A lion sat on his perch, under a nice shady tree. Off in the distance, he saw the monkeys playing in the trees. Beneath the tree was a rabbit, seemingly worried. Though this would generally be cause for an issue, there were many other animals around the plains, and the lion had to divert his attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a coconut fall from the tree and land on the rabbit. Seemingly frightened, the rabbit jolted away, screaming that the world was ending.
Generally, the lion would race to stop the rabbit and set him straight, but this time, he had hatched a better plan, and decided to watch the rabbit scamper.
As the rabbit continued it's flee, more and more animals continued to join his cause. The stampede grew in size, volume, and speed, growing quicker and quicker as time went on. The lion decided to quash the fear and restore a sense of calm to the lands, so he bounded down to the stampede. As he raced down, the stampede grew larger and larger, but he knew he could set the record straight, and alert the entire plains at once that the Earth was not shattering, rather, it had been an errant coconut. This way he would not have to tell each animal individually every time a coconut fell, but rather, he could tell all of the animals at once.
He reached the bottom of the plains and bounded out: "What is the matter?"
But the stampede had grown too large, so he continued to shout, louder each time: "What is the matter?"
Within a matter of seconds, the lion realized he would be trampled. The stampede was too wide for him to sidestep it, and it was moving faster than he could run, as the stampede was fueled by fear and adrenaline. The animals near the front noticed this, and in an effort to save their king, they tried to slow down, and alert the other animals of the impending doom.
Eventually, the stampede lost steam, the animals growing tired. They realized that, perhaps, the world was not ending. As they returned to their homes, they took comfort in knowing that they were safe. All but a few. The lion, and those at the front of the stampede had been trampled, and died in the process.
Generally, the lion would race to stop the rabbit and set him straight, but this time, he had hatched a better plan, and decided to watch the rabbit scamper.
As the rabbit continued it's flee, more and more animals continued to join his cause. The stampede grew in size, volume, and speed, growing quicker and quicker as time went on. The lion decided to quash the fear and restore a sense of calm to the lands, so he bounded down to the stampede. As he raced down, the stampede grew larger and larger, but he knew he could set the record straight, and alert the entire plains at once that the Earth was not shattering, rather, it had been an errant coconut. This way he would not have to tell each animal individually every time a coconut fell, but rather, he could tell all of the animals at once.
He reached the bottom of the plains and bounded out: "What is the matter?"
But the stampede had grown too large, so he continued to shout, louder each time: "What is the matter?"
Within a matter of seconds, the lion realized he would be trampled. The stampede was too wide for him to sidestep it, and it was moving faster than he could run, as the stampede was fueled by fear and adrenaline. The animals near the front noticed this, and in an effort to save their king, they tried to slow down, and alert the other animals of the impending doom.
Eventually, the stampede lost steam, the animals growing tired. They realized that, perhaps, the world was not ending. As they returned to their homes, they took comfort in knowing that they were safe. All but a few. The lion, and those at the front of the stampede had been trampled, and died in the process.
A stampede in the plains. Source: Flickr
Bibliography: The Foolish, Timid Rabbit by Ellen C. Babbitt from Jatakas Tales
Author's Note: I told the story from the point of view of the lion. Instead of quenching the stampede, I had him decide to wait to alert more animals on balance than he would have otherwise, but have this effort be for nothing in the end. It reminds me of how sometimes we see risk, but we let it build with the end goal of accomplishing more- even though that might not work out how we would like.
Your story took me by surprise! Everything was hunky dory and then animals died! All the same, I enjoyed the journey. Your lesson described in the author's note is a good one. The lion had good intentions in his efforts to inform as many animals as possible. However, sometimes we just have to take what we can get. I also liked your word choice, especially the "errant coconut" part. This was a great story!
ReplyDeleteHey Sean! This was an interesting take on the jataka – from your author’s note, you talked about risk and its consequences, and that was a unique message to add into the lesson of this jataka. This isn’t that big of an issue, but I would maybe suggest adding your author’s note before the story itself? I’ve found that reading the note before helps preface the story and increase the understanding of the story.
ReplyDeleteHi Sean,
ReplyDeleteI like how you changed up the story and told the story from the lion’s point of view. I think it totally changed up the story. I like the meaning you had behind the story that you wrote, how the we try to accomplish more but the end goal may not work out how we want it to. I was surprised when the animals died.
Hi Sean! I liked the lion's so-called "well-thought" plan come to nothing. I thought your idea was clever and allowed for the lion to develop some character that can be lacking in some (short) myths/stories. It was a little surprising, and I was left wondering if the rabbit lived through the mess? I think it would be almost amusing if the little rabbit was scamper away from the mess, still groaning about the world ending.
ReplyDeleteI was a little confused at the bit between the last paragraph and the one before it. When I began to read the last paragraph, that first sentence doesn't offer the resolution to the action. It made it harder for me to picture or grasp the end result, so maybe a slight paragraph about either in-action crushing of the lion or giving it in a statement before the last paragraph could clarify that.
Hey Sean. I enjoyed reading your story and liked how changed the perspective of the story and told it from the lion's point of view. It was a real twist having the lion and other animals die which is completely different form the original story. I think it would have been fun to see what happened to the rabbit at the end since he caused it.
ReplyDelete