a surgeon with an iron hand, a medieval castle, animals against humans, foot prints.

here is the start to my ridiculous story that contains the four elements from the create-a-short-story-from-a-chart handout and assignment that my tenth graders and i are working on. this will become a podcast eventually (and a better piece of writing one day):



“Doctor’s Downfall”


Here is the story of Doctor Knight’s downfall.

In the heart of Winchester, England, a hard-working heart surgeon passed his time with his life’s pleasure: giving life to those whose heart can’t handle the weighty woes of the world. But, what was unique about this doctor, aside from his own large heart and dedication to practice (but, aren’t all doctors like this?) was that he lost his hand in The Crusades.

At first an ironic tragedy for the young aspiring surgeon, this devastation bloomed into blessing! How sanitary! How sterile! How mechanical and exact, not fumbling like the flaws that beleaguer simple humans. This anomaly made him famous—the famous Doctor Knight, head heart surgeon at Winchester’s Hospital of St. Cross...