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Final: "The Red of His Shadow"

Anonymous Guest Jun 09, 2003 9:10 PM	Contemporary World Literature and Film with Julie the Bolt You can write with questions: juliethebolt@aol.com or, if really desperate, call 310-450-6604. The GOAL of the paper is for you to creatively and critically explore some of the themes in the stories by Mayra Montero. Again, push yourself with your analysis and creativity. AGAIN: HOW LONG, BOLT? A minimum of four pages. Most importantly I want a genuine and probing effort, not a superficial treatment. TITLE: Create an original title for the essays as well as stories. Titles can help shape the meaning of a piece. STAPLE? TYPE?: Heck yea. My pet peeve, folks. DUE WHEN? Final class. ESSAY OPTIONS: These options are for those who: 1) Did not actively participate in the discussions (and need to catch up on the reading) and 2) Those who previously wrote a story after Rushdie. If you wrote a Rushdie essay, but didn’t participate in the Montero discussions, you still need to take the essay route. HOWEVER, remember essays can still be artful and creative and full of revelation. In fact, they should be, so bring your creativity -- along with your analysis of the novel -- to the table. 1) Explore the relationship between life and death in “The Red of His Shadow.” Include the religious, cultural, political, and economic components --- and how they inter-relate. 2) As a narrative drawing on both magic-realism and real historical events, how does Mayra Montero’s novel “rewrite” history in a way that challenges the master narratives of imperialism and post-colonialism? Be specific about events in the book, characterization, and narrative. 3) The novel focuses on Holy Week, when the Haitian sugar cane cutters can temporarily forget their extreme work conditions (poverty, injury, illness) and immerse themselves in their religion – a form of resistance. However, Montero does much to remind us of the real conditions in the background of the Haitian/Dominican border. Excavate and find examples of the conditions. Develop a thesis as to Montero’s approach to them, and how the conditions impact the characters. (It is useful to remember the story is based on real events.) 4) Dig into the politics behind the novel, including transnationalism. What were the political conditions in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic, as well as the involvement of the US? After doing this outside research, reconsider how the politics play into the book by looking at specific scenes. 5) Analyze the musicality and symbolism of Montero’s prose. Drawing on specific examples from the book, what is she trying to achieve with these strategies? Capture her aesthetic and style. However, it is important to analyze SPECIFICALLY and NOT flatter and review GENERALLY. (Don’t do this one unless you understand the difference between analysis and review.) 6) What can we learn about internalized ideas about race in the post-colonial world of “The Red of His Shadow”? Also, consider ways specific characters resisted these ideologies about race. 7) In what ways did and didn’t the representations of characters, contexts, and events in “The Red of His Shadow” challenge your presuppositions about Haitian identity and the religion of vodou? Be specific about events and key moments from the text while also exploring your own perceptions or misperceptions. 8) Analyze the duel sides or struggles of one of the key characters in the novel: Zule, Jeremie, Simila, Anacoanda, or another character. Be specific and try to draw out the various inner and outer battles through which they were struggling. Contextualize the struggles in major themes from the book, drawing on specific events. SHORT STORY OPTIONS: Only for those who: 1) regularly participated in discussions about the reading and actually read and 2) wrote an essay last time. 1) Extend “The Red of His Shadow” to explore what may happen to some of the other characters after the book ends, be it Jeremie, Honore Babiole, Anacoana, or Simile himself – or even Zule after death. Try to maintain Montero’s tone and themes. 2) There is something epic about “The Red of His Shadow.” In the foreground is a love story/power struggle. In the background is a critique of social-political conditions. Write your own mini-epic, but immerse us in a particular culture or sub-culture (it can be one you know well). Allow the love story and/or power struggle to take place in the foreground, but create a background that critiques an aspect of society/politics/economics, and how these impact the culture and your characters. 3) Write a story about characters who struggle with oppressive social/economic conditions. Through strong characterization and detail, write a story depicting the small ways they resist. 4) Using the structure of “Red of His Shadow” as a model, write a story about a journey in which we move from scenes in the present to the past and back to the present. The past should illuminate your character’s journey. The journey can be physical, personal, transcultural --- or best of all, all three. You may draw on real life of fictionalized events, but try to create immersion imagery and dialog. NOTE: I am late posting this so I'm willing to negotiate with anyone who needs a couple extra day.
character 3 posts Jun 17, 2003 9:15 PM	The Red of Our Worlds Shadow by Guillermo Romero One can't help but to notice the similarities between the societies of the Haitian and Dominican Republic with our very own. For example, let's look at the Haitian cane cutters. These are people that are migrating to another country for a better life, much like people migrate from Mexico to the United States to find employment and opportunity. Some of them are lucky enough to land a job with fair pay and decent working conditions. Some aren't. There have been many reports and investigations on these work environments here in America. Sweatshops and other factories run by tyrant bosses that are only interested in profit and gain and not caring one bit for the health and welfare of their employees. Just doing a search on the internet with the words "illegal sweatshops" returns daunting results. Shuffling through all these reports and interviews many things are revealed. For example, here is a clip from the National Mobilization Against Sweatshops (NMASS) website: "...in 1994, 72 Thai slaves were found working 22 hours a day under threats of physical violence inside a barbed-wire compound in El Monte, CA." Some people are forced to work 18-22 hour days in poor working conditions with no hope of a way out. The only thing they have to cling to is their family and thier religious beliefs. They are threatened with the loss of thier job should they speak up. Women work in slave-like "sweatshops" where they are prohibited from talking and socializing with thier fellow co-workers, using the restroom and making/recieving phone calls, not even for emergencies. Here is just one example I found that was also on the NMASS website: "If we raised our heads, they would tell us through the speakerphone, "No talking, work." The toilet used to break. They would blame us, saying Latinas break everything. Before we left for the day, they would frisk us." These conditions are everywhere, not just here in America. At this very moment, there are four million child laborores in the Philippines. Last month a law was passed by the Philippines President, Gloria Arroyo, which promises a sentence of life in prison along with a hefty fine of $90,000 US dollars if a person is found guilty of child and woman trafficking. Sadly, these conditions exist all over the world. We are given nothing more than a taste of what the people of Haiti and the Dominican Republic go through everyday in Maya Montero's, "The Red Of His Shadow". Montero introduces us to the everyday lives of victims of post-colonialism that are trapped in these working conditions everyday of thier life, suffering on the job injuries daily, a routine considered part of the ordinary work day. These poverty stricken people must work in grueling, slave like conditions reminiscent of the days when people were traded and sold for labour. This is the story of a people that have no one to speak to them in the political world. No one to represent them or thier beliefs. In modern stories, these people are shown more as a magical group of people that use nothing but vodoo dolls and whichcraft to bend the will of the Gods in the favor of one person. Mayra Montero brings to the table a different look at the Haitian religious beliefs that are usually looked upon as magical and mystical, not becoming a watered down, Hollywood/mainstream superficial treatment of the vodou religion. We see this in the author's note at the beginning of the book where she explains to us, in brief, what the religous aspects of the people are as well as a brief explanation of the vodou religion and some of it's traditions. Mainly the Gagá and it's yearly pilgrimage as this is what the story revolves around. The author explores the true-life story of a Mambo(a Voudon priestess) named Zulé Revé who has to make the decision on whether or not to lead her Gagá through the country on thier customary journey done during Holy Week each year due to the threat of an ex-lover turned drug-lord threatening her life if she doesn't consent to an alliance between her people and his ring. Written off as a "crime of passion" by the Domincan police, our story reveals that it is much more. We merely tap into the essence of Haitian life and are left with a bitter ending that results in Zulé's death and what might have been the last hope for her Gagá as a way to live on thier island, free from the threats of the local drug ring and free from the terror and fear that it brings. We travel back and forth in time through the life of Zulé, exploring various traditions such as the beating of ritual drums used to invoke the Gods called a "Toque". The "Raising" of Zulé into the formation of her own Gagá when she returns home after spending a few years with Coridón, a vodou priest that teaches her the ways of the vodou religion. Coridón invites Zulé to live with him and to be his apprentice at the younge age of 12. She accepts his offer and moves into his home in Colonia Engracia soon there after. It is revealed to us that Zulé had an affair with Similá Bolosse in her past, the man that is threating her with death, and almost succeeds if not for the intvervention of Jérémie Candé. It's intriguiging to read this book and delve into this world which seems so much like a drama or a thriller fiction but it's not. It's far from it. These people have adapted to this life of violence, poverty and death and interesting to learn that this is what these people deal with in thier lives. That they are not just these people that live on this island and play with voodoo dolls which is how they have been presented to me during my life through movies, comic books and what not. It's great to see an author put so much detail into real-life story and fill it with just the right amount of magical-realism that the story doesn't loose any face. I definitely was opened to a new point of view on this region of the world and am greatly thankful for the experience. This story gives these people face through sharing with us some of the traditions of the vodou religion and giving us a great example of the tribulations of post-colonialism, if not the idea of colonization in itself as a questionable action and as an adequate response to what leaders chose to do during the age of discovery of the new world. As was stated above, it becomes apparent that the people in these situations that suffer the most are the native people as well as the lower working class, sub poverty level actually, when governments are weak and un-supportive of the people in thier country, whether citizen or not.
Jean 19 posts Jun 18, 2003 8:10 AM	In our society, we deal with life and death differently compare to the book. We deal death more seriously and see it as this scary thing. We’re scared of it because we don’t really know what happens after we die. We go to church or have a religious background to give us some sort of a security that our souls will be saved after we die (if there is a heaven or life-after-death). People are scared of death. In the book “The Red of His Shadow”, the culture deal with death more openly and are not afraid of it. The people are in severe poverty and lack of medical treatment where death happens all the time, if not, on a daily basis. They’ve learned to accept death as part of their life and are not scared of it. In most societies, we have religion to comfort our pain when there is death. Unlike the book, they practice their religion to bring the dead. Politically, religion becomes part of the country. Although the government is corrupt and contradicts with religion, the government has to have it so that society will feel like they have some sort of an identity. For example, our country is dominantly Christian. We have George Bush saying “God bless America” when he’s out bombing and causing war in other countries. Religion has caused a lot of wars in this world. Even in the book, the Gaga travel all over the Dominican to “share” their religion to other Gaga. They wage in war and try to ally with other gagas. War caused many economic problems. Just look at our country. A perfect example of how religion, war, and economic greed all correlate each other. Mayra has a way about writing her novel in her own emotions and personal experience. By observing other cultures and their history, she portrays in her novel with deeper affection towards her writing and not just a biographical way. For instance, we’ve all read our history books in schools, right? It’s so boring, flat, and straight like an interview. Yes, it’s very educational, but it’s not the same compare to someone who had the experience and write it through their own eyes. It’s so different. I love how Mayra writes it in details how poverty-stricken the country is to let the readers feel for what the people have to go through. The plagues and death that seems to be so common in that book was also very descriptive. Myra also has a different style in describing the characters. She writes enough where some are still kept to your imagination. It isn’t so much on the physical description that she writes so well, it’s the personality and the way they are that sticks to the readers mind. She uses a lot of analogies to describe the characters. For instance, Simila was described as a boar with yellow eyes and a tail. Of course that’s not a human being, but the reader can imagine what kind of a person Simila is. Again, Montero writes a very well description of the condition of the workers. Throughout the book it focuses a lot on their religion, but in the meanwhile you can still imagine their condition how horrible it was. In one part of the book, it describes how the workers would come back from the sugar cane ripped with cuts and blisters underneath their feet. Puss would be pouring out of the scabs and cuts. It even mentions how mosquitoes would embed themselves in the blisters and cuts of the workers. That’s very gross. But that’s how extreme the conditions are for the workers when they go into their cane cutting job. What’s ironic about the people is that they don’t see themselves as slaves. They are treated and work like slaves, but they live their life like a normal everyday thing. In the book, the people don’t seem to be bothered about their status in the country. The plague is the worst condition for the workers to experience. Rabid mongoose constantly biting, and watching others become insane must be really hard for the people. It’s just amazing how Montero really define these horrible conditions that the workers have to go through every day. It’s tragic that the country is very poor. Sometimes other countries are so close-minded what goes on with other cultures. Just because some people don’t like what goes on or being done, that doesn’t mean those other countries have to become like them. Dominican Republic is notorious for their drug plants. A lot of people have jobs doing that type of thing. Sometimes that’s the only way of living for some people and if we take that away from them, what’s left for them to take care for their families? A lot of countries aren’t as abundant as the US, and our society forgets that people don’t have jobs like us or live life like us. So people have to realize that some people have to do what they can to make-ends-meet, evening if it does deal with drugs and should respect that. The government here in the US, of course, will not allow such an illegal drug plants to be grown, so we have to kill them with insecticide. When our government does that, the countries lose many jobs for a lot of people and leave them homeless and poor. That’s why the Dominican Republic and Haiti are so poor because our government takes away their jobs. (Don’t you just hate our government even more?) The book is a perfect example of the effect that’s put on people when a country is poor. It’s terrible to see conditions like this. People are dying left and right because the US government doesn’t agree with their way of life. (Our government can just go to hell!!) I’m glad that there are people, like Montero, who are very open-minded about race and other cultures. If people were to explore and experiment with other countries, their ways of ideal race or stereotyping will come to a clear understanding and respect for others. This book explained the practice of the religion Voodoo, and it’s not like the Hollywood portrays it to be as evil and bad. A lot of people have misconception of other cultures because of their lack of understanding and knowledge of them. Stereotyping is an idiot way of short-terming their knowledge of people or cultures. People should avoid this and need to have more respect towards other different races. Montero style of writing did challenge a lot of my presuppositions about Haitian identity and the religion of voodoo. With magic realism, it’s really hard to know which one is really real and which one is just an analogy when describing events or characters. For instance, Simila, he’s described as a boar with yellow eyes and a tail. Is he really that type of a person or is that just an analogy to draw the reader closer to the story. Is the truth bent? I don’t know if that’s the truth or whether it’s sugar-coated to make the story interesting. To me the truth may never be known unless I’m there to experience it myself. Everybody is bias when a story is told because you write it as you see it and feel it, which may also stretch the truth or be bent. So, with that in mind as I read the book, it challenged me whether the identity of the Haitians and the religion voodoo is actually the truth-truth or bent truth through someone else’s perspective. I just keep an open mind.
Anonymous Guest Jun 19, 2003 6:22 PM	Derek Ralls June 17, 2003 The Red of His Shadow This book reminds me of the old adage, “desperate times call for desperate measures.” So often in history has the oppressions of a people spawned unrivaled creativity and determination. Music is probably the best example of this. In America alone there have been numerous outbursts of musical genius. During the years of slavery, blues music was born. The Vietnam War inspired Punk. Both were constructed to convey emotion, a message and community. In The Red of His Shadow, Mayra Montero presents to the reader the extremely poor conditions that the Haitians and the Dominicans are subjected to, but also enlightens one about the true beauty of human nature to overcome the odds and to find happiness in the darkest of hours. To understand Montero’s writing, one must understand the basis for it. This book was written to tell the truth about an incident passed over as merely a crime of passion. The underlying reasons for Montero writing this piece show the low quality of life as much as the book itself. The fact that such a major event in these people’s lives during their Holy Week could be pushed aside with half-truths and poor journalism are prime examples of how little importance those in power place on these lives. Certainly poor reporting happens all over the world, but during the time of a revered religious holiday with drastic consequences is usually big news. The opening paragraph to the story begins with a short yet descriptive narration of the surroundings: “As if the sun had split in two above the countryside, a few husks of light scatter over the world and boiling cane juice spills unimpeded onto the batey. Never had so intense a fire burned on a Holy Thursday. Never. Not even in the Year of the Deaths, when rabid mongooses climbed into the cradles of the newborn and no spell or protection could chase them away.” (Page 1) From the beginning the reader begins to see the setting with Montero’s powerful imagery. The immense heat is described as boiling and an intense fire. The author begins to hint at past troubles mentioning the Year of the Deaths and vividly implanting visuals of rabid animals ransacking the children. In our modern society, the beliefs of magical and mystical occurrences have dwindled to just a few. With our technological advancements and gained understanding, life’s oddities have been easier to explain and combat. Back in the Medieval ages, the people would commonly create magic and supernatural creatures to place blame upon when something bad has happened. At the same time they constructed forms of religious or magical ideas for hope. Montero’s main character, Zule Reve, travels across the land in her religious group called the Gaga taking a break from the torturous work of cutting sugar cane. The Gaga parades throughout the region spreading song and relief from the daily grind. Although Zule and her followers are embarking on a voyage where they know they will find a demon in Simila Bolosse, the Gaga moves about in religious harmony. Living conditions were very poor not just for the cane cutters. The impoverished lands were a breeding place for death and despair because appropriate medical treatments were exchanged for spells called amares. “…a few shelters without walls where migrant laborers, tramps, and dogs would huddle together late at night.” (Page 7) Living in these kind of conditions, squished together with animals, unsheltered from the elements, put the icing on the cake after a hard day’s work. It is easy to imagine the overwhelming frustration this kind of life could produce and makes it easy to understand the need to let loose and hold ceremonies. If the people didn’t have a form of release, they would turn into mindless zombies no better than a working ant moving about without reason and just instinct. The elements and the surroundings weren’t the only aspect creating hardship for these people. Big bosses, paying their workers just enough so it couldn’t be called slave labor, would commonly disrupt their lives with no regard for their well being. “The cane fell sick that year. A few months before the milling began, the fields were covered by a white nap that smelled of swamp, and the stalks changed color and shed their skins like snakes…The overseers, in turn, emptied the barracks and gathered the workers together in the cleared space in front of the batey. The harvest was suspended, they could go and see for themselves what was left of the cane: a field of stalks doubled over with disease and a plague of rabid mongooses that attacked anything in their path. Starting now, and until this crop had been destroyed, they ought to look for work somewhere else.” (Page 42) What little work was offered to these people could and did fluctuate frequently. With the main work being of the agricultural kind, it had seasons and isn’t consistent. This lack of work halted the flow of money making it near impossible to acquire food and supplies from the outside world and even in their own world. With inconsistent work, poor shelter and a harsh environment it becomes clear the motivations of the people to create their own happiness with their beliefs. This is the essence of humanity; to make light when there is only darkness. As a person living in a modern, western culture, one does not think about the items so easily obtained at the local markets. Reading this book, experiencing the pain, brings new meaning to the origins of everyday items. Sugar has always been readily available creating no thought to how it got there. Seeing the process and how it affects those who harvest it have changed the way I think every time I reach for a packet. What I use to sweeten a cup of coffee is a way of life and creates suffering for others. I am reminded of a quote my father used to always say, “some people weave burlap into the fabric of our lives, and some weave gold thread. Both contribute to make the whole picture beautiful and unique.”
Aura S. 4 posts Jun 20, 2003 11:20 AM	Passion In the novel “The Red of His Shadow”, Mayra Montero explores the congos and the underlying fury, passion, and powerlessness of the oppressed people. Their religion, Voudon offers them a way of coping with the daily realities they face. Voudon reveals the courage and faith the people depend on to survive. The people of the congos are led by the young and strong-willed heroine, Zule. Her stubbornness, endurance and confidence makes her a strong spiritual leader. Zule is a strong powerful woman who still suffers a girl’s passions and uncertainties. Her weak side is presented in the beginning of the novel when she cries over Anacaona’s dead baby. “ she fled to open country, pulled off her dress, and gave herself over to an uncontrollable fit of crying that no one but her father could stop.” This incident reveals the tender, maternal side of Zule you don’t see often. When Zule becomes older and is impregnated by Jeremie, she loses her baby. She did not shed a single tear. Coridon promised her a new baby and she shouted, “No more Babies!”. Instead of Zule crying off into the open country she hid her feelings beneath the strong side she has created. She stopped all sexual relations she was having with Jeremie and Coridon. This gave her more power over the men that desired her. This power was growing more and more after events that later occurred in her life. She knows that she must be strong living in an impoverished, brutal society. She cannot show her weak side because her enemies can use it for their advantage. When Zule was a child, she was described as being a weak girl who cried easily. “ Zule wasn’t a clever girl, she frequently caught cold, and she shed easy tears that she always swallowed alone…” Later when Zule was introduced to the Gaga she presented a tough girl with fiery eyes. Coridon, the Gaga’s leader could see a “tough, pugnacious master” in Zule. He was impressed as he watched her swaying her body in front of the chorus. Coridon extinguished a cigarette to Zule’s throat and she stood there taking in the pain. Zule presented the strong, spiritual side that is deep rooted within her soul. She impressed everyone including Coridon. They looked at each other as if they were sworn to each other. Zule had always been a special girl. She was Papa Luc’s only suriving child. She was destined to be a strong powerful leader. Zule always had a strong sexual drive. She was fascinated by the act of lovemaking. She enjoyed watching two sweaty bodies joined as one. She revealed her strong sexual desire when she asked Papa Luc if she could watch him have sex with Anacaona. “ She was still naked and Zule stayed at her side, looking at her sweaty belly and the slow drizzle that ran down her thighs”. Zule was also very carefree when it came to having sexual relations. She was having sex with Jeremie, who is Coridon’s son. After she lost her baby, she pushed him away. Jeremie desired her strongly. She only let him watch her have sex with Coridon. Zule’s resistance to sex with Jeremie made her feel independent and very strong. She felt good knowing she could say no, it gave her more power. Even though Zule was tough and very stubborn. She was not able to resist The temptations of Simila. “It was as if he put an amarre on her”. When Zule was in Simila’s presence, she became weak. Zule sexual relations with Simila were very passionate, almost on fire. She desired him and would drop to her knees to please him in every way. “…she threw herself to the ground to lick his feet, to humbly embrace his knees, to press her hungry mouth …”. When he departed, she wept for him. Simila corruption and hatred was a reflection of Haiti and the Dominican Republic’s repressive society. It is strange how his power seemed to conquer Zule’s heart. She was attracted to evil. Zule experienced many different emotions while on the pilgrimage. She was told many times that Simila planned to kill her if they crossed paths. Yet Zule insisted on continuing the journey on the same path. She was placing many people’s life at risk, especially those of loved ones. At times she became weak and afraid, but still resisted to backing down. “…She falls backward with the hopeless certainty that she is leaving the world.” She wanted to confront Simila, her enemy and ex-lover. Their struggle for power reflected their underlying, ferocious passion that existed. Zule’s gaga had great loyalty and respect for her. They stood by her side throughout the journey. In the end, Zule is not conquered by Simila, but by Jeremie. His jealous love for Zule led him into a rage that killed the woman he loved and would do anything for. Zule did not give into Simila when confronting him. She resisted and said, “ I am not going to break my Gaga. It’s the gaga I inherited from Coridon”. Soon after, Jeremie slashed Zule’s neck with his machete. His uncontrollable rage led to a disaster. Simila became enraged by the blood splattered and murdered Jeremie, including the people of the Gaga. The Red of Simila’s shadow was on fire. All the rage and hatred pierced from his eyes. Even though Zule died in the end, I still believe that she remained powerful and strong. Her death did not represent her weakness, but her strength and power. She never gave into Simila, she remained strong and lived up to what she stood for, honor and dignity.
Anonymous Guest Jun 23, 2003 6:12 AM	David Jara 6/17/03 The Mountains of Fire Ice, cold ice. Freezing winds to the north and calmer ones to the South. Mountains of flames to the East ant the peaceful lands of Nia to the West. This is a description of a place called Tenalp. Tenalp is a world made mostly of ice. It is not called ice there however, but Sycolon. This is a substance ten times greater than ice as we know it, and it doesn’t stay hard all the time but can also be Jello-like, yet still freezing cold. There are tree-like substances that grow on the Sycolon. These are called Tenduts which are thick at their base but become wavy and thin as they protrude farther up. Their many branches go outward in every direction and glow greenish-red all the time. They only grow where Sycolon is present, and cannot survive any place else. There is nonight, nor is there day, but rather dusk and dawn all the time. Though it may seem hard to fathom there isn’t any bright daylight or dark night. The winds always change as well. Some are freezing cold others blazing hot. There also are huge vortex-like tornados that come only once in a great while due to the fires of the East and the cold of the north. They are faster than the fastest and stronger than the strongest tornadoes and are called Torvexes. They only come in a great while but are very destructive. Torvexes last no longer than twenty seconds and then die away. There is fruit on this world too. Only the purest of fruit grows in the peaceful lands of Nia and Retaw. Other fruits grow in the East as well. This is the fruit that only the Lavinians could eat and is said to have magical powers to any other race that could consume it. The Lavinians are creatures made of flames and rock. Their skin is rock hard, stone, except for their bellies. Their stomachs are made of soft tissue and are the only place where there isn’t any fire. Their bodies are huge with bulk, rock and muscle, and their white eyes are said to turn most things to stone. These creatures each have different looks to them. Some have fat stomachs while others have no stomachs at all but rather ones that collapse into the rocks around it. Others have hard stomachs and normal ones as well. These creatures are the most feared of all the land because they will eat anything and anyone. Lavinians especially like to feed on the scubs of the west. Scubs are round creatures that are made of Nia, which is a mixture of grass, mud and wood. Scubs are about one-fourth of the size of Lavinians and are mainly made up of grass and wood. The mud is inside them as well as the bottoms of their hands and feet. This is to help them slid down mountains and glide more easily when they walk. Scubs are generally very slow creatures, almost like turtles, but not quite, as the mud on their feet allows them to go faster. Scubs walk upright on two legs but can also walk and run on all fours. The Lavinians love to eat Scubs because of their small bodies and the way the mud oozes out of them when they are smashed open. Scubs aren’t useless though. They can blend in with the grass and move quietly through the woods. Some stories are told of one Scub who ate some of the fruit of the fire land and evolved to a great creature who destroyed most of the Lavinians but was eventually out numbered and so died. They say he had the strength equal to that of the lavinians and grew to their size. There now stands a statue in the Nia land of the scub who destroyed a great many of the Lavinians. The statue portrays a huge scub-like creature with jaws of stone and shoulders of rock and grass. His arms were made of pure wood and he had feet of stone. He was bigger than the Lavinians in size and height and looked more ferocious. They called him Scrabinbog. Some say that he might have been a new race of Scub, and that one day the Scub will eat the fruit of yhe fire land ance again, rising up to destroy the rest of the Lavinians once and for all. In the North of Tenalp live the Shem. Shem are the holiest of all the creatures of the land. They are the closest to the Gods. The Shem were said to be the founders of Tenalp. They are beings that no one has ever seen before. Whenever anything magical happens it was probably the work of the Shem. The Shem are the only creatures who can survive in the north at Tartan. Tartan is the city of the Gods. In a way it is kind of like heaven because no mortal has ever been there though many have tried to go, never to be seen or heard of again! The winds there are much too powerful for anything to get near it, and the Tenduts that grow there are like a shield of sorts in that if anyone were to get past the first winds, the Tenduts brilliant light would be too strong to see where else you were supposed to go and so you end up right where you started from. Either that or you end up as a wounderer of the North, endlessly trying to find your way back past the winds until you freeze to death among the many frozen corpses who bravely tried. The Shemderman of the south are said to to be the offspring of the Shems, because they too live in cold winds and Sycolon weather, and also contain mystical powers. The Shemdermans are bubble-like creatures with long beards and a medium sized tail. They have two pairs of wings on their back. One set is right under their long skinny arms and the other is on each side of their spine on their backs. They almost have the appearance of angels, but not quite so angelic. The first set of wings are made of iron and the second are feathers. They can stand the cold and fly with their heads down because of the winds. They have massive legs and feet and sometimes walk on the Sycolon instead of flying. Some think the shemdermans are the rejects of the Shem and were sent to the south to live. They do not speak much but are highly intelligent. At the center of Tenalp is a hole in the ground. A hole the size of a small mountain. No one knows where it goes or why it is there but they say that is where all the bad souls go when they die. This is Tenalp the world of mystery and oppression. Scotch Scubinstein, a well knownScub is the kind of scub who isn’t afraid of anything. He fights for what he believes in and helps people who are in need.the other Scubs say he gets it from his father. Scotches father, William Scubinstien was a warrior Scub. His fathers father and the father before that was said to be one of the greatest Scubs of all. No one knows why but his name always comes up in Nia. Scotch didn’t really know that much about his great, great, great grand father but he has seen a picture of him when he was younger Scotch resembles him greatly. He didn’t know that much about his father either. His father died somehow when Scotch was a young Scub and his grand father started raising him. Scotches ancestors were the first of the Scubs, giving him the last name Scubinstien. One day Scotch was picking fruit from the garden when he saw a Lavinian heading towards Nia. Scotch quickly ran towards the village to warn the other scubs but fell over a rock and knocked out. When Scotch woke up the village was on fire. He quickly ran to his house to see if his grandfather was o.k. but when he got there it was in flames. Lavinians seldom come to Nia except for when they want to terrorize, or eat the Scubs. Scotch’s grand father wasn’t inside the house so he ran back out side. He heard a voice around back and sure enough it was his grand father. He was laying on the ground with his arms ripped right out of there sockets and his stomach smashed in. there was mud everywhere. Scotch ran to his grandpa and held his dented head up. The old Scub was so brutally beaten that he could barely talk. “Scotch my boy I am not your grandpa(cough), find cid….” “with his last breath he told Scotch that he has to get to the “ Shemd………”. With those words stuck in his head Scotch set off to visit the Shemderman in the south. What Scotch didn’t know is why his grandpa said he wasn’t his grandpa. “What does that mean?” thought Scotch. Whatever it means Scotch would soon find the answer. To get to the place where the Shemderman live Scotch had to pass through the Gates of Rathdone. They aren’t really gates but a dark cave that leads to the south. Since Scotch was coming from the west he had to pass through there. That’s where he found the Sword of the Dawn the Sword of the Dawn was a sword forged by the Shem and is said to have great power over the user. It is said that the sword could also raise the dead. Scotch found the found the sword hidden under a rock after encountering the Batherins. They are monsters that live in the cave. These monsters mind their own business and feed on whatever comes through the cave. Scotch got lucky because he blended in with the rocks in the cave. He hid under a rock that was near the corner of the cave and found the sword. The sword was supposedly lost amongst Tenalp and the person who found it would be the killer of giants. These were all only stories though, or were they? Scotch finally made it to the Shemderman village, but wasn’t very welcomed. The Shemderman never really seen Scub up close before. Scotch on the other hand has seen many of them in his days.he’s also seen pictures of them in the old Scubby library. He’s even seen pictures of their snow ball houses. Scotch walked to the nearest snow ball and peeked in. there was an old Shemderman that lived there. The old Shemderman was sitting in the corner of the snow ball hut with his wings spread open. He said,” I’ve been expecting you young Scubby.” Scotch was not too surprised until the old Shemderman said, “I knew your father, Scotch.” Scotch ran to the old Shemderman and asked him how he knew his father. The old mans name was Cider. Cider was different from all of the other Shemderman. He didn’t quite look the same. He was bigger and his wing were wider than most of them. His metal wings weren’t metal any more but rather spikes on the side of his chest. He had a very round head with two dots on the top. His hands were very huge and his feet were smaller than the other Shemderman. Cider was the oldest Shemderman in the village. He more intellectual than the others aswell. He told Scotch about his father. He said his father was his war partnerduring the Scub Lavinian war. He said his dad tried to eat the fruit from the east but was captured, tortured and eaten. Cider tried to free him but it was too late. Cider managed to get some fruit from the tree of fire and evoved into the Shemderman that he is today. He called the fruit Hailsburg. Cider told Scotch that his great, great, great grandfather was the famous Scub who slaughtered the Lavinians. Scotches great, great granpa tried to follow in his foot steps but died. The blood of the Scubinstien family is warrior blood. His father was one of the best warriors around he said. He told Scotch that it is his duty to get the fruit of the east so the Lavinians could no longer rule the land. Cider called for two youg Shemderman to accompany Scotch on his journey to the mountains of fire. Scotch was the last hope for the creatures of Tenalp. Rack and Benny were the names of the two Shemderman. All three of them set off on the journey to save Tenalp,a journey to the east. On there way to the fires of the east. Scotch, Rack and Benny headed north towards the great hole. Cider told them the path to the fire mountain was dangerous and advised them to take a different route. One that was safer and less painful. There are three ways to get into fire mountainthe first is through the swamp of wrath which no one takesbecause it is filled with flesh eating insects that you can’t seeand beast that are so horific that the sound of their yell is enough to stop your heart from beating. The second way is from Tartan. No one knows were the road come from but there is one that leads to fire Mountain. The third is a secret entry at the end of the west corner of the Shemderman village is the Shemderman grave yard. If you were to go into the graveyard you would see three tombs to the back. In the tomb to the right is a secret wall. The wall leads out side behind the tombsthroough a forest and behind the caves Rean Darah. There is a hole in the wall that takes you past the mountains and behind one of the smaller fire mountain villages. they say that this path was created during the Scub Lavinian war to slaughter the leader of the Lavinians by surprise. The Lavinians don’t know it’s there but some Shemderman do. “I’m tired” said Scotch. “I am too “said Rack, “we should stop for a while and eat”. “No, we have to keep going” “We will rest when we get to Welder village” said Scotch. Rack was the only one who wasn’t saying anything. He was deep in thought about something. “What’s wrong Rack?” said Scotch. “oh, It’s nothing” said Rack. “Actually I was just wondering… why do we have to go to fire Mountain anyway?””weel that’s where Hailsburg is so we have to try and steal some and end the Lavinian rule over Tenalp” said Scotch. “But they are so big and powerful, we will never win” said Rack. “I like thing just the way they are” “I mean what if we fail? then they will eat use alive.” “you know they especially like Scub.” “We won’t fail” said Benny. I over heard Scotch and Cider talking and Cider said Scotch has “Warrior blood” so he will defeat the Lavinians.” “You were eaves dropping?” said Scotch. “It doesn’t surprise me” said Rack. “he always does that.” “One day I was talking to my girlfriend about having my Ice sword made and the next day this idiot comes up to me an says, look what I got” and sure enough it was an Ice sword.” “I was already going to have mine made that same day” said Benny. “Whatever” said Rack. “You had it made just to show off to me because I was going to have mine made that day.” “O.k. so I did, who cares its in the past now.” “Guys just drop it!!” said Scotch. “Hey look” said Benny. As the three of them reached Welder they saw flames raising high into the sky. “Oh man what happened” said Rack. “Lets go see” said Scotch. The town of Welder was in ruins. Scotch, Rack and Benny ran to the town to find everyone slaughtered to death. The town of Welder was a peaceful town filled with peaceful people. Welderians were the people who lived therethey are skinny twig looking things with four arms and a small head. Welderians are Herbavours and he mostly eat the plants and leaves from the Lake of life. There were some survivors, they hid in the trees when they were attacked. “What happened?” asked Scotch. “It….It was the Lav…Lav…Lavinians” said one of the Welderians. There were only three of them. Two were young the other was an adult. “They came out of no where” “We were all sleeping”said the Welderian I horror. “There was at least of them” “They destroyed everything.” “Which way did they come from?” asked Scotch. “The west.” Scotch remembered the Lavinian he sawgoing to his village and realized that there was more than one. He wasn’t awake to see the rest because he knocked out. Rack and Benny were putting out the fires with they’re Ice blades while Scotch looked around.”where are you going?” asked one of the younger Welderians. “Oh, we are going to Fire mountain to steal some Hailsburg” said Scotch. “Fire Mountain!?” “You’ll all die ”Said the other Welderian. “We have to go we have no other choice” said rack. “Scotch is going to save Tenalp from the Lavinians” said Benny. “well good luck” said the Welderian. “Thanks” said Scotch. “I live in Nia the Lavinians tore apart my village too” “Some of use survived” “Why don’t you head towards that way, you’ll be safer there.” “O.k.” said the Welderian. Scotch, Rack and Benny left welder and headed North towards Mouth river. “lets get some sleep” said Scotch. The three buddies woke up got there stuff and left. They were almost to mouth river when they heard something. “Stop!” said Scotch. “Do you hear that?” Scotch said in a whisper. “It doesn’t feel right.” The three of them crept towards the river and looked down towards the trees. Scotches eyes opened wide. “It’s them” said Scotch.. “The Lavinians who attacked my village” there were four Lavinians, one skinny one but still massive and three fat ones. “lets get em” said Benny. ”No” said Rack. ”do you want to kill us?” ”lets wait until they are finished eating.” The four Lavinians were feasting on their own companion “After they’ve eaten the will be fool” said Rack. “Making them tired” said Scotch. “Right” said Rack. “we have to take out the big ones then the little one” said Scotch. It was dawn when the Lavinians stopped eating there friend.. Scotches sword started to glimmer a red color.”wow” said benny. “Look at that” “your sword is glowing” Scotch caries his sword on his back, in a holster. It is bigger than his body and weighs well more than he does, but he still manages to use it with ease. ”It’s time” said Scotch. They all slowly glided like birds slowly down the mountain to the river.Scotches mud on his feet allowed him to glid with ease while Rack and Benny flew with their wings. The Lavinians were sound asleep. The three companions crept up to the biggest one and Scotch whispered “Benny you stab his stomach, and Rack you his face, I’ll go for the heart”. Scotch drew his glimmering and lifted it high. “Ready” he whispered. “yeah” the other two said. “O.k….NOW!!” Benny’s Ice sword pierced through the Lavinians fleshy stomach like a hot knife through butter. Julie i still have about four more pages to go but im going on two hours of sleep in the last two days so im goin to catch another two ours and post the rest. I am sorry for the late post i was trying to end the storie.
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