Storytelling Week 11: Punch Punches Judy

Author's Note: This story is based off of the following nursery rhyme. 

PUNCH and Judy

Fought for a pie;

Punch gave Judy

A sad blow on the eye.

~~~

Punch and Judy were the best of friends. They did everything together. Since they were the same age, they had all of the same classes. They studied together, and got along famously. Their families even lived by one another, so they spent their time away from school together. They would go on adventures together all of the time, and hung out at each others houses all of the time. Because of this, both of their parents were fond of the other child, and treated them as their own.

After one particularly exhausting adventure, Punch and Judy were nearly starved. They felt they could hardly make it back to their houses for they were so hungry. On their way back, the most delicious smell reached their nose. It smelled of apples, and baked sweet bread. "Surely they could not be so lucky, surely it could not be an apple pie", they thought to themselves. For each knew how much the other loved apple pie. It was their absolute favorite, the only food they would quarrel over. Apple pie was the only thing that caused strife in their relationship, and the only thing that could make them not get along. As much as they wanted one of their mothers to be making apple pie, they also knew of the impending conflict if their mother was. It always was like this, for their uncontrollable love for apple pie made them violent. 

As they topped the nearest hill, they saw it. There it was sitting on Judy's mothers windowsill, the most beautiful apple pie they had ever seen, still steaming from being pulled out of the oven. They both stared in awe. As the surprise began to wear off, they both began to think about how much they wanted the apple pie entirely for themselves. They slowly looked at each other, and then began to fight, pulling hair, biting each other, rolling all over the ground. If Punch and Judy's parents only knew what their apple pie did to their children they would surely never make it. For hours it seemed like they rolled around on the hill, both giving the fight their all, for they each wanted the pie so badly. After some time, they finally got some separation, and Punch landed quite the blow on Judy's eye. 

After landing the essential finishing blow, he stood up and looked at Judy. She was just laying on the ground, sobbing, but Punch did not care. He quickly turned and ran back to the pie, his reward for punching Judy. As he began to eat the entire pie in one sitting, letting the apple and sweet baked crust dribble down his face, he felt no remorse for Judy. The pie was so good that it made him savage, losing all sympathy and feelings that separate man from beast. 

What a punch looks like coming at you

Source: Wikimedia

Bibliography: This story is based off of a poem out of The Nursery Rhyme Book by Andrew Lang which can be found here.