More Creatures
by George MacDonald
Lina and the Forest Friends
Curdie and Lina walk in the forest. The sun goes down. It gets dark. They walk a long, long time. The big trees are very tall. Night comes all around them.
Curdie looks around him. He sees things move. A dark shape runs fast. Then one more shape runs past. More shapes appear. They are far away. They move in the dark.
Curdie looks for Lina. She is not near him. She is with a very strange friend. Lina makes soft sounds. The friend makes soft sounds too. They start a playful game. They roll on the ground. It looks like fun.
Lina wins the game. The strange friend gets up. It walks behind Lina. It is her new friend. It follows her now.
One more strange friend comes near. Lina plays a game with it. She wins the game again. This new friend follows too. Many strange friends come. Lina plays with them all. They all become her friends.
Now many, many friends follow Lina. They are all not alike. They are all very strange. A long line walks behind her. Curdie sees all of them.
One friend is a Wiggly Creature. It has tiny, tiny legs. It walks very slowly. Then it wiggles fast. It goes through the big trees. It comes back to the group. It is a funny sight.
They walk in the dark forest. Curdie watches the friends. They look very funny. Their shapes are new. Curdie smiles a little bit. He likes them.
The long night ends. Morning light comes. They walk out of the forest. The friends come out too. They are all close now. The sun is up.
Lina stops walking now. She turns around to her friends. She makes special sounds. The friends listen to her. They know Lina very well.
The friends turn around. They run into the forest. They go back home now. The big trees hide them fast. They are gone quickly.
Lina walks alone now. She follows Curdie. The forest is quiet again. They walk on their way.
Original Story
More Creatures
One day from morning till night they had been passing through a forest. As soon as the sun was down Curdie began to be aware that there were more in it than themselves. First he saw only the swift rush of a figure across the trees at some distance. Then he saw another and then another at shorter intervals. Then he saw others both farther off and nearer. At last, missing Lina and looking about after her, he saw an appearance as marvellous as herself steal up to her, and begin conversing with her after some beast fashion which evidently she understood.
Presently what seemed a quarrel arose between them, and stranger noises followed, mingled with growling. At length it came to a fight, which had not lasted long, however, before the creature of the wood threw itself upon its back, and held up its paws to Lina. She instantly walked on, and the creature got up and followed her. They had not gone far before another strange animal appeared, approaching Lina, when precisely the same thing was repeated, the vanquished animal rising and following with the former. Again, and yet again, and again, a fresh animal came up, seemed to be reasoned and certainly was fought with and overcome by Lina, until at last, before they were out of the wood, she was followed by forty-nine of the most grotesquely ugly, the most extravagantly abnormal animals imagination can conceive. To describe them were a hopeless task.
I knew a boy who used to make animals out of heather roots. Wherever he could find four legs, he was pretty sure to find a head and a tail. His beasts were a most comic menagerie, and right fruitful of laughter. But they were not so grotesque and extravagant as Lina and her followers. One of them, for instance, was like a boa constrictor walking on four little stumpy legs near its tail. About the same distance from its head were two little wings, which it was forever fluttering as if trying to fly with them. Curdie thought it fancied it did fly with them, when it was merely plodding on busily with its four little stumps. How it managed to keep up he could not think, till once when he missed it from the group: the same moment he caught sight of something at a distance plunging at an awful serpentine rate through the trees, and presently, from behind a huge ash, this same creature fell again into the group, quietly waddling along on its four stumps.
Watching it after this, he saw that, when it was not able to keep up any longer, and they had all got a little space ahead, it shot into the wood away from the route, and made a great round, serpentine alone in huge billows of motion, devouring the ground, undulating awfully, galloping as if it were all legs together, and its four stumps nowhere. In this mad fashion it shot ahead, and, a few minutes after, toddled in again among the rest, walking peacefully and somewhat painfully on its few fours.
From the time it takes to describe one of them it will be readily seen that it would hardly do to attempt a description of each of the forty-nine. They were not a goodly company, but well worth contemplating, nevertheless; and Curdie had been too long used to the goblins' creatures in the mines and on the mountain, to feel the least uncomfortable at being followed by such a herd. On the contrary, the marvellous vagaries of shape they manifested amused him greatly, and shortened the journey much.
Before they were all gathered, however, it had got so dark that he could see some of them only a part at a time, and every now and then, as the company wandered on, he would be startled by some extraordinary limb or feature, undreamed of by him before, thrusting itself out of the darkness into the range of his ken. Probably there were some of his old acquaintances among them, although such had been the conditions of semi-darkness, in which alone he had ever seen any of them, that it was not like he would be able to identify any of them.
On they marched solemnly, almost in silence, for either with feet or voice the creatures seldom made any noise. By the time they reached the outside of the wood it was morning twilight. Into the open trooped the strange torrent of deformity, each one following Lina. Suddenly she stopped, turned towards them, and said something which they understood, although to Curdie's ear the sounds she made seemed to have no articulation. Instantly they all turned, and vanished in the forest, and Lina alone came trotting lithely and clumsily after her master.
Characters
Curdie ★ protagonist
A young boy, likely of sturdy build from his experiences in mines and mountains. His exact height and build are not specified, but he is agile enough to travel through forests.
Attire: Not explicitly described, but implied to be practical and durable for travel through forests and mountains, likely consisting of simple, sturdy garments suitable for a working-class boy in a European setting, such as a tunic, breeches, and stout boots made of wool or linen.
Wants: To travel and accompany Lina, observing the world around him.
Flaw: Not explicitly shown in this excerpt, but perhaps his youth makes him reliant on others for guidance.
In this segment, he primarily observes and learns about Lina's unique abilities and her strange followers, deepening his understanding of the world's hidden wonders.
Observant, calm, curious, resilient, unperturbed. He is not easily startled by strange creatures, having been accustomed to goblins, and finds amusement in the grotesque.
Lina ◆ supporting
Described as 'marvellous as herself,' suggesting an unusual and perhaps non-human appearance, though not explicitly detailed. She is capable of lithe and clumsy movements, implying a unique physicality. She is strong enough to physically overcome the grotesque animals.
Attire: Not explicitly described, but given her nature and interactions, she likely wears practical, perhaps rustic, clothing that allows for movement and does not hinder her encounters with wild creatures. It could be made of natural fibers like linen or rough wool, in earthy tones.
Wants: To gather and lead the grotesque animals, fulfilling an unknown purpose, and to follow her master, Curdie.
Flaw: Not explicitly shown, but her 'clumsy' moments might indicate a physical limitation or a duality in her nature.
She demonstrates her unique power over the grotesque animals, revealing a deeper, wilder aspect of her character and her connection to the natural world.
Commanding, mysterious, capable, independent, understanding of wild creatures. She is able to reason with and physically dominate the grotesque animals.
The Boa-Constrictor-like Creature ○ minor
Resembles a boa constrictor, but walks on four little stumpy legs near its tail. It has two small wings near its head, which it constantly flutters. It moves in huge, serpentine billows when alone, but waddles on its stumps when with the group. It is grotesquely ugly and extravagantly abnormal.
Attire: None, as it is an animal.
Wants: To follow Lina and keep pace with the group, even if it means using its unique, hidden method of travel.
Flaw: Its four stumpy legs make it slow and painful when trying to keep up with the group directly.
Its unique method of travel is revealed, showing its adaptability and determination.
Persistent, somewhat deluded (fancies it flies with its tiny wings), determined to keep up with the group, resourceful in its unique way of traveling.
The Forty-Nine Grotesque Animals ○ minor
A company of forty-nine 'grotesquely ugly' and 'extravagantly abnormal' animals, beyond human imagination. They possess 'marvellous vagaries of shape,' with extraordinary limbs or features. They are described as a 'torrent of deformity.'
Attire: None, as they are animals.
Wants: To follow Lina after being vanquished by her.
Flaw: Easily overcome by Lina in a fight.
They are gathered by Lina, becoming her followers and disappearing back into the forest at her command.
Submissive to Lina after being overcome, generally silent, follow their leader. They are a 'comic menagerie' in their appearance.
Locations
Dense Forest
A thick, ancient forest, dark and mysterious, where the sun's light struggles to penetrate. The ground is likely covered with leaf litter and roots, and the air is still and heavy. The trees are large and numerous, creating a sense of enclosure and hidden activity.
Mood: Mysterious, eerie, watchful, slightly unsettling due to the unseen creatures, but also amusing for Curdie.
Curdie and Lina pass through this forest, where Lina encounters and 'conquers' forty-nine grotesque creatures, who then follow her.
Forest Edge at Dawn
The boundary where the dense, dark forest gives way to an open, uncultivated area. The light is just beginning to break, casting a soft, cool glow over the landscape. The trees of the forest form a dark, imposing wall behind the characters.
Mood: Relief, quiet, a sense of conclusion and departure.
Lina and Curdie, followed by the creatures, emerge from the forest into the open as morning breaks, and Lina dismisses her strange retinue.
Story DNA
Plot Summary
As night falls in a forest, Curdie and Lina find themselves surrounded by strange, unseen creatures. Curdie observes Lina repeatedly engaging in a 'beast fashion' conversation, which escalates into a fight, with various grotesque animals. Each creature Lina defeats then joins her growing retinue, eventually totaling forty-nine bizarre followers. Curdie watches their strange movements and forms through the night. At morning twilight, as they emerge from the forest, Lina speaks to the creatures, who instantly vanish back into the woods, leaving her to follow Curdie alone.
Themes
Emotional Arc
curiosity to wonder
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
George MacDonald was a significant figure in Victorian fantasy literature, influencing authors like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. His works often feature journeys into mysterious, magical realms.
Plot Beats (12)
- Curdie and Lina are traveling through a forest as night falls.
- Curdie notices strange figures moving in the distance, indicating they are not alone.
- He sees Lina conversing with a creature, which turns into a fight.
- Lina defeats the creature, which then follows her.
- This process repeats multiple times, with Lina fighting and overcoming more and more grotesque animals, who then join her retinue.
- Eventually, Lina is followed by forty-nine bizarre and ugly creatures.
- Curdie observes one specific creature that alternates between slow waddling and incredibly fast serpentine movement to keep up.
- The group continues through the dark forest, with Curdie finding amusement in the creatures' strange forms.
- As morning twilight arrives, they emerge from the forest.
- Lina stops, speaks to the creatures in an unintelligible language.
- The forty-nine creatures instantly turn and vanish back into the forest.
- Lina alone continues to follow Curdie.
