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Someone, as the Starting
Point to the Story, simply, begins:
“Once upon a time,” for example, “there was a young girl
who was entering the woods … . She
had been told, by her mother, not to because –“ and this someone
tosses the ball of yarn across the circle to another Storyteller.
Of course, he holds on to one end of the yarn … and, of course,
the new Storyteller continues: “There were monsters in the woods –
werewolves and vampires and wild animals … .
“Suddenly –
“ the new Storyteller pinches the yarn and tosses the ball to another,
newer Storyteller … .
“A bear lumbered
out of the shadows. It
stood on its hind legs. It
was taller than the girl.”
Toss.
“And it said:
‘Why is everyone afraid of
us? We just want to play.
We want to be friends with the boys and girls …”
and so it began.
The Storytellers
ranged from preschool-age to parent.
Pinch.
“What about the
vampires?”
“There are no
vampires.”
Toss.
“I mean …
there are rumours … but, I haven’t seen anything.”
Toss.
There are
vampires, however. They are
invisible. They are made of
plastic, and they are, barely, inches high … .
Pinch. Toss.
They drink blood, and apple juice, and milk.
“Let’s build a
telescope so we can see them.”
“Out of what?”
The line is
three-quarter played out, and forms an intricate pattern.
“Sticks and stones and sand.”
The story grows to
include a machine to make the vampires full grown … but still
invisible. Its batteries
run dry of power. Vicki
Mecozzi (leaving the Library) enters the woods, playing her guitar.
Vampires dance and sing; their plastic Halloween fangs fall out;
they are no longer vampires.
Introduce a
werewolf.
There are
submarines … and submarine races.
High technology. A
machine that, with fresh batteries, does … something.
There are three
pigs.
And a brick.
The yarn plays
out. And Leo limbos
under the web.
A mad tangled
dance begins.
And ends, the
story.
And everyone ends
up friends – the girl, the bear, the now-dwarf-sized ex-vampires, and
the werewolf; each ends up in his own submarine.
The yarn breaks in
three places; it has to untangle the dancers.
“Let’s
tell it again!”
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