Reports from the Field: Narratives

Jake and Emily recently were assigned to write narratives for their block class.  Their task was to share a story - related either to a piece of clothing or their room.  Here's what Jake had to say:

“Ding, Dong,” chimed the doorbell, interrupting everyone’s morning activities. To top it off, the phone rang. 

“Ring... Ring... Ring...” rang the phone.  Everyone was running around trying to get both problems solved. My mom went to the door, and I picked up the phone. It was my grandma.

“Did my package get to you guys?” my grandma said hopefully.

“I don’t know,” I said to her.  I yelled to my mom to ask her.  Turns out my grandma’s package had just arrived from Indiana.  “It did come, grandma,” I told her. “We are opening it now!”

“You can open it, Jake.  It’s your pufferfish costume for Halloween, and I’ll put the phone on speaker so grandma can listen,” my mom said while stepping aside so that I could open the box.  I was five years old at the time, and I had asked my grandma to make me a pufferfish costume for Halloween.  I was really excited to open the box because she had made some really cool costumes in the past, like a chicken, dog and cowboy.  Mom hit the speaker phone and set the phone on kitchen cabinet. I opened the box, and the first thing to come out of my mouth was...

“Grandma, this isn’t a pufferfish! This is a tuna!” I exclaimed with a confused five year old voice.

“What? That is a pufferfish,” my grandma assured me, sounding very confused.

“No grandma, this is a tuna.”

The costume was a large blue fish covered with sparkling fur.  It’s mouth was open, and it was designed to fit over my head. Clearly my grandma had put a lot of time and care into making it, but it was nothing like I had imagined.  I was expecting spikes, for example, not sparkly fur. I had imagined a yellow pufferfish that was 5 times the size of me with big cone spikes.  I imagined something that would fit around my body, not my head. I wasn’t trying to offend my grandma in any way, but I had a vision in my head, and the final product was nothing like the image in my mind.  

Obviously, the phone conversation with grandma got awkward.  My parents were quick to compliment the tuna for how “puffy” and fish-like it was.  My dad tried it on and pretended to eat me with it.  Photos were taken, apologies were made, and everyone had a good laugh.  

A few days before Halloween, another package from Indiana arrived in the mail.  My grandma had found a Nemo costume at the store, and she bought it for me.  It fit like overalls which was handy and more like I had imagined for the pufferfish.  It wasn’t yellow or spiky or homemade, but it was way more comfortable that having a tuna fish on my head.  Also, it was really nice of her not to be mad.

To this day, my dad wears the tuna costume every year for Halloween.  He especially likes to wear it when it’s raining, because it keeps his head dry.  I think my grandma likes the fact that we still have the costume after all these years.

Everyone in my family still opts for homemade costumes on Halloween, but these days we can make them ourselves. This has helped cut down on miscommunications and fit issues.  My grandma teases me about the “tuna fish” every October when she asks me what I want to be for Halloween.  Even she now calls the costume by what it really is. The tuna lives in our basement in between holidays. Now that I can look at it with more mature eyes, it kind of looks like a... trout.

And now for Emily...

Running up the mountainous stairs after arriving home from pre-school, I breath heavily once I reach the top. I spring into action, flinging off my pink, glittery Mary-Janes. I skipping down the hallway to the end where my princess castle lays. With its strong, yellow dragon-proof walls, I enter my bedroom. There is a bed of flowers, a butterfly canopy in the corner, my dresser, and dinning hall/ studio (a.k.a. a green plastic table in the middle of the kingdom).  My closet is full of costumes, and two large windows look out into the world, which my 5-year old imagination turned into anything it pleased. 

I sit my backpack down, full of drawings, markers, crayons, toys, and other classic 5-year old must-have items. Then I walk up to my closet, the most prized thing in my castle because it held all of my dress up clothes and toys. I slide the closet door aside, and the sunlight hits the clothes, making the sparkly things shine and showing a rainbow of fabrics. I pick through and find my favorite piece of all, my diva costume. My Grandma Janet made it for me for a Halloween costume, and I loved wearing it. It was black with rainbow sparkles and sass. I fit my personality perfectly at the time - a sassy, dramatic diva, with a side of hugs, sparkles and unicorns. I slide it on and tada! I’m the most beautiful I’ve ever been. 

Now I gather up items for my purse, including some fake Barbie make-up, a toy cell phone and my baby doll, Rose. Now I set up a tea party, getting toy cups, plates and food from my toy kitchen. It was set up like a make-up table, however had a plastic sink and shelves with light pink check curtains, holding toy food and other things behind them. My Grandpa made it when I was 3 or 4. After setting up afternoon tea, I call in Jake, my twin brother, and all my stuffed animals. 

“Welcome. It’s tea time in the castle!” I say with a curtsy, “Where is your costume, Jake?” 

“Oh um, I’ll go get it!” He says quickly then runs off to find one.

“Sorry for the delay,” I explain to my teddy bears. “Now what would you like to have?”

“I’m back,” Jake says walking into my room with a cape and armor. 

“Welcome Sir Jake.” I call while pouring pretend tea for Mr. Wiffles, my most prized teddy bear.

  After serving everyone with pretend tea, fake food and some real cookies, we all chat.

“Oh yummy tea, Miss Emily!” I imagine hearing Big Bunny say.

“Can I have some more?” I’m sure Mr. Wiffles has just mumbled.

“Just cookies for me!” Jake says, then he runs off with his treat.  He probably had some dragons to fight.

After tea, I am tired.  Being a 5-year old princess diva is hard work.  When it’s time for bed, my mom turns off the lights and glow-in-the-dark stars appear all across my ceiling.  I say goodnight to my stuffed animals, and look at the butterflies suspended above me. Being a 5-year old is hard work, but it’s fun, especially when you live in a castle!