Road to Portfolio

Hello bloggers!

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who took the time to read and comment on my stories. It was greatly appreciated. I realized that even though creating stories about our readings can be interesting what I enjoy the most is being able to produce totally random themes and plots for my stories. In a way I actually enjoy that the plots do not have to be connected but rather they can exist in their own unique universe. As we are near the end of the semester I hope that at least one of the two stories below added positively to your experience in this course.

Week 3: "In Dark Corners"

This story revolves around a mysterious murder in the king's castle and his search for answers.

Week 4: "Close Encounters"
While searching for adventure, a boy stumbles upon a peculiar tree in the forest.

Storytelling Week 4: Close Encounters

Every morning the boy would go climbing on the oldest, largest trees he could find in the forest. It was always so early that the only voices he could hear were the singing of birds and the whistling of leaves as a gentle breeze filled the air. Warm, piercing rays of light would come creeping through the branches.

(The forest where the boy plays every day.)

One morning something odd happened. The boy stumbled across a peculiar tree which stood ominously, enclosed by a field of beautiful flowers. Hesitant at first, the boy gathered his resolve and moved to conquer the tree. He clung to the bark, his hands moving first, then feet, following this rhythm as he moved up the tree. But just as the boy had reached his first branch a terrifying sound erupted.

"You, a mere boy dare to interrupt my slumber!?"

The voice was like a screech that invaded the child's ears and caused such a severe headache that the boy lost control of his grip and fell to the ground. As he lay there writhing in pain, a spider-like creature sped down the tree until its red eyes and fangs, like those of a saber-toothed cat, were but inches from the boy’s face. The creature resembled a human if not for its four arms and legs, covered in thorns. This was a Rakshasa.

"I would eat you right now if not for that wretched stench," howled the beast.

The boy had soiled himself. He remained on the ground shivering uncontrollably as the demon's rancid breath puffed against his face. The child tried to open his mouth to speak, but all that escaped was sobbing. So he closed his eyes and curled up into a ball, quivering in fear. The boy heard yet another screech from the demon.

"Surely, you are blessed by the gods," said the beast, "for I am quite tired today."

"But listen carefully," snarled the Rakshasa. "While you were cowering in fear I, the great Ishnana, placed a curse on you. For whichever tree you attempt to climb will open up and devour you whole."

As Ishnana scurried up the tree, the boy dragged himself in shame as far as he could get from the demon.

During the next few days the child fell into a severe depression. While he sat on a riverbank, a great shadow loomed over him. As he turned around, the child gazed upon a huge vulture descending upon him. The bird moved so quickly that the boy could only shield his face from the strong gust of wind. To the child's surprise the vulture began to speak.

"What has you troubled?" asked the vulture. "I have flown over these woods many times and witnessed you running about gleefully. But today you sit in silence."

With tears in his eyes the boy explained the events that had occurred.

"Dear boy, you are in luck for I know of this creature's weakness," responded the bird.

And so they devised a plan to defeat Ishnana. The boy climbed onto the bird's back and they set off to gather materials for their plan.

Several days later the child cautiously approached Ishnana's tree and called out.

"Oh great one, please allow me to repay you for the mercy that you showed me the other day," declared the child.

The boy stood in silence, anxiously awaiting Ishnana's reply. But there was silence. With a sigh of dismay, the child turned around. But as he was making his way to the riverbank, the tree shook violently. Ishana's thorny limbs scraped and stabbed the tree as he hurried to the ground.

"Not once, but twice you have disturbed me," replied Ishnana in anger. "Explain yourself at once!"

"I noticed that you maintain a beautiful garden," said the child. "But I have found one filled with even more exotic plants."

"Nonsense, there is no such garden in this forest!" shouted Ishnana. "Show me the way and I shall decide for myself!"

The demon did indeed have a weakness for flowers. He collected and planted them tirelessly for his garden. They eventually came before a clearing where the light shone beautifully at its center. And at this point lay a glorious plot of flowers, with colors known only to the Gods.

"Incredible! Some of these flowers cannot be found in this world," said Ishnana as he approached the plot. "How did you discover such a thing?"

But before the creature could hear a response, the ground beneath him crumbled. Ishnana was plunging further and further into a deep pit. At this moment the vulture arrived.

"Jatayu, why have you come here!?" asked Ishnana as he struggled to climb out of the hole. "Is this your doing!?"

"Yes it is I, Jatayu, protector of this forest," said the bird."You have harmed one of my protected creatures and so I sentence you to remain at the bottom of this hole, beneath the flowers you so admire.”

Jatayu then rose up and with two flaps of his wings gathered enough dirt to fill the hole. As Ishnana tried to claw his way out, roots shot out of the inner walls of the pit and like rope restrained the demon. The flowers were indeed otherworldly for they fed on the energy of Rakshasas. Ishnana could only remain there helplessly as the flowers sucked away his life. With the hole sealed, the boy turned to Jatayu in praise.

"Thank you for saving me. I do not deserve such a guardian," said the boy.

"Oh, but few are worthier of protection," responded Jatayu."For I did not appear to you by chance. The gods sent me to protect you. You are to be a great leader. You will nurture a champion among gods, the one who will break Shiva's bow."

"I do not understand," replied the child. "But I hope that we can be friends."

With a look of great joy, the vulture replied, "Surely, we will be brothers."

Author's Note

I was motivated to write this story as sort of an origin to Rama's father. I thought that it would be interesting to know a little more about the great king who had raised so many respected sons. I then remembered his relationship with Jatayu and how it was mentioned that the two characters had had a longstanding relationship with each other before the events of the Ramayana. So creating my own take on his origin story seemed like an interesting idea.

While reading the Ramayana I was under the impression that Jatayu’s relationship with Dasaratha was born out of battles that they had fought together. But rather than create an elaborate battle sequence or political conflict, depicting the intensity of their bond within this plot seemed more effective. This story is more akin to a cautionary tale than a tragic war story. The innocence of the main protagonist in this story contrasts nicely with the Rakshasa and creates a deeper bond between the reader and Dasaratha,who is seen not as an unforgiving and resilient king but as a vulnerable human. Forests are quite often used as metaphors for a character’s growth and triumph over adversity, while the monster often reflects a vice that is common to humanity. Therefore, I believe that I must have been influenced by such plot devices while composing my own work. 

The name of the rakshasa was meant to be an allusion to the character Anansi, who is an icon of West African and Caribbean folklore. I only began thinking of Anansi while I was trying to come up with a name for the demon. But it is possible that Anansi had been influencing my decision to use a spider-like creature from the beginning.

Bibliography:

Narayan's Ramayana, 1972 .

Storytelling Week 3: In Dark Corners

King Dasaratha could not believe his eyes. Before he could even utter a word, his knees buckled bringing him to the ground. 

"...Ka-Kai-Kaik-Kaike" stuttered the king as he struggled to utter her name.

Minister Sumanthra entered the kopa gruha in search of Dasaratha.

"My king, please tell me what has brought you to your knees?" muttered Sumanthra as he cautiously made his way past the curtain.

"We do not have much ti-…. oh no!!" Sumanthra stood in shock as he gazed upon the body of Kaikeyi, soaking in a pool of blood.

Royal guards questioned everyone from the jester to Sumanthra himself. Not a soul could rest that night as the castle fell into chaos. Outraged by the news, Rama and his brothers stormed into the king's chambers expecting to receive orders from their father. Deeply saddened, but determined, the king rushed out of his chambers as quickly as the princes entered.

"There is no time to waste! We must question the last person to witness Kaikeyi alive," said the king.

"Our maids say that they saw a hunchback limping out of the queen's room mere hours before we discovered the body."

And so the king hurried to the cell where soldiers had captured and interrogated Kooni, the hunchbacked servant. As they moved through the castle, the shadows of distraught men, a backdrop to candle light, scurried across the walls of the dark hallway. All throughout the halls men howled and wildly accused the common servants. Rama showed concern for these commoners and resolved any disputes as he saw them. But the chaos was too great.

"Find the killer and this madness will leave us," groaned Dasaratha, looking forward with great resolve.

The guards sliced and bruised Kooni beyond recognition.

"My lord, the hunchback has been devising a trap," said the soldier as he presented the king with notes on Kooni's plot, beaten out of her without mercy.

She was suspended upside down, a rope stretching from the ceiling as her only savior against a container of scorpions resting just inches from her head. As her lips shivered, she forced them open despite the enormous swelling across her face, so severe that she could no longer see two feet ahead of her body.

"I-I-It is surely," blurted Kooni while coughing uncontrollably, "your own evils which have caused this misfortune to f-fa-fall upon you."All eyes in the room were on her.

"I was not the one who cut down Kaikeyi, but surely it was one of my brothers."

Kooni and the other slaves had been planning a revolt. The king had spent years abusing them, forcing them into dangerous lands virtually unprotected to harvest crops.

"We are less than human to you. So we shall treat you like the monsters that you yourself have created!"

Upon hearing these words, a great anger welled up inside Dasaratha as he shoved even his sons aside, making his way to this battered woman. After striking her across the face, he exclaimed,

"You dare murder Kaikeyi for your petty grievances! You creatures were blessed to stumble upon my kingdom. For in any other you would have been pierced through the heart and fed to the dogs. It was the queen herself who took pity on you and now she has paid greatly for her kindness."

And as quickly as it rose up inside him, the king subdued his anger, replacing it instead with an overwhelming sadness. Despite his words he was unwilling to face Rama who was ignorant of the servants' plight, now gazing upon his father with a look of shame and disgust. Later that night, the king stood on the highest balcony of the castle gazing upon the stars for an answer.

"What do I need to do for this kingdom, for my beloved Kaikeyi?" he thought to himself.

Suddenly, Dasaratha heard footsteps, the sound growing louder with each second. He spun around and stared at the door which sealed the only staircase. Dasaratha gripped the hilt of his sword, preparing for a battle without a single ally. He could almost taste the malice in the air as the presence grew closer. As the door swung open, the king released a sigh of relief as none other than Rama stood at the entrance with a faint smile. Surely, the king had reached news levels of paranoia.

"You have done a great many wrongs against these slaves," said Rama. "Just as you mourn, my heart also aches for Mother. But we cannot ignore the plight of these rebels."

Facing the stars once more Dasaratha stood at the edge of the balcony. "I am truly blessed to bear witness to your kindness, Rama. But what do you suppose I do with subjects who have turned traitor?"

"The answer is simple, Father." replied Rama. "In fact there is but one answer that will deliver justice."

"But what could that be, my so-”, as the words left his mouth, the king noticed a sharp, warm sensation in his chest.

 As he looked down, to his dismay he gazed upon the tip of a blade, plunged through his heart. Blood gushed out of his mouth and splashed on the blade. He used his last ounce of energy to spin around and drop himself into the arms of Rama.

"Tell me, my son, what demon has possessed you?" muttered Dasaratha as the blood gurgled in his mouth.

"I simply grow tired of this charade," replied Rama. "The charade of the perfect son, husband, brother and prince. This image of perfection that has been imposed on me is but a farce used to compensate you all for your own dark hearts. No more, Father."

Those were Rama’s final words to Dasaratha, and in his final moments he bore witness to a sight that terrified him. It was Rama’s sinister smile, stretching unnaturally from ear to ear. His eyes stretched open grotesquely, almost popping out of Rama’s head.

(Rama deformed by his madness)

Author's Note

I was inspired to write this story by a previous post that I had made concerning the relationship between Kooni and the queen. While studying their conversations for the first time I could not help but think that if this story was anything like the mystery novels that I have read that there would be an ulterior motive to Kooni's influence in this scene. In imagining what that motive could be I thought of a rebellion. But the challenge of revealing a surprising yet convincing murderer was still unresolved. After much thinking I figured that Rama would be seen as the most innocent character in this story because of the impressions created of him in the original story by the other readers in the class. I also concluded that realistically any person could feel crushed by the expectations placed on Rama. They may even feel robbed of a satisfying life because of these expectations.

The story is also meant to confront the idea of perfection. Throughout the original narrative, the reader notices that even Rama can sometimes fall victim to his desires and make hasty decisions. But somehow Rama is able to justify his own actions. Even the murder of Vali at Rama’s hands is justified in some manner. Therefore, the following question prevails,

“Is perfection the ability to know all answers coupled with the timely execution of deeds, or is perfection simply the ability to convince others of the righteousness of one’s actions?”

Original Text

"The Ramayana" by R. K. Narayan

Bibliography
Manthara and Kaikeyi (PDE story is slightly different from Narayan's physical text)

Kaikeyi and Dasaratha (Spellings may differ between PDE and physical text which was used for the story)

Week 3 Reading Diary: Ascension to the Throne: