Week 10: Story Lab

For this week I want to write about what I did over spring break since today is the first day back! This spring break a couple of friends and I went to Colorado to visit Rocky Mountain National Park, Denver, and the other surrounding areas. We had a lot of fun and tried to stick to areas where there are not a bunch of people. Rocky Mountain National Park was gorgeous and the hike to get to the destinations were brutal. We were woefully unprepared so we were sliding all over the place. One of the biggest problems we had were the footwear that we chose to wear. We kind of figured that tennis shoes were going to be OK as none of us other than one had actually been to the park before and he had only been in the summer. As a result, we didn't know that the packed snow is basically ice. We slid all over the place. The views and scenery were worth it though. Below is a picture of me and my friends in the mountains.

My friends and I in Rocky Mountain National Park!

Week 9 Story: The Gang Gets Drowned

Kong opened his eyes and took a deep breath in. It was a bright early morning on the banks of the Nile River and Kong was ready to take on the day. Today was the day his wife, Nile, was expecting their first child. Kong was excited as he did not have any kids and it was expected that this first child was a boy. Little did he know, his day was about to take a turn for the worse.

 

As Kong walked to the nursery, he spotted a lone Nile crouched by the bank of the river. In her arms he saw a small figure, wailing with furious intensity. As he looked more closely he saw Nile drop the child into the river and saw him get swept away by the strong currents of the Nile River. 

Kong called out in shock and fear. "Nile! What are you doing that is our firstborn son. He is destined to be the next ruler of our kingdom!" Startled, Nile whipped around wondering when Kong had arrived.

"Remember the promise you made to me the day we married? The promise that you would never question me or ask me why I am doing what I do?" Defeated, Kong turned away and sobbed as the wails of his son faded away, down the river. 

The years came and went and Kong watched his next six children all meet similar fates but when it came to the eighth child Kong could no longer remain silent.

"Nile I can not sit quietly while you systematically drown all of out children! At least tell me why. Why are you doing this."

"Oh my king it pains me as much as it pains you, to watch your children get swept away in the same river that gives our kingdom life. Long ago I swore an oath. This oath said that I would give birth to the eight Vasus who were cursed to live mortal lives. I swore that when they were born into their mortal lives I would immediately kill them and release them from the curse." Frustrated, instead of drowning the last child, Nile took the child and left. 

The roaring banks of the Nile River

Source

Authors Note: In this weeks story, I focused on the beginning of the Mahabharata. I drew my information from the first Epified video. I find that these videos are excellent to start as a foundation because they are short and sweet. They don't focus too much on the minute details so you can fill in these parts. 

Bibliography: Epified Mahabharata Episode 1 

Week 3 Story: A Lions Game

Once upon a time in a land far far away, there lay a lioness and a lion under a great big tree. This lion and lioness rules all of their kingdom, with their reach being far and wide. These two lions ate antelope exclusively and the hyenas that also lived in the kingdom knew this. One day, one of the hyenas decided to paint itself like an antelope. This hyena was big so it looked like a big antelope when it was painted. This made it look nice and juicy for the other lions. The King Lion was convinced by the Queen lion to go follow the big juicy antelope around until he catches it. The King Lion chased the “antelope” around and through his whole domain. Eventually he catches it, and when he does he killed it with a humongous bite. After he killed the hyena’s soul came out of the body and talked to the King Lion. Turns out the hyena was actually possessed by a demon! The hyena’s soul let out a big roar, the same way the King Lion did. The roar was the same type of roar that the lion made when he was in pain. This roar carried for miles, as lion roars carry on for long distances. The Lioness heard it and got concerned. She talked to her trusty adviser the monkey and he told her that he is not to leave her side. After much more convincing, the monkey finally leaves to check on the Lion King.    

A portrait of the Lion King from my story

Source: Pixabay

Authors note: This story is a retelling of The Golden Deer and The Chase from the Ramayana Part B. In these stories Rama is convinced by Sita to go chase a golden deer but the deer was actually another form of a Rakshasa. The deer gets killed and the Rakshasa comes out and starts talking like Rama. Sita hears and convinces Lakshana to go and check on Rama.  

Source: PDE Ramayana 

Week 2 Story

Fool's Gold

Once upon a time, sailing an ocean far away, was a pirate that sailed the open seas, looting everything in sight. This pirate was considered to be the richest in all the land and him and his crew were always clever in order to not get caught. Deep under the sea, there was a Kraken and his wife that lived in solitude, but always longed the riches that land contained. One day the wife turned to the Kraken and said, “Oh Kraken king, how I long to feast on the riches of the pirate. He has everything from all the lands in one place.”

“How do you propose I take his riches dear wife?” said the Kraken King. “He has the biggest cannons in all the land! There is now way that we can just sink him like all the other pirates!”

“Trick him,” the Kraken wife said. “Use his own greed against him and get him to come to the sea alone.” That day when the pirate set sail from his home, the Kraken approached his ship very calmly and said, “Oh most successful pirate, I have found a whole stash of gold in the most remote of locations but it is only accessible by row boat. If you will let me, I will escort you to the location, but only you can come.” Greedily, the pirate agreed and the two set off to find the loot. Suddenly the Kraken turned around and started grabbing the boat, trying to sink it. “Fool, what are you doing,” the pirate said. “I have no gold with me on this boat it is all at a secret location I will tell you if you let me go.” Reluctantly, the Kraken agreed and took the pirate to land where he said the loot was. “Fool! You have escorted me back to land. You have no power here and I will signal for my ship to come get me.” Defeated, the Kraken swam back to his abode under the sea to his disappointed wife.

“Wife,” he said, “Even though we are big and strong and can sink any ship we please, what is the point if we can’t be happy with whatever we have?”   

Kraken Sinking a Ship

Flickr

Authors Note: This story was derived from The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart from the reading anthology. It tells a tale of basically two characters and how one outwits the other. 

Original Story:
Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie L. Shedlock, The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart