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

Week 5 Story: Snapshots from Sita's Imprisonment

On day one of imprisonment, Sita's faith in Rama was steadfast. Her love for him was unwavering, and her belief in his ability to rescue her was resolute. Ravana could do what he wanted to her; she would not give in. She would choose death over his hand in marriage.

On day five, Sita walked the ashoka grove peacefully, refusing to spend more time than necessary in the palace of the evil man who had captured her. Her anger and revulsion towards him was unmatched. How could he think she would ever choose him over Rama?

Day 38 came and went. Sita momentarily felt a trace of doubt but crushed it only a second later, thinking of her lover's face. It shone brightly in her mind, a source of light that she would not let go.

Day 97. "He's not coming," Ravana said, smirking smugly. Sita crossed her arms, tilted her chin up, and defiantly looked away from him.

"Silly girl, forget about Rama. I can give you anything you want," Ravana said on day 56.

"Anything I want?" Sita asked, a small, mocking smile forming on her lips. "Give me Rama, then."

Ravana rolled his eyes and decided he would try again tomorrow.

Day 170 was a day of weakness for Sita. The pain of the unknown began to suffocate her. Was Rama still alive? When would he rescue her? She did not know how she would survive another day of imprisonment. She fell asleep that night hoping that tomorrow would bring her the faith that she needed to survive.

Day 252. Sita's heart was stirring with anxious joy. A rumor had been spreading that Rama was desperately attempting to rescue her. There were stories of brave deeds and near-death fights. Sita wasn't sure any of it was real, yet still she held on to each tale for dear life.

Ravana approached her on day 350, as he did most days. She sat in the ashoka grove, staring absently at the ground and not even bothering to look up as Ravana's footsteps grew louder.

"You must be feeling some doubt, hm?" Ravana asked fiercely. "Your lover has yet to come. Maybe he does not love you in the same way I do. Let me make you my queen."

His voice woke Sita from her depressive stupor. Hatred boiled inside her, threatening an explosion. Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet his. "Never. Rama will save me."

Ravana's composure broke for the first time in 350 days. His eyes lit with impatient anger and he raised his sword. "He will not, for you shall die."

"Good!" Sita stood quickly, glaring daggers into Ravana's eyes. Rid me of my sorrow! Kill me!"

They glowered at each other for minutes, until Ravana backed down and turned away, muttering under his breath. 

Sita let out a frustrated breath and slumped back down, head in her hands. A moment later, she felt something light bounce off her feet. She looked down, and there sat Rama's ring. Heart beating rapidly, she looked up, only to find a monkey standing in front of her. She yelped with fear.

"It's okay!" he said. "I'm here with a message from Rama. He's coming to rescue you."

On day 364, Rama and Sita embraced, holding more tightly to each other than ever before.

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Author's Note:

My story gives snapshots of what Sita might have been doing and feeling during imprisonment. We barely get any information about her actual time spent with Ravana, but for the few scenes we are given, I added them in (e.g. I took the "never", "He will not, for you shall die", and "rid me of my sorrow" lines directly from page 53 of The Divine Archer). Also, I wasn't exactly sure how many days Sita was imprisoned, so I made it a year. 

Bibliography: The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould.

Image information: Ravana and Sita painting from Wikimedia Commons.

Week 3 Story: Sita's Despair

No matter how hard she tried, Sita could not stop thinking about the man who had caught her eye. In all of the years that she had spent on that balcony watching people walk below her, she had never been so captivated. Images of him replayed over and over in her mind: his strong gait, which had paused as he turned to look at her; his kind eyes, which had trapped hers momentarily; his beautiful smile, which had grown more radiant in the moments their eyes had locked. She sighed with frustration, realizing she was failing miserably at forgetting about him.

Her maids came and went, trying to console her but to no avail. The days passed in tears. What was the point in doing anything if she couldn't have him?

When she learned that a man had been chosen for her to marry, her stomach dropped. Her dread was unmatched. Her new husband would only serve as a constant reminder of what she could never have. She felt hopeless and empty.

On the day of the wedding, she felt numb. As her maids dressed her and complimented her beauty, Sita could only smile faintly. From inside the castle, she heard children outside laughing and people dancing to music. She opened her curtains slightly and peered out into the streets. Colorful decorations were hung on every building and there was not a single unhappy face amongst the crowd.

How could anyone be happy on a day like this? she wondered. How could there be a celebration when she felt so wretchedly?

She tried to perk up, knowing that she would have to accept her marriage eventually. Why ruin a day that is supposed to be one of the best of her life?

Walking through the crowds, she tried to quell her sadness and put on a brave face. As she approached the altar, though, she stopped in shock.

Could it be? she thought, for at that moment her eyes locked for the second time with the man she had shed so many tears over. Rama grinned at her, as radiant and beautiful as ever. Sita returned the smile with one of her own, an unfamiliar expression in the past weeks but one she would never forget.

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Author's Note: In Narayan's Ramayana, there is a part where Sita and Rama see each other momentarily, fall in love without even talking, and then expect to never see each other ever again. They both grow extremely depressed about this, but then it turns out that Rama succeeded in performing the task that was required to be able to marry Sita (the task was lifting, bending, and stringing Shiva's bow). I decided to re-write this because I wanted to focus on Sita's emotions in the situation. I also wanted to re-write it because I felt like the original omitted a lot of personal reflections that Sita was probably dealing with, and I felt that it was important to address them. Also, from the original story I couldn't figure out exactly when it was revealed to Sita that it was actually Rama she was going to marry, so I just assumed it was the moment of the wedding.

Bibliography: The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. By Kamban and R. K. Narayan.

Image Information: Sita and Rama from Flickr

Week 2 Story: The Timid But Reasonable Rabbit

Once upon a time, a rabbit woke up to a raucous noise unlike any he had ever heard before. Seeing as he had just vividly dreamt a nightmare wherein the ground split apart and the world gradually fell to pieces, he believed his dream to have been a vision that was now reality.

This piece of land must be where the end of the world is starting, he thought. He was so startled that he began to rapidly hop away from where the noise had come from.

A deer saw him and asked what he was doing.

Without stopping, the rabbit said, "The world is falling apart!"

The deer thought this silly at first but then decided he didn't have anything better to do, so he followed. The rabbit hopped and hopped, passing many other animals along the way. One by one, they asked what he was running from and decided it might be safer to join rather than doubt him.

The rabbit came to a grinding halt when a lion stood in its path.

"What is going on?" the lion asked. "Why is everyone running?"

The rabbit, adrenaline and fear driving him, said undoubtedly, "The world is falling apart back there!"

The lion rolled his eyes and looked at the other animals. "And why is it that you all believe this to be true?"

The other animals all said, "The rabbit told us!"

The lion looked back at the rabbit. "How are you sure of this?"

"If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself near the coconut tree," the rabbit said plainly. "I'm getting out of here."

The rabbit hopped away with half of the stampede following him still. The other half of the animals now had their doubts and stood around, watching the lion.

"I will go look, and then you will all see that it is careless to follow someone just because everyone else is." The lion then journeyed to the coconut tree.

But the lion never returned, for the moment he neared the coconut tree he fell deep into the fissure that had formed in the ground. The animals who waited for him ran yet again when the earth began to shake and the ground began to split open all around them.

~~~

Author's Note: I really liked the meaning of the original story (not doing something just because everyone else is doing it), but I also think that a lot of times the crowd is right, and it's better to follow them just to be safe. I decided to change the ending to fit this idea because I felt the rabbit deserved some sympathy. I do think it is important to do your own research and investigate things before following a crowd, but sometimes that's just not realistic in the situation. My ending is kind of dark...but at least it gets the point across!

Bibliography: Story source: Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

Image Information:  "Steaming fissure" by John of Wirral is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0