Write or illustrate a cumulative tale (inspired by Alan Levine, Laura Gibbs, Mia Zamora, and Maha Bali).
A cumulative tale is a kind of chain story in which the action repeats and builds up in some way as the story goes on. One example is “This is the House That Jack Built.”
Write and/or illustrate a cumulative tale. Here are some possible ways of doing that:
- Use the first line of a cumulative tale that already exists and take the story in a different direction.
- Picture a scene in your mind and visualize how different people and/or animals connect with each other. Depict and/or write about the connections.
- Use a picture or photo as a starting point, like this: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1zDRg9JkGvgw4pg6I_4iZTBHDIkhuukisOqDYn42BgzA/edit?usp=sharing

This is the cat that jumped on the water dispenser.
This is the girl that spotted the cat that jumped on the water dispenser.
This is the lark that sang for the girl that spotted the cat that jumped on the water dispenser.
This is the caged chicken that envied the lark that sang for the girl that spotted the cat that jumped on the water dispenser.
This is the shopper that bought the caged chicken that envied the lark that sang for the girl that spotted the cat that jumped on the water dispenser.
This is the beggar that beseeched the shopper that bought the caged chicken that envied the lark that sang for the girl that spotted the cat that jumped on the water dispenser.
This is the widow that helped the beggar that beseeched the shopper that bought the caged chicken that envied the lark that sang for the girl that spotted the cat that jumped on the water dispenser.
This the eagle that soared over the widow that helped the beggar that beseeched the shopper that bought the caged chicken that envied the lark that sang for the girl that spotted the cat that jumped on the water dispenser.
This daily create was inspired by the MYFest Storytelling and Microfiction workshop on July 6, 2022 and a photo Maha Bali posted on Twitter.
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