Five Stories (found on stones) by Chipka
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
Five Stories Carved on Stones
*
The Story on the First Stone (carved with a stone-etching needle.)
The World gave Goat a beautiful straw hat on his naming day.
In gratitude, Goat promptly ate it.
In seeing this, The World laughed and gave Goat a beard.
And that is why goats, to this day, do not wear hats.
The Story on the Second Stone (carved with a stone-etching needle, the etchings are inlayed with green pigment.)
On that day, Shepa, Pavo, and Djer took to their feet,
As the sea whispered fog to the rocks on the beach
They looked at each other without speaking.
They walked, maybe dreaming a little bit, maybe smiling:
A little bit….
Only the fog knows where they went.
*
The Story on the Third Stone (carved with a stone-etching needle.)
In those days, before reality came into being,
Housecat sat, bored, waiting to exist.
He bathed with his tongue, and swallowed fur.
He coughed up a hairball and from it came the world.
Now, there’s cat hair all over the place!
*
The Story on the Fourth Stone (painted onto the stone face and coated with a protective, clear resin.)
She asked Housecat: What is the meaning of existence?
Housecat knew the answer, because housecats know everything.
And so, Housecat told her. Myau he said.
What does that mean She asked.
Go ask Mayfly Housecat said.
And so She went to Mayfly’s house,
And after a courteous while, She said:
I asked Housecat about the meaning of existence.
Housecat said ‘myau’. What does that mean?
Mayfly looked at her and shrugged.
Mayfly said to her: I’ll tell you tomorrow.
*
The Story on the Fifth Stone (carved with a stone-etching needle.)
I fell in love with him and asked him his name.
He breathed, softly, in my ear, and then vanished.
Now, when the wind blows, I hear him speaking to me:
In the sound of rustling leaves and rustling, golden barley.
*
When traveling through Gwot, it isn’t unusual to find gitas (stories) written on leaves left to blow in the wind, or etched onto rocks. It’s equally common to find such short, often whimsical stories, written length-wise, along naturally-fallen branches, stripped of bark, inscribed with a gita (generally in a flowing, ornate calligraphy) and coated in protective, clear varnish. Though gitas are written in books, in pulp-text format, they are considered either extremely personal, or unfinished. Gitas on wood, stone, or leaf are “finished” gitas and are thus, acceptable as gifts, testaments, or intimate declarations. The authors of these five gitas are unknown, but they are presumed to have lived in a small village known simply as Over Here. All five stones were found within the historical boundaries of Over Here, and a few members of the Over Here community ascribe authorship of these gitas to a single author, an eccentric man who took Anonymous as his social name. By all accounts, Anonymous has been dead for more than three generations, but his ancestral home (no occupied by his descendents) is a popular destination for aficionados of folk writing, gitas, entus, novels, novellas, and poems.
*
I keep telling myself that I’ll post something other than these little tidbits from the lands of Gwot, but those Gwotian people won’t shut up. I found these snippets (complete stories) floating around in my brain and so I put them down on digital paper. I hope that you’ve enjoyed them. There will be more, and more from other realms, including Chicago…as the turtle walks.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all having a great week.
Comments (17)
kgb224
Superb post work and writing my friend. God Bless.
wysiwig
Ok, let's try this again. Exceptional story telling. Your writing reminds me of West African folktales I have read. Having an abiding love of cats I particularly like the stories of Housecat. So the World is made of cat hair? That explains why, no matter how much I brush a cat, there is always more hair.
helanker
You know what Chip? You should write a whole book with such little stories and get it printed. They made me want to read the next and the next. Loved the story about the Goat and the story about Housecat and the hairball. SUPER :D Really amusing. Maybe the rest of the world is made by a dogs hairbal, as I cannot get rid of all the hairs, Magnus is spreading all over the house. ;)
hipps13
made me smile as my attention was caught warm hugs, Linda
durleybeachbum
Magic! I could devour volumes of this. Not only is it brilliant writing, but the length of each story is ideal for my later life attention span..perfect jewels.
Faemike55
I'd buy the book if it were available
vis151
One has to write their thoughts or they will clog you your mind! haha
MrsRatbag
I do love how your brain rambles on and produces these full-blown worlds within a few words. Great work!!!
sandra46
EXCELLENT CREATION! AMAZING CREATIVITY
flavia49
beautiful stories and marvelous writing!
anahata.c
I want to comment on the longer narratives in this wonderful series, but I need to stop for now (it's nearly dawn), so I'll try to do this piece justice if I can. First there were approximately 2000 ebots for this, lol, which was wild because some of them had actual beginnings so we could see the pieces take shape; and yet some of them had the mysterious "It seems someone has removed this image" (I came here as the ebots were going up, and I always wondered what in the world that phrase meant, and who in the world invented it. "it seems someone has...". Someone? Like a viewer read your first version and thought, "what a piece of ____! This baby's comin' down, jack...") But several uploads somehow fits these tales because each tale is a little self-contained gem, and the idea that each would want to make itself known one after the next, is very enticing. I normally get to uploads after they've been up a day, but this one I happened to follow as it was going up, and it was as if the spirits had taken over the upload process as a way of thanking you for conjuring them so truthfully and magically. We already know you're a master of the longer narrative, and an equal master of the shorter narrative as well as short description, snapshots, glossarial pieces, etc. (As you did with these!) But you also have shown a remarkable clarity in the small mythic tals, honed it seems from the native cultures of your soul, replete with their gem-like brevity, disarming wit, twist of meaning, and yearning fleeting messages-in-the-wind (like the last story here). Native America, Oceana, the great Native African folklores---they bow to you in gratitude. And your image---which you've varied from the first version, a few uploads ago---is pure myth, wonderfully playful and filled with intimations of earlier rituals and magic. I truly expected the goat tale to be about its beard, but you zinged us with the hat! Then a tale ending with its characters leaving and we never know where...gatherings, callings, vacating; and a magic ancient motif of the sea whispering fog to the rocks. And the housecat creating the universe (with the added treat of cat hair all over the place). And the asking of "what did it mean?" so common to ancient tales, and the answer being "you'll find out eventually"...(stated in so many ways, but the message is always the same: The ancients came to your home this night, this is such wonderful stuff. And the final tale with a beautiful one's-beloved-is-speaking-through-the-leaves-beneath-our-feet vision (or the winds above our heads). ("Across the horizon I will walk, where the waters meet the clouds, and I will call you there forever...": An ancient Native American poem in one of many versions...) Just magical Chip! You've created ancient cultures and their songs right out of your head. A beautiful collection of worlds, and ending with the translator's footnotes, equally delightful (and so familiar to your readers who've come to expect such things from you as a matter of course). I also like that you use "gita" for tales, as it meant (for the ancient Hindus) a song. Magical, perfected and jewel-like. And a perfect companion for your overflowing narratives before this. I have to end now, Chip (it's now over 2 hours since I started here and I have to sleep, unfortunately). But at least I can tell you that I've read and seen, and absorbed some of the many pathways of your prodigious heart and mind. I adored this piece when it went up, and it's so nice to see more incarnations of your talent. Thank you, Chip. Songs bejeweled by beguiling and mystery-filled magic. Voila...
Wolfenshire Online Now!
Wonderful story backed by a strong illustration.
auntietk
More than one thought: I worked for a guy for many years who was happily married. For their 29th wedding anniversary his wife gave him a stone with the following inscription laser-carved on the face: Nothing is carved in stone. She is the same woman who, when they were first married, would introduce him to people as her first husband. The format of the short-short-short story is compelling! You make me want to try it. It's a form that's even more brief than my poetry, and it's a worthy challenge! I particularly liked the story about the fog, and the one about the goat. (They're all marvellous, but those somehow stood out for me.) Gwot seems a good place to spend some time. I'm liking the culture very much!
tofi
An epic few tidbits, my Dear Chip! Each time I read your writing I am inspired and reminded of the great literary canon writers of the Western traditions. I really think that you should be published. Your writing and storytelling flows with such great ease, and the imagery is just simply delightful. Upon reading these, I think of the creation myths, and the form in which you write with such a unique style blows me away each time. Your talent should be revealed to the world… Excellent cover as well, the sky so beautifully textured, and the lighting enhances the entire mood and sets a precedent prior to reading your stories. Fabulous work, my Friend. I especially like the last stone story. Your use of "him" could be either literal or figurative… and the imagination takes flight. Always a pleasure to read.
minos_6
Fantastic writing Chip! This has to be among the best of your writing that I have seen, simply because I appreciate the difficulty I would have myself in honing a story to be so succinct and yet full of content and charm. Excellent, excellent, excellent work!
KatesFriend
Oh I hate it when those voices won't shut up. What bothers me more is their incessant assertion that their reality should be the same as mine - or the other way around maybe. No, I say, gravity is not a crystal. They denounce me as silly but they won't shut up. Yes, I've been drinking. I love the Third Stone. Well obviously everything descends from the grooming of a cat! Another insight into the people Gwot. Through their personal musing which they choose to leave behind for others to find. One wonders how many stones like this might be found by just getting lost some day.
tennesseecowgirl
excellent work!