I went to the desert today like I always do to gather up some of my favorite purple fruits, the prickly pear. I ended up staying way too long and it was dark before I even headed home. It was kind of scary being all alone in the desert at night but also strangely peaceful and calm. The stars were absolutely wonderful tonight! They were so bright and sparkly. There was one star that was just so beautiful and seemed so much bigger and closer to the earth than the others. I stared at it the whole way home. I even thought I saw it winking at me. Is it possible to be in love with a star? Am I crazy?
Goodnight.
Dear Diary,
I can't stop thinking about that star from the other night. I've tried telling my friends about it but everyone just thinks I'm crazy. I had a dream about it last night too. In my dream, the star was actually a tall, handsome boy that was a sky dweller. I must go back to the desert to see him tonight to make sure I'm not imagining things. I really hope I'm not or else I will be so upset and embarrassed for falling in love with a star. My friends will make so much fun of me if I tell them I had a dream about the star. I wish someone understood what I was going through and actually believed me. I guess I'll just go look at it some more.
Dear Diary,
I have been to the desert every night this week and the star is still there. I swear it's so close to the earth I could practically reach out and grab it. I just know my dream is right and that the star is actually a boy. I wish we could be together. I even went to the old witch to kill me in a way so that I would be able to join him in the sky. She told me I was much too young and I must live out my life. Does she not know what it's like to be in love? She did tell me there was a way for me to live forever in the desert under the stars, but I don't know if I believe her. I'll have to think about it and go back to her tomorrow.
Goodnight.
Dear Diary,
I have given it some thought and I really think I want to go back to the witch and let her change me. I love the star so much. I just know I wouldn't regret this decision whatever it may be. But what if the star does not love me back? Maybe I should go back to the desert tonight to see if I can tell whether or not he loves me back.
Dear Dairy,
I went to the desert last night and I truly believe the star loves me back! I have decided to trust the witch a let her change me. I wonder if I'll have the ability to switch back and forth, and what exactly she'll be changing me to since she never really told me. Anyways, wish me luck!
Dear Diary,
I turned the little maiden girl into a a purple sage bush and the star came down and dusted her, turning the leaves white. They will now be able to be together forever. I hope I made the right decision.
-The witch
Author's note: This is the story The Maiden Who Loved a Star from The Tejas Legends unit. I thought it was a really cute story. It stood out to me and not for a particular reason really. I think I liked it because it was so unusual - a human and a star falling in love. I don't think we've read anything similar to this story in previous units so it was a nice change. We have read several love stories but most of them were with humans or a mortal with a God but nothing like this. I was also expecting the witch to kill her or do something evil rather than help her. In the original the witch turns her into a cenisa, which is a bush with purple blossoms and white dusted leaves that is able to survive in the desert. The white dusting comes from the star. I didn't include the ending in my story since it's a diary and the girl wouldn't have been able to write once she was turned into the bush, so I used a diary entry from the witch because it was her idea to keep the girl alive rather than kill her. I used this image of stars because who wouldn't fall in love looking at those? They are so glittery it almost looks fake. I didn't think the girl would fall in love with some run-of-the-mill star so that's why I chose this image.
Bibliography: Tejas and Other Indian Legends retold by Florence Stratton and illustrated by Bernice Burrough (1936).
Hi Liz,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the premise of this story. The idea of a girl falling in love with a star was really unique and cool. But the ending kind of confused me. I didn't understand why the girl thought killing herself would turn her into a star. And the ending felt unfinished to me because we didn't get to find out what decision she made.
Liz, I like that you wrote this as a diary because it makes it so personal as if I’m really reading into the thoughts of this girl! She definitely sounds a little crazy being in love with a star though. Wanting the witch to kill her and make her a star was both sad but kind of sweet in a way… After all, loving a star is a unique love story in itself. I like that ending than her just becoming a shrub. Good job with this week’s story telling! I liked it!
ReplyDeleteThis is the second story I have read that is from the Tejas unit and I think I may have to read that unit this week. I have really enjoyed both retelling so far. This one was probably my favorite. I like that you told the story in diary entries. I think that was a great way to get into the mind of the character. Great job!
ReplyDeleteExcellent job! I too read the Tejas Legends and this was definitely one of the good ones. I really liked how you put this into diary form. What else do girls typically do when they have a crush? I really liked that you did not including the ending because, lets face it, there is no way a bush is going to be able to write in a diary. Great Job! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteThere's so much youthful longing in this story, and I almost feel bad for the girl who desires the star so much. It's weird to think that stars are almost unimaginably far away even thought we can still see them. Perhaps we give to much credit to our vision and what it tells us about our surroundings. In any case, good work!
ReplyDeleteHey Liz,
ReplyDeleteYou are right! This was a cute story! I really had no idea what to expect from the ending because it was such a different storyline. I always see people write in the diary form, but I have never tried it. Now that I think about it, there were a few stories that would have worked really well with this type of writing. You really made me want to try it out! Good job with this story. I really enjoyed it and I look forward to reading more of your stories in the future!
Hey Liz! I chose your portfolio as my free choice this week. I read your Week 9 story, “Diary of a Maiden.” At first I thought this was a really weird story. I thought the maiden was crazy for falling in love with a star just like all of her friends did. It’s interesting that she believed the start was a boy and that the star loved her back. How did she know??? I also thought that the witch was going to have an evil plan against the maiden since the witch thought she was too young to be in love. After reading your authors note, I changed my view on the story. I thought it was strange but I decided that, like you said, it was a cute story. The girl definitely needed to be made into a star and not into a cenisa like the in the original story. That would not help her get closer to the star at all! I enjoyed reading this story in diary format. I think it is easier to relate to characters when they are the ones telling the story from their point of view. You can understand their thoughts completely and it makes it easier to read. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting story! I didn’t read this one so I don’t know how it really went. You’re right, though, it’s definitely a cute and unusual tale. I love the diary format you chose. It works especially well at the end since suddenly she’s just gone and the reader can only wonder what happened to her. I like to think that rather than being turned into a bush, the witch somehow shot her up into the sky to be with her star man. I’d like to know the origin behind this bush thing. Like you said, it seems more likely the witch would be evil but then she… turns her into a bush? That confuses me! It’s probably something cultural I just don’t understand.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read your story I realize how many other formats there could be for this. I love the diary format of course (I’m such a sucker for it), but this story could be done from the star’s perspective, or the witch’s perspective, or the perspective of the girl’s friends. So much potential for something like this! I love that! It’s really inspiring so thanks for using this story in your portfolio. :D
I did notice one typo at the beginning of the story but other than that everything seemed good. Keep up the good word and I hope you have a great semester!
Sorry, I accidentally messed up my last comment.