The Golden Gazelle
Maricha was
desperate.
She wanted to have
Rama for herself. She deserved Rama, not Sita. Although Rama assumed that
Maricha was out to kill Rama, that was far from true. Maricha had young love,
the type of love that made girls bully boys. Rama misunderstood. Unsure of what
to do, Maricha ran deep into the forest until she stumbled upon a clearing. In
the clearing, there was a small fountain with one center spew. Maricha sobbed
into the fountain filling it with her tears. A lighted figure appeared in front
of her.
“Hello Maricha, my
name is Raven. I would like to present you with an offer,” said Raven.
“Yes?” replied
Maricha.
“How would you like
to get rid of Sita?”
“I would very much
like that.”
“Then listen to my
plan.”
Raven turned Maricha
into a beautiful golden gazelle. As the golden gazelle grazed the grass, Sita
beheld it. Immediately she knew she wanted the gazelle in the palace grounds.
Rama so in love with Sita could not refuse her request. Just like a lion on the
hunt, Rama ran after the gazelle. As Maricha ran in the forest, deeper and
deeper, she started to become afraid. She did not want to become someone else’s
property, especially not Sita’s. But if all went according to plan, Raven just
needed Rama far away from Sita.
When Raven sensed
that the gazelle and Rama were out of the vicinity, he began his plan. Raven
had been planning ever since he first laid eyes on Sita 5 years ago. For the
first time in 300 years, he fell in love due to her beauty and grace. With Rama
out of the picture, Raven was able to capture Sita with no trouble.
(The Golden Gazelle - Image Source)
Bibliography: "Ramayana - The Golden Deer" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie. Web Source.
I enjoyed your interpretation of the story, Chelsea. You sticked mostly to the original story but added your own flavor on it. As I read your story, I could paint a clear and vivid picture in my head. I also noticed that in your retelling, you mentioned "Ravana" as "Raven," which I thought was something unique and cool spin that you included.
ReplyDeleteI also did a retelling of this story. I like how you pointed out that Maricha began to feel fearful of becoming Sita's property, that was not something that I had thought to add to my retelling.
ReplyDeleteHi, Chelsea! I really like this retelling. I think that your use of dialogue makes the story easier to understand and easier to relate to! Also, your extra backstory on Maricha is helpful to a full comprehension of everything happening in this episode. I really enjoyed this retelling and I am excited to see the rest of your blog. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteJessie