Marie returned from the truck with
marshmallows in hand. "Alright, we're all going to bed after we
roast these marshmallows. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, and
the kids don't need to be up late," she said.
"It's still early. Besides, I'm almost through with the story," Bill said.
"Tell us what happened! Grendel is dead, but is there another monster?" Joanie asked.
Bill continued with the story, "Yes, there was another beast. It was Grendel's mother, the Water Witch...
The Water Witch was a very frightening sight. Like Grendel, she also had fiery red eyes and razor sharp claws. She was very upset about her son's murder and desired revenge. The Water Witch began walking slowly toward town, and she was still crying very loudly from her loss. Her pace quickened as mourning turned to anger. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Anger quickly turned to fury, and the wicked old witch started trotting toward the town. Meanwhile, the celebrations continued at Hart Hall. Both warriors and townspeople socialized because they were safe from Grendel's wrath. Soon, the evening settled down, and people fell asleep in Hart Hall. The Water Witch finally arrived in the heart of Daneland shortly after midnight. She was practically running by this point, and she let out a terrifying growl that shook the windows of the hall. Several people woke up, and suddenly the newly installed door came flying off its hinges. The warriors quickly grabbed their swords and shields to fight. This frightened the Water Witch because she was not as tough as Grendel. With one hand, she snatched up the man standing nearest to her, and with the other she took Grendel's arm from the wall. Then she darted through the doorway and ran back toward the swamp. King Hrothgar ordered his men to fetch Beowulf from his friend's home on the other side of town. Beowulf and his warriors returned with Hrothgar's men within the hour. The king promised gold and precious metals for a victory over the witch. He explained that the man taken from Hart Hall was a dear friend, and Beowulf reassured him that revenge was absolutely necessary. The troops amassed a stockpile of weaponry and headed out into the woods. Several miles into the darkness, they came upon a dreary swamp. They noticed the kidnapped Danish man's head lying by the waterside. As Beowulf prepared for battle, a warrior approached him and handed him a mystical and ancient sword named Hrunting. He explained that the tip was stained with poison and that it had never failed a man. Beowulf gladly accepted the gift, and within seconds he dived into the murky waters alone. The Water Witch felt his presence and prepared for a fight. After reaching the bottom of the lake, Beowulf immediately felt the witch take hold of his arm. She dragged him back to her cave where there was no water, and a bright flame lit the walls. Beowulf jerked his arm free and lunged at the witch with Hrunting. He stabbed her many times, but the famous sword was useless against her. He tossed the weapon aside and prepared to fight her with his bare hands. The two wrestled around the cave for some time until the witch finally overcame Beowulf and slammed him to the ground. She pulled out a knife and plunged it into his chest to avenge her only son's death.
"It's still early. Besides, I'm almost through with the story," Bill said.
"Tell us what happened! Grendel is dead, but is there another monster?" Joanie asked.
Bill continued with the story, "Yes, there was another beast. It was Grendel's mother, the Water Witch...
The Water Witch was a very frightening sight. Like Grendel, she also had fiery red eyes and razor sharp claws. She was very upset about her son's murder and desired revenge. The Water Witch began walking slowly toward town, and she was still crying very loudly from her loss. Her pace quickened as mourning turned to anger. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Anger quickly turned to fury, and the wicked old witch started trotting toward the town. Meanwhile, the celebrations continued at Hart Hall. Both warriors and townspeople socialized because they were safe from Grendel's wrath. Soon, the evening settled down, and people fell asleep in Hart Hall. The Water Witch finally arrived in the heart of Daneland shortly after midnight. She was practically running by this point, and she let out a terrifying growl that shook the windows of the hall. Several people woke up, and suddenly the newly installed door came flying off its hinges. The warriors quickly grabbed their swords and shields to fight. This frightened the Water Witch because she was not as tough as Grendel. With one hand, she snatched up the man standing nearest to her, and with the other she took Grendel's arm from the wall. Then she darted through the doorway and ran back toward the swamp. King Hrothgar ordered his men to fetch Beowulf from his friend's home on the other side of town. Beowulf and his warriors returned with Hrothgar's men within the hour. The king promised gold and precious metals for a victory over the witch. He explained that the man taken from Hart Hall was a dear friend, and Beowulf reassured him that revenge was absolutely necessary. The troops amassed a stockpile of weaponry and headed out into the woods. Several miles into the darkness, they came upon a dreary swamp. They noticed the kidnapped Danish man's head lying by the waterside. As Beowulf prepared for battle, a warrior approached him and handed him a mystical and ancient sword named Hrunting. He explained that the tip was stained with poison and that it had never failed a man. Beowulf gladly accepted the gift, and within seconds he dived into the murky waters alone. The Water Witch felt his presence and prepared for a fight. After reaching the bottom of the lake, Beowulf immediately felt the witch take hold of his arm. She dragged him back to her cave where there was no water, and a bright flame lit the walls. Beowulf jerked his arm free and lunged at the witch with Hrunting. He stabbed her many times, but the famous sword was useless against her. He tossed the weapon aside and prepared to fight her with his bare hands. The two wrestled around the cave for some time until the witch finally overcame Beowulf and slammed him to the ground. She pulled out a knife and plunged it into his chest to avenge her only son's death.
Her dagger was ineffective against
Beowulf's armour. The mighty warrior suddenly threw her against
the cave wall and jumped to his feet. Then he noticed an enormous
sword hanging from the wall and quickly took it down. He swung
the sword at the Water Witch, and it sliced cleanly through her
abdomen. The terrible old witch fell to the floor in two pieces,
and the large sword lit up momentarily with a bright fire.
Beowulf looked around the cave and saw Grendel's body lying on a
couch. He took the sword and cut off the ogre's head to bring
back as a victory prize. Blood poured from the body and turned
the entire swamp red. All the warriors at the surface assumed the
Water Witch had defeated Beowulf. They waited over an hour, and
King Hrothgar and his men decided to leave. Beowulf's men,
however, refused to leave because they still had hope. Down in
the cave, the enormous sword began melting in Beowulf's hands.
Grendel's poisonous blood was so powerful that the sword could not
withstand its potent power. Beowulf took Hrunting and the
monster's head and swam back to the surface. His comrades cheered
with joy because their leader was once again victorious. It took
four men to carry Grendel's head back to the town, but they did it
gladly. Once again the Danish people had been rescued by Beowulf,
and there was much joy and peace throughout the land. King
Hrothgar gave him the gold he promised, and the townspeople
held a feast to celebrate. Several days later, Beowulf and his
men got back on the boat and sailed home to Gothland."
Bill looked to his side and saw Joanie curled up next to Marie, and both of them were fast asleep.
Billy Jr. whispered, "Is that the end of the story?"
"That's the end of Daneland's problems, but there is one more monster back in Gothland," Bill replied. "Do you want to hear the ending, or do you want to wait until tomorrow night so your sister can hear it, too?"
"Can you please tell it tonight?" Billy Jr. pleaded.
"Okay, but we have to be quiet. We don't want to wake your mom and sister," Bill said.
Author's Note: I wrote this chapter from two separate stories from Marshall's book. The first story was about the Water Witch and how she avenged Grendel's death. The second story was about Beowulf avenging the death of King Hrothgar's friend. As I previously mentioned, I also took the information from Chapter 2 from two separate stories, but I only took the bare essentials from the first story and concentrated mainly on the battle with Grendel. This chapter presented a new challenge because both stories were very important to the plot, so I had to take much information from each one. That is why my frametale is a little more condensed: notice that the children did not interrupt to ask questions. The two stories together were over 2700 words, and I reduced it to about 950 words including my short frametale. I had to leave out details that I felt were not important to the plot. One example is that Beowulf had never heard of the Water Witch and was initially confused about what or who had attacked Hart Hall. King Hrothgar explained that Grendel's mother came for revenge. I believe that I included all necessary information to make the storybook plot consistent. In Chapter 4, Beowulf will return home to Gothland and fight his final battle.
Image Information: The Water Witch Stabbing Beowulf from The Baldwin Project
Bibliography Information: "How the Water Witch Warred with the Dane Folk" by H. E. Marshall, from Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children (1908). Web Source: The Baldwin Project
"How Beowulf Overcame the Water Witch" by H. E. Marshall, from Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children (1908). Web Source: The Baldwin Project
Bill looked to his side and saw Joanie curled up next to Marie, and both of them were fast asleep.
Billy Jr. whispered, "Is that the end of the story?"
"That's the end of Daneland's problems, but there is one more monster back in Gothland," Bill replied. "Do you want to hear the ending, or do you want to wait until tomorrow night so your sister can hear it, too?"
"Can you please tell it tonight?" Billy Jr. pleaded.
"Okay, but we have to be quiet. We don't want to wake your mom and sister," Bill said.
Author's Note: I wrote this chapter from two separate stories from Marshall's book. The first story was about the Water Witch and how she avenged Grendel's death. The second story was about Beowulf avenging the death of King Hrothgar's friend. As I previously mentioned, I also took the information from Chapter 2 from two separate stories, but I only took the bare essentials from the first story and concentrated mainly on the battle with Grendel. This chapter presented a new challenge because both stories were very important to the plot, so I had to take much information from each one. That is why my frametale is a little more condensed: notice that the children did not interrupt to ask questions. The two stories together were over 2700 words, and I reduced it to about 950 words including my short frametale. I had to leave out details that I felt were not important to the plot. One example is that Beowulf had never heard of the Water Witch and was initially confused about what or who had attacked Hart Hall. King Hrothgar explained that Grendel's mother came for revenge. I believe that I included all necessary information to make the storybook plot consistent. In Chapter 4, Beowulf will return home to Gothland and fight his final battle.
Image Information: The Water Witch Stabbing Beowulf from The Baldwin Project
Bibliography Information: "How the Water Witch Warred with the Dane Folk" by H. E. Marshall, from Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children (1908). Web Source: The Baldwin Project
"How Beowulf Overcame the Water Witch" by H. E. Marshall, from Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children (1908). Web Source: The Baldwin Project