Susan's Stories Susan Skaza

In this traditional Muslim tale, a man invents the game of chess and presents it to his king, who is so pleased with the board game he offers the man any reward he desires. The man asks for 1 grain of rice on the first square of the chessboard, 2 on the second, 4 on the third, 8 on the fourth, and so forth until all 64 squares of the chessboard are filled. Thinking this a small request, the king grants it only to discover it’s much more than he could ever give. 

Often associated with the Chinese Qixi Festival (also known as Chinese Valentine’s Day), this legend tells the story of two star-crossed lovers who are forced to separate, but are able to be together once a year thanks to the kindness of magpies, who form a bridge in the sky allowing the two to meet. Other variations of this story can be found in other Asian countries, Japan and Korea being the most notable.

This Irish tale is about a man who is so despicable he isn’t allowed in Heaven or Hell after he dies, and is condemned to wander the Earth forever as a lost soul. This story also serves as an origin tale for the Jack O’ lantern, so it’s great to tell around Halloween.

This is a South African story about a trickster father and ukulele-playing son who are banished from their village after the father plays one too many tricks on the villagers, but are welcomed back after they save the village from the terrible giant Abiyoyo. This telling is based off the picture book Abiyoyo by Peter Seeger.