Read the following fantasy story and use it to fill in the following table:
You can also research the fantasy genre online to help you find the answers.
3 very short fantasy stories
Make them stop
“It will remove all their pain and sorrows,” she says. The goddess sat in the clouds high above the city. In her hands was an elixir made from rare spineberries that she’d picked.
“Wouldn’t this be nice? I’ll no longer have to hear their cries.”
She leans over the rain clouds, ready to pour when her sister interrupts.
“Stop! Are you mad?” she says. “If people consume this, they’ll no longer feel anything. Are you sure you won’t regret it?”
The goddess sighs heavily with bags under her eyes. “I guess I’ll leave them be.”
Girl in the tower
She lived in this tower for twenty years. Her mom said someday a prince will save her. But so far, no one came. By the windowsill was an eversomnum. She knew better than to eat its berries; they would put her to sleep for a millennium. It could be lovely, she thought. In her dreams, she was as free as Pegasus. She leaned over and plucked one, seeing the ground below. The tower didn’t seem so tall. The branches along the walls were thick enough. Maybe I can make my own freedom. She took a leap of faith, and climbed.
Love potion
He desperately wants her to love him. They had all the ingredients: unicorn hair, vampire blood, and loveberries that he handpicked from the alps. The witch leans over the cauldron.
“It’s almost ready,” she says. “But are you sure you want her to drink it?”
It was silly of her to ask. Of course, it’s yes. He is madly in love. The unrequited love is too much to bear. The witch hands him the vial.
“You need to drink this first for it to work.” He takes a gulp, feeling a good dose of self-love.
Typical settings
Characters
Common conflicts/problems
Language features
Famous examples
Typical settings:
- A city high above the clouds
- A tower
- A witch's cauldron
Characters:
- The goddess
- The sister
- The girl in the tower
- The prince
- Pegasus
- The witch
Common conflicts/problems:
- The goddess debating whether or not to remove all pain and sorrows
- The girl in the tower wanting to find her own freedom
- The man wanting the woman to love him
Language features:
- Use of magical elements (e.g. spineberries, eversomnum, unicorn hair, vampire blood, loveberries)
- Descriptive language (e.g. rare spineberries, bags under her eyes, plucked one, thick enough)
- Dialogue to convey the characters' thoughts and feelings
Famous examples:
- "Harry Potter" series by J.K. Rowling
- "The Lord of the Rings" series by J.R.R. Tolkien
- "The Chronicles of Narnia" series by C.S. Lewis
Typical settings:
1. The clouds high above the city
2. A tower where the girl has been imprisoned for twenty years
3. A witch's lair with a cauldron
Characters:
1. The goddess
2. The goddess's sister
3. The girl in the tower
4. The prince (mentioned)
5. Pegasus (mentioned)
6. The witch
Common conflicts/problems:
1. The goddess contemplating whether to give humans an elixir that would remove their pain and sorrows
2. The girl in the tower yearning for freedom and deciding to take matters into her own hands
3. The protagonist's unrequited love and desire to make someone love them
Language features:
1. Imagery: Descriptions of rare spineberries, rain clouds, bags under the goddess's eyes, eversomnum berries, and thick branches along the tower walls.
2. Metaphor: Comparing the girl's freedom in her dreams to that of Pegasus.
3. Dialogue: Conversations between the goddess and her sister, and the witch and the protagonist.
Famous examples:
1. "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll - a classic fantasy story set in various imaginative settings.
2. "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien - an epic fantasy trilogy set in Middle-earth.
3. "Harry Potter" series by J.K. Rowling - a contemporary fantasy series set in the magical world of wizards and witches.
Typical settings:
1. In the clouds high above the city
2. A tower where a girl has been trapped for twenty years
3. Near a cauldron in a magical setting
Characters:
1. The goddess and her sister
2. The girl in the tower
3. The desperate man and the witch
Common conflicts/problems:
1. The goddess contemplates whether to give humans an elixir to stop their pain and sorrows
2. The girl in the tower longs for freedom and takes a leap of faith to attain it
3. The desperate man wants the woman he loves to reciprocate his feelings and resorts to a love potion
Language features:
1. Imagery: "rare spineberries," "eversomnum," "Pegasus"
2. Metaphor: "feeling a good dose of self-love"
3. Personification: "ready to pour when her sister interrupts"
Famous examples:
1. "Harry Potter" series by J.K. Rowling (fantasy genre with magical settings, diverse characters, conflicts, and rich language)
2. "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien (epic fantasy series with detailed settings, complex characters, conflicts, and immersive language)
3. "Chronicles of Narnia" series by C.S. Lewis (fantasy series with enchanting settings, memorable characters, conflicts, and storytelling language)