"Johnny-cake? I haven't heard that name in years."
Brandon dropped the phone.
"What the hell?"
"Relax, man, I'm not going to hurt you. That's just my name. Johnny-cake. Not that anyone knows who I am anymore."
"Seriously, what the f--
"--Can't you just roll with this for like, two seconds, man? I can't remember the last time someone noticed me and I get that you humans don't really go in for magic anymore, but I just want to have a nice, friendly conversation for once.
Brandon considers this for approximately .7 seconds. "You're a cake...that talks. I can't just let this go dude. Was I drugged? I have to be drugged. Go away, hallucination!"
"I promise it's okay, bro. You aren't drugged, I'm just magic! Which really never sells anyone on the "not drugged" angle but I'm not really sure how else to communicate that I exist and you aren't crazy, so here we are! Now tell me, how was your day?" Johnny-cake takes a drag of the cigarette and rolls a little toward Brandon.
"Nah man, this is too weird. I bet Paul slipped LSD into my food or something. Wait, wouldn't I have noticed that? I don't know. I just gotta get outta here!
With that, Brandon takes off down the alleyway, leaving his phone on the ground. Johnny-cake sighs, rolling over to it.
"Man, if only I had arms."
Author's Note: So the original story here is essentially The Gingerbread Man but with a Johnny-cake (a pancake). The pancake escapes a house and is chased by a boy, some well-diggers, and so on and so forth, all the while yelling about how he's faster than everyone. All of his pursuers tire and are forced to stop until he comes to a fox, who tricks him into being eaten.
I'm in a weird mood, so I was imagining what would happen if Johnny-cake survived, was immortal (he already talks and rolls really fast, so why not?), and was hanging out in the 21st century trying not to be eaten or experimented on while he tried to find some company. I also wanted to flip the narrative, where someone ran from the pancake instead of the other way around. It came out like a strange exercise in dialogue, and probably not my strongest work, but fun to write nevertheless. Also, I know the pic doesn't perfectly match my description but Johnny-cake is only a single pancake anyway and that picture was too good to pass up. Pancakes smoking cigarettes are not easy to come by.
Image: Pancake w Cigarrete 1. Source.
Bibliography: English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1890). Source.
"Nah man, this is too weird. I bet Paul slipped LSD into my food or something. Wait, wouldn't I have noticed that? I don't know. I just gotta get outta here!
With that, Brandon takes off down the alleyway, leaving his phone on the ground. Johnny-cake sighs, rolling over to it.
"Man, if only I had arms."
Author's Note: So the original story here is essentially The Gingerbread Man but with a Johnny-cake (a pancake). The pancake escapes a house and is chased by a boy, some well-diggers, and so on and so forth, all the while yelling about how he's faster than everyone. All of his pursuers tire and are forced to stop until he comes to a fox, who tricks him into being eaten.
I'm in a weird mood, so I was imagining what would happen if Johnny-cake survived, was immortal (he already talks and rolls really fast, so why not?), and was hanging out in the 21st century trying not to be eaten or experimented on while he tried to find some company. I also wanted to flip the narrative, where someone ran from the pancake instead of the other way around. It came out like a strange exercise in dialogue, and probably not my strongest work, but fun to write nevertheless. Also, I know the pic doesn't perfectly match my description but Johnny-cake is only a single pancake anyway and that picture was too good to pass up. Pancakes smoking cigarettes are not easy to come by.
Image: Pancake w Cigarrete 1. Source.
Bibliography: English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1890). Source.
Taylor, I really enjoyed this story! I thought it was super funny and clever, and I loved the voice that you gave to the pancake. It cracked me up that it was smoking a cigarette. This was super creative and your writing style is quirky and different and it was a refreshing change, particularly from my writing style. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi, Taylor!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how weird this story is - it is definitely the most unique reading I have done for class thus far! Until I read your author's note, I had no idea that it was a play on The Gingerbread Man. I always love a story that keeps me guessing. In answer to your author's note, I think you did a wonderful job with a difficult task. Considering the topic, I think that your writing is strong and memorable. Great work!
Hey Taylor! This story is definitely something different and new. I liked that you based the story off of the Gingerbread Man and had the guy run away from the cake, rather than the food run away from the man. You intertwined the dialogue into the story pretty well too. Good job with the story, and good luck with the rest of the semester!
ReplyDelete