LITTLE PAPA
My kids call my father-in-law "Papa". And Papa is best known for his slew of stories just before bedtime each night of his visits.
Each tale the same as his last. Each begins with "One day little Papa..." Then the plot moves quickly and predictably, always retracing Papa's supposed childhood. The story moves through some mundane activity like "little Papa was picking strawberries" or "little Papa went to bed" and then there's a brief, very brief, suspense.
"One day little Papa was walking to school and he saw a little old lady standing on the corner. She looked like she needed help crossing the street so little Papa walked over to help her. 'Can I help you,' little Papa asked. And little Papa reached out to take her hand and...'AHHHHHHHH!!! I'm gonna eat you, little Papa.' 'OH no! It's that big bad wolf!!"
And screams erupt from wide-eyed faces and quickly cross-fade into shrieks of laughter followed by, "Tell another story!"
And he does. "One day little Papa..."
Honestly, he's a bad story teller. Predictable. Brief. No characterization. No denouement. No tension and resolution. Always little Papa. Always a wolf big and bad.
But it's good to the audience. They're enthralled and thrilled every time. Not because of the words spoken but because of the one speaking. In the right company, in the right voice, the most unprofessional yarn is heard as an epic as grand as the listener's love for its teller.
Got thoughts? Post a comment below or discuss on my message-board.
Each tale the same as his last. Each begins with "One day little Papa..." Then the plot moves quickly and predictably, always retracing Papa's supposed childhood. The story moves through some mundane activity like "little Papa was picking strawberries" or "little Papa went to bed" and then there's a brief, very brief, suspense.
"One day little Papa was walking to school and he saw a little old lady standing on the corner. She looked like she needed help crossing the street so little Papa walked over to help her. 'Can I help you,' little Papa asked. And little Papa reached out to take her hand and...'AHHHHHHHH!!! I'm gonna eat you, little Papa.' 'OH no! It's that big bad wolf!!"
And screams erupt from wide-eyed faces and quickly cross-fade into shrieks of laughter followed by, "Tell another story!"
And he does. "One day little Papa..."
Honestly, he's a bad story teller. Predictable. Brief. No characterization. No denouement. No tension and resolution. Always little Papa. Always a wolf big and bad.
But it's good to the audience. They're enthralled and thrilled every time. Not because of the words spoken but because of the one speaking. In the right company, in the right voice, the most unprofessional yarn is heard as an epic as grand as the listener's love for its teller.
Got thoughts? Post a comment below or discuss on my message-board.
posted by Shaun Groves @ 8/17/2005
4 comments
4 Comments:
Your kids will always remember those special times. Wonderful.
My kids call my father in law "Papa" too. He loves to tell them stories about when their daddy was a little boy. Sure keeps my husband "human" in my kids eyes. One of his favorites is about giving hair cuts in the basement, or the time the Easter basket was hidden in the trash can. He's not a professional story teller either, but they love to cuddle in his lap for the stories too.
Beth
My grandpa used to tell me stories about him getting eaten by wolves too, they were meant to be scary but somehow they always turned out funny:)
(i see bad blam).
I love telling stories - I hope to tell my own children someday (when I have them) really horribly cheesy stories. The tradition can then continue on to when I'm a grandpa (okay, so that's like a billion years away, but still...)
Post a Comment
<< Home