Story Week 14: The Duration of Life
When God was creating life on Earth, he had to decide how long each creature was going to live.
"How long is to be my life?" asked the donkey.
"I will give you 30 years," replied God.
"Oh no, 30 years is too long for all the burdens and loads I must bear and work I must do!" So God relented and gave him 18 years instead. The donkey was happy with this.
Next was the dog. "Surely you want 30 years of life since you don't have to work so hard?" asked God.
"Oh no! 30 years is too long! I do all this running and my legs, teeth, and voice will wear out until all I can do is sit in a corner." So God relented and gave the dog only 12 years and he was happy.
Next was the monkey. "Surely you want 30 years since all you do is play and make people laugh?" asked God.
"Oh no! 30 years is too long! Often sorrow is behind my jokes and I can't take that for 30 years." replied the monkey. So God relented and gave him only 10 years and the monkey was happy.
Last was man. God said, "I will give you 30 years of life."
"Oh no! 30 years is not nearly enough time! I will just be getting started with my life and then it will be over!" cried man.
God thought about this and instead gave him 70 years of life: his own 30 years, 18 years like the donkey, 12 years like the dog, and 10 years like the monkey.
Now man spends 18 years growing into his life, 30 years working hard with so many burdens and so little time to enjoy, 12 years declining health as he nears retirement, and 10 years of retirement where all he is left with is a weak mind and making people laugh at his mistakes and failures.
Author's note: I stuck largely to the original story until I got to the ending. The original story had 30 healthy years, 18 burden years, 12 years of bad health in a corner, and 10 years making people laugh. In real life 70 years could be considered an average lifespan, but it doesn't work out in those numbers of years. I kept the original numbers, but made it more into what our average life span feels like. While it wouldn't be like that for everyone, it's a more accurate picture than what the original story was.
Bibliography: The Duration of Life by the Brothers Grimm (Ashliman). Weblink.
Hi Kat! I had not read the original source story and honestly it surprised me that it was a Brothers Grimm story, not sure why, but it did. I always love a short and sweet story and this is a story just like that. It gets right to the point but you still managed to keep a lot of detail in it. I also like the change that you made in the end, it makes it feel more applicable to our modern day life.
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Hey Kat! I think this story is interesting, because us humans are always trying to extend our lives, and it’s weird to think about the animals wanting to shorten theirs! I have never heard that story, but I love how all the years added up to 70 and the human’s life ended up being a combination of all the animals! I love the dialogue between the animals and God, it really makes the whole story instead of just describing what happened.
ReplyDeleteHi Kat! I think this is a really great story. I have not read the original but it makes for a good read. I like how the animals were able to set their average life durations; I never thought of that idea. Overall, I think you did a great job with the story! I look forward to reading more from you!
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