Week 13 Story

The Golden Goose

The Golden Swan
Source: My India

There was this family that lived in a forest, a father, mother, and three children. One day the father called all the family into the main room of the house they all lived in and told them he had to leave for a little while. The mother was confused as to why the father had to leave as he had a job and was not in need of searching for a new one.

The father said, “I have to leave and when I come back, I will bring a lot more riches to this family than my current job.”

The mother and the children were still confused, but they all accepted and didn’t try to dig any deeper as to why the father had to leave them without any warning. The father the next day took off down the road to leave wherever the voice in his head would lead him. The next day the father ran into a fairy in the forest he was passing through and the fairy stopped him in his tracks.

The fairy asked, “why are you here walking through this forest you look like a family man?”

The father replied, “I was told the other day from a voice that I needed to travel and that I would come across something that would bring my family riches we have never had.”

The fairy was intrigued by this and waved her wand and turned the father into a goose made of golden feathers. The fairy said, “Now you are golden and of value to your family go to them and give them a feather.”

The father thanked the fairy and flew to his family as fast as his new golden feathers could go. When he arrived, the children were swinging under the oak tree outside and saw the goose and yelled for their mother. The mother came running outside to find the goose and was in awe of the goose when she laid eyes on him.

The goose plucked one of his feathers off and gave it to the mother and said, “sell this feather and you should be able to live comfy for the rest of this month.” The mother took the feather into town and sold the feather and like the goose said the family was well off. The goose returned one month later and gave the mother another feather for the mother to sell. Like before the mother took the feather into town and sold the feather and the family lived comfortable for a few months as this process continued.

Then the mother was scared that with this new lifestyle the goose would soon stop coming so she set up a plan with the children to trap the goose when he came back next. The goose like clockwork came back on the same day and time, like he always did each month before. The mother got close to the goose this time to take the feather, but instead of grabbing the feather she launched herself onto the goose. When she grabbed the goose, she yelled for the kids to start plucking all the feathers off the goose.

However, once the kids started to pluck the feathers off the goose, the goose started to shake hard and felt weird. The mother felt the shaking and couldn’t hold the goose down any longer and so she rolled off the goose and stepped back. The goose started to transform back into the person he was before, and the mother and children were all in shock when they saw who the goose really was.

The fairy popped up next to the father as he lay there on the ground confused on what happened. The fairy said, “I put a charm on you that if at anytime someone tried to take advantage of your gift you would turn back to your true self.”

The father was angry at his wife and could not believe that his beautiful wife and children would be so greedy like they were. The mother tried to apologize to the father and the father was not happy with his wife. The father grabbed the kids and said he was sorry that this happened to them and it wasn’t their fault this happened. The father gave the kids one last hug and left down the road in search of a new job and maybe never return to his family as he was saddened by his wife’s greediness.

Authors Note: I wrote a retelling of the tale about The Golden Feathers written by Noor Khan. This story is about a father that left his family to bring back riches to the family that they didn't have. The father was in the forest when a fairy turned him into a goose that was made of golden feathers. The father which now a goose flew back to family because he saw the value of the golden feathers. The wife started to get greedy and was afraid the goose would stop showing up to give his feathers to her. So, one day the wife and the three daughters grabbed the goose and started to pluck all his feathers out; however, the fairy put a charm on him for if and when this happened. Once the kids and mother started plucking the golden feathers the goose turned white like all the other geese. The goose once turned back into a normal goose flew off to join the other geese and lived a happy life with them. 

However, in my story I kept a lot of the original story; however, I wanted the father be brought back so the wife could see that there was no reason for his wife to be greedy. Instead of the goose staying a goose I chose to have him turn back into a human as himself. 

Link to the original story: The Golden Feathers 

Week 9 Story Telling: The Friends Return

Updated Story Found Here: Tyler's Portfolio

Teacher of the Sons
Source

The band of friends that is now five was once a group of six, but these friends are closer than most and once you break a vow you are no longer wanted in the inner circle. The group was once comprised of Brooke, Mia, Rowdi, Steven, Josh, and Anthony. It was only just a few months ago that all six friends were seen walking around together having the best time in each other company, until Anthony broke the vow to never release any information that was talked about within the friend’s circle. This group of friends has one thing in common and that is they all work together at the same place; however, Anthony was transferred to another store due to conflicts with his leader. Once transferred Anthony envied the other friends because they were able to stay together and were having fun at the store he was no longer at and he didn’t like that at all. So, even with the vow to never tell anyone outside the circle of friendship, Anthony began to tell people at his new store about things that he and the other friends use to do at his old store.

With Anthony spreading rumors about stuff he and the friends use to do it made its way back to his old leader through the back channels and the team started to get in trouble. The friends found out about what Anthony had done and they banned him from the circle of friends. Once Anthony found about the friends agreeing to ban him from being within their circle, he ran back to them wanting to be accepted back into the group. However, this group of friends don’t take the breaking of vows they have made lightly and told him that they won’t be able to accept him back into the group.

Upon kicking Anthony out of the group, a great leader that the friends always looked up to came upon the friends during this time and took them under his wing. This leader was known as Bruce the Almighty (at least this what he thought he was), Bruce took the friends one by one and taught them different things on how to navigate the drama that was lingering over them.  Through the guidance of Mr. Almighty himself the friends were able to make their circle between the five of them even stronger and not let the drama that Anthony has bestowed upon the group take them down. With everything that the friends have overcame they are now an inseparable group that hasn’t let anything come between them.

Authors Note: For this story I tried my best to find a way to incorporate the group of friends I have used in a couple of my blog posts again for this week. So, for this short story I took a couple of the videos from the Karmic Revolution video series and relate to the friends to the best I can. The first video that I used was about Ambas Ruin and how once she was kidnapped and wasn’t able to return to either kingdoms that she went to. Ambas Ruin and Anthony getting kicked out of the friends circle is were I tried to relate that section of the story to the reading we did. Then for the second story that I used was Sons of Vyasa  and this is were Bruce the Almighty comes into the story of when he takes the friends under him and teaches them different things. This is not really completed and will have more context added into at a later date. 

Bibliography: Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution. Source 

Week 7 Story: The Fate of Five Friends

Updated Story Link

The Fate of Five Friends

Friends

In the town of Norman Ka Shivir, there were five friends; Mia, Brooke, Rowdi, Steven, and Josh. These five friends hung out every week just doing whatever they could pass time and have a fun time together. So, one day the friends went on an adventure around the town on the new electric scooters that made their mark in town. In a group of friends like these five, there is always a few that could be questionable on how they make through the day and still come out without hurting themselves or others and then there are some that are noble and levelheaded that some look up to.

The friends set out the scooters to go roam the campus and experience the new fall colors added to the gardens and the trees that were starting to change the colors of their leaves. As stated, before some of the friends were not to adapt to roam about on these scooters with ease and Brooke and Josh really set the bar for this theory to become true. As the friends were making their way across campus Brooke and Josh going as slow as they could, running off the sidewalks and falling off the scooters at every turn that was made. While Mia, Rowdi, and Steven were moving along with grace and coordination following next to each other making the ride seem like a breeze, awhile Brooke and Josh are covered in grass and scuffed up hands.

The ride finally came to end when the friends arrived at their favorite place to be on campus corner to wind down for the night, ochonnaills. The friends parked the scooters and made their way into the pub to sit at the bar and relax for the night. However, there was a problem that faced them once they arrived at the bar to sit down, the normal bartender that served them every time they visited was no longer there and the new bartender was not going to allow them a free seat unless they were to answer questions given to them. The bartender made clear that no one was to sit at the bar until all questions asked to them were answered.

As the friends approached each was given a question and as Rowdi approached she answered and was granted a seat, Mia and Steven were next in line and both answered correctly and were granted a seat. Next was Brooke and Josh and both being clumsy and no regard for their surrounding proceeded to sit down and have no regard to the warnings that were given to them. The bartender said to them, “I warned you to not sit at the bar unless you could answer my simple questions first.” Brooke replied, “I only want a drink not to play any games with you.” So, the bartender turned to the big security guard sitting the corner and summoned him over to take care of Brooke and Josh. Mia being the noblest of them all pleaded with the bartender to give her more questions to answer for Brooke and Josh to have a place at the bar.

The bartender being one to not cave with persuasion that all college students plead with on a nightly basis. The security guard grabbed the two friends and outside they were sent to spend the rest of the night, sitting next to the old gentleman playing the guitar while everyone else sat inside enjoying a cold one. 

The yaksha and Yudhistira

Authors Note: I am not very good this creative writing thing and so it took me way longer than it probably should have to write 500 words to get this short story completed. When reading the Mahabharata, the story that really stuck out to me the most was the story of the Hundred Questions. This is when the brothers are famished from hunting all day and need water and they come upon a pond and are told to answer questions before they can partake in drinking the water. One by one the brothers go to the pond to make sure it safe to drink and each one is given the warning to not drink the water until they answer the questions that is asked to them. However, being tired and thirsty and disregarded the warning and drank the water and instantly fell dead. Each one of the brothers did this until the last one, Yudhistira and he was wise enough to see his brothers mistake and answer the questions the yaksha asked him, in return he was granted a one wish since he was able to answer all the questions that was asked to him. In the first line, “Norman Ka Shivir” is Hindi for Norman’s Camp, I used this because the name for the town of Norman came from a guy named Norman and to be funny when surveying the land for Oklahoma before the land rush he branded “Normans Camp” into a elm tree. Then also there is another Hindi worded used which is “ochonnaills” which is the Hinidi translations for O’Connells which I’m sure most know is a bar on campus corner here in Norman.

Bibliography: the Mahabharata, R.K. Narayan. Book Source.

Story Lab Week 6: Tedx Videos- One side of story and fictional vs real emotions

The Danger of a Single Story

When watching this Tedx video that features Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie and her view of a single story being told and how we base that knowledge of our perceptions of the world. This is very interesting in that you can truly see the beliefs one person has of any culture or of any one thing in particular by looking back on what they were exposed to. If you look at her example of her moving to college and meeting her roommate for the first time and how their encounter transpired. 

Personally I think that this is an issue that is seen all around no matter where you are brought up, that from a child you are brought up in a certain way with your families values and what the family views as right and wrong. Even if you look at old philosophies this trend as already been documented as a thing that has been watched and observed, when looking at rationalism- where a person is said to learn from "a priori" (prior to experience) experience and they base all knowledge off of what they have learned before hand to experiencing something else to rationalize what is right or wrong. 

Imaginary Friends and Real-World Consequences 

Jennifer Barnes does a really good job at bringing up a really good point as to why we can connect to fictional characters way easier than our real life figures. I feel that Barnes could have done a little better in actually discussing a more factional reason for why this is. However, just from experience of having these feelings toward fictional characters, I think its really due to the recency of the feelings that are develop toward those characters or people. With fictional characters you are bonding with them right there in the moment and you have no control of what is happening to them so you show more empathy to the characters. Where for real life lets say your immediate family members, yes we do show empathy and sadness for them but we are with them at all times. With our family members we have a closer connection that we can see and control in the real world and I feel that desensitizes our feelings toward them as time goes on. 

Source: Quote Fancy

Video Sources: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrWYQjLLbXcjPshEANsTgZZHDnBQt7N30

  

Story Week 4: Story Plot

What is a Plot?

For this week I decided to do the story lab assignment and I looked into the Writers Write Website (insert link), the article that I read about was “What is a Plot?”. I find this interesting because you can take this article and relate it R.K Narayan book of the Ramayana. In the article they describe what is a plot and having a plot isn’t about just having an idea and writing about it, you need to a protagonist and an antagonist to portray some type of conflict within the two of them and build from there. If the author has wrote something with a great plot the story will have a beginning, middle, and end to the plot. The beginning will start the story of how the conflict has come about and start to paint the picture for what is about to be told. Then you have the middle where the conflict plays out and it will be the bulk of the story, the middle is usually the longest part of the story. Lastly, you have the ending which will bring the conflict to an end and summarize the victory or defeat of whomever the story is mainly about.

Taking Apart the Ramayana

Let’s look at the beginning of the Ramayana, it starts off with a little bit of character building and information about each of the characters. Then it starts by telling you the story of Rama and his royal family that rule an area. Then it takes off going through the adventures of Rama and all the bad people that he must face. But the true conflict that first starts in this story and really isn’t apparent until you look back at the book is when Rama’s stepmother makes him leave the throne and leave the palace at once to live in the forest. In my opinion this where the beginning of the story ends and shows where the true conflict has now risen into view.

Then when furthering the reading you get to the middle of the story and when Rama and his wife Sita leave the palace and head to the forest to live the rest of their fourteen years amongst the things that live in the forest. This is where Rama and Sita start to encounter all the different people that lived in the forest and begun to make enemies with some and friends with others. It is then when Rama encountered Ravana’s sister that the stories conflict really showed itself. The author really does a great job on telling the story between Ravana and Rama and everything that built up to Ravana attacking Rama by taking his wife. The author does use the bulk of the book to tell this story and the events leading up to the end when Rama and Ravana battle.

The end, the author now uses the last part of the book to tell the reader how the conflict is resolved and whether that the story is ending in a good or bad note. Luckily in this story the author chooses to end it in a good note. The ending builds up some suspense on leading the reader on whether Rama is truly strong enough to overtake Ravana. So, the conflict is resolved by Rama winning the battle against Ravana and getting his wife Sita back to him.

Plot of a Story
Source: Flickr

Bibliography: Patterson, Amanda, “What is a Plot?”. Source 

Week 3 Story: Thataka's Fate In A Different Way

As Rama and Viswamithra are on their journey to perform the special ceremonies they come upon a desert. Rama has never seen something so bare and un-full of life. That is when Viswamithra proceeds to tell Rama about a past demigod that was taken of her powers and left here to live by herself. This is the story of Thataka and how the land she lives on is no longer the land that everyone once known.

“This place has been doomed by the asuras that once was a demigod”, said Viswamithra, “she has taken her anger out for having her sons taken from her what has now been a long time”.

Rama proceeds to ask, “why was her sons taken from her.”

Viswamithra went on to say, “Her sons left great damage to this land and others lands that are sacred to most, but they did not care.”

The sons of Thataka did not care what damage they are caused to the land they just found pleasure in it and everything else that could cause the most damage to the land. So that is when Agasthya came forth and took their demigod powers away and cursed them to live the lives of the asuras. The sons quickly left and went on to seek the life and protection from the super demons and Thataka was left all by herself no husband and no sons to keep her company. So, Thataka stayed on and quickly started to take her anger out on anything brought beauty or life to the land that is now the desert.

“Since the land is bare and full of no life does Thataka still live on this land”, says Rama.

“Yes, she is of an ugly sight….”, started to say Viswamithra.

Before Viswamithra could finish his thought there was the sounds of rumbling grounds beneath the earth that sat under Rama’s feet and before Rama appeared Thataka. Thataka as usual was not in the best of moods and was ready to take on Rama and Viswamithra as they are the first people, she has seen come the land in some time.

“Rama as part of your learning through out this trip it time to kill Thataka and give this land back so it can once again become a great scene”, said Viswamithra.

Rama at this point was very stunned and froze in place because he knew that she once was a great woman and he couldn’t hurt a woman that is not how he was raised. Viswamithra knew this was case and he relished on the thought of how to convince Rama to end the life of Thataka because it needed to be done. The difference between Rama and Viswamithra on this adventure that they both have partaken, is they both have a different sense of what must be done. Rama confused and not knowing how to handle this situation because he does not want to harm a woman, especially a woman that has lost all that she had once loved.

Rama stood tall and looked Thataka in the eyes and said, “I will not end your life here today on this bare and unhappy land that once use to be great and full of life.”

Instead Rama called upon the other demigods that had been watching from above to come and listen to what he has to offer for Thataka. Rama looks to the gods and says, “I wish for Thataka to not be killed but to live a life where she has to correct all things wrong that her family has once did.”

The demigods from above seemed very interested in what Rama was saying and Viswamithra was standing next to him looking very confused trying to read ahead Rama’s thoughts to figure out what he was planning.

Rama said to Thataka, “I rid you of your asuras curse and you will become a demigod once again, you will not be able to leave the land that we are on now and you will only have powers to make this land flourish like it once was.”

So, Rama instead of killing Thataka like Viswamithra wanted him to give Thataka a chance to rid her wrongs and make the land the place it uses to be. To further help Thataka tend to the land he also called for her sons to return and help their mother since it was them that had made her this way. Rama left only condition and that was that Thataka and her two sons would only have the power to do good and at the chance they try anything different they would be sent underground back with the demons and lost forever.

Representation of Thataka
Source: Hindu Devotional Blog

Authors Note: I’m not sure how well this story turned out, but I hope it at least is okay read. I took the story about Thataka from “The Ramayana” and it is in the first part of the book where Rama and Viswamithra are on their journey. In actual story it does start out pretty much how it is told above in the story that I wrote. However, Rama does not talk to the other demigods and throughout the journey Rama never challenges what Viswamithra wants him to do in the actual story. So, instead of having Rama kill Thataka like in the original, I decided to change that to where Rama is more kindhearted person towards Thataka and gives her a second chance. I almost kind of wrote it the story line of the Te Ka in the Disney movie Moana (Yes, I have watched Moana, I am big Disney fan I watch all the movies that they put out).

Bibliography: R.K. Narayan, “The Ramayana”, Book. Source to online PDF

Week 2 Story: Pumpkin Spice Queen

Brooke the queen of fall and everything pumpkin spice, was laying in bed one hot Oklahoma morning rolling over and checking her phone to open it to the first post that was there.

OMG! OMG! OMG!

Were the sounds you heard down the hallway as Brooke took off from her bedroom to wake everyone up in the house to tell them of the news she saw. Steven one of the roommates came out of his room trying to figure out what happening, making sure that the house was still standing.

All Brooke said as she passed Steven’s bedroom was, “we have to leave now, no time to discuss just we need to leave now”. Not knowing what is going on and just having the hype of seeing someone run down the hallway and screaming that we must go, the only thing you know to do is follow in pursuit.

There was one other person that was in the house and her name was Karen, Karen was in the living room sitting with the dogs when all the started to go down. Brooke and Steven come running into the living room and Brooke grabs Karen by the arms and says, “we have to go and don’t ask any questions we just have to go”. Steven and Karen run after Brooke as she gets into her car and has it in reverse before the other even had time to open their doors to get in.

Steven and Karen got into the car and Brooke took off down the road as fast as she could, even almost taking off the bottom of her car by hitting the speed humps in the neighborhood at full speed. Steven and Karen hit the roof of the car since they didn’t have any time to put their seat belts on.

Latte Art taken from Pixabay

Brooke makes a turn onto a street that Steven and Karen are all to familiar with, the road that leads to the coffee shop that all millennial's know all to well. Steven and Karen looked at each other in complete confusion, “Brooke why the heck did you come barreling out of the room just because you wanted Starbucks”. There was no response from Brooke to Karen and Stevens comment just a hard stomp on the brakes making Karen slam into the dashboard of the car.

Brooke took off out the car and running into Starbucks with Steven and Karen in tow. Only to get into the store and find Brooke standing in the corner shaking with sadness. Karen walks up to Brooke and asks, “what is wrong with and why are you about to cry”, Brooke says “because I saw a picture of the new fall cup on Facebook and wanted to get here before they sell out”. Karen and Steven look around and can’t find a new cup anywhere in the store.

One of the Starbucks workers walks up to Brooke and says, “the new cup won’t be released for sell until tomorrow”. Karen and Steven just look at her with eyes that just fill Brooke full of guilt. Steven walks over to Brooke, “Brooke you owe me the biggest iced coffee they have for dragging me out of the house for nothing”.

Karen standing in line with Brooke as she orders us all coffee for dragging us all out of the house for nothing, looks at her over her glasses as an old wise grandma and says, “how many times do I have to tell you not everything on Facebook is the truth”.

The logo we all know taken from Flickr

Authors Note: For this week’s story I used, “The Foolish, Timid Rabbit” to rewrite into my own story. I used this story because it was the one that really stuck to me because I related it to the story about Chicken Little. I thought about rewriting this story using chickens but thought that wouldn’t be to original. This story just goes to show in today’s world how we take information that is right in front of us and not fact check it. Also, it shows that in the heat of the moment we just follow what everyone else is doing without stopping and thinking about it.

Bibliography: “The Foolish, Timid Rabbit” from Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt, Web Source.