Long ago, King Ollie was amidst a game of SKATE with the tallest skater when he snapped his board in two. While searching for a new board to complete the game, he came across a pond. Out of the pond, he noticed an arm holding a skateboard and approaching him was the Lady of the Pond. King Ollie asked the Lady if he could have the skateboard. She responded by saying that he may go and take the board, but only if he promised to give her a gift. Being a popular skater, and perhaps slightly cocky, King Ollie pulled a marker from his pocket and started to autograph his helmet to give it to the Lady. But she stopped him and said that she did not want a signed helmet. Instead, she would ask for the gift in her own time. He agreed to give her the gift she would ask for, no matter what it might be. He then waded out into the water to take the skateboard.
When King Ollie took the board out of the ghostly hand, it disappeared. Now holding the Excaliboard, he realized that it was like no other skateboard. It was crafted using material of the highest quality and with the utmost craftsmanship. With precious gems inlaid in the board's deck, it was obvious that this was board possessed unnatural abilities and would give its rider a remarkable advantage.
Proud of his new skateboard, King Ollie forgot about his heated game of SKATE. Instead of returning to face his opponent again, he rode the Excaliboard to the town of Carlion to show the rest of the Knights of the Octagonal Table.
Cover for Backyard Skateboarding. Source: Wikia
Author's Note
If it wasn't obvious, my inspiration for this story is the tale of how King Arthur acquired the Sword Excalibur. However, to change it up, I took a reference from the 2004 video game Backyard Skateboarding and ran with it. Also, the original story, Merlin is with King Arthur when he finds Excalibur, but I excluded a Merlin-like character to simplify my story.
Bibliography
"The Sword Excalibur" from King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1902).
Hey there Baylor,
ReplyDeleteThis story about the Excaliboard is something else! I really enjoyed it and it was truly a great read. I can really tell how much effort you put into the creation of this story. This was a really great job of changing up the original myth and folklore story into truly your own creation. I Can’t wait to Read more!
Hello, Baylor!
ReplyDeleteLet me just start off by saying that I really appreciate the word play in your first sentence. I am not sure what I was expecting when I started reading the story, but I am glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised. You were incredibly creative with this story, and I cannot wait to read more of your work! Keep up the good work!
Hi Baylor!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to start by saying your creativity is outstanding. I enjoyed this story very much. You did a great job merging King Arthur's story and making it your own. The detail in your story made it easy for me to create a visual in my head. That's usually the first sign to me that I am reading a good story!
Hi Baylor,
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting take on the story of king Arthur and I found it to be very entertaining. I enjoyed the skateboarding aspect of the story. I am not a skater myself but I can appreciate the sport for what it is. I like your writing because it is easy to read and I could think about all the ways that the story could go after your ending. Good luck with finals
Hey Baylor,
ReplyDeleteI wanted to first that I am very impressed with your writing overall. It is very fluid and makes for good cohesion of your take on the King Arthur story. As I fellow skater, I really enjoyed how you put that into the story as it made it very personable to me. I think that the image you chose also conveys a good tone for the story. I used to play that game all the time as a kid, good times!
Hey Baylor,
ReplyDeleteI think this might be my favorite story of the year. It was like a corny version of how King Arthur acquired Excalibur, and it was hilarious. My favorite part of the story was when King Ollie was so arrogant to think that a floating hand in a pond wanted a signed helmet as payment. I just thought the story was awesome. Good work.
Brady
Hey Baylor,
ReplyDeleteI liked your story. What an interesting take on the Excalibur story. I think it is funny that you made Ollie so cocky and that the lady refused his gift of a signed helmet. It's really cool too how you made the sword into a skateboard. Overall this was an interesting story. Good luck on finals, and I hope you have a great rest of the semester.
Hello Baylor,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the story. I found the writing to be really creative and fun. The grammar was impeccable, and you pay a lot of attention to detail. I liked how you made the story yours, and the transformation was incredible. In my experience, it is difficult to transform stories this way, almost to the point of satire, but you nailed it.
Hi there Baylor!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your twist on this story! The unique skate park angle that you pursued really made the story feel fresh, new, and fun. I loved reading along to see how elements of Arthurian legend would line up with King Ollie and his adventures, and I think you did a great job!
-Kate