Shelby's Stories
NOTE: In my last year of teaching I taught my second and third grade students what a motif was. We studied several motifs of "Lazy Jack" and then came up with our own. This is their story...
Once there was a young lady who never smiled. She NEVER smiled. Her father, of course, was very concerned about her. All the money that he had, and it couldn't buy happiness for his daughter. When she came of an age to be married, he spent many a sleepless night worried about her happiness...or lack thereof. He eventually sent out a call announcing that anyone who could make his daughter laugh would be given half of all his wealth. Jugglers, clowns, acrobats, comedians and more trailed in one after the other to try and make her laugh, but none succeeded.
Now on the other side of town was Jack. You probably even know someone like him. He was LAZY! He was so lazy that he would get up in the morning and sit down at the breakfast table waiting to be served. His mother set his breakfast in front of him; he ate, yawned, scratched himself and went back to bed!!
His mother was so tired of him being lazy that she told Jack that he needed a job. And that very day she set off to find one for him. The next day Jack found himself in a small store. The storekeeper was happy to have the help. Jack learned how to shelve all the items, help customers find them, run the cash register and even make change. At the end of the day, the storekeeper said, "Jack, you've done a terrific job today. Would you like to be paid with a gold coin?" Now Jack had never had a gold coin of his own, so he said he would. As Jack walked home that day, he began flipping the coin in the air. As he got braver and braver, the coin went higher and higher. Once it went higher that ever, came down and landed in the gutter and disappeared. When Jack got home that day, his mother came running,"Jack how was your day?"
Jack said, "The storekeeper said I did a terrific job."
"And how did you get paid?"
"Uh, well...I kinda lost it when I was tossing it in the air. It went into the gutter and disappeared."
"Jack! You silly boy! When you get paid like that you put it in your pocket where it's safe!"
"Oh," said Jack, "I'll remember that ...next time, Mama."
The next day Jack got himself a job with a beekeeper. The beekeeper was happy to have Jack help. Now on this day, Jack got to put on a beekeeper's suit, white pants and shirt, gloves and a hood with a screen in the front so that the bees couldn't sting him. He gathered honey and put it into jars and sold them to customers. At the end of the day, the beekeeper said, "Jack, you've done a fantastic job today. Would you like to be paid with a jar of honey?" Jack said he would. Now, Jack always does what his mother tells him to do so...Jack opened the jar of honey and poured it in his pocket. Down through the pocket, down his leg, into his shoe and his sock sopped up all that was left. As Jack walked home that day, he went step, squish, step, squish. When Jack got home, his mother came running.
"Jack how was your day?"
Jack said, "The beekeeper said I did a fantastic job."
"And how did you get paid?"
Jack reached into his pocket, felt down his leg, into his shoe, pulled off his sock and squeezed the remaining honey into a dish. Needless to say, they didn't have biscuits and honey that night.
"Jack! You silly boy! When you get paid like that you put it in a jar where it's safe!"
"Oh," said Jack, "I'll remember that ...next time, Mama."
The next day Jack got himself a job with a fisherman. The fisherman was happy to have Jack help. Now on this day, Jack got to go way out into the ocean. He threw big nets to catch fish. They landed all flipping and flopping, 
slivery and shiny all over the deck. He got to clean them, wrap them in newspaper and sell them. At the end of the day, the fisherman said, "Jack, you've done a wonderful job today. Would you like to be paid with some fish?" Jack said he would. Now, Jack always does what his mother tells him to do so...Jack found a jar opened it up, shoved those pink, fresh fish in and tightened the lid. Now that day was rather warm, and the inside of the jar got all steamy as the fish got warmer and warmer. They began to turn green. When Jack got home, his mother came running.
"Jack how was your day?"
Jack said, "The fisherman said I did a wonderful job."
"And how did you get paid?"
Jack held up the green, rotten fish and took the lid off. If you've ever smelled rotting fish, you know you don't want to do it again! Pee Yew!!
"Jack! You silly boy! When you get paid like that you put them in a bucket of water where they will stay fresh!"
"Oh," said Jack, "I'll remember that ...next time, Mama."
The next day Jack got himself a job with a widow. Do you know what a widow is? It's a lady whose husband has died. A widower is a man whose wife has died. Anyway, this widow needed Jack's help to do some of the things around the house that it took two people to do, like turning mattresses, mending screens and hanging doors. At the end of the day, the widow served Jack some milk and cookies and said, "Jack, you've done a magnificent job today. I don't know how to repay you. Just then a mamma cat and a litter of kittens walked by. She thought a moment and said, "Jack, would you like to have a kitty?"
Jack said he would. Now, Jack always does what his mother tells him to do so...Jack got a bucket of water and tried to put the kitty in it. That kitty would have NONE of that water! It jumped out of the water bucket, up his arm, jumped onto his head and ran away. Now Jack didn't walk home that day, he RAN screaming "Mama! Mama! Mama! When his mother saw Jack, she didn't say,
"Jack how was your day?"
She said, "Jack what happened?"
When he told her what had happened, she said,
"Jack! You silly boy! When you get paid like that you put it in your arms and cradle it all the way home!"
"Oh," said Jack, "I'll remember that ...next time, Mama."
The next day Jack got himself a job with a zookeeper. The zookeeper was happy to have Jack help. Now on this day, Jack got to put hay in the baskets for the giraffes and hoist it way up high so they could reach it. He got to give the elephant a bath. I think he got wetter than the elephant! He got to hold the python while the zookeeper cleaned its cage. At the end of the day, the zookeeper said, "Jack, you've done an incredible job today. I can tell you have a way with animals. Would you like to help the zoo out by taking one home and raising it? Would you like a...monkey?" Jack said he would. Now, Jack always does what his mother tells him to do so...Jack cradled that monkey in his arms as if it were a kitty. But the monkey would NOT have that. He turned Jack around one way, then turned Jack around the other way, then jumped on his shoulders and started beating his head like a drum!
Now Jack just happened to be walking down Main Street, and that sad young lady I told you about in the beginning was looking out the window. She saw Jack and felt a funny feeling on her mouth. The corners began to turn up. She felt a tickly feeling in her tummy. It began to crawl up to her mouth. Suddenly the tickly thing burst out of her mouth as a belly laugh. She laughed and laughed and laughed until tears were rolling down her cheeks. Her father heard this strange unfamiliar sound and when he realized what had happened, he rushed out to find the young man who had made his daughter laugh. He shook Jack's hand so hard that Jack had to ask him to stop. Then the rich man said, "Jack, you are the first person to make my sad daughter laugh. Would you like half of all my wealth?" Jack said he would. Then the daughter ran into the street. Jack and the young lady's eyes met. It was love at first sight!!
The rich man noticed that his happy daughter was obviously in love and offered, "Jack, would you like my daughter's hand in marriage?" Jack said he would.
Now Jack and the young lady married. They built a magnificent house next
to her father's. Jack didn't forget his poor old mother either. He brought her to live with them. They didn't get rid of the monkey either. From then on, Jack and his bride traveled from village to village, house to house, wherever there was sadness, for they had both discovered a secret. Laughter is the best medicine!