The Dragin

Time to test your reading skills.  Xander wrote me a story that he wanted to share with everyone on the blog.  See if you can decipher the letter sounds of a 1st grader that balancing both English and Spanish reading and writing...

Uan da a boy went tu a casl he went in tu the casl and plad in the casl intil a dragin cam and sed com tu mi lar.  The boy was scerd but he nu he had tu du it so he went tu the dragins lar.  The dragin had lots of moni.  He cowntid all of the moni.  The dragin had 600 dolrs.  He thro some on hiz hed it was lic a showr of moni!

-- By Alexander Carl Banschbach

Translation:

One day a boy went to a castle.  He went in to the castle and played in the castle until a dragon came and said "Come to my lair."  The boy was scared but he knew he had to do it so he went to the dragon's lair.  The dragon had lots of money.  he counted all of the money.  The dragon had 600 dollars.  The threw some on his head.  It was like a shower of money!

A Couple of Shorts

It's too late to be doing this, but if I don't write this story down, I am going to be laying in bed and staring into the dark. (There is another one I wanted to record as well, but it has already slipped my mind.)


King Solomon Retold Banschbach Play Style:


Roles-
Xander..... Mother One                        Eva....... Mother Two         The Hopper Ball....... Baby                  Me ...... The King


Xander      No Eva! I want the ball.
Eva           Give it to me. I had it first. It's mine. (Growl menacingly
                          (through out)
Xander      Eva! (Takes the ball and whips it out of the room)
Eva           (Screams, gut wrenching disappointment)
Me            That's enough. Bring me the ball and tell me what is going
                          on. (In a just and fair voice.)


The sound of two sets of bodies wrestling comes to a sudden halt. There is a slight pause which is quickly replaced by two sets of feet running to be first in sharing the story. Fast forward through a dramatization of the ball being pulled ruthlessly from person to person. The King, me, raises her hand as a gesture to stop. She speaks with calm authority.


Me             I could just put the ball away so no one can play with it.
Xander      Okay. That's fine. (A smile plays on his face)
Eva            No! Don't do it! We can share!
Me             Eva, you can have the baby. Xander, leave her alone.
Eva            Yeah! (Arm pump of victory explodes into the air)
Xander      What!?! Why does Eva get it?


The scene becomes wavy as it frequently does in a dream sequence, flashback, or time/ space travel in most 80's and 90's movies. This effect predates films like The Matrix and is a head nod to the early special effects geniuses. The story of King Solomon, the Two Mothers, and the Infant is retold, casting each child into their respective roles.


Eva               They didn't cut the baby in half, right? (More
                             victorious arm pumps and happy noises)
Xander         Why did the mom and dad kill the other baby? How
                             would you smoosh a baby? Why couldn't the
                             first baby breathe if the mom was on top of it?
                             The first baby is dead right? How would you
                             do that again? Can you show me how?


The scene fades as the questions continue to tumble from the young Xander's lips. Eva is doing a happy dance around the ball she has won. I am rubbing my head, cursing myself for sharing even this iota of my wisdom.