Week 7 Story: The Lake

In a world where impatience thrives, wisdom is ignored, and greed flourishes, there is a lake that seeks to change this. He who approaches the lake feels a thirst unlike any he has ever experienced before. It burns, drying his mouth thoroughly until hardly any coherent thoughts can be formed. In the lake sits a crane, quietly awaiting the next mortal who desperately needs admonishment. The crane watches, day after day, night after night, until a traveler stumbles upon the water. The water is unlike any water a person has seen before. It sits like a mirror, so clear, clean, and motionless that it reflects the sky. It begs to be consumed.

The mortal reaches out, excited to finally be relieved of such extreme dehydration. But then to his horror: a voice, snapping him out of his reverie, reminding him there is a world around him. He sees a crane moving its mouth open and shut. In his dazed condition, he doesn't know what it is saying. He catches a few words, wait, don't drink, riddle. But doesn't the crane understand? He wants it now. He doesn't need to listen to a bird. He will do whatever he pleases. Right now, that is drinking this water in front of him.

He dips his hands in the lake, ignoring the incessant warnings of the crane, and lifts the water to his lips. He already feels refreshed, just having it so near him. It touches his lips, and as he swallows, he feels a regret unlike any other. He realizes he could have waited, he should have waited just a few more moments to hear the crane out. He thinks of those he has hurt. He wonders why he had wasted so much time focusing on himself when he could have been helping others--and then nothing. He stills.

The crane looks away and sighs. Another one gone, she thinks. A sadness fills her, making her wonder if any of this is worth it. It makes her wonder why she even tries. Sometimes the world feels doomed. She folds her feathers in and focuses on the few who were changed for the better because of the lake. She thinks of those who listened to her warning and felt grateful for the change in their heart. She tries to focus on them. It is not much, but it is something.

Crane (Bird) from Wikimedia Commons

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Author's Note:

For my story, I focused on the crane and the lake in the Mahabharata. Originally, this crane/voice was actually set up as a test for Yudhishthira and his brothers, but I liked the idea of the lake so much that I made it an actual setting that anyone could encounter and end up being tested at. I made the lake a little more mystical and magical than mentioned in the book. In my version, the lake attracts people whose hearts have been corrupted. The crane sits there to stop them from drinking it, but the character in my version doesn't even bother to listen. I really loved this part of the book because it is such a conflict--the characters were so thirsty, but they definitely could have waited a few more moments, just as Yudhishthira did. It says a lot about the human spirit and how difficult it is for us to be patient.

Bibliography: Narayan's Mahabharata