| Sunshine from San Fransisco |
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Thirty minutes after leaving the convenience store with his new traveling companions, Jeff was ready to start the story circle. "I guess
you all have some radical stories. Someone tell one and let's get this
show on the road," Jeff suggested, trying to plant the seed of the
stories in his friends' heads.
"I've got
a story from when I passed through a commune in Utah. I cut right
through there when I left San Francisco," said the smaller blonde girl
sitting on the shag rug.
"What's
your name, lady from San Francisco?" asked Jeff.
"My name
is Samantha, but my friends call me Sunshine," replied the girl, and
with that Sunshine started her story.
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A
few
years
ago,
two
hippies
who
preferred to be called Mama and Papa
decided to gather their friends and family and develop a commune for
everyone to live on. Everyone was welcome to move onto the massive plot
of land that Mama and Papa bought with their savings. Food and
necessities were provided for everyone. The only rule on the commune
was for everyone to be cool with one another. No fighting or stealing
was allowed. Other than that, everything was copacetic.
Some
time
after
the
founding
of
the
commune, a far-out guy named Knight
moved into it. Mama took a special liking to him and all of her sisters
made sure to keep an eye out for his well-being. One night,
Knight was enjoying himself a little too much. He was wigging out all
over the commune and at one point went off on a dude for looking at him
the wrong way. Knight wailed on the guy. Once he got himself straight,
he was sent over to Mama and Papa's area, where everyone assumed he
would be kicked out for breaking the rule.
Papa
was
set
on
forcing
Knight
out
and on his way, but Mama and her sisters
stepped in. They made a deal with Papa that if Knight could find out
what it truly means to be a flower child in one week, he could stay.
Knight was cool with this arrangement. Someone there had the right
answer to save his spot in this nirvana. After getting the approval
from the rest of the members of the commune, Knight set out on his
quest for the answer.
Trying
to
find
out
what
it
means
to be a hippie was a lot harder than it
seemed. Everyone he asked had a different answer. Being good to the
earth, not eating animals, buying as few corporate goods as
possible...none of these explanations really captured the answer Knight
was looking for. Six days later, Knight was ready to give up. As he
wandered around the commune wigging out about his upcoming eviction, he
ran into Lady Moonbeam. She was a legend on the commune. She was filthy
and smelled like garbage that had been left out in the sun. Her hair
was matted and she wore layers and layers of threads that were too big.
Everyone stayed out of her way, but Knight was desperate.
"Hey,
Lady
Moonbeam,
what's
happening?
Can
I
ask you a question?" Knight
called out to her, hoping for a miracle. She, meanwhile, had been at
the meeting
about Knight's behavior and was expecting him to ask her the question.
"If
I
tell
you
the
right
answer
and you get to stay, you have to come live
with me and share my area. We will become one under the presence of the
commune population," Moonbeam propositioned. The hippies didn't believe
in legal marriage, but if two people came together in front of the
population, they were considered husband and wife.
"Uh,
sure,
sounds
far
out,"
answered
Knight,
desperate for her answer. She
smiled underneath the dirt and grime on her face and whispered
something into his ear. Knight ran back to Mama and Papa's home just
before the deadline.
Knight
got
up
in
front
of
the
crowd and proclaimed,"Brothers and Sisters, a
true hippie is one who not only stays true to themselves, but is true
to Mother Earth and all of her children in the form of people, plants,
animals and objects!"
Papa,
Mama
and
the
sisters
looked
at
one another and found that none of them
could come up with a objection to his explanation. Papa and Mama nodded
in unison and the rest of the members of the commune drummed their
hands on the ground in celebration. Lady Moonbeam stepped up and took
her place next to her man for their marriage ceremony. Once they were
joined together by Mama and Papa, they headed back to Lady Moonbeam's
pad for their first night together.
Knight
was
glad
to
be
safe
in
the commune, but was miserable at the cost. This
was not a righteous situation at all. He never thought that he would
marry the most unfoxy lady in the commune. Lady Moonbeam noticed his
depression and addressed him.
"Brother,
think
about
the
answer
you
gave
tonight. I helped you out and you
agreed to my commitment. I am one of Mother Earth's children. Shouldn't
you be true to me?"
Knight knew
that there was wisdom in her words and he mellowed out. He told her he
understood and even kissed her hand to prove his devotion. Lady
Moonbeam was pleased and went off to prepare herself for the night. A
while later a delicate, clean hand pulled back the psychedelic macrame
curtain. Knight watched in awe as Lady Moonbeam, freshly bathed and
combed, stepped into the light. Her golden curls were sparkling and her
skin was tanned like the golden brown sand on the beach. He took his
wife into his arms and they lived happily on the commune together for
years to come.
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| As Sunshine
finished up her story, everyone on the bus clapped and cheered. The
story of Lady Moonbeam and Knight lifted their spirits.
"What a rad story, Sunshine! I love happy endings," exclaimed Jeff as the group cruised down the highway. "What's going to beat that?" |
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Author's
Note
This
retelling is based on the The Wife of Bath's Tale from the Canterbury
Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer. In the original story, Knight was
actually a real knight, who treated a woman disrespectfully and was
going to be put to death by the King for his behavior. The Queen was
fond of the knight and struck a deal that if he could come up with an
answer for what women wished for the most in one year, his life would
be spared. He spend most of the year not finding the right answer. Just
before his deadline, the knight happened upon an unattractive old
woman, who agreed to give him an answer if he promised to marry her.
The knight agreed and the old woman's answer, which was the women want
to rule their husbands, was the right one. They married but the knight
was miserable and was harsh to his new bride. The old woman asked why
he would treat her so badly after what she had done for him, and he
felt very guilty. He kissed his bride to show he cared and the old
woman was revealed to be a beautiful young maiden. They lived happily
ever after.
To make
this fit my theme, I changed the knight to a hippie named Knight. The
King and Queen were changed to Mama and Papa, the people who run the
commune. Knight's search for an answer only lasted seven days instead
of a year since he was only searching a commune instead of a kingdom.
The old lady was transformed into Lady Moonbeam, the stinky outcast,
who was really beautiful underneath the grime. Overall, I eliminated
the magical element of the old woman's transformation and moved the
entire setting to 1960s Utah.
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Bibliography
"The Wife of Bath's Tale" by Geoffrey Chaucer, from The Canterbury Tales (1478). Web Source: The Baldwin Project |
| Mikey from Omaha |
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