Week 10 Story: The Jungle
The jungle is a hard place to live.
The bugs are after the grass, the insects after the bugs, the lizards after the insects, the birds after the lizards, the mongooses after the lizards, the bobcats after the mongooses...it's a competitive world, and the cost of losing is death. At every moment in time, everything - and I mean everything - is about survival. One slow step under the eyes of a leopard or tiger and you're dead.
The lions lived in their own den on one side of the jungle, the tigers on another side, and the monkeys high up in the trees. Everyone lived segregated, and creatures rarely interacted with animals outside their species. You never know who's the predator and who's the prey in any situation. Even at common-ground water holes, no one went for a drink haphazardly or alone.
I like to think of it as a war. A tense, prolonged war that began at the inception of the universe and which will never have an ending. It's the war of life.
This war had waged for billions of years - and will wage for billions more - except for one, single day. Every animal and tree who was there that day remembers it in vivid detail. That day started like you would expect: the lizards chasing their insects, the birds chasing their insects, and the big cats jumping on some poor, unsuspecting herbivore somewhere.
And then, there was a feeling.
It's a feeling that's hard to describe - warm and fuzzy, exciting yet relaxing, perhaps? Although no one outright said it, from within our hearts, we understood what had just happened. The great Vishnu had come to Earth yet again as a human being named Krishna. The baby boy - our Lord - had just arrived to give us salvation.
Suddenly, it was as if the laws of nature had reversed. Birds sang, Insects proudly chirped, and the big cats danced with their prey. The snakes and mice, normally arch-nemeses, all bought drinks for each other like best friends. The monkeys, who rarely left their haven in the canopy, decided to come down to and celebrate with the animals on the ground. Someone began drumming on the trunk of a tree at some point. Even the trees and flowers participated; flowers bloomed, trees swayed peacefully, ferns grew sweet berries. It was something the creatures of the jungle had never before experienced, and likely will never experience.
The next day, life went back to normal.
Author's Note: This story is based off the fact that Krishna's birth was a cause of joy for all creatures, not just humans. The original story mentions how even the animals seemed to rejoice at Krishna's birth. So, I decided to write a story from the perspective of an anonymous jungle animal to describe the celebrations in the jungle using the contexts surrounding jungle life.
Bibliography: Krishna by Epified, Link to Part A
The bugs are after the grass, the insects after the bugs, the lizards after the insects, the birds after the lizards, the mongooses after the lizards, the bobcats after the mongooses...it's a competitive world, and the cost of losing is death. At every moment in time, everything - and I mean everything - is about survival. One slow step under the eyes of a leopard or tiger and you're dead.
The lions lived in their own den on one side of the jungle, the tigers on another side, and the monkeys high up in the trees. Everyone lived segregated, and creatures rarely interacted with animals outside their species. You never know who's the predator and who's the prey in any situation. Even at common-ground water holes, no one went for a drink haphazardly or alone.
I like to think of it as a war. A tense, prolonged war that began at the inception of the universe and which will never have an ending. It's the war of life.
This war had waged for billions of years - and will wage for billions more - except for one, single day. Every animal and tree who was there that day remembers it in vivid detail. That day started like you would expect: the lizards chasing their insects, the birds chasing their insects, and the big cats jumping on some poor, unsuspecting herbivore somewhere.
And then, there was a feeling.
It's a feeling that's hard to describe - warm and fuzzy, exciting yet relaxing, perhaps? Although no one outright said it, from within our hearts, we understood what had just happened. The great Vishnu had come to Earth yet again as a human being named Krishna. The baby boy - our Lord - had just arrived to give us salvation.
Suddenly, it was as if the laws of nature had reversed. Birds sang, Insects proudly chirped, and the big cats danced with their prey. The snakes and mice, normally arch-nemeses, all bought drinks for each other like best friends. The monkeys, who rarely left their haven in the canopy, decided to come down to and celebrate with the animals on the ground. Someone began drumming on the trunk of a tree at some point. Even the trees and flowers participated; flowers bloomed, trees swayed peacefully, ferns grew sweet berries. It was something the creatures of the jungle had never before experienced, and likely will never experience.
The next day, life went back to normal.
A picture depicting the array of animals present in the jungle in the story.
Author's Note: This story is based off the fact that Krishna's birth was a cause of joy for all creatures, not just humans. The original story mentions how even the animals seemed to rejoice at Krishna's birth. So, I decided to write a story from the perspective of an anonymous jungle animal to describe the celebrations in the jungle using the contexts surrounding jungle life.
Bibliography: Krishna by Epified, Link to Part A
Vinay,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your story and the perspective you told it from. You did a great job really setting the normal routine for any creature living in the jungle, and also establishing the 'food chain' to get across the idea that all of the creatures didn't get along. It really did show that the coming of Krishna made a drastic difference in the creatures in the jungle! What you wanted portrayed through your story definitely was. Great job!
Vinay,
ReplyDeleteThis was a great story to read, I really enjoyed it. I like the picture you used, as it adds a vibrant element to the story. I was excited to read your story when I read the title "The Jungle" and your story did not disappoint. I liked the food chain element of the animals. I think this gets overlooked when people tell stories about animals.
Brooks
Hi Vinay. I just came from your week 9 story and after reading this one, I just want to tell you that I really enjoy your writing style. You like to mix it up and that's something I haven't really done. I like that you made it from the perspectives of the animals, it was different and fun to read. Good job!
ReplyDeleteVinay,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job of building your story and emphasizing the importance and effect Krishna had on every being. I think this was a very creative take on the subject and something I would have never thought to do. I hope I get another chance to see some of your work before the end of the semester. Awesome job!
Hey Vinay! I really loved this story because it was kind of calming and very sincere sounding. Your detail was incredible in this story and I like the perspective you told it from. I like that you decided to mention how Vishnu's reincarnation into Krishna affected all the creatures and not just humans. I love your writing style!! Great job on your stories so far :)
ReplyDelete