Reading Notes: The Fish Who Helped Saint Gudwall, Part B

For my reading in the Saints Unit, Part B, my favorite story was The Fish Who Helped Saint Gudwall from The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts by Abbie Farwell Brown. I enjoyed this story because the human characters of this story were desperate and helpless, and needed the help from the fish in order to survive. Without the fish, the chances of surviving were slim.

To make my twist on the story more interesting, I would have some rather large fish save the humans by swimming under them and allowing them to ride on their back. The fish will be able to talk to them, figure out what is going on and decide how to fix the problem. Rather than building a wall from grains of sand, the fish will summon their leader. After a half our of deliberation, the fish will talk to the humans. Their solution will be to create gills for the humans so that they can breathe under water and live in their home year-round. At first, Saint Gudwall and his pupil will be hesitant on this decision. After further thought, the pupil will convince Saint Gudwall to accept the idea.

The problem will be solved and the Saint and his pupil will live in the beautiful place from now on. The first storm destroyed their home and washed away all of their possessions. The fish will again help them by retrieving their lost items and rebuilding their home. The home will be durable above and under water.

Another problem I would maybe introduce is the arrival of pirates when the storm approaches. Their home, as mentioned in the story, is a prime place for pirates to wreck havoc. I'm not positive yet, but I would like to maybe have pirates enter in the plot somehow.

Home along the coast in summer

Source: Wikimedia Commons