The Makhaan Chor

Hello World!!

"Thank you for helping me move in!" I told my neighbor, the old lady. 

It was my first time living all alone and I was so excited! Vrindavan was such a beautiful city! I couldn't wait to explore it. 

"Are you listening to me?" I suddenly heard the lady screech. 

She had stopped at the door and turned around to face me. I had been so busy day dreaming about exploring Vrindavan that I had no idea what she was trying to tell me. 

"Could you repeat that? I am not sure that I heard correctly," I said with a smile hoping that she wouldn't realize I hadn't been listening at all. 

She glared at me as she started again."Beware of the Makhaan Chor, or the Butter Theif! Make sure that you hide your makhaan in a place no one will suspect. We all have to worry about our makhaan disappearing, but since you are new here you will be his next target guaranteed. Keep the makhaan safe." 

She turned around and crossed the sidewalk to her house as I rushed to shut the door before I collapsed onto the ground overtaken by laughter. She wanted to warn me about a makhaan chor? That was her big important warning? I concluded that the old lady had become senile. She had obviously lost her mind. Who would need to steal makhaan? You can buy it at the market at any time. I, myself, had bought around four packages. It wasn't even possible for someone to steal that much or even eat that much makhaan at once. I shook my head in disbelief and went to retire for the night. It had been a long day trying to move in not to mention the five-hour-drive here from my parents' house. I suppose that was a plus point as well though. The farther away from them a little bit the better it would be for me! 

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I woke up the next morning to my stomach growling. I knew that I was craving my usual toast with butter for breakfast. I couldn't start my day without it! All of a sudden I heard the sound of glass breaking in the kitchen. I picked up the baseball bat that I had left against my nightstand and slowly got up from my bed. Once I got to the kitchen I saw a little boy standing in the middle of it. I lowered my bat and spoke in my best scary man voice, "What on earth are you doing in my house, little boy?"

I heard him swallow as he slowly turned around. He was the cutest little boy ever, and I am saying that. I hate kids yet there was something about him that entranced me in some way. I couldn't stop staring at his adorable grin and those huge brown eyes filled with mischief. He reminded me of my little brother.

"I am just here to welcome you to our neighborhood!" he mentioned. "I didn't want to scare you!" He looked at the ground as the grin on his face was replaced with a sad frown. He began to draw circles on the kitchen floor with his foot. "I'm sorry." he whispered.

"Don't worry, little man. How about I make both of us some breakfast? Then I can drop you off to your house on my way to work." I was in awe that these words were even coming out of my mouth, but the last thing that I needed was for everyone to hear about how I screamed at a little kid.

"Okay! Do you have any makhaan? I always have some for breakfast!" He sounded so excited that my smile was back.

I nodded as I walked over to the fridge and stuck my hand in the drawer only to find... nothing. NOTHING?! I knew I had bought four packages of butter! I was planning on making a big feast for all of my friends coming over this weekend and knowing that I would be at work all day I had chosen, for the first time, to be prepared. I ran my hand over where the makhaan used to be once more and found a piece of paper. "Welcome to the neighborhood," it read and it was signed The Makhaan Chor. It had to be the little kid! No one else had been in my house since the old lady left! I turned around to find the child gone. So this was what he wanted. Alright then. It was time for a war....

 

The Makhaan Chor, Source: Spiritual India Gallery

Author's Note:  

I really enjoyed learning about Krishna and his love for makhaan! I thought that he was adorable and I kept imagining this scene in my head of what his various thefts of makhaan would be like. I had to write at least one down, and this one was the one that I choose. I got all of my knowledge about Krishna from the Epified videos all about Krishna. I still adore how people make him out to be such a mischievous child. It makes him seem incredibly endearing. He was naughty but he still somehow found a way into everyone's hearts. He was such a cute character that I couldn't help but write about him in some aspect. I would love to know more about him and Radha as well! I find that I enjoy romantic stories but especially more so when there is some mischief involved. I also found this story to be a change from my usual stories as well. I think that it was time for a change. This class is all about finding out who we are as a writer and exploring our creativity, so I assumed that challenging myself would be a good thing!

Testing New Stories for the Week

Hello World!!

Sita froze as she heard his refusal echo in her head. "I will not take her with me! I just cannot!.... NO! You need to understand!" Rama's voice echoed all around. She felt tears beginning to swim in her eyes. She couldn't even bring herself to look up at him. She had loved him with all her heart, and she would never betray him. Why didn't he believe that? Why was he treating her in this manner? She had done nothing wrong. She felt a tear sliding down her cheek as she felt herself begin to crumble. No. She refused to let this break her. She had been through so much recently. She had dealt with the kidnapping and worst of all with Ravana. This is what she was getting in return. She immediately composed herself as she reached up to wipe the tear. It was now or never. She couldn't take it anymore.

Sita walked up through the trees to Rama and placed her hand on his shoulder. He turned around and immediately stiffened. There was something different about Sita. Some new confidence about her. She had a sudden change in her demeanor. She seemed a bit different, although he couldn't put his finger on it. "Rama, I can prove that what you are thinking isn't true. Nothing has changed. However, I do have one condition which I won't be able to tell you until I prove myself," she said with clarity. He simply nodded and stepped back from her.

A Scene From The Reenactment of the "Agnipariksha", Source:theboldindian.com

She turned around and bowed her head in a prayer to the God of Fire. She prayed for him to keep her safe if she hadn't done anything wrong. She opened her eyes to a large, rectangular pit of fire before her and without any further hesitation she walked into it. She had made it to the middle when the she found a man standing in the middle of the fire beaming at her. It was  the God of Fire before her. He turned her around and presented her to Rama. She looked up to see his proud face filled with happiness. "I always knew you could do no wrong, but I needed to prove to everyone else this simple fact as well," he clarified. He walked over to her to hug her when Sita stopped him. All the people gathered around seemed even more shocked than Rama. "I believe we had an agreement," she stated.

 "Anything you desire my dear," Rama said.

 "You felt the need to prove to everyone that I had done nothing wrong, but if you had faith in me I do not understand how anyone else mattered. I believe that you did what you felt was right, but now I must do the same. I cannot stay with you any longer. I do not wish to have to prove myself to others or even you for the rest of my life. So, all I am asking for in return is for you not to stop me." She finished her declaration with a step away from Rama. She looked to see his heartbreak show in his face. He looked down at the ground and whispered, "As you wish." She turned around and began running. As she ran away, she felt herself free for the first time. She smiled as she continued running as far as her feet would take her. This wasn't an ending, but a new beginning for her.

Author's Note:
I didn't completely agree with this specific scene in the book. I don't find it necessary to worry about what other people think. We should do what we believe in and what our heart allows us to do. We shouldn't bother ourselves with ridiculous notions of how others will react. The only thing that should have mattered in this situation, in my humble opinion of course, is that Rama believed Sita was pure and that should have been the end. I don't believe that anything else should have mattered. This is why I chose to give Sita an ending that while proving her innocence allowed her to be free as well. She can now live life according to her terms without having to prove anything to anyone. I think that in this way she is standing up for herself and allowing herself to be happy and content.

This story is very special to me, because I have found myself fighting or what I believe in during various circumstances. It is unfortunate that even today there are many cultures and places that look down upon females. These cultures place men on a higher status above women. I think that it is important for a woman to show the people around her that she is in charge of her own destiny and is capable of taking care of herself. In this story I allow Sita to make that choice and empower people to make a choice for themselves.

Bibliography:
All information has come from Narayan's Ramayana, (link to Reading Guide A) 

The New Story of Thatarka

Hello World!!

We had all heard of Thataka's story. We all knew not to cross into the region where she lived, but ever since I had been a little boy I had wanted to do nothing else. Something inside of me pulled me towards her. Something unknown. I had grown up in the world without any family, but was thankful to Saint Agasthya for taking me in when no one else would. He had taught me many valuable lessons of kindness, hope, and faith. Most importantly, however, he had taught me to listen to my heart, and my heart was telling me that I needed to go see Thataka.

I thought back to the dreams I had been having since I was little. The one with the three men who went about destroying things. One of the men looked older than the other two. Perhaps they were related to each other? Family? Who were these people? Why were they destroying everything in their path? I remember the shock on Saint Agasthya's face when I had asked him. I remember telling him I felt like I knew them. The man in particular. Every time it was the same thing, "It is all in your mind Aditya," he always said to me. I knew that it wasn't, and I needed answers, and something kept telling me that Thataka is the only way I would get them. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The older man appeared in front of me. There was a woman with him. She was crying. She held out her hand to the old man.  My eyes snapped open immediately. The woman. She was in pain. I needed to help her. Maybe then I would be able to find my own answers. I needed to find her.  I sprinted to the Saint's room to seek his permission. 

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I was incredibly surprised that all Saint Agasthya had asked was if he could come with me. It was almost as if he knew something I didn't. I was surprised by the desert around me. I had expected it to look as it did in my dreams. The beautiful flowers and trees, but things were the exact opposite here. Everything encompassing us was dried up and dying. It was unbelievable. I had assumed these were just stories. I thought I wouldn't have found anything. I pulled out the bag of seeds I had brought with me and began to plant them in various places around me. "Child, what are you doing?" asked the Saint. 

"Trying to right was has been wronged," I explained. I walked over to a dead log which looked as though it had been uprooted.  I walked over to it and placed my hand on it. Suddenly I froze. It all came back to me. It was me. That man was me. Those sons were mine, and Thataka... tears began to pour out from my eyes as I dropped to the ground. I sat there on my knees hugging what was left of the log when I felt Saint Agasthya's hand on my head. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was wrong. So wrong." I wept as he smiled down at me. "I always knew it was you, Sunda. I simply wanted you to learn the error of your ways," he explained. "I can only pray that it isn't too late for Thataka." We both stopped as we heard the stomping of feet. "I wish you the best," he said as he turned to walk away. 

Quote about love, Source: cathy4worldequality.wordpress.com

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 Thataka grabbed me up in her enormous hands and proceeded to lift me to her face. I stared at her in disbelief. "My dear wife, what has become of you?" I said as I bored my eyes into hers. I felt every inch of her freeze. I reached up and put my hand on her cheek. "Please, Please don't continue on like this." Her expression grew softer as she whispered, "Sunda. Is that really you? You're alive?" I nodded at her with a smile as she placed me back on the ground. Her grin grew wider and wider until suddenly it disappeared. "It is too late now. You must leave." she said with a deep pain in her eyes. "It is never too late to apologize, Thataka. You can also learn to change as I have! Just apologize with a clean and pure heart." I replied hopefully. She closed her eyes and bowed her head as she bellowed, "Please forgive me my sins and allow me to start life anew. Please give me a chance to rectify my mistakes. I vow to never hurt anyone or anything again. Just please allow me to live my life with my Sunda." Tears streamed down her face as she opened her eyes. "You are forgiven, my dear," echoed the Saint's voice. I looked over to see my beautiful Thataka once again. She hadn't aged since I last saw her! The curse had frozen the true beauty inside her. The curse that punished her husband through death, and her through pain. The pain of not having any life around. The pain of destroying everything around her as a result of the destruction her husband had once caused.  I ran to her and held her in my embrace. We looked around to see that the Thataka's tears had given water to the seeds, and the saint had enchanted them to grow big and strong. This would a be a new beginning. We would make sure that this time everything we touched was filled with life. 

Author's Note: 
I decided that it would be incredibly interesting if we could see the story from Sunda's point-of-view. I also wanted to give Thataka a chance at redemption as well as a happy ending. I have always believed that love had the power to heal as well as destroy and I wanted my story to demonstrate that. I thought that if her punishment had made her so terrifying and ruthless, then love coming back into her life would allow for her to become loving and caring unlike ever before! I do realize that my story is far from the original and not many people will agree with how there is now a happy ending, however different doesn't always have to be a bad thing! I really enjoy having hope for a new beginning and that is why this story is so close to my heart. I found that Sunda was punished very quickly, and I feel that if he had been given another beginning he would have chosen differently. It amazes me how much we ignore people telling us what we are doing wrong. Constructive criticism can be a good thing if it is taken in good spirit. Sunda had the ability to gain a second chance, but we don't have that ability. I feel that this story is a good reminder that we need to make good decisions and truly listen and be aware of what we are doing. Listen and learn!

Bibliography:
All information has come from Narayan's Ramayana, (link to Reading Guide A) 

 

The Alley's Secret Story

Hello World!! 

There once was a little boy and a little girl 

Lived in an alley;

Says the little boy to the little girl,

"Shall I, Oh! Shall I?"

Says the little girl to the little boy, 

"What shall we do?"

Says the little boy to the little girl, 

"I will kiss you."

(traditional nursery rhyme)

~ ~ ~

"Don't forget eggs! We are all out, and make sure that none of them break this time Alyssa!" My mother's scream echoed as I raced out of the house and began down the alley outside our house. Why wasn't he here? He always met me here! He was never late! My heart began to race as I my mind began to create stories in my head. What if he was hurt?! What if something had gone terribly wrong?!

It had been 3 years since Allen and I had been dating, but we had kept it a secret from both of our families. We were the youngest in our families. He was the youngest of 4 siblings and I was the youngest of 5. It didn't matter how hard we tried or what we did we were always thought of as the little girl and the little boy. I suppose being the youngest did make you little, but it still made things much more difficult otherwise.

Why wasn't he here yet?! He had told me last night that he would be here by morning. "I'll be waiting for you outside," he had said with the adorable crooked grin of his. My mind kept wandering back to the night before when he had sneaked into my room. All he had told me was that he needed me to pray that he would be able to get what he needed. Why hadn't he felt the need to tell me anything else?! What made him think that would be enough information?! Then as usual he was gone as quickly as he came, but of course he had to be or he would wake Alex up. That would cause quite the frenzy. 

I closed my eyes and started to take a deep breath while counting to 10. I opened my eyes to find his crooked grin in front of me. I did my best to give him a glare but I knew I looked more like an excited little puppy more than anything else. I turned away from him and began walking the other way down the alley. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into his arms. I turned my gaze towards the wall away from him just as I heard him say, "Shall I, Oh! Shall I?" I looked back at him just as he pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket and handed it to me. 

An animated Hershey's kiss

Source: www.candyindustry.com

My eyes welled up with tears as I opened the box and inside I found.... Wait, this couldn't be right! There was a small chocolate kiss inside the box. I glared at him and turned to walk away once again when he grabbed my hand and slid a ring on my finger. After 3 years, I had grown accustomed to Allen's gestures more than his words. He had a hard time expressing his feelings but his face would say it all. I looked into his hopeful eyes and smiled my while my eyes began brimming over with tears. He knew that nothing needed to be said more than he knew that my answer would be yes. However, I decided this time I would have some fun as well, so I retorted back, "What shall we do?" He looked surprised for a split second before he responded with, "I will kiss you."

Author's Note:

For this nursery rhyme, I thought it would be fun to change up the concept a little bit. Since the nursery rhyme didn't specify an age, but instead mentioned the word "little" I thought it would be fun to use that to my advantage. I'm not sure why, but when I first read the nursery rhyme I immediately imagined a proposal in the alley. The only part that was a bit challenging was getting the proposal to match to the nursery rhyme without changing it to much. I feel that once the nursery rhyme became something strangely different it would loose its authenticity causing it to loose its essence. I did my best to do full justice to the entire nursery rhyme, and I hope that you enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Bibliography:
This story is based on the nursery rhyme "A Little Boy and A Little Girl Lived in an Alley" in The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang.