Dear Anika,
You wouldn’t believe what happened today! It was such a
fascinating day in Ayodhya. A beggar actually got to EAT the king’s food! Now,
King Dasharatha was always a good king, but whenever it came to his food, he
never shared. Every day, the king started this new thing where he would have
his lunch in the palace courtyard and let everyone watch him eat his delicious
and expensive meal. I never knew why he did this, but it was a sight to see for
every citizen in Ayodhya. The only thing more exciting than seeing the king eat
was watching the king be tricked into letting someone else eat his food!
I think his name was Mohan – that was the beggar that
tricked the king. I see him around from time to time, and he always had a smile
on his face but he was always up to something. Today, this bold beggar ran through
the crowd yelling “News! News! News!” and then collapsed in front of King
Dasharatha feigning exhaustion. Because all of us and the king wanted to know
what the news was, the good king gave a share of his meal and his wine to the
beggar to revive him. But Mohan just ate and drank and ate again! You would
have thought he was never going to stop!
However, soon after he was done with his food and drink, the
impatient but excited king asked the beggar once more to hear what news Mohan
brought to him. Mohan replied, “The news is, your Majesty, that an hour ago I
was hungry, and now I am not!” Everyone was so quiet because we thought that
the king would have been so angry! After all, the king never shared his food
and no one has ever tried to eat it! But no, King Dasharatha just laughed! And
so everyone else laughed too! Then he said, “Oh, that is good news! You are one
bold beggar, and this was such a clever plan so I will allow it to pass this
time. But mark my words, this is the last time I will let you or anyone else
pull such a move again.” With that, the king just kept eating his meal and the
beggar walked away happily!
Oh, Anika. It was such a fascinating day in Ayodhya.
Everyone has been talking about it all day! I never thought I would ever see such a thing
in all my life, but there I was in the crowd watching it all happen! The king
is really a good king unlike other kings around here, which makes me very proud
to be an Ayodhyan. I wish you could come visit soon, and maybe I could show you
who Mohan is! Anyway, mom and dad are doing great. They told me to tell you
that they love you, and we hope your travels are going very very well. I will
keep you updated on any other interesting stories from home! (Maybe this bold
beggar will try to eat the king’s food again soon!)
Until next time,
Mayra
 |
| Dear Anika |
Author's Note:
This story was based off the Indian fable "The Bold Beggar," which appeared in Rouse's collection of old Indian fables. This week, I was inspired to tell this story from a blend of a written letter between sister and a Ramayana element with the king being Dasharatha and the location as the kingdom Ayodhya. When I read the original fable, I thought it was hilarious that the beggar got away with eating the king's food with such a ridiculously simple plan. For the character of the king, I needed someone who had a good heart (at least a good enough one that would let the beggar go without punishment) but who was still greedy (since he does purposely eat in front of people without offering food and since he does warn everyone not to try the beggar's trick). At first, I thought about using Rama as the king but then again I didn't think he had enough greed in his character to pull it off. SO! I decided to use Dasharatha and the rest of the story fell in place!
Bibliography: Rouse's "The Giant Crab & Other Tales from Old India"
I enjoyed your storybook a ton, so I thought it might be fun to check out some of your weekly stories, and I definitely wasn’t disappointed. Once again, the voice is amazingly fun, to the point that I’m pretty sure I’d enjoy anything you write. Retelling this as a letter to a family member was a clever move, and the details you added to the last paragraph that go beyond the beggar story really sold it. Awesome job!
ReplyDeleteI really like the theme of your story! It shows a separation between the two different classes, royalty and less than royalty. It seemed like a really big deal that the beggar was actually able to get food and that this was definitely not a norm. Even though this story was short, it shows a separation between the two classes in a simple way. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI really like how you chose an original writing style of a personal letter. This is a fresh concept in all of the reading that I have done. This style of writing presents a more intimate setting and it allows the author to share the more of the character's wondering thoughts and desires. The picture you used is also perfect. I've always wanted to take a calligraphy course. Furthermore, I really liked reading the story. You could see the character's anticipation and excitement to tell the story.
ReplyDeleteHey Julie! I enjoyed that you wrote this story as a letter and I think it was a great way to tell the story. The author's note really gave some great context behind the letter. I thought your story was entertaining and it honestly made me chuckle. I enjoyed this story a lot! Great job!
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