Storytelling Week 12: Johnny-cakes in the Neighborhood

Once upon a time there was an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy…

(Neighborhood: Wikimedia)

They lived in a house located in a small quite neighborhood.  One morning the old man asked the old woman if she would bake them a Johnny-cake.  Delighted, as a Johnny-cake was one of her favorites, the old woman began to mix the ingredients.  The little boy squealed for joy as he headed outside to play until the Johnny-cake would be ready. An hour had passed when the little boy heard the ring of the oven timer.  The Johnny-cake was ready!  He rushed inside to a kitchen with a heavenly smell.  His mom had made not only a Johnny-cake but two Johnny-cakes! 

(Johhny Cakes: Wikimedia)

The old woman asked the little boy to take the second Johnny-cake and share with the neighbors before they sat down to eat a piece themselves.  The little boy headed back outside, Johnny-cake in hand, looking for neighbors.  As he walked up one of the streets he saw two men digging a well.  They looked tired and hungry so the little boy offered them a piece of the Johnny-cake.  Just around the corner, the little boy came upon two men digging a ditch.  They smelt the Johnny-cake as the little boy approached and hopped out of their ditch to enjoy a piece of the Johnny-cake.  Then the little boy went to the woods in the back of the neighborhood where he found a bear cub, a wolf pup, and a baby fox.  They were all running and playing with each other when the little boy came into the woods.  They saw the little boy was coming to bring them food and immediately stopped their game to see what he had brought.  The little boy divided up the rest of the Johnny-cake for the animals and laughed and played with them until the sun began to set.  He said goodbye to the animals and headed home.  As he walked home he waved goodbye to the ditch diggers and the well diggers as he passed by.  Finally, the little boy made it home to the old man and the old woman.  They were waiting patiently for the little boys return to enjoy their Johnny-cake together.  They sat down at the table and each cut a slice of the Johnny-cake.  The little boy told of all the people and animals that he shared the Johnny-cake with and the old man and the old woman were filled with happiness.

Author's Note:  In the original story, Johnny-Cake, an old woman tells the little boy to keep watch on the Johnny-cake.  The little boy gets distracted and the Johnny-cake jumps out of the oven and out runs all of the characters except the fox.  The fox tricks the Johnny-cake and eats it.  I kept all of the characters the same but changed the plot and the ending of the story.  In my story, everyone gets to eat the Johnny-cake.  I also did not know that Johnny-cakes were the same as cornbread until I searched for images!

Bibliography:

English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1890).