THE WITCH by Edilberto k. Tiempo Stories say that a witch known as Minggay Awok Awok (awok meaning witch in !isayan lang"age#resides lang"age# resides nearby the creek separating the barrios o$ %ibas and Sinit&an. Her strange appearance solitary li$e and rare 'isits in the barrios $eared the people. She has always been blamed whene'er strange things happen. Th"s Minggay was o$ten s"bected to 'ario"s killing attempts in order to stop the c"rse that she allegedly placed on them. Howe'er Howe'er their s"spicions s"spicions were ne'er pro'en. pro'en. )ne day a boy who occasionally occasionally 'isits his "ncle in %ibas met an old woman while $ishing in the creek. She had been so kind to direct him to a spot where he can get more shrimps. They chatted $or a while "ntil the boy $inally reali*ed that she is the +witch+ that he had heard abo"t. He immediately walked away with the shrimps and the dilemma o$ his enco"nter with the witch,s contrasting image with the old woman by the creek.
5 Important Elements of a Short Story
A short story is a short work of fiction. Fiction, as you know, is prose writing about imagined events and characters. Prose writing differs from poetry in that it does not depend on verses, meters or rhymes for its organization and presentation. Novels are another example of fictional prose and are much longer than short stories. ome short stories, however, can be !uite long. "f a a short story is a long one, say fifty to one hundred pages, we call it a novella. American literature contains some of the world#s best examples of the short story. $eaders around the world en%oy the finely crafted stories of American writers such as &. 'enry, tephen (rane, )ack *ondon, +ark wain and -dgar Allen Poe. hat makes these authors such remarkable short story writers/ hey are true masters at combining the five key elements that go into every great short story0 character, setting, conflict, plot andtheme. he -**A web1site uses one of these five key elements as the focus of each of the five on1line lessons in the (lassics of American *iterature section. "n each lesson, you will explore a single American short story from the 2"A *adder eries and discover how the author uses a certain element. he definitions on the right are repeated on the first page of each short story lesson.
he theme is the central idea or belief in a short story.
A character is a person, or sometimes even an animal, who takes part in the action of a short story or other literary work. see The Green Door by O. Henry
he setting of a short story is the time and place in which it happens. Authors often use descriptions of landscape, scenery, buildings, seasons or weather to provide a strong sense of setting. see The Last Leaf by O. Henry
A plot is a series of events and character actions that relate to the central conflict. see The Open Boat by Stephen Crane
he conflict is a struggle between t wo people or things in a short story. he main character is usually on one side of the central conflict. &n the other side, the main character may struggle against another important character, against the forces of nature, against society, or even against something inside himself or herself 3feelings, emotions, illness4. see To Bil! a "ire by #ac$ Lon!on
