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Dont Wake Me Up
A modern day version of Ravana waking up his brother, Kumbakarna.

Karma's Letter
Kaikeyi receives a letter from Karma that explains the consequences she must face if she is not forgiven for using her two promises to exile Rama and making her son, Bharata, King.

The Mouse Queen
A tale about a queen who turns into a mouse to escape the guilt she feels due to her lies.

Slay the Beast
An epic tale of the journey King William endures to save his princess.

Storytelling Week 13: Slay the Beast

Preface/Summary of the Original Story

The King, the Falcon, and the Drinking-Cup is a tale about a king’s near-death experience during his hunting trip. While chasing the deer, the king becomes separated from his entourage. Fortunately, the king is not alone, for he has his trusty falcon at his side. Throughout all of his riding, the king finds himself parched and stops to fill his cup at a slow-dripping stream. As the king is about to take his first sip, his falcon knocks the goblet from his hands. This pisses the king off. He fills his cup once more and the falcon knocks the cup again. The king (who must have anger problems) throws the bird to the ground which kills the poor falcon. At this moment, an attendant reunites with his king and obeys orders to hike up the hill to retrieve the king some water. When the attendant returns, he informs his majesty that there is a dead dragon poisoning the stream. The parched king feels an overwhelming guilt for murdering his loyal falcon.

Slain Dragon. Source: Wikipedia

Slay the Beast


Prince William sat in the royal garden pondering his future.


My mother, the queen, continues to pester me. She is incredibly intent that I find a princess of my own (I think she wants grandbabies stat). I understand why she is anxious. It is very important that I find a strong queen to rule by my side…when the time comes for that…sigh. The only lady I care to pursue is locked in a tower that is guarded by a dragon. Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know…haven’t heard this story before. Humph. There must be a way to save her and win her hand and heart.


As the days passed by and William continued to analyze different approaches in order to save the beautiful princess, he finally had an epiphany.


I’ve got it! I’ll hold a competition to find the finest warriors. With this team we may slay the devil dragon who torments my lady.


After many weeks of rigorous training on the field and long nights of studying battle strategies, the prince joined his entourage in the courtyard. It was finally the day to set off on their journey. William knew that he and his soldiers were well prepared to face the scaly beast.


So they set off and traveled with little sleep and frequent challenges, and at last, they reached the base of the mountain where the princess resided. The men discovered a stream where they filled their canteens one last time before their long climb up the rocky slope.


This is the moment! Today my men and I become heroes and I will earn the princess’s love.


The men reached the peak and stood face-to-face with a ginormous, olive-green dragon.


“What brings you to the high skies that are so true and blue?” hissed the dragon.


One of the guards accidentally released an arrow which ricocheted off of the dragon’s shiny scales.


“Ohhhhh. You men think you are so noble and brave. Do you think that I have not faced many like you? Are you so ignorant to think that you will slay me?” the dragon asked.


“CHARGE!” Prince William exclaimed.


And so the brawl broke out with metal clashing on scales and arrows soaring through the air. A trail of blood followed the battle, but before Prince William's blood could be spilt, he stealthily snuck underneath the dragon’s belly and stabbed his sword through the soft skin.


The dragon screeched a horrifying cry and jumped from the rocky ledge, tumbling halfway down the mountain.


Prince William bolted to the tower and released his beautiful bride to be.


Many, many years passed by and King William found himself craving a hunting trip.


I have sustained many months of work and stress. It’s due time that I treat myself to my favorite hobby; hunting! I’ll need to be sure to tell the servants to fetch my loyal falcon as he can see distances that I cannot.


The castle staff round up all the necessary tools for King William’s hunting trip and the entourage set off to track the forest game.


Look! There is a quiet deer in the shadows of the trees. This one is mine! Oh, shoot! It saw me. I bet I can outrace it and shoot it down. My men probably won’t keep up, but no matters! I have my trusty falcon with me.


William foolishly left his attendants to race after the deer. The deer was fast and agile and easily outran William's horse. After many minutes, William found himself dying of thirst!


How convenient! A stream. Where did my gold goblet go? Aha! Here it is. Wow….this stream is literally dripping at the speed of molasses. Finally. A goblet full of fresh, clean water.


William's falcon flew off and knocked the water out of the goblet.


“You clumsy ball of feathers!” William angrily yelled.


As soon as the loyal falcon touched back on the king’s forearm, William threw the bird to the ground. The poor falcon did not have enough time to extend his wings and snapped his tiny neck on a rock.


Stupid bird. It was as ugly as a pigeon anyways. I’ll just sit here for another ten minutes to quench my severe thirst.


The king gulped all the water from his cup…


Finally, I am satisf.....


…and collapsed dead.


The hunting party caught up to the deceased king and immediately began searching for the source of death. After many hours, one of the attendants came back from climbing up the mountain where he had found a dead dragon who was poisoning the stream.



Author's Note

I created a story that precedes to the King, the Falcon, and the Drinking-Cup (which is why I included the summary of the original story before my story). In attempts to craft some subtle humor, I chose to tie the dragon’s death to the king. Once the dragon’s death occurred, the story line remains fairly similar to the original, however I introduced Karma by killing off King William.


Bibliography

“The King, the Falcon, and the Drinking-Cup” by Maude Barrows, from Bidpai (1908). Web Source: Internet ArchivGoogle Books

Storytelling Week 6: The Mouse Queen

Author’s Note

The Origin of Opium is a fable from the Folk-Tales of Bengal. It describes a story about a small mouse who is always wishing for more and a kind Rishi who grants her wishes. At first, the mouse is the only companion the Rishi has and so the Rishi gives the mouse a special power to speak. The mouse wishes to be turned into a cat for self-protection and her wish is granted. The little mouse, now cat, continually wishes to be changed into something new. From a cat, she is turned into a dog, then an ape, a boar, an elephant, and finally a beautiful girl who may charm young princes. Eventually, the girl captivates a king and becomes his queen. Unfortunately, she falls into a well and dies, taking her original mouse form. The prince has the well filled with soil to allow a poppy tree to grow and therefore the drug opium.

I chose to work the story backwards and made a few changes along the way. The biggest change is the elimination of opium from my story. The creation of opium was the final topic of the original story (the mouse constantly wishes to be changed into something better which parallels to how an opium addict feels). Since my story directly changes the queen into a mouse and removes all of the other animal transformations, the character isn’t constantly wishing for more. Therefore, I found it unrealistic to keep opium in my story and instead allowed a willow tree to grow from the well. Willow trees can symbolize sadness, which is how I feel this story ended.

A well with a plant growing out of it. Source: Wikimedia

Queen Postomani quietly sobbed herself to sleep. Every morning, she woke up with red, puffy eyes and unhappy thoughts bouncing around in her mind.

You see, before her reign, Postomani was a beautiful maid and lived an honest life. And while Queen Postomani was still quite beautiful, she grew ugly on the inside...........

One day, Postomani was performing her daily chores when a stranger knocked on the door.

She answered, “Hello. What may I do for you today, good sir?”

“I was hoping that I might rest in your home for the day. That is, if it isn’t too much trouble,” the fellow responded.

“Please, come in. May I get you anything?” Postomani graciously waved the handsome man inside.

“A seat will be plenty. What is your name? Pardon me for my straightforwardness, but I must know because your beauty is so abundant,” said the man.

Postomani was quiet. She knew this man was of wealth and power by the way he carried himself. And she, a lowly maid in comparison. Yet, she desired more. It didn’t help that this man was astoundingly attractive.

“Well, your father must have been royal. You’re too striking to be otherwise!” the man exclaimed.

‘Yes! My father was a king, but a tiger ate him. And my mother died giving birth to me,” Postomani lied.

As soon as the words parted from her mouth, she regretted them. It was as if her filter completely disappeared!

“You will fall in love with the palace. Come with me. Be my queen!” the king requested.

Postomani wed the king and followed him to the palace. As every day passed by, the lie grew larger inside of her and made her inner beauty wither.

She could take the pain no longer. Postomani ran into the forest to the Rishi and asked for a wish.

“Oh, dear Rishi. Please grant me one wish!” Postomani wept.

“Child, what is it? What bothers you so harshly?” the Rishi comforted.

“Please. I have let poison seep from my lips. To the king, of all people! I deceived him and I need to pay for my injustice. I wish to be turned into a mouse. So small and lonely that I may not harm another,” Postomani pleaded.

The Rishi, who was kind and understanding, granted the queen’s desire. He allowed her to live in his shack and they kept each other company.

Many years passed by and Postomani occasionally found herself missing the palace. One day, she decided to visit the king. She ventured through the forest and reached its edge to find the vast, royal garden.  

If only I could find a higher spot so that I might peer into the king’s window.

That’s when Postomani saw the well.

Perfect!

She hopped onto the well and climbed to the top. She could just barely see into the window as she reached the ledge. Postomani stood on her two hind legs and strained her neck in attempt to get a glimpse of the king. Her paw slipped and she tumbled down into the deep well to find her death lying at the bottom.

Ten years later, the king strolled through the garden and stumbled upon an interesting growth.

What an unusual sight to see! A willow tree sprouting from a well.

Willow tree. Source: Wikimedia

Bibliography

“The Origin of Opium” by Rev. Lal Behari Day, from Folk-Tales of Bengal (1912). Web Source: Internet Archive

Storytelling Week 5: Karma's Letter

Dear Kaikeyi,

          I regret to inform you that Bharata is VERY angry with you. It seems as if you betrayed him, as well as the entire city of Ayodhya.

Vasishtha came to me today revealing your actions and expressing how livid Bharata is. I would like to get your side of the story; is it true that you used the two promises King Dasaratha granted you to exile your stepson and heir to the throne, Rama, for fourteen years and to make your own son, Bharata, king?

I am led to believe that Vasistha tells me the truth. Apparently, King Dasaratha was so heartbroken about losing Rama that he passed on and is transitioning into his next life.

I am sorry for your loss. I am sure you grieved after your husband’s death. Perhaps you feel as if his death is some sort of penance (that is assuming that Vasistha is telling the truth and you did, indeed, use your two promises).  Unfortunately, Dasaratha’s death was a consequence from his own actions and I must proceed with different penalties for your situation. With any action that occurs in this world, I must perform at least one outcome according to that action.

Vasishtha displayed a lot of emotion. So much so that I could feel Bharata’s anger in Vasishtha’s words. The conversation was tense and full of worked up thoughts. Therefore, I must warn you, that in order to ease Vasishtha and Bharata’s minds, I gave Vasishtha a list of consequences that you will experience. Again, these consequences will only occur if Vasishtha is telling the truth AND Bharata does not forgive you. You may view the list below:

·        You will find it challenging to tell right from wrong
·        You will have many doubts
·        You will become close-minded
·        You will crave flavors, but never taste them
·        You will be viewed as wretched and ugly
·        You will lose your desire to learn
·        You will desire sleep and never rest
·        You will become poor and beg people for food
·        You will live in a kingdom led by fear
·        You will receive many teaching skills, but forget your lessons and appear a fool
·        You will eventually resort to gambling
·        You will not be able to perform good deeds, no matter how hard you try
·        You will betray your friends
·        You will lose others’ trust
·        You will lie to the people who need the truth the most
·        You will argue your beliefs and values to those that don’t wish to hear
·        You will never see Rama return to Ayodhya

Before I act upon any decision made in this world, I believe it best to gather all of the facts. Hence, this letter. I would appreciate it if you respond to me with your side of the story in ten days or less. If I do not hear from you, I will assume that Vasistha told me the truth and will conduct research to see if Bharata forgives you.

I wish you the best.

Sincerely,
Karma

An endless knot. Related to Karma because Karma can be considered endless. Source: Wikipedia

Author’s Note

In Buck’s Ramayana, King Dasaratha dies and his son, Bharata, returns to Ayodhya. When Bharata arrives, he is told about his father’s death, Rama’s exile, and therefore, his new position as king. Bharata is very angry with his mother, Kaikeyi, for using her two promises to exile Rama and make Bharata king. He speaks with Vasishtha about what will happen to his mother (he prefers she is killed) and Vasishtha has a very long, negative list of consequences that Kaikeyi will experience if Bharata cannot forgive her. Fortunately for Kaikeyi, her son ends up forgiving her.

The major changes include a letter-format with Karma’s perspective (he is not technically introduced in Buck’s version). Also,Vasishtha informs Karma of Bharata's anger towards his mother due to her deeds.

This portion of the story snagged my attention because I believe Karma was at work. Kaikeyi decided to use her two promises and a lot of possible consequences crop up (Vasishtha’s list of what will happen to her) from those actions. I wanted to write a letter from Karma’s perspective explaining to Kaikeyi what would happen to her if she was not forgiven.

I chose an endless knot as my image to display Karma. I feel as if this is perfect imagery since Karma is everywhere and will always be in existence.

Bibliography

Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.