I first started capturing her storytelling using the video mode on our digital camera, around about April, but she soon refused to let me film her. So I tried writing her stories while she told them, using pen and paper. That lasted for only a few stories too, before she caught on. Since then, I've been recording her using a mini MP3 recorder, which is pretty unobtrusive, and transcribing the audio later. She then objected strongly to this as well... Nowadays I use a combo of MP3 and video to record her before transcribing. I only manage to record a fraction of the stories she tells. I always have a backlog of stories on the recorder that still need transcribing, as it's impossible for me to keep up with her. To help new readers, I've marked my favourite stories with a star (*), so at least you have somewhere to start if you don't know where to begin. Don't forget to check the older archives too - there are some gems in there as well!

Thursday 5 July 2007

Another bunch of short tales, late-June to early July'07

Sorry for the backlog. It's not only that there's a backlog, the backlog isn't recorded well due to her recent changes in storytelling mode, and they've been really hard to transcribe. Her most recent turn of events has been to really and truly dramatize her storytelling, with genuinely different voicings, full-blown expression (volume ranging from the merest whisper to loud yelling) and the occassional little dance, and plenty of made up songs. She's 33 months old now. I've been unable to really transribe these most recent ones, because she's now become aware of the mp3 recorder (long story...) besides the difficulty in recording all these "extras" to the story as well.

Anyway, here's a few more of my attempts at transcription from prior recordings...

Influenced by Alice...
(This one is obviously influenced by Alice in Wonderland)
And she growing taller
Taller, taller, taller… (sings, higher and higher)
Oh (indecipherable) and she grown up, too big
(Indecipherable)
No wonder she said
And the OTHER thing
And she grow down, like a foot, like a foot grow down
(Mumbles something indecipherable)
Like everything she liked
And a poor little mouse
That kid! … wondering…
One day (indecipherable)
She looked out in the page
She looked out in the page
(silence for a while)
All like to get wet
All like to get wet, we all like to get wet (chants)
Knee goed up and the night go up
Knee and the night go
There were times
There were times asked the mouse
I will GO HOME if have to ORDER ME!
I will go home, to my palace
Ah I will go to my palace (in a small creaky voice), and garden
My palace and my garden, my palace and my garden (sings)
And my palace and my garden, and my palace and my garden (still singing)
(silence)
One day, someone visit a meadow
Saw four dinosaurs and things and
And she came outside a door
And they gave her a little chart
And by… my… a little puppy dog
Was dancing in the pet!
(Starts singing) It’s a dobby dooreck and a pet!
It’s a dobby dooreck and a
It’s a omnivoooore
Neveeeeer inside this place
Inside this, OUTSIDE, DEEP WIDE, OUTSIDE, INSIDE! (louder and louder)
(Finished singing)
And she shout it out in the place
Come on! Watch the pet
You never know it!
You never know it…
Never know it, asked she
Never go it again
Never go it again, and again and again
And she fought, and she fought, and she fought everyday
And she didn’t know what to do
When she in the dance
By herself
I said something else!
One day she went out in the place (very soft)
Go, go, shut, shut in the thing
Let it down by the stair?
By…
When she arrived at the bank
Asked the duchess, the baby was crying in the mat
And asked hello again
What hello again?
You, you, you
You missed so much things
Going deep and wide (sings)
Deep and wide, there’s a fountain going deep and wide (singing)
Deep and wide, there’s a fountain going deep and wide (still singing, runs away)


Behind the Railway
(I have no idea what influenced this)
No one went there, far behind the railway
When they got there
To see me chow
Someone didn’t know why they (indecipherable)
Inside, below, we stopped here right?
Now, my… okay, it’s fine this
Behind, behind the behind, behind the behind
We stopped here right?
So… so!
Let’s do (indecipherable)
Come on let’s go!
And they walked, they walked, they walked
I missed the page! Asked baby, and they made them whole night
And they did time
I missed the page! I missed the page from the book!
Right… but they were sad, open out inside
Looking at them, alright
Looking at alright people
Hon! You can’t look (indecipherable)
Until he does got so many… eyes (whispers last word loudly)
He got so many eyes!
Yah! He got J K L O, J K N O up
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O Y (sings)
H I J K L N O V Q R S and T U V
W X and Y and Z
(Finishes song)
He would go on all night
And he, and he, and he big, with coat
And looks like a wild man
Not like the wild man… pouring, pouring
Who are you and who am I? (menacing tone)
WHO are you???
Is it all mine or all yours?
This direction! We are lost (different voice)
Here, I found them! In map!
Let’s play! Asked the man shouting out in a deep shout
And he didn’t happen (indecipherable)
Come on! Don’t cry!
Let me see the (indecipherable – repeats the same thing twice)
Hurry up! And he waked him up, at about (indecipherable)
And they did get up later
Off they go
Off they go in the inside
Inside, inside, climb, climb
I’m in the dark, climb and you will see
I’m in the woods, how we see?
And they both asked, and they walked
Until the sound (indecipherable)
Why? That lemur… that!
Rrrargh! (growls)
I must find a way
I must find a way get back
I must find out what happened
Never, you can’t, the lemur said
And so….
(Interrupted by someone else)
She grow a little tall by so many (indecipherable)
In my… I was…(indecipherable)
Catch! Catch it if you can
Catch it if... you… can…
Catch it!

Another incoherent one...
(Sorry... very poor transcription...)
And they pull up all tight
By someone inside this damage
By someone inside don’t will come in asked
Come inside, they calling because
Chicken down in there
And something about his sheep
Someone inside the sheep
Hidden all down there
Inside the, the damaged house in the farm
At night, I might get a damaged house!
By someone inside they did the (indecipherable)
And she get off by something inside
The best, the best is, how to do it?
He get off on to happen
By the some horns didn’t know why he like that
Look at him!
Look at you!
Asked him, one of my friends, looking out in a pond
And pulling them out
Some bat! Run away
Let’s tell a story
It’s the damaged kind
(Indecipherable)
I must not run away
My favourite thing
Bad!
You never get a cold near me
And she said
And you must go away
And they get this things
By baby bear
Baby bear, baby bear, baby bear
You must run away (indecipherable)
You must run away, said the dog one day
(Indecipherable) mosquitoes…. mosquitoes bad!
So my chicken down inside and doesn’t matter
I think the rest is my (indecipherable)
When someone found his mother
Man found his mother
Ah! Sitting on his back, looking out there
Looking about there (indecipherable)
You must run away
Get out and a SPLASH!!!
And better
And they GET OUT!
I’m okay
And they hidden down the bush
And chasing about
And further, and the man called
I must find a way, I must find a way…get out
I must find a way, get out from this place
Ask somebody, taking them out
Theeee end.

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