Week 1 Storytelling: The Flag Pole and The Marble Slab

A Giant Oak stood near a brook in which grew some

slender Reeds.







When the wind blew, the great Oak stood proudly

upright with its






hundred arms uplifted to the sky. But the Reeds




bowed low in the wind and sang a sad and mournful song.



(The Oak and the Reeds)



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A giant Flag Pole stood in the center of a town next to a Marble Slab. The Flag Pole held the flag of the town high in the sky, for everyone who lived there to see. The Slab was laid in the ground next to the Pole, and could only be seen if a person was standing near. 



The people of the town decided to record the history of the town on a special flag. The flag was decorated with expensive materials to show off the wealth of the town. The town elders spared no expense, and the flag was the grandest thing anyone had ever seen. Once the flag was raised to the top of the pole, it was visible from around the countryside. 



All of the craftsmen in the town had worked on the flag except for one, the town mason. The mason’s family had kept the town’s history on the Slab for many generations. The Slab was plain and without decoration, and the people of the town gave no thanks to the mason nor attention to the Slab.



One afternoon a mighty storm suddenly came through the town. The people had no warning, and no time to lower the flag from the Pole. As the storm passed over the center of the town, the flag was ripped from the Pole and torn to pieces by the wind. 







A storm wrecked flag pole





When the storm was over, the people of the town emerged gasped at the sight of the empty Pole. The people of the town were in anguish, fearing the rich and noble history of their town lost forever. The mason stepped forward and reminded the people that all the history was recorded on the Slab. 



The people of the town thanked the mason for ensuring the history would survive, and vowed to never again make such a wonderful flag that would be at the mercy of the cruel wind. 



Author's Note: This story was inspired by the fable "The Oak And The Reeds" which is quoted before my story. The original fable can be found in the book Aesop For Children, illustrated by Milo Winter (1919). My story is a different take on the original where something that seems mighty and grand is not so in reality.