the market. He passes by a wealthy man's house, and notices something glowing like a crystal in the sky. The creature, something similar to a dog, would blow its breath out and rise to the moon, then draw its breath in and sink down again. The farmer realized that it was a fox. He waited for the ball of light to come down, then he swallowed it when it was level with his head. The fox was furious, but he did not attack him. The farmer gained many strengths, including making himself invisible. He had many gifts. However, after 15 years, he fell asleep only to wake up feeling very ill. Something was patting him on the back, and then soon after the ball of fire leaped out of his throat. A voice told him that he had stolen this treasure from him and he wanted his fire-ball back again. The farmer knew it was the fox, but he never saw it.
If I was going to change this story, I would focus on changing either the characters or the plot. It would be difficult to change the ending, simply because it is so short and to the point. I think I would likely change the fox's character, and possibly change how the man uses the ball of fire. Maybe he will use it for good instead of using it to improve only himself.
Image information:
The Sly Fox. Web Source.
Bibliography:
Fox-Fire from The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).
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