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Below is the text for my short, children's story Thor: The Mighty Thunder Hamster.
I have included sections in the text with brief ideas for illustrations to accompany the finished story, (areas contained in [ ] brackets) I definitely favour more dark and humourous illustrations, but any ideas will be gratefully received. Any ideas, illustrations or comments on this story are very, very welcome. I would like to finally publish the story online as a collaborative project.

E-mail me here if you wish to take part...

I have issued the text under a Creative Commons License. More information can be found at the bottom of the page...

Enjoy! - Dan

Thor The Mighty Thunder Hamster: Part I - Written by Daniel Rourke

For my birthday this year I was promised a big surprise by mum and dad. They made me wait all day Wednesday and half into Thursday before we went to get it. Thursday is my favourite day. Thursday is the day of Thor, god of thunder and lightening. Thor is my favourite hero of all time. He was a god of the Vikings.

[picture of boy, about 7-8 years old, at home, picture of Thor half crosses the picture, he holds his hammer aloft from which lightning shoots down to the television the boy is watching]

Thor carried his hammer named Mjollnir, and when he throws it thunder claps and lightning strikes across the sky. He rides in a chariot pulled by two goats, and wherever there is bad weather Thor, the Viking god of thunder, is never far away…

[picture of the glorious Thor, two goats pulling his chariot across the sky. He wields his hammer and strikes lightening across the page in incredibly angry power]

The Vikings lived many years ago and ruled their world with strength and courage. They sailed the seas on huge boats made of wood. I wished I lived with the Vikings. For my last birthday mum and dad bought me…….. A Viking helmet! It looks good on me don’t you think? I battle the great seas to carry my minions to safety, wearing my helmet of course.

[picture of boy, sat in bath wearing slightly oversized helmet. He battles with rubber ducks, soap, sponges and battleship toys etc. across the bath tub]

At Christmas mum and dad bought me……. A Viking sword and shield! I am Heimdall, born at the end of the world and raised by the force of the earth, seawater and the blood of a boar! Mum and dad say they raised me themselves, but I know better. The Viking always knows best. With my sword Hofund and my horse Gulltop I am the watchman of the gods.

[picture of boy sat straddling a broom stick horse, wielding his sword and shield in hand. His mum and dad watch him from the open kitchen door and smile]

I can see for hundreds of miles to protect the land! I can hear even the tiniest sound, from an incredible distance! I can hear the grass pushing up through the ground:

[picture of him cupping his hand, listening to the grass, he is on his horse]

I can hear my dads hair growing from its roots (even though mum says dad doesn’t have hair anymore!):

[picture of him stood over his dad sat on the sofa. He cups his ear to listen to his dad’s slightly balding head, much to his dad’s dismay. Mum looks on in background laughing]

I even heard Mr. and Mrs. Smith next door as they transformed themselves into the deadly giants of Jotunheim. No one knows but me, the all knowing, all seeing Heimdall.

[boy peeking over garden fence OR listening through the wall of the house to neighbours arguing. The neighbours appear as ogres, growing large and fierce in their rage. Boy looks slightly concerned and shows his horse that everything is ok]

And so it was that Christmas and my last birthday brought power to the life of a Viking god. So what would this birthday bring me?

[Picture of boy riding proud on his broom handle horse atop a lush green hill, thunder clouds adorn the sky, as always he wears his helmet. He thrusts his sword aloft in powerful glory, his shield protects his little body from nothing (maybe a puppy or something equally weak sniffs nearby, looks on slightly worried)]

A Viking ship?

[picture of boy heading a cardboard box Viking ship across the seas of his living room, his cuddly toy crew glorious in their anger behind him]

A chariot to carry me to victory?

[he rides in a cardboard box chariot of fiery rage, two wooden/broom handle horses pull it along]

A feast fit for a king of gods?

[he sits at the dinner table, his mum brings him his dinner as he clasps a large wooden spoon and garden trowel in his hands ready to eat. His sword, shield and horse are nearby. His helmet half covers his face, he can hardly reach the table top yet he looks enraged enough to take on an army. His mum smiles]

It was time to find out. It was Thursday afternoon.

Gulltop offered to carry me, mum and dad into town, but they insisted that we drove. And so it was we set off to further my Viking career.

[picture of family in the car on their driveway. Boy waves goodbye to his horse who sits propped up next to the garage]

We moved through the streets; cast sail towards the land of hope ahead. What would be our goal? Mum and dad were good at keeping secrets. Thor’s strong wind pushed us to our secret destination.

[picture of boy holding a sheet/blanket out the car window. A hazy/mysterious Thor, wielding his hammer, rides aloft his chariot pulled by goats in the cloudy sky, almost as if his wind pushes the blanket sails the boy is holding]

And so we arrived at….. The Pet Shop! What beasts and creatures awaited us?

[picture of family walking under pet shop sign. Boy clasps his shield, wears his helmet, which he has to hold on to as he looks up at the pet shop sign above them]

Maybe the hound, Garm, the guardian of hell!

[picture of hellish hound, guardian of hell]

Or maybe the gigantic wolf, Fenrir, or the eight footed horse, Sleipnir?

[pictures as suggested]

A pet shop as glorious as this must surely be filled with all the creatures of the mythical underworld?

[picture of a dark pet shop interior. Very strange and evil creatures line the walls, filling boxes, fenced in from ceiling to floor. Evil looking birds sit atop perches, deep, red eyed serpents and huge, fanged dogs, wolves etc fill the entire inside of the pet shop. Dark cages with nothing but deep, red eyes peer out looking fierce and terrifying. The picture centres around the boy who stands normally in the centre of the shop looking round him in imaginative wonder]

Mum talked to the pet shop man for a minute. He looked at me and smiled.
“A good choice son.” He said.
I should have sliced him with my sword to call me, Heimdall, watchman of the gods, his son! But this time I spared his life. Then the pet shop man reached up to a high shelf and brought down a teeny, tiny card board box. You’ll never guess what was inside…

[picture of pet shop man putting a cardboard box on shop surface top. Box has air holes all around it and is no bigger than a hamster would need. On the side of the box is the pet shop’s logo (this is important later)]

A HAMSTER!

[picture of open box and cute, insignificant hamster peering up out of the page. The hamster is obviously chewing something]

A boring, tiny, little, incredibly dull, drab and powerless hamster. Surely not a creature of the gods.
Mum and dad said that, Heimdall, the watchman of the gods would never sulk, but I’m sure that would have all depended on whether his mum and dad ever bought him a tiny hamster.
It seemed like forever to get home today, the day of Thor.

[picture of boy, arms folded, sulking in the back of the car. The box lies open on the seat next to him, the hamster looks up almost adoringly at the boy whose back is turned. Outside the car window can just about be seen the cloudy figure of Thor, riding in the sky laughing uncontrollably at the little boy and his insignificant hamster. He holds his hammer aloft]

My hamster can’t:
Tear wolves limb from limb…

[picture of huge hamster ravaging dozens of smaller wolves with its huge, oversized mouth]

My hamster can’t:
Soar the clouds pulling a chariot through the sky…

[picture of huge hamster pulling chariot through clouds. Boy riding in the chariot]

My hamster can’t even:
Sail the seven seas with beasts hitching a ride on his back…

[picture of huge hamster paddling through massive tidal waves at sea. Many fierce creatures ride on its oversized back]

Mum and dad say that it will be fun to watch him running round his wheel. Mum and dad say that he’ll be fun to take in the garden and have run around there too. If mum and dad think running around is so good, why don’t they do it themselves?!

[Picture of his parents running around a huge hamster wheel looking very tired]

Mum said that as soon as I named my boring old hamster I’d start to love him, but love isn’t for Heimdall, the watchman of the gods! And my hamster isn’t either…

So I said goodnight to my boring hamster and watched the sparks and embers light up the realm of Ginnungagap in the dark, night sky.

Night-night to Thor’s day…

[picture of the boy, helmet still on his head, arms crossed staring out of his bedroom window at the starry night sky. The hamster in its cage sits right next to him, asleep, maybe even not visible. Just about visible in the dark night sky can be seen Thor, lying asleep, his head leaning against the moon in the sky, his hammer by his side, his helmet half covering his sleeping face.]

Awake! The morning had come and to my dreams I owed a revelation! Thor came to me in my dreams and told me that my hamster was worthy of a name. But not just any name…. HIS name…
My boring, drab, pointless, insignificant hamster was to be called… Thor, god of thunder.
I think he suits him just fine. Don’t you?

[picture drawn as if inside the hamster cage. The hamster sits nibbling on a sunflower seed. The boys face peers through the cage bars at the hamster, his face is smiling. Just above his shoulder can be seen the figure of Thor, looking very pleased at himself]

Thor can:
Run forever and a day…

[picture of hamster running on its wheel. It is wearing a little Viking hat, horns on the side. The boy looks through the side of the cage looking pleased]

Thor can:
Battle the evil forces of the underworld…

[picture of hamster, tiny helmet on its head, stood, looking very normal and un-fierce. The boy looks excited at his side. Ahead of him stand lots of evil forces of stuffed/cuddly toys looking very un-fierce also]

Thor can:
Eat a million Viking feasts, oh boy can he eat!
I’d never eat so much without bursting…

[picture of hamster absolutely stuffing its cheeks with tasty morsels. There is so much in its mouth that bits fall out. The boy stands nearby, trying to stuff food into his mouth, but quite unsuccessfully dropping it all over the place. Both helmets adorn their heads as usual]

Me and Thor even fought off the deadly giants of Jotunheim from next door. I rode in on Gulltop, swinging my sword Hofund back and forth in anger. Thor majestically rode on his chariot of the sky, to rid the world of the evil Mr. and Mrs. Smith!!!

[picture of ogre like neighbours sitting having lunch in their garden. They are startled, spilling juice on themselves. The boy ride atop his broomstick horse, pulling behind him Thor the hamster in a tiny, cardboard chariot. The hamster, cheeks stuffed full, looks very un-interested in the whole event. The neighbours are surprised, yet still ogre-ish]

Mum and dad weren’t pleased…

[picture of angry mum and dad wagging fingers at boy, whose helmet covered head is bowed. Hamster sits on cardboard chariot nearby. Horse lies on floor nearby. Mr and Mrs smith stand by looking angry and ogre-ish, whoever spilt their drink in the last picture has a stain down their leg]

But our victory over the deadly giants was complete…

[picture of boy looking over the fence at mr and mrs smith who have transformed back into normal people. Boy holds hamster, cheeks stuffed, just over the fence so it can see too. Both wear helmets as usual. The cloudy figure of the god Thor, hammer by his side, can be seen laughing hilariously in the sky]

Thor was just as powerful and glorious as the god himself, but there was surely something missing. He had his helmet, he had his chariot…. But what about his thunder hammer? I completely forgot. It was time to make Thor his very own Mjollnir…

We set to work on finding Thor his very own lightning hammer. But where would we start?

We tried dad’s tool shed, but the hammer there was too big…

[picture of hamster, wearing helmet, next to a huge sledge hammer]

We tried the kitchen, but the hammer there was too wooden…

[picture of hamster, wearing helmet, next to wooden, kitchen hammer]

We even tried Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s house, but all their hammers did was hammer in nails!
Thor didn’t care much for hammering nails…

[picture of hamster, next to a nail being hammered in. Hamster looks startled, food sprays out of its stuffed cheeks]

But then, upstairs in the toy box of Heimdall we found the perfect hammer. It was just the right size and just as powerful. Thor was pleased…

[picture of hamster with toy hammer, similar to the real Thor’s hammer, strapped to its back. Hamster, cheeks stuffed looks unconcerned. The real god Thor looks on happily]

So now we will storm the Jotunheim barricades…

[picture of boy, wielding sword and shield, storming into mr and mrs smith’s front room on his broom handle horse. The hamster sits atop his shoulder, looking uninterested, hammer strapped to its back as well as helmet on its head. Mr and mrs smith are smiling this time…]

We will guard the secret pathway to Asgard, the land of the mighty gods…

[picture of boy and hamster in the garden protecting a pathway that leads through bushes out of the garden. The boy is in battle stance, the hamster sits atop its chariot eating lots of food]

We will protect the human world of Midgard for all eternity!
And our adventures will stretch to the end of time and back again….
For we are Heimdall, watchman of the gods, and Thor, the mighty thunder hamster!

[DOUBLE PAGE picture of boy and hamster proudly stood atop the world. This could be a simple representation of the earth, or they could be on top of a huge mountain down below which can be seen the outline of the continents of earth. In the middle of an outline of the UK, very small, can be seen his mum and dad waving up at them. They look proud and victorious. The boy looks across the world sat on his broom handle horse and thunder pounces out of the hamster’s hammer]

THE END

E-mail the author, Daniel Rourke, here if you are interested in illustrating this story. The final finished piece will be published free, online, for easy access to children, their parents and the wider web community. Internet based, interactive multimedia publishing is an area that I believe will grow in the future. Be involved now...

 

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Creative Commons Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.