The Receptionist's Tale

Sue

Let me tell you a bit more about me

So that you will understand and see

Where this story is coming from.

I guess it is time now that I begun.

I am a receptionist at a large firm

Without much wealth as you will discern;

I won this trip for free in a drawing.

I feel this train is really hauling!

I’m afraid to travel and almost stayed home

But it seemed a waste not to roam

As it was given to me after all.

My cats must miss me, ten, big and small.

In my girlhood, I was much too careless

And while I was never an heiress

I would have been able to live in comfort

If I hadn’t lost it all in time quite short!

Now all of my savings are gone away

And I’ll have to work til my dying day.

Compared to me, I hope you won’t be as dense.

Now it is time for my story to commence.

The Receptionist’s Tale

This is a story about an old cat.

Around her, a bunch of kittens sat.

For years they had laughed at her cautious way

But she would explain all of that today.

As a young kitten, she had left home

Independent, rebellious, eager to roam.

Soon lonely, for a family she pined.

In an alley cat gang, she found her kind.

She moved up the ranks and found her place

Until the day she was in a great chase.

After a string of assaults and theft

The authorities had been surprisingly adept.

In a high-speed pursuit, she met her fate

And didn’t wake until the day was late.

It took a while to realize she’d died

But with eight more lives, she took it in stride.

“I have plenty of lives, what’s one death to me?”

At that moment, she realized she was free.

The gang had become much too confined

And so she set out, something new to find.

Before long she found her new pursuit:

As a pirate, she would gather loot.

Readily, she reported to her ship

And joined the crew of the fierce Captain Kip.

All was well til a ship came into sight

An enemy! At once they began to fight!

The ship was struck with a cannonball.

Captain Kip yelled out, “Go and check the hull!

Don’t let us sink! That’s your job to manage!"

Our cat went below to see the damage.

There was a hole under the waterline;

However, the floor was wet by this time.

I can’t go down there! My fur was just cleaned!

And so she sat on the step and preened

While the ship went down with all the crew.

She woke on a beach, ready to start anew.

She was determined to stay on dry land.

So she went back to the city and planned.

To the gang, she did not want to return

But on her own, she was quite forlorn.

She met a tomcat and found a lover.

He was perfect she was soon to discover.

He was a professional daredevil

And she wanted to get on his level.

So whenever he gave her a dare

She foolishly risked her life without care.

Until she tried to jump from a bridge

Onto a moving train. She missed by a smidge!

And was promptly squished beneath it.

She woke from death without any regret

And took up the next dare, feeling thrilled.

But it wasn’t long before she was killed.

She can’t remember the next lives clearly,

She died quickly, is it a surprise really?

She was down to two lives but didn’t mind;

Off she went, a new adventure to find.

Alone now, she entered the wilderness,

It was absurdly foolish but I digress.

With white water rafting, she started this time,

Then found some cliffs she wanted to climb.

But after she had gotten halfway up

She found one of her claws had gotten stuck

In a crack. If she pulled, it might tear out

Which would really hurt, without a doubt.

She refused to gamble with such pain

And so on the cliff face she did remain

Until, tired out, at last, she did fall.

This time, her life, she did finally mull,

For she realized it was her last one.

If she died again, she would be done.

She was cautious now, wary of danger.

Knowing she could die really did change her.

She started a family, settling down

Making sure to live in a nice part of town.

The kittens laughed at her worries and fears.

She tells her story and makes sure each one hears

So that, better choices, they will make

In their lives for their well-being’s sake!

"That is my story; I hoped you liked it,”

The old woman said, wishing it was fit

For the competition. It was declared great.

We turned to the actress; what would she relate?

Before she could begin, Howie stood.

“I can’t stay quiet! That story wasn’t good!

With my story I will set the record straight!

I can’t wait for my own turn; it will be too late.”

To waiting, Elizabeth did agree,

So Howie began his story with some glee...

Author's Note

At first, I wanted to choose story topics that reflected Chaucer's original themes, such as corruption in leaders and government, the follies of society, or perhaps the dangers of media. But, ultimately, I realized that would be a huge undertaking and I didn't have time to outline that sort of thing. Instead, I decided to keep it lighthearted. I did follow Chaucer's style in that his storytellers also decided the order they would go in. Just like in the original, after the first story, someone interrupted, disagreeing with it.

In preparation, I read some of the Canterbury Tale but mostly I used a thesaurus and a rhyming website, which I kept open as I wrote. If you want to read the real Canterbury Tales, there is a modern retelling in the Week 12-13 unit. It isn't in verse but it would give you a feel for Chaucer's story.

I also included a link below to a version that is in verse. I read that one to help me prepare for my story.

Finally, I included a link to the myth about cats having nine lives. It is common among several cultures but this one is specifically Celtic.

Bibliography

Canterbury Tales, The Chaucer Book, retold in modern prose by Eva March Tappan, Week 12-13.

Cat Sìth, Wikipedia, Celtic myth of a cat with nine lives.

Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, retold in verse by Tony Kline (this one is kind of hard to read but if you want to sample the verse style Chaucer used you might try reading a few lines).

Photo Credit: wikimedia