1 A collaboration with Desert Island Supply Company and Gail Harper Yeilding
"And I grew up, tall and straight boned, writing every day. And the words became books that told the stories of many people's Show Ways."
Dedication Written for my nieces and nephews, James, Mose, Eden, Rudy, Louise, Scarlett, and Hardy
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~Jacqueline Woodson in Show Way
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4 Mary Jane’s Mary janes, those were my first pair of shoes, one pair black and one pair white, patent leather. We always went to a store called Sikes. I remember walking around the store, getting my foot measured with a silver shoe measure device, and always hoping each time, my foot might be just a little bigger. Then also, regardless of if my foot had grown an inch or even half of an inch, I remember the chicklets gum and a balloon that you would get after. Nothing is better than holding a brand new box of shoes and a balloon. (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
The Jar That was before the box, which was actually a jar! Really? You'd think if I was going to be blamed for the world's evil, you could at least get that device correct. However, that's only the first part of where my story goes wrong. You might have guessed it by now, but my name is Pandora or Anesidora. Many people call me evil; however, if you're my real friend, you may want to call me P.Money not to be confused with Diddy. He is an imitator but not a hater. I may have been curious, but I am not either ofWhythose.money, you ask? Well I'm not sure about why they call me that, but I think that is because they see my infinite possibility. That's what real money is, an investment in the future. You see, I was blessed by many gods at my birth, and also had the great opportunity to attend Tarrant Middle High School in Tarrant City State and the republic of Greece. This town seemed small growing up, but it was surrounded by the great mountains of Olympus, along with a few other factories that polluted our beautiful world (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
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town Well, I guess it's not too po donk there is an eternal flame that burns for all of the surrounding villages to see. When I was born, I was blessed by all the gods of Mount Olympus. That makes me part god, part human, I think a demi god. But, for some reason, no matter where you grow up, a person seems to always think they have got it pretty average. One day though, no matter where you are, you realize you had it pretty great, we all struggle, and eventually we find what's even greater in life, home. (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
From an early age, I knew my education would be my pass out of what I thought was a pretty po donk and perfunctory town. In fact, a great leader of South Africa, Nelson Mandela once said that, "education was the greatest engine of personal development, it is what we make from what we have, not what we are given which separates one person from another.” These words made me realize that it does not matter where you were born, what matters is what you do with what you have. That is what being resourceful means, using what you have to the best of your ability!Myhome
6 Home
Icarus, now he is one for the fairytales. Everyday seemed new with him. Every moment was a holiday. Until, well I think you all have heard his story about his failed attempt at the sun, but most people believe that when the sun burned his wings, he fell. Actually, I swooped in just in time with my horse, Pegasus, and saved his butt. (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
Today I walked into the rest of my life. I looked into the future and I saw the sun. Icarus finally read something, listened to what I was saying, and designed me some killer winged-shoes
Icarus’s Wings
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One thing I have learned about men and women, they’re as different as the night is to the day. I guess that’s another paradox, this curse is also probably our greatest blessing Another thing I really admire is when a man can let a woman save her, and also when a woman can let a man take care of her. Both are luxuries we should all be grateful for. I met Icarus while building a box. Again, not the box that everyone claims I opened. I was building a box for my school books, duh! He noticed that I was a scholar immediately. I noticed that something about him took my breath away. I loved his glasses, his voice, and every time I was near him it seemed like the cogs in the world clicked and things were right. I know, maybe a little bit teenage wasteland, but for now I'm banking on airplanes. (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
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The Great Paradox
One thing I remembered that another friend, Langston, taught me, “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die; life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams go; life is a barren field covered in snow.” (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
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Oh well, great experience and you know what I did, I walked out, and bought myself some new shoes. I found some great one’s today at The Garment District in Bostoniense. Can you believe it? A ten drachma pair of boots? The soles may be falling off, but they are tan leather and have Texas written on the side. My soul may also be a little worn out from flying to the sun, so I'm sure it would not be too much work to repair these soles.
Cowgirls don't get the blues
These shoes make me think about my future, and respect that along with my friends, family, and especially my teachers because they certainly believe in me if nobody else does. But, I also know that even when my parents are upset with me, they are only upset because they are passionate about helping me achieve my dreams.
One thing I love about these shoes, they cover my legs in the cold. They also make me realize that with a little work, we all get a second chance.
10 I walk down another street… I realized this when I read the poem, that my teacher Ms. Young gave me, "An Autobiography in Five Short Chapters" by Portia Nelson "Chapter One: I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost... I am hopeless. It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out. Chapter Two: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I am in this same place. But, it isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out. Chapter Three: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it there. I still fall in... it's a habit... but, I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately. Chapter Four: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it. Chapter Five: I walk down another street." (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
11 My Happiness I grew up blessed by every god, the world set out in front of me, and like many people I'm sorry to tell you but I flat out blew it! On my behalf though, my case was really a case of the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, really, for most criminals, that's how the story goes. And usually, we think it is not our fault. First thing I had to learn was, I had to accept my responsibility, move on, and realize my happiness was not anyone's fault but my own. (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
"I know I'm not Athena, I know I’m not Athena, but I can peel my armor, peel it back..."
One day I was by a river with my one twelfth mother and goddess of the hunt, Athena. I had just gotten in a fight with Aphrodite. I refused to believe her that I couldn't love as many people as I wanted to different degrees. She tried to limit what I believed love to be, and she is supposed to be the goddess of love. And then, while I walked away, and found a story book with words written, “This is a tree on fire with love, but it’s still scary since most people think love only looks like one thing instead of the whole world,” and that was all the proof I needed. Well, that proved my point exactly, and so after leaving Aphrodite, I ran to the river of Lethe where Athena was cleaning her armor with a cleaning agent that was in a jar. (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
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My second chance came after I survived a long fall.
Now everyone knows, Hephaestus or Vulcan stands at the top of Red Mountain in Birmingham. Something you might now know is that he molded me out of the earth in order to punish mankind! So, from birth, I was pretty much doomed! No matter, I took my task, with a genuine willingness to help Athena, and off I went. Through the clouds, I took off with Pegasus all the way to Birmingham, Alabama with Hephaestus at the top of the mountain overlooking the city. (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
The Cleaner "Pandora, I am running out of this cleaner. Can you go get me another jar from Hephaestus?"
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(Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
A Trip to Vulcan…
“Hello god of god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, fires, and volcanoes. I’m Pandora,” I said hesitantly, “Athena sent me here to get more cleaner for her armor.”“Hello,Pandora, Anesidora, all endowed, gift of all things, Athena told me she was sending you. I was just getting this box and jar together. Now, I have very specific instructions, so listen closely,” his voice thundered. “I am giving you two things, the cleaner in the jar and one in a box. You must not open the box, it is a gift for Athena.”
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The Fall Away I went, down with Pegasus again, through the clouds and down to the Underworld. I saw Persephone on her way back to join her mother, Demeter, to join in the harvest in her time in the world above. I thought about the gift that Hephaestus had sent to Athena. I resisted though, because I knew he had specifically instructed me not to open the box. You all do remember that I’m curious though, don’t you? I also like to help. Anyway, I returned to the side of the river Lethe, and seeing Demeter working hard in golden fields of grain, I immediately offered to help. Thinking that I was helping, I opened the jar to help Demeter In the moment, what I was thinking was that Hephaestus said what was in the box was for Athena. So, what was the harm in helping another god who needed the cleaner. As I did this, the force of all the evil in the world, And I, fell into the river. (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
The River Lethe
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Being the river of forgetfulness and where we get the word lethargy, you might've guessed it, off I went, floating through the river. As I floated, I dreamed. I dreamed of all the evils and in my defense, it was a terrible experience. A dream of indescribable panic fear, sorrow and death. However, at the same time, I dreamed of all the hope in the world. That is what went into the jar. In Lethe, contained the evils of laziness, doubt, fear, and worry. It may have actually been lucky, because with my presence there, as I absorbed and dreamed these evils, I brought hope. Who knows? If it hadn't been my curious self to fall in that river, we might not have had hope at all! (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
Love, for me, turned out not to be as godly; however, that's what made it love to me. Reality and acceptance. Strength and weakness. Joy and sadness. All of it together. Another paradox? Yes, but that's what reveals the higher truth and that is what made it wonderful. (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
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The Great Paradox As I floated, along came Epimetheus, who was coasting along the river looking for a second life as well. He picked me up out of the river, and as he did this he drank some of the river, which caused him to sleep as well. We drifted and as we did, we rode through a rapid, which caused our boat to overturn on the side of the river. Later, we both woke up. From oblivion, we came to consciousness. We looked into each others eyes and it was like looking into the river of Mnemosyne or the river of remembering in each others eyes. From that point on, we were omniscient. No longer did we doubt because we had each other, and that is what made us all knowing.
Mount Vesuvius “You never truly know a person until you walk a mile in his moccasins.” "Boooooooooooooooommmmm."
From the top of Mount Vesuvius, molten lava bursts and ran rapidly down to the cobblestone streets of Pompeii in Italy. I was there traveling with Aphrodite who was refuting me on her philosophies of love and her stories as the goddess of love and beauty. In a mad rush, we began running with lava at our heels, just as Pegasus, the winged horse, swooped down and we climbed on. The lava as well as destruction spread throughout the land. Many survivors had to pack up and leave their home. Greece got really over crowded and there were more disasters elsewhere, so at last my family and I became vagabonds as well. We packed up our things and my Olympian Family moved to the top of Table Mountain in Capetown, South Africa, where we traveled to the top in a cable car that carried us up and down the mountain each day. Another one of our relatives had gotten into a debacle in this town and so we moved here to help him out. One thing about an Olympian family is, no matter what you do, they are always there to help you. (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
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19 Refugee So, for a short period, I made my home at Victoria Girls High School. It was ok because I met another exile kinda like me named, Noemie. She had fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo for similar reasons as myself. Her life was threatened by corrupt leaders who were not doing the right thing for their people. We both spoke French though, so we got along great immediately and helped each other get used to a new school. Sometimes learning each other’s language is the first step in making new friends. After school, we used to go running. My favorite part was when we would make it to the train tracks. Perhaps even at this age, I enjoyed breaking barriers. But, I would run on, across, and back across the train tracks. I used to love to get on the tracks and deliberately place my feet as quickly as possible on each individual piece of wood, which made the tracks. It was also somewhat thrilling because you never knew when a train would come through. I made new friends at my boarding school: Noemie, Ziyanda, Dolly, Caroline, Nosifundo, Tombizanele, Thembisa, Misiwe or Zandile. It was difficult being away from my family, but I learned so much from each one of these girls. I learned to dance like no one's watching. I learned that sometimes you dance, sometimes you eat the food, and sometimes you make the bed. I learned that Grahamstown had a cool breeze that could overtake the world if people would listen. I also learned, no matter what, keep walking. Also, I learned what real strength was, mandla, when I met Caroline’s mother, Janine. (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
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Janine
One Sunday I went to visit my friend Caroline's mother named Janine. I walked about a mile outside of Grahamstown to the township to a shanty village. Grahamstown was currently being ruled by people who were not natives of the country but had taken over and pushed everybody to the Prometheusoutskirts.stolefire from them, even though originally people thought he stole it from my family. My father Zeus bound him in the underworld for the rest of his life. My mom always told me it was not because of stealing fire, but for causing people to live without freedom. From that I always knew, no matter what I did, I better not do something to somebody that I wouldn't be able to live with. Most likely, I'd get the same punishment or worse. That’s karma. The people in the village were forced to live outside of town in small shacks made out of aluminum. The floors were dirt. Caroline's mom slept on hay bales. She had a small makeshift kitchen next to her bed, which was really a bucket of water, a small sink, soap and dishcloths. (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
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Regardless of this, Caroline's mom greeted us with a smile I will never forget. A dress of beauty that came alive on the folds of fabric that swept over her shoulders and wrapped around her head. I could not understand much of what she said, but one word I did hear was, "My child, I suffer."Every
A mile in her shoes…
morning Caroline's mom would walk a few miles to the nearest water pump. If there was water left, she would walk the next few miles back carrying a large bucket of water on her head. If there was no more water, she would keep walking until she found it. After she had cleaned and dressed, she would walk another mile to catch the taxi, if it was there on time. At the end of the day would catch the taxi or walk back home to her shanty in the township. All while living without Caroline. All while also wearing high heel black pumps with holes in them. Here is where I saw why she said, “my child I suffer.” When Caroline walked out of the room, I quickly removed my shoes and put on Caroline's mom's shoes which had been left by the door when entering her house. I walked several more miles in those shoes, all the way back to VG. I listened as many of Caroline and my friends laughed and made fun of my shoes. I watched as Caroline bit her lip. I held my head high and continued to walk. No reason in the world to care what people who laugh at others think I thought to myself. (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
As I arrived home from my trip to meet Caroline’s mom, I looked around and saw all the things I didn’t need and the things I had taken for granted. I separated what I owned and what I didn’t own. After all that happened, I decided to strap on my own armor like Athena. But, along with that I decided that to really have armor, you gotta peel some back. And so, for me, it became a balance, put your armor on, but peel it back.
Akeria Williams, the prominent author, wrote, “Hope is infinite, believing is seeing.” I put this on, hope, peace and love, because after all, I may be the curse of humanity, but I also gave you hope, and that is our sole comfort in misfortune. And, that is how my story finally began. (Write your own adventure by adding your own twist to the story here… or create an illustration in the following space.)
Athena’s Armour Well the dress matches these shoes, so I decided, why not?
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This story is based on the myth of Pandora, “the gift of all.”
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Here is her story according to Edith Hamilton.
