The birth of Tuittu the murkpunker
Some turning points come unexpectedly. This transformation nonetheless was not one of those. We all knew it was going to happen sooner or later. We just didn't know how...
I still remember the exact color of that murky pond I used to find myself adoring. That pond was the only truly dear thing for me in my hometown - Spoonriver. It comforted me many times with its soothing sounds.
I never was a remarkable child. Quite the opposite. I found learning things very complicated. My parents tried to help me the best way they could. I was an embarrassment for them because they used to teach in the local school.
I was never a popular kid. The other people didn't understand me. I was a fat daydreamer in a world where physically and mentally strong people were admired.
Then the winter came to the Spoonriver. That was not a shock to anyone. The town was well prepared. The crop from the previous autumn was canned and all the people in Spoonriver had the strength to keep going on in the troublesome times.
So the residents of Spoonriver snuggled inside their houses and started settling down for the winter months. But the winter had not shown its true colors yet...
The school served a hot meal to all of the pupils. My parents made it and served it. There was an agreement with other villagers they would bring a little something to school for all the kids to eat. Of course, my parents always added more to the table than the other families. That was their humble way to help.
Some of the kids were mean and came up with a "joke" I ate more than others. They asserted it was the reason I was so fat. That became an ongoing chant. The chant turned into kicking and spitting on me.
I couldn't escape to my beloved pond, because it was frozen. So I put all my emotions into songs I composed.
The winter hit harder than it ever had before. The wind blasted icy blades to torture anyone brave enough to show their faces outside. And it was the longest winter the Spoonriver had ever seen. I grew up during the winter.
Then the food ended. The winter had lasted so long, there was no stock left. The chant that earlier was just a bunch of school kids being mean, became a gossip- Tuittu was eating all the food!
The villagers confronted my parents. And my mom decided to put me on a diet to show that I wasn't the one to blame for the food shortages. She made me go to the bed early...and baked a pie for the rest of the family.
That night I woke up hungry and it was the first time I ate from a trashcan.
Then the spring finally arrived. And with spring arrived a bard called The Rat. He heard me playing and wanted me to play with him. He told me about the other villages that had survived the nightmarish winter. And he told me that if I was unhappy in the Spoonriver, I could follow him to the next village and continue on my own from there.
To my parent's absolute horror I agreed with the plan. I packed up my violin and left. I didn't know it yet, but I was on my way to Murkland.
