One
cool spring night, Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men at around the fire. As
the men waited for their venison to roast, they began to grow restless. Amidst the crackle of the fire came calls from the hungry men.
"Come,
Robin, tell us a story," called one.
Another,
growing impatient, said, "Ah Robin, if you don't tell us a story to
distract me, or if this venison isn't done soon, I'll have to eat Little John
to satisfy my appetite." To which the crowd gave a hearty laugh.
"Tell
us again of how you came to know Little John," yelled one of the older
members of the group.
"If
you say so, my friends" answered Robin. "I do suppose it is quite an
amusing story. Don't you think, Little John?"
"Why
yes, sir, I remember it being pretty enjoyable, at least from my side of
things. Would you like to tell the lads, or shall I?"
"You
would do it a disservice, my friend. Your talents are better suited to fighting
than storytelling. So, where to begin? This was very early in my time and Sherwood forest, and I had only a few men in my company. One day, I grew
bored, having not had a proper fight in over a fortnight. So, I told my men to
wait in a grove, while I went in search of some stranger to test my strength. I
had not gone far when I happened upon a man, guarding a narrow bridge. Well to
call it a bridge would be to call Little John the king. It wasn't anything more
than a log across a stream. Of course, it was Little John guarding the bridge,
and naturally, he wouldn't let me freely pass. I could have easily killed him
with an arrow through the heart, if that had been my goal. A fact that Little
John often forgets."
"Only
a coward would kill a man from afar," interjected Little John.
"Well
seeing as I was not going to kill him in so cowardly a way, as Little John has
put it, we decided to fight with quarter-staffs on that log pretending to be a bridge.
And a good fight it was. Each gave as good as he got. Ah, but my friends, I am
ashamed to admit that after some time, our Little John knocked be into the
water below."
"A
right big splash you made too, Robin," said Little John, struggling to
conceal his laughter.
"Yes,
Little John. On that day you beat me, fair and square. Well, after I'd pulled
myself from the cold water, I called on my horn for my men. They were eager to
repay Little John for what he had done, but I would not have it. I, having an
eye for men of certain talents, thought Little John would fit in nicely with
our band of outlaws. Ever since that
day, Little John has been one of my most loyal and trusted friends, and he is
still quite handy in a fight."
"Enough
of the sensitive stuff, Robin, you're going to make me cry," laughed
Little John. "Anyways, dinner is ready, and hearing about how I beat your
ass has given me quite an appetite."
"Don't
go and get boastful now, Little John. Or I'll have to humble you! Go on
everyone, get your fill!"
"Robin Hood and Little John" by Louis Rhead, source: Wikipedia
Author's Note--
This is the story of how Robin Hood met Little John. I kept the details of the story almost identical to the original. However, I wanted the story to be told from Robin's perspective, since he lost. I also wanted Little John to make fun of him for losing, because Robin is pretty sure of himself. I just wanted to convey how two men could become such good friends after a fight. I hope you all like it!
Bibliography--
The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child (1882-1898).
I like the playfulness expressed in this story between Little John and Robin Hood. I also like that you mostly kept to the language used at the time “a right big splash you made” and so on. I don’t know if the original was told waiting for food to be done around a campfire, but I really liked that aspect of it. I think you did a great job of conveying how two men could be friends after a fight. So, seeing as that was your goal, I think you did great!
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