PREVIEW: Seven Towers of Wonder Vol.III: Justice

t he se v en tow er s of won der t he tow er of j ustice Volume 3

THE SEV EN TOW ER S OF WONDER Stories of Virtue Compiled & Retold by bill gor dh With Drawings by john hutton the tow er of justice Volume 3 thor n willow pr ess 2 013

For Jenny, Cody and Rachel; and in memory of my mother and father, Gwen and George Gordh. bil l g or dh

For Rebecca, Eleanor and Teddy. joh n h u t ton

c opy r igh t Š 2 013 t hor n w il low pr es s , lt d.

procl a m ation from the k ing a nd queen of thor n w illow woods Let it be known that the following volumes were put forth on paper by the Royal Scribe and illustrated by the Master Illuminator. They recount the adventures, discussions, and stories collected by Possum and Raccoon. The stories can be found in the Seven Towers of Wonder erected by Possum and Raccoon with the assistance of many friends in Thornwillow Woods. Upon the discovery of these story-filled towers, the king and queen of Thornwillow, recognizing their value to wonderers, wanderers, thinkers, seekers, dreamers, and readers throughout the world, have overseen the creation and distribution of these books.

c on t e n t s Volume 3 the tow er of justice The choice of paths and a subsequent discussion of fairness lead Possum and Raccoon to consider the many attributes of justice. Ever inquisitive, the two seekers engage in a multitude of tantalizing encounters with Thornwillow tale spinners of various persuasions to try and sort out this abstractly concrete concept. Once completed, their new Tower of Justice will be home for these stories:

The Farmer and the Dragon or The Way of the World (Norway ) 17 Snow-White ( Germany )

27

Anancy and the Stone With a Beard ( West Africa)

47

The Crow Ship ( South America)

57

Kwame, the Parrot, and the Singing Canary ( West Africa)

65

The Story Bird ( Mongolia)

71

The Talking Eggs ( African American)

81

T

wo fa bu lous tow er s !” proclaimed Possum as he and Raccoon were eating breakfast one morning. “We’ve built two story-filled, fabulous towers!”

The two friends watched proudly as various animals stopped by to hear a new story or listen to an old favorite once again. A cricket had made its way up to the third story of the Tower of Courage to enjoy “Inchworm Mountain.” An eagle carried a little lamb up to “A Peaceful Night” in the Tower of Hope. The forest creatures were joyfully using the towers! The two friends looked at each other; they were thinking the same thing. Raccoon said it first: “Time for another tower?”

“Time for another!” agreed Possum.

Raccoon grabbed her sketchpad as Possum put on his backpack.

They set out in a new direction through Thornwillow Woods in search of... what kind of stories this time? They were both wondering the same thing.

13

The two story collectors came to a fork in the road, and Raccoon followed the path to the left. “Wait a minute,” said Possum. “Maybe we should go down the other path.”

“Why?” asked Raccoon.

“I don’t know,” shrugged Possum. “Because I’d like to.”

“You would?” asked Raccoon. “Well, OK, then. We’ll go that way.” And so they started down the path on the right. But then, after only a few steps, Possum stopped. “What’s wrong?” asked Raccoon.

“Well,” said Possum, “I’m not sure it’s fair to you for us to go down this path. After all, we should make the choice together about where we travel.”

“Interesting dilemma,” stated Raccoon. “What do two friends do when they face a decision that offers the opportunity to follow only one choice, and the two friends would choose differently? And they want to stay together?”

“What?” asked Possum. “That’s a bit confusing, don’t you think?”

“All I’m saying,” continued Raccoon, “is how do you come to a fair decision that doesn’t favor one of the friends?”

“Well,” sighed Possum, “we both want to be fair.”

“That thought is worthy of a tower!” proclaimed Raccoon.

“What is?” asked Possum.

“Fairness—or perhaps, Justice,” declared Raccoon.

“How did you get to Justice from the two of us choosing a path?” wondered Possum.

“I believe Justice has to do with fairness, and we were talking about being fair to each other. Justice is a great theme for our next tower.”

14

Possum smiled as he began to consider the new Tower of Justice rising in their clearing. “You’re right, Raccoon. That’s our next tower.”

As it turns out, while they were talking they had begun walking again down the path Possum had chosen. The path led between two rather steep mountains. Sitting on a wagon along the path was an old farmer. By now, Possum and Raccoon figured that anyone and anything they met on their travels was likely to be a source for a new story, and so they stopped. Possum spoke to the old farmer first. “We’re collecting stories for our Tower of Justice. Do you have a tale to tell?”

The farmer shook his head. “A Tower of Justice? Why in the world would you build a Tower of Justice? It makes it sound like the world is fair. But I tell you, my friends. Life is not fair, and that is just the way of the world.”

“The way of the world?” asked Raccoon.

“Yep,” said the farmer, whose name was Georg, “The way of the world—the way things are. The first time I heard the phrase was from a dragon, and he was a very old dragon, so I know the idea goes way back in time.”

“A dragon!” exclaimed Possum. “Will you tell us the story?”

“Sure,” said Georg. “Sit here on my wagon with me, and I’ll lay it all out.”