By: Louis Ginzberg (1909)
Authors Note: For this story, I decided to take the story "Noah: The Flood" and put my own twist on it. In the original story, Noah was called upon to build an ark so that him and all the animals could survive the massive flood that was to occur. Through trial and error, Noah was able to build an ark and bring a pair of every animal imaginable onto the ark. Thinking they were safe and free from harm, Noah began to notice the waves from the water were becoming more violent. To add to the situation, they were beginning to run out of food. Worried, Noah began to improvise.
Noah's Animals
One day Noah was working outside, as he usually does. Working on the farm and making sure everything was in order. He heard a voice speak to him.
"You must build an ark before the flood comes" says the voice.
"Who's there?" Noah asked.
"Go and build the ark, for I am the LORD and you shall do as I say." said the LORD.
Shocked and confused, Noah began to collect wood and tools that he would need to build an ark.
"How am I supposed to build an ark?" Noah thought to himself.
The next day, Noah was going to go gather some more wood and tools. As he stepped outside he stubbed his toe on a big box that was sitting on his porch.
"What is this?" Noah thought as he scratched his head.
Noah opened the box and to his surprise it was full of wood and tools.
Later that day, Noah began to build the ark. He worked for hours and hours, for he remembered the LORD told him he didn't have long.
The next morning, Noah opened his door and saw another box!
"I wonder what this could be?" said Noah.
He opened the box and found it filled with nails and screws. Something he desperately needed to finish the ark.
"Where is all of this coming from?" Noah wondered.
Exhausted and sleepy, Noah laid down on the couch for a nap. As he shut his eyes he heard a knock on the door. He went to the door and as he opened it, a pair of dogs walked in.
"Oh my! Where did you two come from?" said Noah.
Noah gave them both some food and water and laid back down. A little later, there was another knock on the door. Noah got up to go see who it was, and in walked a pair of kittens.
"How is this possible?" yelled Noah.
He gave the kittens some milk and put them next to the dogs. After the kittens were fed, Noah was able to go to sleep.
The next morning, Noah woke up to yet another knock on the door. As he opened it in walked so many pairs of animals he couldn't even count them all. Noah became overwhelmed. He still had to finish the ark and hadn't yet figured out where those boxes full of wood and tools were coming from.
Noah called all the animals over and had them gather around. Looking at all of them, he saw so many pairs of different animals. Dogs, kittens, giraffes, penguins, elephants, snakes, and so many others! Noah couldn't believe his eyes.
"Do you want us to help you finish the ark?" said one of the giraffes.
"You can talk?" said Noah.
"Of course we can" responded the giraffe.
"We've all been bringing you the tools and wood to help with the ark" said one of the penguins.
"Wow, that's so wonderful! Let's get to work" exclaimed Noah.
All the animals began helping Noah finish the ark. The giraffes were helpful with putting the boards up and the snakes checked for any holes or cracks that needed to be repaired.
Many hours later, the ark was completed! Worn out and exhausted, Noah and the animals all went to bed.
Later that night, Noah was awoke by a loud voice.
"Wake up! Wake up!" the loud voice yelled.
Noah and all the animals awoke and boarded the ark. Scared and worried, nobody knew what to expect. Within minutes of boarding the ark, a large amount of water began flooding in. Noah watched as his house and farm were washed away.
The flood began to rock the ark back-and-forth.
"Hold on!" shouted Noah.
Thankfully, the water let up and the ark was able to peacefully float in the water.
After many days, the flood eventually subsided and the water began to go down. Noah and the animals were beginning to become very hungry.
"What do we have to eat?" asked one of the elephants.
"We don't have any food left" Noah said sadly.
Worried, the animals began to panic.
"LORD please help us!" begged Noah.
"No need to worry" responded the LORD.
A few days had passed and the animals and Noah became weaker and weaker. They were so hungry they could barely stand. They all went to sleep early that night.
The next morning, all of them awoke to a wonderful smell. There was a feast awaiting for them! There was food everywhere. Any type of food imaginable was on the ark. Noah and the animals began jumping with joy. All of them began to fill their bellies.
Many weeks had passed, Noah was begging to worry.
"Will we ever get off this boat?" wondered Noah.
"No need to worry" said the LORD.
The next morning, Noah and the animals woke up to an exciting surprise. The ark was parked in front of a big house. So big that all of the animals could fit. Noah was excited that he had a new house and that all the animals could stay with him.
All of the water was gone. They all got off the ark and went to explore their new home.
Hi Braley! Noah and the Ark is one of my favorite Bible stories, and I loved the way you retold this. You kept it largely accurate to the telling in the Bible, and you made me laugh with some of your twists and comments. I loved that the boxes of supplies showed up on his porch, that the animals could talk, and that there was a feast and ready-made house for them all after the fact. I was curious if his family was also aboard? Overall, I really enjoyed this retelling of a classic story.
ReplyDeleteHello Braley, nice story. I really like how interactive the animals were to the narrative, showing they worked for the survival and their place on the ark. I do wish that there was more of a backstory to your retelling, why was the flood happening? Was it the same reason the bible has or could you have given a different reason? Other than that, great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Braley, I like your humorous twist on this story! I like how the story had a nice flow and continued to build upon itself. I also liked how you personified the animals in a hilarious way. This story kind of reminds me of the movie Evan Almighty with Steve Carrel. Did you consider including Noah’s family to add an extra layer to the story? I think this could have allowed you to explore other funny opportunities such as, how did Noah’s wife respond to having to living with all of the animals. Or were any of his family members afraid of any of the animals, like snakes. I also liked how you gave certain animals specific jobs like the giraffes and snakes—this is really creative! I agree with Selena in that more of a backstory would have been nice to receive context if you were not already familiar with this story. Overall, great job!
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