Teacher+as+a+Writer+in+an+Unfamiliar+Genre

This fairy tale was written for an Unfamiliar Genre project in my English 408W course:

Cent I. Freid

Once upon a time, there was a voracious, brilliant, impossibly strong hero admired from colonies crossing over the vast expanse of the treacherous great plain. He fought off the great enemies of the sky with the simple threat of his sharp, venomous claws. With his choice of maidens, all pouring over his impressive 251 legs, he chose his princess as none other than the breathtaking, jaw dropping, the maiden whose warmth and love out-shined the sun -- Princess Mill I. Pede. No one could compare. No creature would ever dare challenge the great CENT I. FREID. No one had ever seen a hero so mighty, so admirable, so...

“Freid! Freid, what in the world is taking you so long? Hurry up, you’re going to be late for school!” Blinking, Freid refocuses on the face peering back at him from the mirror: his reflection was far from that of a hero...he saw the strong, undefeated body replaced with a sad looking 5 segment frame, 2 over-sized eyes framed by dark black rims, his meek claws pointing out more like prongs on a fork than anything threatening, and his mere 11 legs seeming to repel any young beauty, especially his greatest desire of all: Mill I. Pede (Milli as Freid liked to call her). Freid wanted nothing else but to be looked at by Milli - the most beloved girl in school. Ever since third grade, when she pranced into class with her pink glow and stunning smile, she had stolen his heart. He liked to imagine she was a princess locked away in a castle somewhere and he would draw his sword to slay the dragon and come to her...

“FREID! DON’T MAKE ME COME UP THERE! I will NOT let my son be late on his first day of high school! Now COME ON!”

“Yeahhhh, Mom. I’m coming.” Freid grudgingly slithered down the clammy cave wall to the kitchen. The counter was lined with turkey feet, big bluestem, milkweed, aster, indigo, ragwort, and spiderwort.

“Mom, why can’t I eat like a normal centipede? God forbid I eat an earthworm now and again. This wholesome vegie diet is cramping my growth. I swear, it’s all because of you.”

“Hush now. Eat up, you’re going to be late. Your father is leaving in 3 minutes and will be dropping you off at the bus stop on his way to work.”

“Uhhhhhh, not the bus.”

“Stop that whining. Now hustle. Grab your warm slippers, it’s still cold out.” With the slippers on, way too tight for him, Freid stumbled out the door, his mother practically knocking the glasses right off his face. Straining his eyes to see past the glare of the rising sun, Freid sees his father impatiently pacing in front of the green fence that surrounded their cozy little cave. He looked to the left and to the right and thought to himself,

“Who am I, Who shall I be Will you love me or leave me be?”

***** * *****

Stares. Snickers. Shame. Freid slowly slithered up the stone path towards his doom. The other pedes didn’t understand him. He was small for his age, not ready to face the unknown travesties in the world outside the four walls of school. His teachers reminded him of this. His parents reminded him. He just wasn’t good enough, wasn’t worthy, wasn’t ready.

His father nagged him about taking over the family business: harvest patrol. His father was one of the most popular pedes. His father gave him the honeycomb moccasins for his birthday last year, they were too big. As the eldest son, he was expected to be the model for his brothers. He just couldn’t seem to live up to any expectations, he felt like such a failure.

“Hey Freid! Wait up!” That was the Messor Barbarus, Amigo, who seemed to be his only friend. Amigo had given Freid a pair of Pikolinos 4 years ago and even though they were a bit breezy, Freid had always appreciated the gesture. Amigo had his own problems, being the only ant in the colony having been adopted by pede parents after he lost his eyesight following a glaring incident.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Amigo chattered on the whole way to class about an absurd Robin attack that occurred in the harvest fields 3 days ago. Freid had already heard about it from his father. He was still droning on as they walked into first period science. That is when he saw her. Sitting in the very first row she was impossible to miss. Milli had a fresh, polished pink shine on with her perfectly manicured pink ballets gently kissing the soft stone. Her flawless blue eyes were watching the door. Freid could hear his heart pounding louder than a steel drum. He was afraid to blink, terrified to break contact.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“HEY! Watch it! Get out of the way!” It was Spike, the most vicious pede in school. He poked Freid hard in the rear, forcing him into the room. Spike was the King of the school and the apple of Milli’s eye since they were baby pedes.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Freid made his way to the back of the classroom as his teacher called role.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Fried?” Freid rolled his eyes, “Here.” Everyone was always miss-pronouncing his name. He’d heard them all, “Feird, Feared, Freud, Freed, Fiered...” He couldn’t even remember them all. He never bothered to correct them, what was the point?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Freid made his way through school, everything blurring like a ride around the merry-go-round. In 6th period English, Mr. Freedwrite wrote a question on the board: “If you could have any type of shoe, what would it be?” He handed out slates and the students began to busily write away. Freid looked down at his blank slate and began to think. He had lots of shoes already, most were too tight like the ones from his Mom, his teachers, and his classmates. Others were too big, like the ones from his Dad and brothers. He had more shoes than he had feet...

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Time’s up! Turn in your answer on the way out! Have a great day!” Freid stumbled to the front of the class, laying down his slate on top of the pile. He had written the only thing he had ever truly wanted, “I only want to go barefoot.”

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Who am I, Who shall I be <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Will you love me or leave me be?”

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The next day in English class, Mr. Freedwrite asked each student to recall their answers from the previous day, “If you could have any shoe, what would it be?” The students went up and down the rows saying, “Nike’s, Reebock, Bose, Mereill...” all the name brand kicks. Freid sat quietly in the back, terrified to say his answer aloud. After the other 29 pedes told their answers, it was finally Freid’s turn.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Ummm, well. I sorta, um, would rather go, um <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">barefoot <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.” The classroom erupted in laughter. Freid sunk back into a whole, wishing he would magically become invisible. Freid never understood why nobody else had ever thought of going barefoot. It seemed so obvious to him.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr. Freedwrite hushed everyone then turned to Freid, “Why do you say that?”

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In a voice barely a whisper, Freid rapidly responded, “I have so many shoes, so many shoes, that I feel that I could not possibly ever wear all of them. People are constantly throwing shoes, throwing shoes, at me, at every occasion we all get more shoes. Shoes. Shoes. Shoes. That is all we ever talk about. I just wish I could be comfortable. I just want to be comfortable. I just want to breath. I just. I just. Well, I just want to be free. That’s why, that’s why I said no shoes.”

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The room fell silent. “BbbbbbRINGggggg.” The bell rung and saved Freid. He rushed out of that room at lightening speed, not allowing anyone a chance to say another word. He slithered past the rushing pedes in the hallway, pushing hard towards the light at the front of the building.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Panicking, Freid muttered under his breath, “I just have to get out of here. Out. Out. Out. Now! Set me free, set me loose, let me OUT!” Freid poured out of the school and abruptly fell off the head stone, tumbling down hard. As he fell, his shoes went flying.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Hey! Watch it!” Yells came shouting as he floundered down. And down. And down. Boom. He hit the ground with a thud. Freid could taste blood. His limbs yelled out in pain. His heart felt bruised, his body battered. He pressed back the salty tears and forced himself to open his eyes.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Standing above him was Milli. She didn’t say a word. She simply held out a leg. Resting on top of it was a tiny, fluffy, pink ballet shoe. She set it gently in front of him with a smile. Then, she was gone.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Other pedes stomped passed, annoyed by the disturbance. Freid dragged himself to the side so as not be in the way any more. He stared down at the tiny, immaculate shoe. It was then that he realized all of his other shoes had fallen off on his fall down. He stretch his feet in this newfound freedom. He wiggled them into the cool, soft grass, feeling the blades slip between the crevices. His body calmed and his head focused, it was like the sun peaking out between a sky full of threatening storm clouds.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Peering up the pile of stones he had just fallen down, he could make out the dots that were his shoes, like birds circling high in the sky. Freid closed his eyes...

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Who am I, Who shall I be <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Will you love me or leave me be?”