Storyteller

Last night I had the opportunity to attend the Talk Story Festival. Friday's topic was spooky stories and Daniel A. Kelin II was the best of the night. His Marshall Islands stories were told with humor, which surprisingly did not detract from the dark tone of the tales.

The Kingdom of Foolishness: This tale of South India shows why Gurus are well respected. But first the story lovingly describes how greed and foolishness are their own punishments.

Old Lady and Monkey: Too much of anything leads to trouble, or, never fight with a monkey over bananas. A frighteningly funny story from Brazil.

Sea Spirit of Satawan: Obsessive control does not protect the young and innocent. In fact, it can lead to some very disastrous results, as heard in this tale from the Pacific island of Satawan.

Katia Bites: From the Cook Islands comes a tale of a deceptively pleasant, frighteningly fierce old woman who entices the most innocent of islanders into her cave…

Half Boy and the Demon Dog: From the atoll of Mili in the Marshall Islands, this little tale tells of a group of brothers, a demon-sized dog and the Half Boy who triumphs over all adversity.

Two Boys who Tricked a Tropical Demon (audio with pictures): On the island of Wodmej, in Wotje Atoll of the Marshall Islands, two boys lived with their parents.  They always wanted for food. With tricks, a couple of birds and some strong laughter, the two boys face an island demon to try and save their family.

Intermingling Under the Stars: In a village deep inside a jungle, the local dance hall erupts nightly in joy and flirtatious intermingling. Until the arrival of a strangely beautiful young woman and her odd old companion, that is.  Then young men begin to disappear and the village erupts in fear. Who is this stranger and why can she not get enough of the young men?