Showing posts with label My Version. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My Version. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Story Telling Ramayana Continued

The Blue, The Red, The Rat, and The Lightning

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
The door to the office kitchen began to glow red like the coals in the bottom of a barbeque pit and the walls turned to ash and faded away like a dream does just before you wake up. The sky burned bright blue like it was on fire, fed by propane. The ground was different, it was soft not solid like the tile I was standing on, it was more like dirt, soft dirt after a light rain. Was I dreaming? This new world that my eyes were showing me could not have been real, this must be a dream. I looked to Lance but I did not recognize him. He looked more like a soldier than a car salesman. His skin was a different color. His eyes burned with fury at what he was seeing.

By flydime (http://www.flickr.com/photos/flydime/4671890969/) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I hadn’t noticed yet but we were surrounded. Littered as far as my new eyes could see we were surround by feral rats. They were talking to us; I know this because I could understand them.

My arms moved into an odd position as if they were holding something. This felt like an out of body experience. My right arm was extended straight in front of me and my left hand was by my face. What was I holding, and better yet why did I feel like I was aiming at something? The wind was hot as it touched my skin. It began to swirl around me kicking up ash and dirt, painting my face and body with both. My eyes noticed a bluish white light in my right hand. I was holding lightning. I could feel the erratic vibration of its energy pulse through the palm of my hand and through the rest of my body, only it did not move towards the ground but up through my chest and head till it entered my other hand that rest against the side of my face. It exited the fingertips on my left hand and moved in a straight line until it reached my right hand. It was a bow. A bow made of pure lightning.

By Florent Chouffot (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I could see now that I was aiming toward the center of the rat army at the largest feral beast in sight. It was their general. It had to be. He was the one shouting orders and when he shouted all the other rats seemed to move in the direction he wanted them too. A loud humming passed my ear and there was a flash of light. All the rats dropped to the ground dead.

Gustave Doré [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


It was me, I mean it wasn’t, but it was, I had released the arrow without knowing I had done so. It just sort of happened. The lighting moved from rat to rat connecting each of them in a light storm of death until it finally entered the heart of the Rat General. The smell of the burnt flesh was almost as bad as the smell of the burnt hair that now filled my nasal cavity. 

The ground began to shake, and beneath where the Rat General lay dead the earth opened up and  lava erupted from the ground. 

By J.D. Griggs edit by User:Mbz1 (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Again we were surrounded only now it seemed as if Mother Earth was our enemy. I looked at my brother but he stood solid in his resolve, showing no sign of fear. The lava began to move on the ground as if it was alive, towards the hole it erupted out of. It continued to build upon itself until it had arms and legs, then a head and a mouth. It looked like Brian’s brother Phil. Again I looked at Lance; still he had that same look of fury in his eyes.



“You have offended my sister, injured her honor, and hurt her physically. No one, especially so stupid green pea human is going to get away with…..”

Once again my body moved without my consent and I let another arrow fly towards him. I could feel the air scream in agony as the arrow popped and boomed through the sound barrier. My cheeks felt the air's rage as more ash and dirt pelted my face. It was instant. There was not even time for Phil to adjust the look of anger to a look of surprise when the arrow pierced his chest and separated his head from his body. It felt natural to me, like I was meant to kill him, yet my chest became heavy with sorrow and guilt. I had just killed a person. Not a rat, or some animal for food but a real living breathing human being. I fell to my knees and pierced the ground with my fingers. Gripped the dirt within the palms of my hands.

"Yes this was real."

 I could feel the dirt, "this was real."

I could taste the ash on my tongue and feel the hot air fill my lungs. This was not a dream at all, this was real. I closed my eyes and begged for this nightmare to be a nightmare. I could feel the tears carve streams as they made their way down my face before falling off my chin. The tears cooled my face as they washed away the ash. My body began to get cold again.

“Are you listening to me? JOE! HELLO! Anyone home?” I opened my eyes and I was sitting at my desk in front of Sara. I could still smell the rats.





Author's Notes
This is just another in the series I am writing of the Ramayana, if you have read the previous stories then this one should be pretty easy to pick up on.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Story Telling Week 7

Scent of a Woman?


“Hey wake up!” the voice said as I felt a palm lightly tap my cheek three times. “Joe, wake up!” it was my brother Lance.

I must have been overheated and passed out. That would explain why I am on the floor. I hate this feeling, it is like a thousand needle pricks all over my body. As I open my eyes the light rushes in and assaults my pupils. I can see my brother Lance standing over me asking me “What happened,” over and over again. It takes me a second for everything to come back to me and then I tell him, “I was getting a drink of water and then I don’t know, I must have passed out or something.”

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, help me up, oh man I just had the weirdest dream…” he stops me.

“Hey, your wife is in your office.”

I think to myself, “What is he talking about I don’t have a wife?” As my hands brush down my face to remove the grogginess from my body I feel a cold piece of metal graze across my skin. I hold my left hand in front of my face and extend my fingers to see a gold band wrapped around my ring finger. With my thumb I begin to play with the wedding band, it is a familiar and natural feeling, like I playing with it is something I have done for years though I am unable to figure out why I am wearing this ring. I have never been married.


This all feels like a joke that in my mind I agree to play along with for the moment. I feel dizzy again and my brother is quick to sit me down in a chair. My brother tells me he will be right back and leaves me in the room alone. This must be what it feels like to have your brain melt like cheddar between two slices of Texas toast. I close my eyes in hopes of gaining some form of timeout from the abuse my eyes are suffering from the sun. Images of monkeys, bears, and blood begin to flood my mind, and even though I know this is just some weird side effect from passing out, these images feel like memories. Memories of things that haven’t happened yet.


Memories of things that haven’t happened yet. I hear the door to the kitchen open again, it must be Lance coming back to get me, though his footsteps sound lighter on the tile floor as he walks to the sink and turns the water faucet on and off. There is scent that possesses the room that was absent before the door opened, I feel a cold towel against my forehead, what is that scent. I know I have never smelled it before though for some reason it feels extremely familiar. “What is that smell?”

“You know what it is; I have told you the name before. It’s Illusion by Louis Cardin”


I open my eyes and see a woman I have never met before. Her name is Mary. I don’t know why I know her name, but for some reason I just know her name is Mary. The scent intrudes further into my body forcing its way into my lungs. It is not crisp and clean like a scent you would find in nature. It is an intoxicating lust manufactured from synthetic elements; it has an unnatural feeling about it. “Should I kiss your boo boo and make it feel better?”

“No….no need for that.” I hold my hand up allowing the sunlight to reflect off the gold ban on my left hand. The reflection of the light is insulting to her eyes.

“You sure about that?” She is a beautiful woman. Perfection embodied within her flesh. Her clothes are expensive and they hug her curves perfectly, too perfectly. There is no wrinkle to be found on her skirt or her blouse. The fabric from her blouse hangs off her shoulders the same way it would if it were dressing a mannequin. “I mean there is married and happily married.”


She catches me off guard with her flirtation. She is masterful in her overcoming my objections by diverting my responses. When I tell her that I am married, she asks if I am happy, when I say I am ok she just laughs it off and counters my response with softening of her eyes and a flick of her hair. She is perfect, from the way she smells, her clothes, and the distance between her eyes. She is the canon of beauty....


...yet her lack of imperfections casts a shadow of ugliness over her. I fain dizziness again in hopes of achieving and end to her advances, but I am unsuccessful.

“You’re probably just hungry. How bout I take you to lunch?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t my wife is waiting in my office for me.”

“Oh, if she is a secure woman she won’t mind if I steal you away from her for a while.”

“I’m sure she would.”

“Well if it is that big of an issue she can join us, I don’t mind sharing you with her.” She attempts to laugh it off as if it was a joke, but she continues to study my face for a sign that would give her an opening to continue to press on.

“I really just don’t feel good.”

“You heard him Mary, he doesn’t feel good, now leave him alone.” My brother had slipped into the room unnoticed and had been listening to the entire conversation.

“Shut up Lance he is a big boy. I am sure he doesn’t need you butting in.”

“Hey Mary why don’t you and your fake face, fake designer clothes, and fake personality get out of her and leave him alone.” My brother was more forceful than I would have been.

“Who do you think you are talking to, don’t you know who I am? No one talks to me that way and gets away with it!” There is an uncomfortable silence in the room for a moment then Mary looks at me and her soft features turn to rage as she stands up and storms out of the room.

“Hey calm down Mary. Don’t huff and puff too hard or your blow your nose job off!” Though I feel bad about it, I couldn’t help but laugh at my brother. He asks me if I am feeling better and I tell him that I am as I stand up to walk out of the room and head to my office to finally meet the woman I am married to, but before I open the door.........










Author's Notes
This is a retelling of the temptation of Rama by Ravana'a sister. Obviously I could not have his brother chop off her nose so that is why the comment of about her nose falling off at the end was put in there. I wanted her to be beautiful but also fake in every way from her scent to her looks she is unnatural.



Attributions
Pic 1 : By Johann Carl Loth [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Pic 2 : "Wedding rings" by Jeff Belmonte from Cuiabá, Brazil - Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons-http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wedding_rings.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Wedding_rings.jpg
Pic 3 : "Wat phra keaw ramayana fresco" by unknown, photo by "Thaths" - http://www.flickr.com/photos/34816987@N00/1392410389. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wat_phra_keaw_ramayana_fresco.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Wat_phra_keaw_ramayana_fresco.jpg
Pic 4 : "Louis Cardin Illusion" by Ahmer82 - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Louis_Cardin_Illusion.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Louis_Cardin_Illusion.jpg
Pic 5 : By Patrick Doheny (originally posted to Flickr as French Maid) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Pic 6 : „Mona Lisa detail eyes“. Lizenziert unter Public domain über Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mona_Lisa_detail_eyes.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Mona_Lisa_detail_eyes.jpg

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Story Telling Week 6

Me, Myself, and I Drank the Water

By Dimcioassie (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons


Ok we are back where we started, but something’s different, look I have a beard now and I look like I’ve been in the wilderness and I remember it being sunny, but it is raining and what is my brother Lance doing there with me, I mean I don’t even have a brother. See what I mean nothing makes sense, even though it is all so familiar. Listen to Brian, I know I have been here for a few months but he is talking to me and Lance like it is our first day, what is he saying?

Personal Pic from September 2013

“Listen I don’t care if you Daddy did own the last dealership you worked at, here you two are just a couple of Green Peas. If you don’t sell a car on your first day then you don’t have a job on your second day. Do you understand what I am sayig, and since your daddy exiled you from his car lot this is the only place you can go, so I suggest you get out there on point and take some Ups”

The birds there they go again, what are they saying, I think I can understand them, I know I need to listen to them.

Picture of a crow by minicooper93402 websource Flickr.com

“We know who you are, we will serve you well, one of us now and the other later, the water, the water, the impala, the zoo, the mall, we know who you are and we will serve you well”

Where at they goin? Wait what did you mean? Come back here! Don’t leave you stupid birds! Oh there I am by that car that just pulled in, is that who I think it is, oh my god it is, it’s Sara Thompson. Look at her, she looks exactly the same. Nothing about her is different, still so stunning, I can barely catch my breath from looking at her. 

Created By Prairie Kittin Persephone, Goddess of Spring Created for Marcus Ranum Challenge #70License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

What am I doing, is she here to buy a car? Who is with her, is that her dad? This is different than I remember, I did not sell her a car today, I didn’t talk to anyone, I came to work, went to my office got a drink of water and passed out. Come on let’s go to my office and check the calendar, yeah see it is the same day. Oh here I come, look I have the same clothes on but my face is different. See look I just tripped and fell against the wall and knocked the picture off the wall, but that isn’t how I remember it happening. Wait I think I understand now, come with me to the kitchen I have an idea. 

Here look, I am gonna try to open this fridge, see it works. The water, yeah if I can pour them out I can stop the universes from being destroyed. I don’t know why, but for some reason after I drank this water everything changed, it’s like it set off a chain of events that rippled through the universes, but if I can stop it from happening, well just trust me everything will work out fine, yeah I understand it now. 

I can’t touch the water, this is weird, I mean I can touch other things but I can’t touch the water, it’s like reaching for a ghost. Wait I have an idea, hand me that sticky note, I must not have been the first one of us to figure this out. Ok here put that note on the water. There that should do it, unless it was me that wrote do not drink to myself before, but maybe this me will listen.

By Nemo/31098 pixabay.com no attribution required

Here I come, no, no, no stupid stay away from the water, don’t drink it. Oh I hate this part, wait, why am I feeling like this again. I can feel it, I hate this part, it’s different than before, like all of us are being pulled into one, oh the room it’s spinning, I can feel myself falling this is going to hurt……..






Authors Notes:
Okay, this part of the story is not going to make much sense, actually even less sense than the rest of the story, yes this is still a retelling of the Ramayana, and if you pay attention at the beginning you will catch on that this is part that Rama has been exiled into the wilderness, though as I have said this is a retelling so one key part, the marriage of Rama and Sita is a bit out of sequence. This is an important part of the story because at this point in the story some of the things that made no sense will begin to be answered, this is really a two part storytelling post, so next week post will pick up where this one left off and the story will be told in a more linear fashion, along with a change in voice, so far this story has been told in third person storytelling, and that will continue but it will be a little different.







Thursday, September 18, 2014

Story Telling Week 5

Daniel Sits Down





I remember now, I remember what the preacher was saying. Let’s go back to that moment, see there I am again, wait was it raining last time, well anyway that doesn’t matter right now, listen to the preacher this is important,

“…and Daniel was a very godly man, and he was placed in this pit because that is what happened to them in those days, they were chastised and beaten and spit on by the people all because they believed. Now I know most of you know that the lions wouldn’t eat Daniel, but have you ever heard the real reason why Daniel was safe? Didn’t think so, well there is a story that most preachers don’t tell, but the next time you meet a non believer and they throw your belief’s into your face and ask them for proof remember this story. 

See brothers and sisters, when Daniel was thrown into the pit with the lions he was not alone. He was with his brother and another believer, and old man. Daniel was prepared to die, but he was afraid, not for his life but for the life of his brother and friend, and the crowd roared with their blood thirsty screams and chants. So loud that it shook the ground beneath Daniels feet. They screamed ‘Christian’ over and over again because that is what they called us. It was a dirty term, almost like some of the four letter words that people use today to describe one another. The lions paced behind their cage waiting for the doors to be opened to the pit so they could indulge in their meal. Their large teeth stained red from Christian blood. Daniels looked around and saw the people and felt the ground and smelled the breath of the lions and new his time was at hand. He fell to his knees and began to pray. When the lions were released they charged towards Daniel and the crowd's roars became even louder, so loud in fact that the foundation of the stands began to crack from the vibrations. Still Daniel just remained still in his prayer on his knees unmoved by everything. The lions charged closer until they were with in leaping distance. One lion leaped towards Daniel with his paws extended and claws still full of the flesh of former Christians aimed at the throat of Daniel. His blood stained teeth grew farther apart as his large jaws opened ready to devour Daniel whole. Closer he came until he was almost on top of Daniel, still Daniel did not move, though the lion did, yes the lion was thrown 300 feet into the sky and traveled so far that he when he landed he was no longer in the pit. The other lions stopped bewildered by what just happened, the crowd grew silent, still Daniel did not move, he just continued to pray. The brother of the lion began to circle Daniel, and soon this lion charged to make a meal out of this helpless pray, and this lion was struck dead. From the back of the pack of lions came a heart stopping roar, not the type of roar that is meant to scare, but rather the roar of a mother that has just lost two of her cubs. Still Daniel did not move. The mother cat came forward, she could here one of her cubs off in the distance crying in pain, while her eyes gazed upon the motionless body of her dead cub.
Did you know that lions can cry? Well they can, because from her eyes tears began to flow down the face of the mother cub, so many tears of pain that a puddle began to form on the ground. The crowd remained silent and looked on with horror at what this Christian had done to the poor lions. Their hearts broke for the momma lion and soon they began to grow hungry for vengeance and began to yell for the mother lion to strike down this Christian. The momma lion’s tears of loss soon turned into tears of rage and she too tried to attack Daniel only to fail and join her lifeless cub. The crowd became silent, the lions stared at Daniel in bewilderment, and then Daniel finally moved. He stood up, and the lions sat down, he walked to them and placed his hands on their head in mercy and began to pet them as one would pet a puppy. The crowd sat in silence as Daniel and his friends and family walked out of the pit and onto the street to freedom. 
Do you know why this happened brothers and sisters? It was because Daniel had faith. That’s right he had faith, not just in God but in God’s plan for his life. In life we run into problems when we do not follow our path, and we try to avoid the things that God has planned for us. Daniel was a great man, but the greatest thing he ever did was surrender. He was facing his death and he accepted that if this is his time to die then it is his time. Living your life like this is freeing. So the next time that someone walks up and tells you to give them proof you just look them in the eye, remember Daniel and tell them…”
Oh so that is what the preacher was saying, I couldn’t remember, seems like useless information for what is going on but for some reason I know it will come in handy later. Sorry to make you sit through that but I know I needed to remember it. We need to get back to the dealership something is about to happen that changes every thing. I need you to see it and to witness it so that you can stop Joshua Peavey from destroying the universes.






Author's Notes

This is a retelling of Thataka and her son's battle with Rama. I changed quite a bit of the story and I know that Rama kills Thataka first and then her son's seek revenge but the main thing I think was important was to keep with the spirit of the story about destiny. So yes I took some artistic license but I believe I told this part of my story so that as a whole the reader can look at it and say I recognize that part of the story as Thataka and her son's. Also most of you have commented on the all over nature of my stories and to that I would like to offer an explanation. Every story is part of a larger whole, this is not just a retelling of individual stories I am telling from this weeks reading but rather this is a complete rethink and retelling of the Ramayana so a lot of it won't make sense to read as an individual entry, it is important to read each storytelling post so that you don't feel like you are just thrown into the story with out any background to what is happening. I hope this clears up any of the confusion.

Bibliography

Narayan, R. K. The Ramayana. New Delhi: Vision, 1987. Print.

Attribution

"Daniel-In-The-Den-Of-Lions FrancoisVerdier" by François Verdier - http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/Francois-Verdier/Daniel-In-The-Den-Of-Lions.html. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daniel-In-The-Den-Of-Lions_FrancoisVerdier.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Daniel-In-The-Den-Of-Lions_FrancoisVerdier.jpg



Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Story telling Week 4

The Tabernacle, Sara Thompson, and The Bible


Where was I? Oh yeah I remember, it was that feeling, like the thousand needles pricking my entire body. That moment between being unconscious and about to come to, when the universes were playing with my mind. I started to remember things that I had long forgotten. It was Sara, yeah that was her name, Sara Thompson, and the summer before my senior year of high school.



The preacher came to my house and demanded that I go to the church camp. My dad, but wait I never had a dad, but that is not important, my dad was a bible thumper who never questioned the preacher. I had never gone to church much, I never saw the need for it, in fact one of my other brothers would have been better suited to go to church camp but he wanted me to go, was saying something about my souls and saving them from something or another. It never made much sense until…..well now, but I’ll get to that, anyway my brother Lance and I went to this church camp in the southern part of Oklahoma.

I don’t remember it being this hot, and I remember having longer hair. Things are like that now, all the things I remember are different, it is like I am watching everything happen all over again and the things are the same but different. Well not everything, take Sara for example. Here I’ll show you, see there I am in the Tabernacle, 



I should be wearing shorts and a tank top but I’m not, yet she is the same. Look at her, so beautiful. Long onyx hair, with olive skin and emerald eyes sitting in the choir behind the preacher. Even now as I watch it I can’t hear what he is saying, because somewhere between thou shalt not steal and thou shalt not lie she has me captivated. Oh wait yeah, hey look here it is the moment when she melted me in this heat. See look any moment now she is going to take her left hand and move her hair behind her ears, look up and make eye contact with me and smile. This is my favorite part of this memory, I swear I’d gladly devour a barrel of apples if she was Eve. Look at me, it is like looking at the moon in the night sky and suddenly realizing there are stars.



See the moment passes, no matter how many times I come to this moment time keeps moving forward. This is my fifth time here and every time it is the same, well not exactly the same, I look different each time but basically it is the same. I never saw her again the rest of the week, just that one time in the Tabernacle.


It is not just that one night in the Tabernacle I remember, it is other things from week. And what was the preacher saying?



Author Notes :

This is still part of a larger story but this is my take on the Sita and Rama seeing eachother for the first time.

Bibliography
Narayan, R. K. A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. London: Penguin Classics, 2006.

Picture Attributions

Picture 1
By Amandajm (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

Picture 2
"Harvard University Academic Hoods" by Joe Hall - http://www.flickr.com/photos/joebeone/537546224/. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harvard_University_Academic_Hoods.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Harvard_University_Academic_Hoods.jpg

Picture 3
"SPACInterior" by UpstateNYer - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SPACInterior.jpg#mediaviewer/File:SPACInterior.jpg

Picture 4
Created By Prairie Kittin Persephone, Goddess of Spring Created for Marcus Ranum Challenge #70
License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/




Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Story Telling Week 2

Joshua Peavey Destroys the Universes
Carina Nebula From the Hubble Telescope wikipedia

Ever had one of those days that nothing makes sense, and then something happens and everything makes sense but nothing seems to make sense. I hate this place, there is nothing but empty space, and the birds, I should have listened to the birds. Now I got this rock under my foot, and a bunch of empty space to look at, just Joe and his empty space. I'm sorry, what was I saying, oh yeah the day. The day that the universes were destroyed leaving just this empty space. Empty space and Joe for the last sixty thousand years. Let's go back a little.

Picture of newborn uploaded by teadrinker web source flickr.com
No not that far...
Personal Photo from files
Okay that seems right.


It was a hot July day in Shawnee Oklahoma, and I was late for work. It was ok, I had been late most days since I started at the car lot a few months ago, although really time doesn't seem to hold the same meaning to me as it did once, but I'll get to that, anyway so I was pulling into the car lot and Jason was standing in his normal spot at the entrance. It seemed like that guy never moved. There were rumors that he was once a lady's man, but that must have been a long time ago because now he just looked like a he was sunburned flesh in a cheap suit and sunglasses. He never took off his sunglasses and come to think of it he never came inside. Rumor has it that he made Chad, the general manager, mad at him one day and every since he was forced to sit out in the sun to greet customers, though I have never heard him say a word.

After parking my car I walked into the showroom floor, it was a lucky day because Brian the sales manager was not in the building. Brian was an imposing guy, with a temper that was pretty short, most days he spent his time yelling threats about firing people rather than doing any actual managing. His brother Phil, the finance manager, though less imposing, was not much better with his people skills.

As I walked into my office and sat down at my desk the picture of a family hanging up on my wall fell. It didn't really matter to me that the picture fell except that now when I had a customer I couldn't use the picture of the family to relate to them.

Family Picture by pudgeefeet websource flickr.com
The family in the picture was not mine, I didn't have any family, but sometimes when I was sitting in my chair I would make up stories about the people in the picture. I used to pretend that the man in the photo was my dad and the woman was my step mom. I even named them and gave the three boys in the picture back stories. There was Bart, the oldest son from my dad's first marriage, and Kirk and Lance the two middle sons. Kirk and Lance were twins. I of course was my dad's bastard child from an affair he had with my mother so I didn't live with them. Trust me these little games I played in my mind helped me pass the time.

Around noon I left my office to go outside to have a smoke. This was part of my daily ritual, after my smoke I would usually go to lunch and then come back to work and try to find a car to take a nap in without anyone noticing. Later I would find out that having a strict ritual would have dire consequences, but for now I was unaware. Today my meditation was interrupted by a flock of birds.

Picture of a crow by minicooper93402 websource Flickr.com

These stupid birds, why didn't I listen to these stupid birds, they were telling me the entire time what not to do, but I wouldn't listen, they just sounded like a bunch of cawing to me. So much cawing that I just went back inside without finishing my smoke.

It had been hot outside so I went to the break room and grabbed a bottled water. It was Todd's water, I know this because it was clearly labeled as his with a note that read, "Do Not Drink," though I ignored it. I just untwisted the top and tilted the bottle up to quench my thirst. If Todd got upset I would just replace it. I may be a lot of things but I am not a thief, and apparently I was walking into the break room, no wait I was opening the refridgerator, was that me drinking Todd's water. What were the birds saying? Oh I hate this part this is where it all goes black. There I go, I pass out. Don't judge me, the human brain is not made to be flooded with all the knowledge of the universes in an instant. My brain was overloaded. I'm not even sure what happened, I only just now came back to my senses, well not just now but a few minutes ago, before you were just a rock but now you're here so just relax, and I will explain how Joshua Peavey destroyed the universes.

From Hubble Telescope owner Nasa websoure address https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/4444869951/


Author's Notes: 
Ok so this story may seem like it is has nothing to do with the story we are reading and it may seem like a jumbled mess, but stay with me. This is the begining of a longer story that will tie into Indian Epics we are reading. Though you will have to read the entire story not just a part of it in order for it to make more sense but trust me if you stay with me hopefully the pay off will be worth the investment. I can no tell you much more without spoiling the ending but this was inspired by the week 2.

Bibliography
Narayan, R. K. A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. London: Penguin Classics, 2006.