Storytelling: Matsya Kingdom - Week 13

The final casting list was about to come out. Students lined up outside the theater with high hopes of scoring the part of their dreams. The teacher came out with the list and walked up to the bulletin board; the students crowded closer and closer and tension grew. She pinned the list to the board and quickly moved out of the way.

Final Casting List

Matsya Kingdom

In order of appearance:

Brahmin .......... Yudhishthira

Virata's cook .......... Bhima 

Sudeshna's personal maid .......... Draupadi

Cattle supervisor .......... Sahadeva

Horse supervisor .......... Nakula

Eunuch .......... Arjuna

Synopsis of Scenes:

The acts take place in the Matsya Kingdom where King Virata rules. This is where the Pandavas choose to spend their thirteenth year of exile. They take on these parts to aid in their disguise. 

Everyone was content with their parts, it had been just what they auditioned for. Except for Arjuna. Arjuna read his part and stormed down the hallway. How dare the theater teacher force him to succumb to the part of the eunuch. The eunuch lives with the women of the court as a music and dance teacher. This seemed like the result of some curse. 

Yudhishthira was exceptionally happy with his part. In his real life, he had never been very good at dice and chess. The brahmin was an expert at dice and chess. Yudhishthira got to be whoever he wanted in the alternative reality that was the theater. That is why Yudhishthira loved the theater so much. He had always been the star, everyone looked up to him. 

Draupadi was excited to be the token woman in this act. She knew Yudhishthira, Bhima, Sahadeva, Nakula, and Arjuna all liked her and she milked it in every way that she could. 

Sahadeva was the youngest of the group and therefore felt the need to prove himself.

Nakula was Sahadeva's close friend. Nakula only joined theater because Sahadeva did. 

Lastly, Bhima proved to have unmatchable talent in everything he does. He was very confident in his part of the play and everyone else was confident in him.

All of the actors will come together Saturday night to create a one of a kind play that would portray an important aspect of Indian Culture.

Google Images

Author's note:

I decided to base my story off of The Pandavas move into the Matsya kingdom. My story takes place in a theater setting. The Pandava brothers and Draupadi are the actors and the parts they play are the parts they take to disguise themselves while in exile. I tried to describe each character in my story parallel to who they are in the original story. 

Buck, William (1973). Mahabharata

Storytelling: A Bedtime Story - Week 11

"Time for bed little one."
She defiantly shook her head. She was at that age where bedtime and eating her vegetables were the worst things in her small world.
"Come on. I will tell you a bedtime story."
After much consideration she grabbed her pink stuffed bunny and sleepily walked towards her bed. Success.
She climbed into bed and I pulled the sheets up to her little chin. I sat on the edge of her bed and stroked her forehead. He eyes were heavy but he she was trying so hard to stay awake.

She had heard this story plenty times before but it never ceased to amaze her.

"Okay here we go. Once upon a time there was a king who lived in a far away land. He loved his wife very much and he would often dream about her when he wasn't with her. He knew his wife always wanted a little girl of her own. He loved her so much that he decided to give her her wish."

"Like me?"

" Like you. So one day, he asked the stork to bring his wife a baby girl. The stork said yes because delivering babies was his job. He picked out the sweetest little baby he could find."

"Did a stork carry me to you daddy?"

"Yes Emma. The stork wrapped the baby up in a blanket and started on his way. As he was crossing the ocean, he got distracted by a fish jumping in the water and he dropped the baby!"

"Then what daddy?!"

"Close your eyes Emma. Good. The baby fell from the air and dropped right into the mouth of a big fish! The baby was so small that she slipped right to his tummy. She lived there until one day a fisherman caught the fish. He found the little girl and decided to raise her as his own. He named her Satyavati."

Her little head fell to the side. She was finally asleep.

I kissed her on the forehead and quietly made my way to the door.

"Do they live happily ever after daddy?" She whispered.

"Yes Emma. They live happily ever after."

Google Images

Authors Note:
I did my story based on the story of the king of Chedi and his attempt at sending his semen to his wife. I thought it would be fun to tell this story as a bedtime story. Therefore, I had to make it very kid friendly. I changed the hawk to a stork and the semen to a baby. I was using the old wise tale that storks carried babies wrapped in blankets.

Storytelling: The Fight - Week 10

The fight was about to begin. The rumble of voices filled the arena. Since this was not an official World Wrestling Council fight, the safety measures were low. The competition was being held to decipher who: between the Peterson brothers and the Johnson family - was going to be able to continue in the world of WWC. They had been enemies for a long time and they had finally come head to head. They had agreed that the winner would continue to climb the ladder while the loser would quite wrestling forever.

Aron Peterson and his four brothers: Yale, Brad, Nate, and Sam knew that if they did not win this fight it was the going to be the end of their career all together. They would do whatever it took to win.

Yale was against it all. He believed that an out of ring was not the way to solve the bigger problem. Yale advocated peace and understanding. He unsuccessfully tried to persuade the others that there was room for everyone in the ring.

The Petersons had one secret weapon on their side - Krishna. Krishna is a world-wide worshiped wrestler. He was almighty in the ring. He could not participate in the fight but he was there to give instruction.

The mother of the Peterson brothers walked into the area filled with worry. She didn't support this unofficial fight but she had to be their for her sons. She had never agreed with the violence that took place in the ring. Her sons were her whole life and she was constantly concerned for their safety. She decided to make one last effort at stopping the - what she believed was immorality. She went to an old family friend, Kyle, who happened who be part of the Johnson family. After much persuasion, Kyle agreed to only fight one of the five sons: Aron. That was the best he could do.

She went back to her seat to watch the madness unfold.

With an hour left until he fight, the Petersons practiced their technique vigorously. On the other side of the area, the Johnsons did the same. Deception was the Johnsons biggest weapon. They did not know the meaning of fairness. Nor were they interested in giving into favor to the Peterson brothers. The Petersons, holding a greater moral conscience, had a more fair approach. However, both were willing to go to whatever extent to win.

There were no rules, no regulations - anything goes.

With that, the fight began.

Wrestling ring: Google Images

Authors Note:
I wrote my story based on the battle that takes place between the Pandavas and Duryodhana with his entourage. I made the story take place in a modern time wrestling match. I replaced the characters names to go along with the time (except for Krishna -  because that would be a cool wrestling name.) I tried to portray the characters thoughts and feelings as they were portrayed in the actual reading.

• Narayan, R. K. (1978). The Mahabharata.

Storytelling: Game of Dice - Week 9

I was not one to turn down a challenge. Backing down from a challenge is a sign of weakness, that of which I am not.
After all, I am the king of this great kingdom. What kind of king would I be if I did not step forward in the face of confrontation. I am a kshatriya. I do not cower; I am elite.
Sure, I am not be en expert in the game of dice but that is no reason to retreat. Expertise is overrated. I will win this challenge due to my relentless bravery and power.

Vyasa came to warn me of bad omens he foresees. I believe these are merely dreams. I will have to show him there is no reason for concern.

Here we go.

*Hours later*

How is this possible?
I have lost everything I own.
Could Vyasa have been right? Were my bad omens foreordained?
What am I to gamble next? Myself? My dear bothers? My wife?
I cannot stop now, that would be a sign of weakness. I have to continue. Surely my brothers will understand why I must put them on the line. Surely they would be willing to be at risk for the sake of dignity.

*Hours later*

This cannot be happening.
I have lost not only my freedom, but my families'...and now my wife's.
How dare Duryodhana treat her that way. He sees her as merely an object.
I will not let him know of my disfavor. I must stay calm. Stay calm.
It is not too late to turn this around. If he challenges me to another game, I will accept. I can win all of our freedom back. I will win all of our freedom back.

Oh there is a light! Draupadi has wished for our freedom and Duryodhana has granted it. I will return to my kingdom and prepare for the next challenge.

The stakes are higher this time. We face exile. Still, I will not back down. I do not back down! This time I will win. The omens are wrong this time.

Bhima is very angry. He is declaring revenge on Duryodhana. Stay assured my dear brother. I am a kshatriya. I will hold power over all. All will be well in the end....I just need some time.

Dice: Google Images

Authors Note:

I did my story based off of Yudhishthira and the dice challenge. I wrote what I thought would be going through his head before and during the game. I thought that he would very confident in his status and wary of showing fear. However, I added a little bit of concern throughout the dialogue because it gave him a little more personality.

Narayan, R. K. (1978). The Mahabharata.

Storytelling: Inside Sita's Head - Week 7

I shook visibly as we neared the assembly. This is not what I had imagined my fate to be.
How could he doubt my loyalty? Ive had nothing loyalty for him since the beginning. I know nothing else.

I put his ring on my finger, but it gave me little comfort.

It was not log ago that he was going to great lengths to rescue me, to bring me back to him. Now he is going to great lengths to inquire my better judgment.
Was this even about me? Maybe he is doing all of this because he is trying to prove his dignity. Maybe this is all a show.

There I stood, dressed in my finest garnets, wearing my finest jewelry. Yet, I felt as though I was merely a hermit being looked down upon by the king.
Except the king was someone I love, someone who I thought loved me.

Surely he does not love me anymore. How could be put me through this if he did love me?

I shook the thought from my head.

Vibhishana lead me towards the center of the assembly, lightly grasping my arm.
My heart sunk as I neared Rama. I looked to him and he gave gave no sign of assurance. His face was cold and he only looked at me for a brief second.

I began to feel something for him that I never thought I would before: doubt.
Is this someone I want to spend the rest of my life with? I was seeing a side of him that I had never seen before. I was undoubtedly disappointed.
How could I forgive him for putting me through this? How could I forgive him for doubting for innocence? How could I forgive him for thinking I would give something so sacred to Ravana?

No Sita, you must stop. This is not the time to doubt my dedication to Rama. If I start to believe that then the public will surely sense it.

The public looked so unforgiving, so judgmental. I shook at the thought of facing them.

I knew that I had maintained my innocence, but would the public believe so?

My thoughts began to race back to when Rama and I first saw each other. Our eyes met and fate was sealed. He won not only my father's competition, but my heart as well.
I knew at that moment he would hold my heart forever. Without fail, he does to this day.

Rama announced the start of the assembly and everyone in the crowd turned my way.
I took a deep breath.

Here we go.

Picture: Week 7 Reading Guide A

Authors note:
I did my story based on what I think would be going through Sita's head as she was heading to the assembly with Vibhishana.

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

Storytelling: The Theater Club - Week 6

We had been good friends since birth; and I thought we would be forever. Even going into high school, we were close as ever. We hung out with the same group of friends and played on the same sports team.
However, as we got older, things began to change.
He began hanging around with a rough crowd. At first, I hung out with them often but I couldn't say I liked them. They spent their free time drinking and making fun of people who weren't in their group.

Our friendship faded with time. Although we still saw each other, we were not as close as we had once been.

After awhile, I began hanging out with people I had met in the theater club I joined.

The theater group...they were not the coolest people in the school but they were kind, and they were good friends to me.

He always gave me a hard time for hanging out with them. I chose to ignore it. It was my life and I was going to do what I wanted with it. His opinion didn't matter like it used to.
Don't get me wrong, I did still care for him. We had been friends for so long and the memories still stood where the friendship didn't.

One afternoon, I went to his house. Unexpectedly, all his free-loading friends were there. I sat quietly in the corner listening to them talk about the next party they're going to and who they picked on that day.
They then began talking about the theater club, as if I weren't in the room.
They went on and on about a prank they were planning to play on those "losers." They were all going to show up at the upcoming play and throw eggs at the actors during the performance. How creative of them....I know.

I don't know if he thought my loyalty was only with him, or if he genuinely forgot I was in the room, but he made no acknowledgment towards the fact that I was IN the theater club.

I thought long and hard before deciding that the right thing to do was to warn my true friends. I left, basically without anyone noticing, and drove quickly over to the theater. I warned them all of the upcoming prank and they came up with a plan of their own.

They would beat the bullies to the punch.

The night of the play came and everyone was ready. The bullies sat in the front row, eggs in hand.

Mid-show came and right when they were about to throw the eggs, the theater club runs around on stage, pounding the front row with eggs!

The person who was once my best friend, then become my enemy. I had betrayed him and there was no going back; but I was okay with that.
I had made the right choice.

Photo: Google Images

Authors Note:

I decide to do my story based on Vibhishana's betrayal of Indrajit. However I decided to change it to modern time and make it about kids in high school. This would be from the point of view of Vibhishana and he is talking about Indrajit. 

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

Storytelling: The Soccer Game - Week 5

Eric and Brad used to be best friend, they had grown up together and always hung out with the same group of friends. Both of the boys played soccer and Brad was the team captain. Eric always wished he was the team captain but wouldn't dare stand up to his best friend.

It was junior year when Eric and Brad had a falling out. Brad found out that Eric had made a select team that he didn't make. Brad was so jealous and upset that he kicked Eric off of the soccer team in revenge. Not only that, but Brad said Eric was never even aloud to come near the soccer field again!
With nowhere to go, Eric decided to accept his defeat and focus on his studies. He began tutoring a girl named Lacey. However, he never got over being cut from the soccer team.

One day Ryan, the captain of the football team, the class president, and also the most popular guy in school, came to Eric and said,

"I heard you are tutoring Lacey, I want you to convince her to go out with me."

After discussion, Eric agreed to help Ryan if Ryan agreed to help him get back on the soccer team first.
He agreed and the plan was set in motion.

Ryan advised that Eric challenge Brad to a soccer match- the winner gets to be on the soccer team.

Brad was not one to turn down a challenge and was very confident he was better than Eric.
They picked their teams and the gam began.

Brad had a quick lead but Eric had a secret weapon - Ryan used to play soccer.

It was the last twenty minutes of the game and Ryan came in. Eric passed him the ball and Ryan maneuvered it around Brad. He shoots, he scores!

Eric and Ryan had won the match. Brad was off the team and Eric was made team captain. Eric was overjoyed. Brad was devastated but accepted his fate.

Now it was Ryan's turn.

Photo: Google Images

(Since they are monkeys in the actual book. And they play soccer in my story.)

Authors note:
I decided to do my story based on Vali and Sugriva and their final battle that ends with Vali's death and Sugriva getting the crown.
Eric is Sugriva, Brad is Vali, and Ryan is Rama.

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

Storytelling: Dear Diary - Week 4

Dear Diary,
Today I have designated Rama as my successor. I believe he will be a successful king one day, he will do great things. I will begin planning the coronation ceremony immediately! It will be outstanding and it will highlight all his strengths, therefore the town will know I am leaving them in good hands.
I am very excited for my greatest son to follow in my footsteps, he has every qualification to be a miraculous king one day. I have told my wives and they are all very happy for Rama. I will tell Bharata when he returns from visiting his grandfather.
Everything is going perfectly. I must go now, there is a lot to be done!
-Dasharatha

Dear Diary,
Today Kaikeyi has come to me demanding Bharata become my successor and that Rama be exiled for fourteen years. I am at a complete loss as of what to do. I feel a great amount of loyalty to my dear son, however, I owe Kaikeyi two promises that have yet to be fulfilled. I am not one to break promises. Therefore I feel I must comply with Kaikeyi's demands and make Bharata king and exile Rama, against my better judgment. I do not feel like Bharata is fit for king, he does not have the followers or the leadership skills that Rama has.
Aside from that, how do I go about exiling my own son? Will he ever forgive me? I cannot imagine betraying him like that. The town will surely not support this.
I will write back when my final decision is made.
-Dasharatha

Dear Diary,
Today I proceeded with exiling my son; I feel both guilt and sadness. However, Rama keeps assuring me that all is well and I must not be angry with Kaikeyi. He quietly accepted his exile and is preparing to leave, surely he will arise and argue back soon or later, right? He must or else I will. I cannot take his simple acceptance of defeat.
Bharata has stepped up and agreed to take the throne and Kaikeyi is more than pleased. I am trying to consider Bharata in a new light and show him how to perform as king for his people. Hopefully this will be a task that is not out of his ability.
The end is nearing for me and I want my people to look back on my time on the throne and be nothing but pleased with the decisions I made as their king.
I must go now....Sumantra is calling my name.
-Dasharatha.

Photo: Wikipedia-Kaikeyi

Author's note:
I did my story based on Dasharatha's daily through his decision to make Rama king until his decision to comply with Kaikeyi's demands. I interpreted how I thought he would be feeling throughout the process.

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

Storytelling: High School Prank Gone Wrong - Week 3

Victor and Samuel were not only brothers but best friends; they did everything together. Samuel was a couple years younger then Victor but Victor always let Samuel tag along with his friends on the weekends.

However, this mostly consisted of getting in trouble. 

Victor and Samuel had fallen into the wrong crowd in high school and now spent their spare time engaging in illegal activities. 

One Saturday afternoon Victor decided it would be a fun prank to break into their high school and steal the school statue in the front hall! Samuel, being the younger and more naive bother, always did what his brother said. 

Victor and Samuel, along with a couple of Victor's friends, arrived at their high school at eleven o'clock that night. Victor, who had this prank planned for a while now, had stolen a key from the janitors cart that friday. Samuel would be in charge of carrying the keys that night. 

The boys entered the high school, walking quietly through the halls in the case that someone was there. Once it seemed safe, they headed towards the front hall. Victor skipped down the halls with his friends, obviously very proud of himself for his idea. Samuel walked quickly and cautiously behind them. 

The statue, which was a replica of their school mascot, was small enough for Victor to carry on his own. Right as he lifted it up, a voice came from down the hall.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

The boys bolted down the hall. Victor ran behind the rest of the boys, statue in hand. 

Suddenly, someone grabbed Victor by his shirt collar, jerking him backwards. He squealed and the statue flew out of his arms and shattered on the floor. 

The other boys, including Samuel, turned their heads around but never stopped running. 

They reached the front door and bursted outside.

"We have to lock the door behind us so they never know how we got in!"

Samuel hesitantly locked the door behind him and they ran to the car. He felt guilty for leaving his brother but was too scared to go back. 

The boys decided to drive to the back of the parking lot and wait to see what happened to Victor. Eventually, Victor came marching out of the school, head held high. He had made up some extravagant story and persuaded the security guard to let him go.

Victor walked up to the car and climbed in. His pride turned to anger and it was directed at Samuel. Immediately, Victor punched Samuel in the face...over and over. He blamed Samuel for everything and told him he would never be allowed to hang out with him and his friends ever again.

Photo: Google Images

Author's note:
I did my story based on Vali and Sugriva's past. Vali was fighting a demon and chased him into a cave. Sugriva, trying to help, closed the cave the behind them. Vali came out enraged at Sugriva and attacked him then sent him into exile.
Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana.

Storytelling: The Chase - Week 2

I made a promise to King Janaka the day I won his daughter's hand in marriage that I'd do anything I could to make her happy....if that means chasing a golden deer just to put a smile on her face then so be it. 

The tall grass whipped my ankles as I ran, small branches scraping my arms as if they were reaching out to hold me back. My eyes were fixated on the blur of a deer's behind in front of me; it effortlessly ran through the forest with no sign of stopping. I struggled to keep sight of it and keep my speed up at the same time. 

I am not about to let this deer get away. I told Sita I would bring it back...dead or alive, and that is exactly what I am going to do. However, at this point, dead would be a more desirable option. 

I began to think about Sita, how lucky I was to be married to a woman such as her. I would chase this deer for days just to see her smile. The thought of her beauty sent a brief smile across my face. I was quickly jerked back to reality when the deer took a sudden right turn into an open grassland. The large trees stretched over the area, making what acted as a ceiling for the grassland. Finally, to my relief, the deer stopped. 

He must think I am not following him anymore. Surely he wouldn't have stopped had he known I was right on his tail ready to shoot him down. 

I moved slowly through the trees that outlined the grassland, I was sure to avoid stepping on leaves for the sound might give away my whereabouts. I finally reached a place where I had a straight shot. There deer stood, shining in the small streaks of sunlight that crept between branches. 

He is going to make a beautiful rug.

I brought up my aim, lining the center of my front sight with his heart. A small ting of guilt crossed over me and for a brief moment I considered letting the animal live. I had to remind myself that I was doing this for Sita, and I had warned her that the animal would surely die at my hands. 

I released my golden arrow and the beautiful animal fell to the ground. 

How am I going to carry this large animal all the way back? I am now very far from hermitage.

As I neared the animal, it began to squirm.

It is not dead yet!

I leaned over the large animal, ready to take my final shot when all of a sudden...

"Oh Sita! Oh Lakshmana!" I was schocked to hear my own voice coming out of the deer's mouth. Then the unthinkable happened, the golden deer began morphing....into Maricha. His true identity was revealed.

I have been tricked! He has lead me away from my camp leaving Sita and Lakshmana alone!

Internet photo: Rama chases golden deer

Wikipedia

Authors note:

I chose to do the story from the point of view of Rama as he is chasing down the golden deer. Part of it is him explaining the event as it is happening and part of it is his inner thoughts. I explained, from my imagination, what he was feelings and thinking about as he ran through the wood. Rama seems to fear nothing so I just thought it would be fun to dig a little into what is really going on in his head. 

Bibliography

Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana.Maricha. Wikipedia

Storytelling - Week 1

THERE were two birds sat on a stone,

Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;

One flew away, and then there was one,

Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;

The other flew after, and then there was none,

Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;

And so the poor stone was left all alone,

Fa, la, la, la, lal, de!

Two little birds were sitting on a stone. One was named squeak and one was named squawk.
The stone was next to a pond and the pond was next to a tree. The little bird's nests were in the tree. Their mothers, fathers, and siblings were inside.
Every night they sat on the stone until their mothers made them come inside. They were best friends; they had been since they were first born. 

There they sat, on their favorite stone, talking about their day.
One bird talked about how he flew over a river. "it was beautiful," he said "and it went on forever."
The other bird talked about how he had eaten bread thrown to him at a local park. "the people were very friendly, I will go back tomorrow," he said excitedly.
They agreed to go to both the river and the park together the next day. 

Then one birds mom began calling him from the nest. She had a mouth full of worms and it was time for him to come home. "Come in for dinner, Squeak!" The first little bird left, leaving only one little bird and the stone. 

There the other little bird sat, waiting for his mom to call him inside. After a couple minutes she comes out of the nest calling for her baby, "come inside squawk, it's getting dark out!" He flew to her; he wouldn't dare disobey his mother. 

The stone was left alone, but not for long. For the two little birds would be back the next night to talk about their day. 

Authors note:

This story is based on the nursery rhyme "There Were Two Birds Sitting on a Stone" which is quoted there in the story; you can find the rhyme inThe Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang (1897).

I decided to make the two little birds best friends, who sat on the stone every night and talked about their day. One bird talks about how he had flown over a river that day; the other bird talks about how he had gone to a park and eaten bread. 

I got the names from my mom. I live on a lake and there are two ducks who live in my backyard; my mom named them squeak and squawk. This rhyme reminded me of them because they are always together, it seems as though they never leave each other's side.