During my grade school years, I began to show an early aptitude towards creative writing. In the second grade, I even won a Young Author's Award, for a story I wrote that was essentially a retelling of the Frosty the Snowman narrative, only co-starring myself and my family. Sadly, I can't seem to locate this story in my archives: if I ever do I'll repost it on here.
A big influence on my early writings was actually world mythology. This interest began in grade school, and started with the myths of Ancient Greece. I neglected to mention it earlier in the entry related to my grade school's library, but another of my favorite books growing up was D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths, by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire (Delacorte Press, 1962). There are so many delightful illustrations in that book: the family tree of the Greek gods and goddesses that serves as the book’s frontispiece is a nice touch, but my two favorite drawings from the book would be firstly the illustration on page 18 of Echidna (Typhon’s hideous mate) glowering in a cave and nursing her monstrous offspring (the Nemean Lion, Cerberus, Ladon, Chimera, the Sphinx, and the Hydra), and, secondly, the big drawing at the top of the pages 172-173, where we see Jason and the Argonauts sailing the Argo through the narrow strait guarded by the monsters Scylla and Charybdis.
As a child I was also fascinated with the culture and mythology of Ancient Egypt. I loved to read about the construction of the Pyramids, the grotesque process of mummification, and of the great pantheon of animal-headed gods and goddesses. One book that I read (in the 4th grade) on the subject of Egyptology was Kenneth Allen’s One Day in Tutankhamun’s Egypt, which I later did a short book report on, a portion of said book report which I’ll now type out here:
“The part I liked the most was when it showed a picture of the Hall of Double Justice. On this picture was Anubis setting a huge pair of scales. To his left was Thoth, Ibis headed god. The dead person was allowed to go to the Beautiful West if his heart weighed more than the Feather of Truth, which were being weighed on the scales. If the feather weighed more, he would be eaten by a monster called Ammit.”
Obviously this myth about the Hall of Double Justice has stayed with me throughout my life. Many years later (almost 20 years later to be exact) I mentioned it again, in a short story called "Nihil" that I wrote around 2009. From my first collection Grimoire (Rebel Satori Press, 2012):
“Some people think that when you die your entire life will flash before your eyes. I don't know if this is true or not, but if it is so, there is one memory I hope to see again above all others. A couple of years ago, on a Spring or Summer day, I stepped into the local supermarket, to cash a check at the bank located within the store itself. As I passed through the vestibule, I noticed there was a big butterfly trapped inside, trying desperately to escape through the glass window barring it from the outside world. It had a black body, and its wings were black and blue in color. It was one of the most beautiful butterflies I'd ever seen in my life. After cashing my check, I returned to this vestibule. Gingerly, I reached out to the butterfly and cupped it in my hands. It was the most delicately I had ever handled anything: picture the Virgin Mary cradling the infant Jesus for the first time. When I had it cupped safely within my hands, I took it back outside and released it. I then watched it fly upwards, into the cloudless blue sky, and it kept flying higher and higher until I couldn't see it anymore. But watching that butterfly fly away, I felt an indescribable feeling of peace and joy wash over me, and it was as if my spirit was flying out of my body, following the butterfly into the heavens above. It was one of the happiest and most profound experiences of my life. I've often felt that one act of kindness, no matter how small, redeems even the most useless and meaningless life. And if, after death, I am judged in the hall of Anubis, and my heart is weighed against that of the feather of Maat, may this simple act of kindness make my heart weigh less than the feather, so that my soul will be saved from the hungry jaws of Ammit.
During my Bernon Heights grade school days, I also had a great deal of interest in Native American folklore. In the 4th grade I did a book report on the Cheyenne Indian tribe, and later on I wrote a bat-shit crazy short story revolving around the exploits of an Indian boy named Eagle Eyes, who I saw as my Indian alter ego. The name of this story was “The Mystery at Troll’s Cave,” and I reprint it below, with typos and all:
A
long time ago, about the year 1820, or was it 1500, oh, who cares! It was the
time of Indians. It was a bright, sunny, day at the Cheyyanne camp. Birds were
flying, flowers were growing, and the woods were whining. That was the weird
thing about the woods. The indians at the camp were frightened of the sound.
They thought it was a evil spirit. So did I. My name is eagle eye. This is my
story of how me, and my friends, Blue Wolf, Mighty Bear, and snake skin, solved
the problem. Here’s how we did it. One day the buffalo were running through the
field. I decided we should go hunting, because are indian camp was low on food.
While we were hunting I caught something at the corner of my eye. That is why
they call me eagle eyes. “Look!” I shouted to my friends. They looked to where
I was pointing. “It’s the magical Blue buffalo!” shouted Blue Wolf. “Who?” we
asked. “It’s the most special Bufflo in the world so lets catch it!” replied
blue wolf. Snake skin aimed a spear at it. “I got it!” he yelled! We went
closer to it. Mighty bear shuddered. “Blue Blood! Icky!” he said. “I see
something!” I yelled. Snake skin pulled out a object. “It’s writing!” he said.
We looked at it. It was picture writing. It said: Look for Leave ‘hole at
water’s end.’ “Hmm?” I said. “Men, this describes the whining we heard in the
woods.” Blue Wolf said. “Let’s go!” said I. We ran into the forest. We went to
the waterfall. Suddenly, a giant fish leap out. It bit and dragged blue wolf
under the water. I aimed my bow and hit the fish in the back with a arrow. It
swam away and let blue wolf go. “Waters end must be behind this waterfall!”
Mighty Bear said. We went in and found a leafy room and a hole.
We
went down the hole, via rope ladder. We started serchind through tunnels. “It’s
creepy in here!” I exclaimed. Suddenly, a door opened and killer bats started
flying out. “Yikkkeeesss!” I screamed. We ran down a tunnel. Then we fell down
a hole into the darkness below. “I know!” snake skin said. He threw a rope up.
We hung on for dear life. Blue wolf picked up a torch that was on the wall.
“Well, at least we can see, what the??!” said Mighty Bear. He had found a stone
lever. he pulled it. a door opened on the wall we swung in. Then we saw a
treasure chest lying on the ground! “yay! Were rich!” I said. Then I coudlen’t
move. I was stuck to something. It was a spider web! We all got caught. Then,
giant black widow spiders came down at us, teeth knashing, Legs moving. “Help!”
Blue Wolf yelled. Then, a flaming arrow flew through the air. It set the
spiders ablaze. Then black figures cut them free. “Thanks!” mighty bear said.
The figures stepped into the light. They were trolls! gray skinned, ugly,
snarling trolls. They had mouths and eyes, but no nose. “That there is our
treasure.” he said. who said that? the leader troll. He had the face of a
skeleton on him above that was a ugly, troll face! below the skellton face was
a bunch of pointy legs. to the right of that was a giant eye. “We found it
first!” I said. “We have
* * * *
And
thus the story ends at mid-sentence. I find it depressing that even at the age
of 9 I was starting projects that I could never finish. I also find it
depressing that back then I was under the illusion that spiders had teeth.
In the 5th grade I wrote another story, entitled "The Creature in a Cave" (interestingly enough, one of Lovecraft's earliest tales was called "The Beast in the Cave"). I think everyone in the class had to write about an animal and I chose the vampire bat. For some reason I seemed to like writing about caves back then: I suppose I was just of a chthonic persuasion.
The Creature in a Cave
It was the year 1695. New animals
were being discovered. Many animals lost their homes. Zoos were built, so the
animals could survive. One brave explorer named Michael from Arkansas came to
Georgia in search of a new animal. When he arrived he asked a villager if there
were any special forests around. “One,” said the villager. She pointed north.
Michael trudged through a lonely forest. He soon came to a cave. He switched on
his lantern. “It sure is cold in here,” Michael said softly. Suddenly, out of
nowhere, a creature attacked him. It flew down at him. He quickly lifted open
the door to his steel trap. The thing flew in. “How weird you look!” Michael
said. It was all black and had fur. It had small eyes and huge ears. It was now
bumping around the cage. “I’ll bring you to Washington to show you to the
President,” Michael said. Michael’s arm was drawing closer to the thing’s now. “Ow!”
yelled Michael. He had been bitten by the creature. “Have a bug!” Michael said.
The creature quickly gobbled it down. They soon was at Washington D.C. Before
they entered the White House, a guard stopped them. “What is that thing?” asked
the guard. “A new creature to show the President,” said Michael. The guard let
him in. Soon they’re in the President’s office. “Is that the new creature I
heard about?” he asked. “It is here!” said Michael. Suddenly the bar doors flew
open. The creature smashed everything in the room, got stuck in the President’s
hair, and bit his neck. “Ow! I shall name this awful, filthy creature a vampire
bat!” said the President. So that is how it was named.
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Another story I wrote in the 5th grade was called "The Drug Master" and is too moronic to transcribe, but for completion's sake I did make scans of its two pages, which I'll just leave here:
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As a child, I also had an obsession with the planet Saturn, where I pictured my imaginary friend Hammerhead (yes, the alien from the Star Wars movie) lived. Here's a very short story I wrote about Saturn in 1990, when I was in the 4th grade:
"If I were living on Saturn, I would make my home on its edge. I would skate on its ice rings and I would take pictures to show to people on earth. I would be lonely, so I would make Martians. Then I would teach them to do all kinds of things. We would eat stars, and play all day."
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Finally, here's a haiku that I wrote about sharks in the 4th grade:
“Sharks
Mean hammerhead sharks
They have
large hammer shaped heads
They swim in
oceans”
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