The Village Storyteller

Tanya carefully walked down the gravel path that led to the center of her village. It was a small settlement of only a few hundred people. Tanya was more than one hundred years old. Her health was not as good as it used to be. She knew she must watch every step.

Her memory, however, was as sharp as ever. She remembered details and facts about her village that everyone else had forgotten. She knew all the names of the mayors for the last three hundred years. She remembered all the harvest festivals and parades the town celebrated.

Tanya also remembered what village life was like before people got things like dishwashers and microwave ovens. Everywhere she looked, old things were being replaced by new things. Nobody used oxen to plow their fields anymore. They used tractors. Nobody rode a horse to the market. They drove a car.

Tanya was the village storyteller. It was her job to remember the history of the town. She told the stories of the people who created that history. Sure, these same stories could be read in a book. But when Tanya told the stories, they came to life! The village's founders were not just characters in a dusty old book. They were brave men and women who lived through harsh winters, built their own houses, and survived years when food was scarce.

For hundreds of years, the village had always had a storyteller. That person kept the memory of the village's history alive. When a storyteller could not continue her work, another person came forward to take over. Everyone knew how important the work was-or at least they used to.

Tanya had tried for years to interest other villagers in continuing the storytelling after she was gone. But nobody would listen. They were too busy seeing the latest movies. They wanted to read the gossip about celebrities in the newspaper. They were not concerned about history. So Tanya knew she had to continue doing the work.

Today she was walking to the village school. She visited the school once a month. She told stories in the library for the schoolchildren. They loved to listen, and they were polite. But afterwards, they never asked her any questions about the stories. They just went back to their classrooms.

She slowly opened the wooden schoolhouse door. It was old and heavy. She could hear the laughter and talking of children down the hallway. Their laughter always made her feel young at heart and lifted her spirits. She made her way into the library, and carefully sat down on a cushioned chair in one corner.

"Good morning, Madame Tanya!" the librarian said. "It's good to see you again."

"Good morning, Mashenka."

Tanya looked around at the shelves of books. She had read many of them. But she also knew many things that could not be found in these books. She knew what the people hundreds of years ago were thinking when they came to this land. This knowledge was not written down. It was passed from one storyteller to the next, for generations.

"What story will you tell today, Tanya? The Great Fire of 1860? The time the king visited our village? My favorite is the story about the man who caught four hundred fish in one day!"

"No, none of those stories." Tanya replied. "Since it is the beginning of a new school year, I think I will start at the beginning."

"The founding of our village? Haven't they heard that story many times?" Mashenka asked.

"My dear, a good story is always worth retelling."

The children came into the library and sat quietly on the floor in front of Tanya. They all looked at her with interest. She had seen many of them before, but one new face caught her eye. He was a small, thin boy with curly black hair and hazel eyes.

"More than five hundred years ago," she began, "there were many parts of this country that were untamed forest. Wild beasts roamed the land. The king knew that people needed new places to live in his country. But few people dared to venture outside the capital city. He called for his bravest citizens to explore the wild areas and start new villages.

"Two people who answered the call were a man named Dominic and his wife Catherine. Catherine was famous for inventing a farming machine that could do the work of ten men! They were joined by others, Alexander and his brother Joseph. Joseph was over seven feet tall, and could wrestle a tiger with his bare hands!

"Together, these explorers pushed their way through dangerous land, fighting off wolves and bears. Finally, they came to a wide river. On both sides of the river was land that would be perfect for farming. They had found a good site for a village?."

Tanya continued telling her story for almost an hour. Most of the children listened with interest. When she finished, they quietly got up and went back to their classrooms. She walked slowly toward the schoolhouse door. As she put her hand out to open it, she heard someone calling her name.

"Madame Tanya! Madame Tanya! Please wait, don't go!"

Tanya turned and saw the black-haired boy running toward her. "Shouldn't you be in class, young man?"

"My teacher told me you only come here once a month, but I didn't want to wait that long. I want to hear more stories," he said.

"I will be here next month," Tanya told him, and she turned to go.

"No, you don't understand, Madame. My family just moved here from another village. My teacher told me that no one in this village wants to be the next storyteller. But I want to do it. I've wanted to be a storyteller all my life! Can you teach me?"

Tanya paused for a long time. "There are many stories and so much to learn. Are you willing to remember five hundred years of history? Battles? Festivals? Kings?"

"All of it, Madame!"

Tanya smiled. "What is your name, young man?"

"Leo, Madame."

"Leo-a strong name." Tanya answered. "Very well, go back to classroom. Your education is important. This coming Saturday, you and your parents can visit me at my house."

Leo smiled broadly, and ran back to class. Tanya turned back to the heavy wooden door. She pushed it opened easily. This time, it felt lighter than air.

1.	SETTING A PURPOSE Why would someone read this passage?
2.	PREDICT Why do you think Tanya is the village storyteller? Explain.
3.	CAUSE AND EFFECT Why would people replace old things with new things?
4.	ANALYZE Why might a story be more interesting when told by a storyteller than read in a book?
5.	PREDICT What do you think will happen to Tanya after she can no longer tell stories?
6.	QUESTION Why would people have no interest in becoming a storyteller?
7.	REVIEW Who answered the King's call?
8.	PREDICT Who do you think might be calling out to Tanya?
9.	ANALYZE Why would Tanya want Leo's parents to come with Leo?
10.	CAUSE AND EFFECT Why did the door feel so much lighter now?