So far, by God's grace

Friday, September 23, 2011

A New Reality !

How do you fit an ATM machine into a fairy-tale? Even into one that doesn't actually feature fairies??

Last night as I was putting Nanma to bed, she asked me to tell her a story. Only recently did I start telling her classic children's stories. Until then it was more like "realistic fiction" because that is what she knows. I had told her the story of Johnny Appleseed - one of my childhood favorites and she loved it. So I thought I could move on to fantasy.


So I begin*..." Long, long ago, there was a boy named Jack"
Nanma: Jack and Jill went up the hill
ME: Not that Jack, another boy. His Mother didn't have any money at home.
Nanma: No money to buy ice-cream. (this is something she hears from me when we walk down to the beach. I can't be buying her ice-cream everyday, can I?)
ME: NO money for icecream, or nice toys or even food. So his mother said.....
Nanma: What's the mother's name?
ME: um..... ah.....Mary. So his mother said "Take our cow to the market and bring back some money"
Nanma: Why?
ME: Because they didn't have money.
Nanma: He should have gone to the ATM!
ME: (Laughing).... Why?
Nanma: Moo Moo doesn't give money. You go with Amma to the ATM, put something in and money comes out. Amma shall we go to the beach and eat ice-cream?

I was stumped. How could I take that story further from there? ATMs are her reality.

My creative brains were fried from thinking of a way to weave an automated teller machine into a story that featured magic beanstalks and giants!

*The exchange above was entirely in Malayalam. It was funnier in that language!

5 comments:

  1. This is too cute and i know exactly what u mean. I have a three year old and i am stumped most of the time!

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  2. HAs she seen Wall-E the movie? Its the closest to an ATM I can think of..:)

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  3. i had a good laugh on this one..Nanma is "Cool" !!

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