The Boy who had No Story

**The Boy who had No Story** is an animated short that takes place in Ireland. It is an episode part of the anthology series "*Animated Tales of the World*".

## Summary

Rory O'Donoghue is a poor boy who delivers socks. He asks a hooded woman to give him money by delivering her the socks given by his mother to a merchant in a town of Macroom. She then asks him to trade the socks for two fresh fish as a deal instead of money, but Rory refuses. The hooded woman warns him that going to Macroom is very far and dangerous during nighttime. Rory tried to find shelter on his way as he rested under a small cave to rest and far away from Rory is a house. Rory then enters the house, home to a crone who welcomes him inside her home. Before Rory can have supper, he must tell a story to her. Rory then believes that he has no story to tell as he tells her that he and his mother usually work in knitting socks. The crone then tells him that he cannot eat unless he tells her a story.

The crone then suddenly sends Rory out of her house. Upon escaping, a police sergeant tries to arrest Rory for illegally poaching the fine salmon, but Rory says that the thing he has is a sack of socks knitted by her mother for a merchant in Macroom, not a sack of salmon. Rory tells the sergeant that he has no story to tell and the crone kicked him out of her house. The police sergeant changes his mind not to arrest Rory and gives him a letter from the sheriff of Cork to the Mayor of Dublin. Rory believes he doesn't know the road to Dublin, but the sheriff tells him to take the letter and give it to the mayor of Dublin. While trying to go to Dublin, Rory encounters a fishmonger who confuses the sack of sock for precious salmon in which he tries to buy the socks. Rory tells the fishmonger that the things he has are socks knitted by his mother, not salmon for the man who sells fish. The fishmonger then tells Rory to ride on his donkey to go deliver the letter to the mayor of Dublin.

Upon riding the donkey, he kicks Rory off of him as he tells him that the path doesn't lead to Dublin. The donkey tells Rory that the reason why he threw him off of his back is because he wanted to see the letter for the mayor of Dublin. However, a fox suddenly steals the letter for the mayor as Rory goes after it. Following the fox leads him to another place where a big ark lies on one of the hills. The fox gives the letter to Noah, the man who built a big ark. He then tells Rory that he may retrieve the letter only if he gives him the fine salmon, but Rory tells him that the things he has are not salmon, but socks. Rory then refuses to give the socks to him and this leaves Rory to be abandoned and the flood arrives to this place. Rory goes to the ark and tries to warn Noah to let him in, but the ark turns into solid stone so that it can sink. Meanwhile, an eagle arrives and confuses the sack of socks for fine salmon as he tells him that he has no story to tell. However, the eagle tells him to stop talking before the water rises. Rory rides on the eagle who claims to be flying with the eagle, but the eagle corrects him because the eagle is flying, not Rory, because the eagle tells him that he is having a free ride on him.

The eagle then takes Rory to his mother's house and his mother confuses the sack of socks for salmon. Rory tells his mother that he has no story to tell, but his mother accuses him for making up stories as she sends him back to the crone's house. The crone then recognises Rory that he is the boy who delivers rotten salmon to her house in which the things Rory has are not rotten salmon, but a sack of socks knitted by his mother. Suddenly, Rory then remembers his adventures when he encountered the police sergeant, the fishmonger, the donkey, the fox, Noah, and the eagle. After recounting the story he told to the crone, Rory then enjoys the dinner the crone promised to give as she promises to fix his bed for telling her the story. The next day, Rory leaves the crone's house as he decides to go to Macroom to deliver the socks knitted by his mother for the merchant in Macroom.

## Voice Cast

Only three voice actors were credited:

* Tommy Carey - Rory O'Donoghue

* Morgan Jones - The Sergeant / the Fishmonger / the Donkey / Noah / the Eagle

* Pauline McLynn - The Hooded Woman / the Crone / Rory's Mother