the Storyteller

I've always loved Jim Henson's Storyteller series, so way back in the early nineties I made several sculpted dolls depicting some of my favourite characters; Sapsorrow, the Princess from the Three Ravens, the Storyteller himself, and then my sister and I worked together to recreate the scene from the Soldier and Death where the soldier is playing cards with thirteen little devils.  

I still have the Storyteller and the piece with the devils, and wondered if it would work to replace the Soldier with one of my FIDs. After all they are the same size. So I chose Lawrence to play the part of the Soldier.  I set up a 'haunted palace interior', and started taking photos. They turned out so well, that I impressed even myself. Then one thing led to another and I decided to use my Storyteller as well, to introduce the scenes with the Soldier defeating the devils, and to finish the story of the Soldier and Death....
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By the Fire

The old Storyteller was sitting by the fire with his dog....

"What's in the sack?"

"Just a couple of old biscuits...."

"...but I need them for my story...."

"It's the story of a Russian soldier, down on his luck, heading home from the wars, with just a farthing in his pocket, and three biscuits to his name. When he comes across an old beggar he shares a biscuit with him...

"Then he meets another old beggar and gives him a biscuit as well...."

"...and finally a third beggar...and gives him the last of his three biscuits."

"The Soldier is rewarded for his kindness with a ruby whistle, a special sack which can force anything inside....and a deck of lucky cards that guarantee he will win every game he plays."

"When he learns of the Czar's palace that is haunted by devils who play cards all night and have never been defeated..." 

"...the Soldier goes to the palace to deal with the devils...." ​