Week 9 Storytelling: Mescal Pecker

Long ago, woodpeckers used to be Indians. Hidden among the tall rugged trees in the Texas woods, there was a noise heard throughout. The noise was loud and sounded almost as if someone was knocking on a door.

"Tap! Tap!"

The sound made many ponder what was actually happening. What were these tiny birds and why did their pointy beaks make constant sound on just the wood of the trees? Legend has it that these birds were part of an Indian tribe whose parents went out looking for their children, but what they don't entirely know is what happened to their children.

In the Texas woods, lies a plant known as the mescal plant. The plant had magical powers that the Indians did not know about. When people were around them, the world would be much more lively. Things would happen that people did not know about and could not remember. After much observation over this plant, it was told that people should not go near it for fear of what would happen to them. If they did, however, there would be many consequences faced.

The Indian children played among the woods, and knew the rules of the woods. One child, however, took it upon herself to not follow the rules. She was curious and wild, with a heart that wandered. He careless mind took her to the mescal plant. It was so vibrant and green with a mind of its own too. The pointy leaves from the plant tempted the small child to go even closer. The child had also brought with her a group of friends to also see the plant. Some were more reluctant than others.

"Are you sure we should do this?", yelled one little boy.

"I think we should ask our parents", screamed another girl with brown hair.

"Will we get magical powers?", asked another curious boy.

The girl whose idea it was lied to her friends and told them that she had received permission from their parents and that the plant would give them magical powers. What the girl did not know, however, was that there was a magical spell that was put on to the mescal plant.

The children heard the sound of knocking and followed closer to the plant where they thought it was coming from. Soon, they were in another world of their own. Life was a as carefree as the girl anticipated, but a little too carefree at that. They saw things they never thought they would. It was like a never ending dream. Anything they that they were thinking was brought to life.

Everything was going just fine until the children started to hear the knocking sound appear to get louder and louder. All of the sudden, the children started to feel feathers appear and their nose began to lengthen. In the blink of an eye, the children were turned into woodpeckers. They thought it was still part of the dream that they were in so they went along with it.

Soon, the children got tired of being a bird and wanted to go back to their original life... Little did they know that they would be trapped as a woodpecker knocking on trees to find their way out. Their lives became more of a nightmare than a dream from disobeying the orders.

This is why you hear the tapping of woodpeckers trying to find their way out.

(Mescal Plant) 

Author's Note: My inspiration for this post was from the Tejas Legends story, "Why the Woodpecker Pecks". I liked the idea of the story leading up to a greater meaning. I changed the original story up a bit and gave it new ending. In the original story, the children go near the mescal plant that they are not supposed to go to. The parents of the children also go looking for their children and are turned into woodpeckers. I thought it would be a fun twist to have the children be punished and trapped as woodpeckers.

Bibliography: Tejas Legend by Florence Stratton

Reading Notes: Tejas Legends; Part A

The first story was called "When the Storm God Rides". The story takes place along the shore of Texas by the Gulf of Mexico. It involves a storm God, known as Hurakan, who scared the Indians that lived among the land. They also called Hurakan the "thunder bird". I think it would be cool to incorporate some type of God into my writing. I feel like the story is interesting because it describes how the Indians didn't really know what a storm was, so they thought it they were being punished or and hid in fear. The Indians liked it better when the God was away. There was conflict with the Indians that lived there and another tribe who came using weapons. Eventually they prayed for the Storm God to help them and when he came, it was like a hurricane blowing through. Islands were created after for animals and plants specifically.

The next story I enjoyed was "How the North Wind Lost His Hair". The origin of the story was explaining Spanish moss. The story begins with the north wind being afraid of the south. I like that emotions are given to things that usually aren't able to give expression to themselves. That is something I could use in my story as well. The two winds did not like each other. Instead, many people liked the warm south wind as opposed to the cold north wind. The north wind kept blowing, causing spring to not occur. Finally, the north and south winds went at it and younger south wind was able to overpower the old north wind and in doing so he ripped his gray hair out. That is where the Spanish moss came from. I think it would be fun to tell a tale that all connects.

The last story for this part that I really enjoyed was called, "Why the Woodpecker Pecks". I thought it was interesting that the Indian children found a natural source of a psychoactive drug. Even though they weren't supposed to use it, they were still tempted by it and bad things happened. The families were turned into woodpeckers to go find them and never ended up finding them. I think there are a lot of great ideas that can come from hallucinogenic things. I could do a twist on this story and try to incorporate another Tejas Legend with it.

(Wood peckers and tree) 

Bibliography: Tejas Legend by Florence Stratton