In the Calihans army, there was five brothers. These brothers were tight knit and lived with their mother, Ashley, or raised them well.
On day, Ashley bumped into Alex at the farmer's market. They did not know each other, but they did give each other a polite, gentle smile. Later that day, Ashley and Alex ran into each other again, but this time at a shoe shiner. Ashley was a customer and Alex worked there. Alex was both a shoe shiner and warrior so he could afford to support himself.
As Alex shined Ashley's shoes, they had really good conversations. For both of them, it was easy for them to talk to the other.
Days, then weeks passed, and Alex and Ashley became very close.
One day, Ashley's private investigator approached her very frazzled saying, "I have found your long-lost son!"
Ashley became anxious all of a sudden. "Who is he? Am I going to finally meet him?" she thought.
As the private investigator told her who her son was, Ashley began to feel faint.
It was Alex.
She always felt very comfortable around Alex, but she did not think that he was her long-lost son. Then she became torn. She knew Alex was fighting for the Dosteps. How could he though? That would mean he would be fighting against his own brothers, the Calihans.
Ashley searched for Alex. When she did find him, she expressed to him what the private investigator told her and asked him not to fight the Calihans.
Ashley watched as Alex's face went from surprised, to saddened to angry.
Alex revolted against Ashley! He said, "How could leave me! You see my life now! I work two jobs so I can make sure I have something to eat, while your other sons are having a feast every night without lifting a finger. And to think that you would ask me to not fight against them in battle? You have never been a mother to me and your sons are not my brothers!"
After saying this, Alex ran away as Ashley wept.
This image is an artistic representation of the torn bond between Alex and Ashley that is hanging by a thread. (Image Source)
Author's Note:
I wanted to create a twist to the episode "Krishna and Karna." In my story, Alex is Karna and Ashley is Kunti. I wanted to provide a different setting for them to a more present time. The foundation of the story is the same. Ashley appraoches Alex and confesses her identity to him, then she begs him to not fight her other sons which he just found out were his brothers. This is the same situation between Kunti and Karna. However, I have changed their characters a little bit just to add my own creativity. This was my favorite episode of PDE Mahabharata, Part C of the reading (refer to bibliography) so I wanted to reiterate the story but in my own way.
Bibliography: "Krishna and Karna." Public Domain Edition of the Mahabharata, Part C. Multiple Authors from Various Sources: Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore
Hi Zhanie!
ReplyDeleteI really like your picture and that you took a very metaphoric approach to representing the divide between Alex and Ashley rather than just using two people arguing or something like that. I also like how you adapted the story to the present day. I think it makes the story more understandable while keeping the same overall lessons.
Hey Zhanie!
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I didn't see your twist coming! I thought this was going to be a romance story-not a family story. I really surprised me when the truth was revealed. I like how you kept the theme and plot of the story intact, but I also think It would have been cool to change more about the story than the setting. Either way, thanks for the story!
Hi Zhanie! This is a cool twist on the stories from the Mahabharata. I definitely was not expecting Ashley to be the mother of Alex. If anything, I kind of thought that they would have affections for each other as you described them becoming closer and closer and having good chemistry. It was cool to see Alex as a working class warrior! The ending seemed like a difficult situation for both parties. I wonder what plays out after the end of this story? I'm looking forward to finding out, if you decide to continue this storyline!
ReplyDeleteHey Zhanie,
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you incorporated a twist at the end, and developed on it before its reveal throughout the story! Most stories I have read, as well as one I have written myself, tend to leave off on cliffhangers. It was really refreshing that you did the opposite and showed off what you were building on throughout the piece. I think you did a great job, too, as it the details you implemented, as well as imagery you added, were both really beneficial and efficient throughout your piece. Really well done.
Hey Zhanie!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story for week seven, as it is the first story of yours I believe I have read! I love private investigations and anything related to criminal justice and activity, so it is cool to see someone with a secret identity! It was such an interesting take of the story and I really appreciate how you kept the original roots of the story alive.
Zhanie,
ReplyDeleteWhen reading your story, I assumed that Alex and Ashley were nearly the same age and that you were going to have the two characters fall in love with one another! I had simply assumed that they were approximately the same age. So you saying how she found her long-lost son, Alex blew my mind. Then I thought back to the story of Karna and Kunti, realizing that that was the story you were capturing. Good job! I really like the picture you included, but I think you could argue that their relationship isn't even hanging by a thread- it's severed. I think Karna/Alex severed that thread.