Week 10 Story | Turtles - A Man's Best Friend
This story can also be found in my portfolio: The Turtle
I never thought it would end like this...
There I was, sitting and listening to all of the King's men debate my death. I heard about being roasted alive, chopped into pieces and even more - but I won't include those gory details here. BUT I HAD TO SIT AND LISTEN TO IT ALL! How did I get here, you ask?
Well, one of the King's men and I, Charles, go way back. Throughout my time swimming the ponds in the outskirts of the kingdom, Charles would bring me food while sitting on the edge of the pond. I would climb up into the grass and watch the sunset with him. I laughed at all of the outrageous stories from his days working for the king, and he would be proud when I told him about all of the fish I tackled and ate that day. Our friendship was like no other.
Until one day, he stopped coming to visit. I would see him pass by with the other king's men. They would be discussing funny stories of the king; Charles, of course, always received the most laughs for his experiences. He was a funny guy, and that's what I liked most about him.
It had been a few weeks since Charles had visited me, but one day, I saw him walking toward the pond. I was ecstatic thinking about the good laughs we would share. Suddenly, he picked me up out of the water, without speaking a word, and threw me and my other friends into a cage. We were quickly transported into a new home in the lake around the kingdom. At first, I thought this meant we would be spending more time together, but as the days past, I saw less and less of Charles. Instead, I only saw the King's pesky sons. They would jump in the water, trample over our plant source, and make fun of the fish. I usually swam away to hide when the boys came, but one day I was not quick enough...
They screamed and gawked at me, demanding I be removed from their new "play area". That is when I was forced to sit among the King's men.
As they planned my death, I saw Charles walk in through the corner of my eye. I hoped and prayed for a miracle - but he started to throw out another option for my death... being thrown into rough waters. ARE YOU SERIOUS!? AFTER ALL THOSE TIMES WE SHARED AND LAUGHS WE- wait... throw the turtle into the water...? CHARLES MY MAN!
It was then that I decided to speak up: "Oh please do not throw me into the water! I cannot withstand the rough waves or rocky terrain. I will die instantly if that is my fate."
A few hours later, I found myself happily swimming away into the distance.
And for that, I have Charles to thank. What a friend.
Author's Note: This story is based off of the Jataka Tale "How The Turtle Saved His Own Life" by Ellen C. Babbitt. In this story, a turtle is mistaken for a demon in a lake of fishes and destined for death. It is not until the turtle hears the idea of being thrown into rocky water that he speaks up. Knowing that is the only fate he could survive, he tricks the King's men and begs for any fate but that. The turtle then survives and finds a way out of death. I decided to write this story from the perspective of the turtle and also add in the element that one of the King's men was his friend, hence the suggestion to throw him into water.
I never thought it would end like this...
There I was, sitting and listening to all of the King's men debate my death. I heard about being roasted alive, chopped into pieces and even more - but I won't include those gory details here. BUT I HAD TO SIT AND LISTEN TO IT ALL! How did I get here, you ask?
Well, one of the King's men and I, Charles, go way back. Throughout my time swimming the ponds in the outskirts of the kingdom, Charles would bring me food while sitting on the edge of the pond. I would climb up into the grass and watch the sunset with him. I laughed at all of the outrageous stories from his days working for the king, and he would be proud when I told him about all of the fish I tackled and ate that day. Our friendship was like no other.
Until one day, he stopped coming to visit. I would see him pass by with the other king's men. They would be discussing funny stories of the king; Charles, of course, always received the most laughs for his experiences. He was a funny guy, and that's what I liked most about him.
It had been a few weeks since Charles had visited me, but one day, I saw him walking toward the pond. I was ecstatic thinking about the good laughs we would share. Suddenly, he picked me up out of the water, without speaking a word, and threw me and my other friends into a cage. We were quickly transported into a new home in the lake around the kingdom. At first, I thought this meant we would be spending more time together, but as the days past, I saw less and less of Charles. Instead, I only saw the King's pesky sons. They would jump in the water, trample over our plant source, and make fun of the fish. I usually swam away to hide when the boys came, but one day I was not quick enough...
They screamed and gawked at me, demanding I be removed from their new "play area". That is when I was forced to sit among the King's men.
As they planned my death, I saw Charles walk in through the corner of my eye. I hoped and prayed for a miracle - but he started to throw out another option for my death... being thrown into rough waters. ARE YOU SERIOUS!? AFTER ALL THOSE TIMES WE SHARED AND LAUGHS WE- wait... throw the turtle into the water...? CHARLES MY MAN!
It was then that I decided to speak up: "Oh please do not throw me into the water! I cannot withstand the rough waves or rocky terrain. I will die instantly if that is my fate."
(The turtle swims away. Web Source: Pixabay)
A few hours later, I found myself happily swimming away into the distance.
And for that, I have Charles to thank. What a friend.
Author's Note: This story is based off of the Jataka Tale "How The Turtle Saved His Own Life" by Ellen C. Babbitt. In this story, a turtle is mistaken for a demon in a lake of fishes and destined for death. It is not until the turtle hears the idea of being thrown into rocky water that he speaks up. Knowing that is the only fate he could survive, he tricks the King's men and begs for any fate but that. The turtle then survives and finds a way out of death. I decided to write this story from the perspective of the turtle and also add in the element that one of the King's men was his friend, hence the suggestion to throw him into water.
Hi Camryn! I loved that you gave the turtle some internal dialogue . I can't imagine being that turtle and hearing how the kings men were going to kill me haha! But I actually laughed out loud at "Charles my man!" It made the turtle seem more human. I liked the end and was happy for the turtle when he outsmarted them by making them think he didn't want to be thrown into the water, but in reality, that's how he escaped.
ReplyDeleteHello again! What a unique and creative take on the original story. I enjoyed how readers know the thoughts and feelings that the turtle was experiencing- I believe it allows readers to understand the story better. I was kind of confused with this line in your story: "Well, one of the King's men and I, Charles, go way back." At first I thought Charles was the turtle but as I read some more, I realized that Charles was one of the King's men. Maybe put "Charles" immediately after the word "men" and it could clear that up. Overall, great creative and funny story!
ReplyDeleteHey Camryn!
ReplyDeleteThis is by far one of my all time favorite jatakas. I loved the creativity you put into this story. I enjoyed that you were able to keep majority of the story similar to the original. The dialogue from the turtle was a good touch. I also might break this sentence up into two sentences: "I laughed at all of the outrageous stories from his days working for the king, and he would be proud when I told him about all of the fish I tackled and ate that day." Overall, great job!
Hey, Camyn! I just read your week 10 story “Turtles-A Man’s Best Friend.” I like that you give us some insight as to why is happening in your characters minds. It makes your story very relatable and easy to connect to. It is so clever that they tricked them into thinking the turtle couldn’t swim! Thanks for sharing. Jessie
ReplyDeleteHey, Camryn, I really like turtles (I stop and help them cross the road sometimes) so I was happy to see a story about turtles. I really like the turtle's internal dialogue and some of the comedic aspects of the story. Your images are also great and work well with the story. I also liked how you were able to give us the inner dialogue of the turtle while also staying close to the source material. Well done.
ReplyDelete