Week 14 Storytelling: Girl on the Flyer

Missing Person from Stidhamreconstruction

I looked at the flyer with a photo of a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. The caption read in bold letters "MISSING TEENAGE GIRL". I turn away from the flyer with tears in my eyes. That is not just any teenage girl. That is my sister. 

It started like any other day. My alarm went off about four times and I pressed snooze every time. I did not want to go to school. I wanted to keep dreaming the day away. My mom came in and told me to get up and get ready or else I would be late. Not that it really mattered. Groaning in protest I got up  and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and do my hair. I had just put toothpaste on my toothbrush when my mom pounded on my door. 

"Nancy. Is your sister in there with you?" 

I rolled my eyes, "No. Why would we be in the bathroom together mom? That is weird." 

"You sure?" my mom asked nervously. 

My mom's tone was starting to make me worry. I opened the door. "Yeah, mom she's not here." I saw the panic in her eyes. "Mom, what's wrong???" She runs down the hall, grabs her phone, and dials 911. "MOM!" I yell. 

I hear a voice on the phone "911 what's your emergency?"

My mom's voice trembles, "Yes, I can't find my daughter. I think she's been kidnapped."

Suddenly I feel the world spinning around me. I run to my sisters bedroom and the window is open and her stuff is everywhere. Drawers were on the ground and I saw scratch marks on her headboard. I fall on the ground as the world goes to black. 

I wake up in my bed. It was only a dream. I sit up and hear a lot of people in the house. Police are everywhere. They are asking my parents questions about my sister. My mom pulls out a photo of her from our family vacation over spring break. I run back to my room and slam the door. 

How could I have let this happen? I was in the next room. How could I not have heard her? I hope and pray that someone, anyone could find my sister and bring her home to me. 

Author's Note: I based this week's story off of The Missing Queen  by Samhita Arni (2014). In this version of the Ramayana, Samhita mentions Sita's sister Urmila. It made me really think about how difficult Sita's disappearance would be on Sita's family. I really wanted to focus on how Urmila may have felt when she discovered her sister was missing. The story made me think of how I would respond if my little sister went missing, so I wrote how I think I would have reacted. 

Reading Diary Week 14: Missing Queen Part D

The Missing Queen  by Samhita Arni (2014)

I thought this was a great story and I would recommend this novel to anyone! It wasn't quite what I had expected, but I loved the modern take on the Ramayana. It was really interesting to see the story of Sita unfold from the perspective of a journalist.

Something that I would love to elaborate on is Sam Bhoo Kha's story. I love the idea of the matriarchal society that he was a part of before Ayodhya came. The queen was in power, women had no shame and did not wear shirts because it was more convenient to feed the young, and they had freedom for women that was not common. My history teacher used to say, "behind the downfall of every man lurkes a woman." However, the queen was trying to avoid war and turmoil for her people. It was a man (brother to a girl that was assaulted) that started the war between Sam Bhoo Kha's tribe and Ayodhya. Although, some could argue that it was the girl's fault for going into the Ayodhya emissioner's tent. Regardless, I think this would be a fun story to tell.

I also loved how this version of the story ended compared to the original story that we read in class. As I was reading, I liked the fact that Sita died and Rama did not just take the boys and leave Sita in a forest. I thought that was a more suiting end because Sita could not survive on her own without her boys. Then there was the cliffhanger at the end. I would love for that to be Sita alive and well, however, part of me also wishes that it wasn't. I can't imagine Sita sitting in a cabin somewhere content in life when her sons are with their father that had abandoned them before they were born and thought their own mother was dead.

The Chicago Massacre of 1812 from Wiki Commons

Week 14 Reading Diary: Missing Queen Part C

The Missing Queen  by Samhita Arni (2014)

I think that Sita's sister, Urmila, has a great story to be told. I have a little sister and if she suddenly went missing I would do all that is in my power to find her. I don't blame her for being upset with her husband for getting rid of her sister. I don't think I would ever forgive my husband if he made my sister leave, especially without letting me say goodbye. I love that Urmila stood up to Rama in this story and said she did not want him to find another wife because he was still married to her sister. I know that must have taken a lot of bravery because in this world women don't seem to have a lot of power. If I wrote a story I would love to have it be right after Sita went missing. It would concentrate on Urmila and her efforts to find her sister and then the betrayal of her husband. I could only imagine how Urmila would feel when finding out that her own husband got rid of her sister.


Another scene I found interesting was the bar scene in chapter 21. I could either write the story about a regular customer that likes to come there and listen to the music or I could write about the singer herself. The song that she sung seemed to really hit home for a lot of people including the singer. I feel like there was a backstory to this song. I would love to create it. Perhaps her mother wanted her to marry an Ayodhya man, or maybe she had a friend that fell into the trap?

Singing woman in red from Shutterstock

Storytelling Week 13: Goodnight Princess

Trijatha was getting ready for bed when her father walked in.

"You all ready?"

"Yup!" she said with a smile!

"Brush your teeth? Wash your face? Comb your hair?"

"Yup, yup, and yup!"

"Did you give your old man a hug and kiss goodnight?"

"Not yet!" Trijatha said. She then ran up to him and gave him a big hug. Her father picked her up and tucked her into bed.

"Goodnight princess," Trijatha's father said as he turned off the lights and closed the door.

Trijatha laid her head on her pillow, closed her eyes, and fell asleep within minutes.

Elk Bath by John McColgan from WikiCommons

Trijatha was standing in the middle of a field she looked around to see the whole world burning around her. She looked around to see bodies piled up, some without their heads or limbs. Among the bodies she notices her uncle, Ravana, his eyes were open with no life left in them. Trijatha turned to see a beautiful woman and a man that was almost godlike embrace each other after what looks like a long separation. The man then turns to a Trijatha's father and hands him the crown. Trijatha's father places the crown on his head and turns toward Trijatha, now king of Lanka. Trijatha catches her father's eye and he smiles. "Come princess," he says, "let's find your new room."

Trijatha wakes with a start. She closes her eyes but all she can see are the bodies of thousands of men that surrounded her in her dream. "It was only a dream", she reminds her self. The darkness of the room seemed to only hide monsters that could be lurking. Trijatha gathered all of her courage and dashed across the room and opened the door. She had to find her father, he would know how to reassure her. Dads always know what to say after a nightmare. The door to her father's office was cracked open and Trijatha peeked inside. Her father was arguing with her uncle Ravana. Right before Trijatha walked into the room to ask for her dad, she noticed something in her father's eyes. There was hatred for Ravana in them. Trijatha knew in that moment that her dad was capable of anything to get rid of her uncle and fear took ahold of her. She ran back to her room and hid under the covers. Trijatha understood that this was not just another nightmare, this was the future. At some point, her father was going to betray her uncle and there would be a battle that would kill thousands of people, all so her father could be king of Lanka.

Author's note: I based this story off of the novel "The Missing Queen". This is a more modern version of the classic Indian story "Ramayana". In this version, Trijatha tells the journalist about a dream she had before the war about what was to happen. I wanted to tell the story as if she had the dream as a child. I thought it would be tragic for a young girl to realize that her father is not the man she thought he was and to know that one day he would betray those that you love.

Bibliography: The Missing Queen by Samhita Arni (2014)

Reading Diary Week 13: The Missing Queen Part B

The Missing Queen by Samhita Arni (2014)


One story within this novel I found really intriguing was Lankadevi's story of the battle at Lanka. It was interesting to read about the effects after the war from a child's point of view. Especially from the side of the war that did not win. I would really like to develop more on the part where she first sees Sita. Young Lankadevi is so mad and all reason goes out the window as soon as she sees Sita. I would like to go more into what the young girl is thinking as she marches toward Sita over all of the dead bodies and then her realization that Sita has suffered too. 

Emerald and Diamond Tiara by Ernesto Moreira (2005) from Wiki commons

Another story I loved was Trijatha's dream. She dreamed before the war even started about what her father would do and the war that was to come to Lanka. I would like to start the story with her father telling her goodnight and calling her his little princess before tucking her to bed. Then Trijatha will go to sleep and have a very detailed dream about a war to come and her father's betrayal. Trijatha would then wake up confused but see her father with her uncle the very next day with deceit in his eyes and at that very moment Trijatha would realize that her dream would come true. 

Although it is not part of the original Ramayana story, it would also be interesting to talk about our journalists days inside the prison. One of my favorite movies is The Count of Monte Cristo and I could almost picture the journalist inside of a place like Chateau d'if. I can only imagine the torment one would face when left in a cell for months with no contact with the outside world. 

Reading Diary Week 13: Missing Queen Part A

The Missing Queen by Samhita Arni (2014)

I have really enjoyed this story so far! I love that it is a more modern take on the story of Sita. It is an easy read and I cannot wait to see what happens next!

Sita from Vedicgoddess

So far, the story has not gotten so far into the kidnapping of Sita. It is more conspiracy of where she went and who she was before she was taken. I like the idea of Sita as a cute southern belle country girl. I think it could be fun to write a story about her country life before she met Rama. It could be doing daily things to help her saint of a father that took her in and her experiences. Another good story is to describe Sita's first time going into the big city after living a country life. It could have been a real culture shock for her.

Another person I was interested in was Rama's secretary. Could you imagine being secretary to a king? Now think if this king was Rama. I can only imagine how crazy Rama's life is, but can you imagine being the one that is control of how busy he is. Who will Rama see today? How long will he see them? It almost reminds me of my trip to Mount Vernon over Spring Break. George Washington had several rooms in his house and when people showed up the butler would put them into different rooms based off of the guests importance. I can definitely imagine Rama's secretary doing something similar.

Storytelling Week 12: A Rabbit's Tale

Robert Rabbit sat by the fire next to his hundreds of grandrabbits. This had been an eventful evening! He had taught his youngest grandrabbits how to make s'mores and only one managed to burn themselves. Harper, one of his eldest grandrabbits, soon asked for a story.

"A story, eh? Robert said with a grin. "I know just the one! Have I told you the story of how I fought elephants?"

The older grandrabbits rolled their eyes. They have heard that story hundreds of times. However, the little ones were jumping with excitement. "You fought an elephant Grandpa Rob???" They all questioned.

Boxer Bugs by Buster126 from Deviantart

Robert cleared his throat and began his story, "Once upon a time, there was a young rabbit (that's me!) who decided to take a walk through the woods. Suddenly, the whole earth began to shake! The rabbit ran to find shelter from this earthquake and just managed to get out of the way before a whole herd of elephants ran through right where he was standing! The rabbit was furious that the elephants could be so careless, so he emerged from safety and yelled at the elephants to stop. The elephants all turned around to see who was yelling at them and started to laugh. It was only a rabbit. The rabbit was offended by the elephants and challenged them to a fight if anyone dared. The elephants only laughed harder at the young rabbit. The rabbit started to get really upset and called the elephants cowards. If it was so easy to beat a rabbit then why wouldn't the fight him? The leader of the elephants then stepped up to the rabbit to accept his challenge. Another elephant counted down. 3, 2, 1, FIGHT! The elephant charged at the rabbit, but the rabbit was too fast for him. He jumped around the elephant's legs and dodging everything the elephant threw at him (literally there were some branches thrown). Finally, the elephant had an idea: he would squish the rabbit. The elephant weight about 300 times what the rabbit weighed. This would be an easy victory. He went to squish the rabbit and the rabbit jumped up on top of him and the elephant fell. With one swift movement the rabbit kicked the elephant in the head so hard that he knocked the elephant out. The rest of the herd than ran scared and never came back to the forest again."

"What happened to the elephant leader, Grandpa?"

"He woke up and then left to find his herd." Robert said with a shrug. "However, I sure taught them a lesson! They have not dared to come this way again!" Robert was beaming at the memory of him defeating a mighty elephant.

"Grandpa, I want to be like you someday!" One of the grandrabbits said and was soon echoed by many of their siblings and cousins.

"You will have adventures of your own! Perhaps one day you can tell your grandrabbits stories from your adventures! How cool would that be?"

All of the grandrabbits smiled and later that night each of them had dreams of adventures that are all their own.

Author's Note: I chose to write this week's storytelling post based off of "The Elephant Fighting Hare" from Indian Fables and Folklore. I decided to write this as a grandpa telling the story to his grandkids (in this case grandrabbits) because I feel like this was a story that this particular rabbit would want to tell everyone for the rest of his life. In the original, the rabbit did not knock the elephant out. The rabbit was simply on top of the elephant as he was laying down and the other elephants thought the rabbit was holding the elephant down with all of his strength. This scared the other elephants into leaving. The elephant that fought the hare then realized he was all alone and ants got into his trunk and then he left as well.

Bibliography: The Elephant Fighting Hare from Indian Fables and Folklore by Shovona Devi (1919).

Reading Diary Week 12: Indian Fables and Folklore Part A

Indian Fables and Folklore

Wedding Invitation - The Sun and Moon by Madame-Dei from Deviantart

The Elephant Fighting Hare

I absolutely loved this story! I thought it was so cute! I would love to write a story about the hare fighting the elephants. Perhaps he could be telling his friends and family about it at home. I think it would be great if he was an older hare now and it was like he was telling a war story. It may also be exaggerated over time. Maybe this one hare saved the village or something of the sort. There are so many things that I could do with this short story.

The Moon in the Well

I actually think I have heard this story before! I think I would rewrite this so no monkeys died though. Perhaps the moon really was stuck in the well and they create a very elaborate rescue mission for it. Almost like a mission impossible version of the story. I think that would be a fun and new way to write my story this week. I haven't done anything like that and it could be quite the challenge.

The Gifts of the Sun

I thought this was a cute and interesting story. The sun was so polite to the sage. The sage was very daring. The sun could have scorched the earth because of what the sage did. It could be a fun approach to tell the story like the sun did release all of its wrath. Perhaps people could be telling stories and fables about how the world was before the sun scorched the earth. Green trees, flowers of every color. It could sound crazy to someone that only knows desert.

Storytelling Week 11: Keep Your Eyes Wide Open

Shiva from Shivaho

I have never been so tired in my entire life. You don't realize how much you want to do something until you can't do it anymore. You see, if I ever closed my eyes the world would cease to exist. My darling wife Parvati tries to support me with her love and care. She is probably the only reason I have been able to keep my eyes open for so long. She is the most beautiful thing in all of the universe. With a view like her it makes it easy to keep my eyes open. I mean why would I ever want to stop looking at my beautiful wife? However, it can get to be difficult and tiresome at times. My eyes get so dry. Parvati gives me eye drops from the Ganges River that flows from my hair. This helps a lot with preventing my eyes from getting too dry. However, many years ago, I had to blink. This was before my eye drops and I had not blinked my eyes in many millenia. I just couldn't do it any more. I could feel my eyes were as dry as sand paper. When I blinked the whole world went into complete chaos and froze over. People on earth now call that time period the Ice Age. I opened my eyes to see a completely different world. Instead of the world being full of color like it was before I closed my eyes, the world was full of whites, blues, and purples. It was really interesting to watch the earth warm up again. I was sad to see some of the animals from the ice age go. I really loved the wooly mammoths and the sabertoothed tigers. I like that some of their ancestors are still alive today. Elephants are by far my favorite recent animal but don't tell Airavat the flying elephant. He could become too proud. Since then, my wife has been on my hide about keeping my eyes open. The Ice Age was too close for comfort for her. She said she would rather I keep my eyes open for eternity so she does not have to bundle up for extremely cold weather again. I wish I could see her all bundled in a giant coat but she refuses to show it to me because she thinks I may want to close my eyes just to make her wear the thing again. I am really just curious! I do not want to risk all of the lives on earth just to make a joke. Maybe I will be able to talk her into it someday.

Author's Note: I based this story off of Shiva from 7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art. I was really intrigued by the fact that Shiva must always have his eyes open. If he closes his eyes then the world will end. I thought I would show a little mishap on his part by talking about the ice age. This is not necessarily what happened but I think that it could. I mean could you imagine having to have your eyes open at all times? That would suck! The eye drops were also my own creation because I felt like Shiva deserved a way to help him keep his eyes open. It is a lot to ask of one person. Even if that person is a god.

Bibliography:   Hindu Calendar Art by Devdutt Pattanaik (2009).

Reading Diary Week 11: Hindu Calendar Part A

7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art

I like the story where the son runs around his parents three times and says that it is his world I think it's really sweet and I could write a story based off of that. I could make it a race in a tournament. Perhaps instead  of trying to win a mango they would win a trophy of some sort. I could make the trophy a mango shaped just to tie in the mango part of the story. Not to mention the bragging rights of being the best son. However, I would hope this is just a temporary position and that the parents actually love them and think they're both the best.

That is a lot of pressure for Shiva to keep his eyes open because if he closes them the world no longer exists. It could be an interesting story to talk about how tiring it gets for him. Maybe he's really tired and is trying to find ways to keep himself awake or maybe his wife is trying to help him since she is the goddess of love.

I'm really intrigued by The God Who lives I think underground sleeping on snakes that are on top of an ocean of milk. That is very interesting and I feel like I could be nice to kind of like do a story of best cribs or something like that. He could be like a reality show where this snow is showing off his crib to the rest of the world.

I also really liked the comparison of Hindu gods and goddesses with Greek gods and goddesses. 

Vishnu and his snakes from Onlineprasad

Also, I liked when they