Monday, 1 July 2013

Fractured Fairytale by Daniel Lock



Hello everyone! My name is Darren Duck.  You can call me D. DUCK!  I am here to tell you the prequel to the fairytale ‘The Ugly Duckling”.

Once upon a time, while I was still an egg, my mother accidentally kicked me down the hill and I fell into a Mother Hen’s nest!  Mothers, during my time, were really irresponsible.  They did not care for their children!  Hey, come on, why couldn’t she just chase after me?  Was that so difficult?  OK, let’s get back to the story.  So, I, a duck at birth was hatched in a hen’s nest.  What was I to do when my first word was ‘Quack! Quack!’ instead of ‘Chirp! Chirp!’?  The chicks, which were hatched together with me laughed hysterically.  At first I thought that they were laughing at a joke, then I realized that I was the joke!  Not only did I speak in an odd manner, I also looked strangely different from my ‘siblings’.  My beak was flat and blunt, unlike my brothers’, which were sharp and pointy.  I could never wash off the grey patches on my feathers.  I admired my brothers’ clean creamy yellow feathers.  Mine were ruffled and looked dirty all the time.  Oh! How my brothers made jokes on my appearance, especially my big webbed feet.  The teasing continued for 12 months!  Imagine the sufferings I went through! 

When I was 12 months and one day old, I saw some beautiful swans swimming at the lake.  Surprisingly, one of the swans took an interest in me.  It was love at first sight and we got married immediately.  You must be thinking how can a duck marry a swan?  Well, have you forgotten?  THIS IS A FAIRYTALE!  ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!  Even a donkey can marry a dragon! 

Anyway, I was happy beyond words when I went home one day and found out that wifey had laid six eggs, one more than the usual five.  Lo and behold!  As fate would have it, the extra egg dropped out of the nest and rolled down the hill!!!  Dear wifey could not chase after the egg because the other eggs were going to hatch and she couldn’t leave her nest and my legs were too short to chase after the rolling egg speeding down the hill.  Now I know why my mother did not chase after me. 

So, that’s how the story of ‘The Ugly Duckling” came about.  My swan-duck son while still an egg had rolled into a duck’s nest.

Saturday, 5 January 2013

《火狐狸》

在人们的印象中,狐狸都是很狡猾的。可是,我读了《火狐狸》这本书后,却认识了一只特别的狐狸。


一位老爷爷在风雪交加的冬天救了一只火狐狸。虽然老爷爷很穷,但是他还让火狐狸吃饱穿暖。



火狐狸长大后,给老爷爷煮饭取暖来报答老爷爷。不管发生什么事情,他们都相依为命,永不分离。



我觉得火狐狸是一只尊敬老人,知恩图报,传递温暖,聪明善良的好狐狸。最让我感动的是老爷爷在寒冷的早晨醒来,火狐狸已经煮好香喷喷的米饭。

我长大后要像火狐狸一样。当妈妈爸爸变老了,我也会细心地照顾他们。我会细心煮东西给他们吃,经常带他们去公园散步,也会利用假期带他们出国旅行,让他们享受美好幸福的晚年生活。


——卢靖——