You see, every year since my mom left us my dad and I go on an annual fishing trip. At first I think it was more of a " I'm sorry this happened to us but now it's me and you against the world" kind of a trip but now it has turned into our thing. The big annual fishing trip to the Ganges River!
The drive is really not that far but I say "big" because my dad happens to be the king of a city called Hastinapura. As the only son I am the heir to the throne and having both the king and heir to the throne gone to the wilderness is stressful for my father's advisors.
Every year the advisors to the throne come up with some baloney excuse as to why we should not go but every year my father and I head to our favorite fishing spot on the Ganges against their will.
This year is different. My dad is usually the one pushing me out of the door so we can get a full day of fishing in but this year I practically packed the car all by myself. I also have noticed the staff attempting to make as little contact with him as possible, even avoiding his eye, as if they are afraid if he catches their glance he will fire them or something extreme.
I guess he has been rather moody and gloomy lately but I have been so busied with matters in preparing me to become king for when my father decides to step down that I have hardly noticed.
"Dad! Did you hear me? Daylight's awaistin'!"
"I heard ya, I heard ya. I just have to finish signing a few more letters and I'll be ready."
The car ride to the Ganges seemed longer than usual. The limited talking and the no listening to music made the car ride drag on. The silence was a killer.
River Ganga at Hersil Town from Bipin Gupta
After a few hours of fishing I couldn't take it anymore. "What is eatin' at ya, Dad? Even the staff are afraid to glance your direction these past few weeks."
"I will get over it in time, son. I simply want something I can't have."
"What is it??"
"I've fallen in love with a woman but her father will not allow her to marry me because I already have an heir to the throne."
This information took me a few moments to digest considering it has only been my dad and I for so many years and I have never heard him talk of another woman besides my mother.
"Well, does she make you happy, Dad?"
"She does indeed, but you are my son and prince of Hastinapura. You are the future of our dynasty."
"Father, you have sacrificed so much for me. Let me step down as heir to the throne and the next son you father will be king"
"Son, I would never ask this of you in a million moons!"
"My mind has already been made up. I will visit the maiden's father tomorrow and hash out the fine details."
Authors Note:
In Narayan's Mahabharata, how and why prince Davavratha steps down from the throne is skated over I felt like. I wanted to bring that story to a more modern-day father-son fishing trip to really understand the relationship of king Santanu and his son Davavratha. In Narayan's portrayal, king Santanu instantly falls in love with a beautiful fisherman's daughter while hunting in the woods. The fisherman was willing to let his daughter marry Santanu but only under the condition that her son would be Santanu's successor. Santanu knew he could not accept this condition and left them.
Davavratha, noticing his father's gloomy state of mind, questioned him and when he found out the reasoning went behind his father's back to the fisherman to make the negotiation for his father. Davavratha agreed to never have children of his own and from then on took the name, Bhishna.
Bibliography: The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by R.K. Narayan.
I like the modern update! I always thought that was so generous of Davavratha to just say well if it makes you happy then sure. It makes more sense in the context of your story with the divorced parents, I think. It was very interesting the way you combined both the normal slang talk with some formal language at the end. It makes sense because they're both royal, but it was a little strange at first to hear them say things like "Father, you have sacrificed so much for me" but also "Time's a-wasting!" But, overall cute story!
ReplyDeleteAre you from Oklahoma? Because you write the Okie twang/slang really well. :-) It made it a very endearing read. I think the fact that you emphasized how and why they had such a close relationship helped to flesh out the reasoning as to why Davavratha was willing to abdicate the future throne in order to make his dad happy now. Very sweet!
ReplyDeleteI loved how your modern twist of the story made it a lot of fun to read. It made me chuckle while reading the different slang words that you used, especially, “eatin at ya dad”. Your way of writing is simplistic yet effective in that it creates a lively feel to it. I really enjoyed it. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteSounds like the king was lured into something he could regret. He really fell for her hook line and sinker huh? Hopefully, he wasn't catfished. I agree that the son being so accepting was a little fishy. Hopefully Davavratha ends up with a net gain for all his troubles. It might come down to the wire though. (I liked your story!)
ReplyDeleteHey Candace! I really liked this story because you took a completely different twist on it and made it work really well. I liked that it didn’t feel rushed and that you took your time building up to why the father was not acting like himself! I also really liked the photo you chose because it definitely helps set the scene!
ReplyDeleteHey CJ,
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting story! I think you did a good job of making this story pretty entertaining for the reader. Judging from what you wrote in the authors note your version of the story follows very closely with the original which is quite impressive. I enjoyed reading this story but I would not mind seeing a few more details added about this woman the king wanted to marry. How did they meet? Why did he like her? Was she just into him for the money? I am not saying she is a gold digger but if I was the prince I would want to know why this lady wanted to marry the king. I think adding some details about her into the conversation between the king and the prince would give the readers some insight as to why the king would allow his son to step down from his position as prince.