Long ago, there was a mighty python in the city of Pune, India. The python was said to be enormous, like a dragon. It was said to be one hundred feet long and apparently was curled up in a cave for years. It would only wake when it smelled the flesh of humans. Wild animals still inhabited the area around the cave, but as soon as a human or a group of travelers passed by, the python would stick its head out of the cave and devour them.
One day, a lonely traveler who was exploring different forests in India ended up in the city of Pune. He had not heard the story of the python as of yet, but as soon as he entered the forest, some squirrels came scurrying up to him.
"Mister! Mister! Do not tread here any further, for a great python awaits you!"
The traveler was quite surprised. He replied, "Hello little furries! What do you mean, a great python? I have defeated many obstacles in my life, and I am sure I can calm down a python easily."
"No no, mister! You do not understand. This python is not like any other. His body is the size of the entire land, but he is always curled up! You will not see him coming until he has already eaten half of you."
At this, the traveler scoffed. There is no way the squirrels were serious. He thought they were exaggerating, so he went on about his way, despite the squirrels' concerns.
Along the way, he came across a group of cheetahs. They too, were surprised to see a human in the depths of the forest. They began shouting at once.
"Mister, what brings you here?!" "Have you not heard of the tragedies of this area?!" "Retreat back to your home, please, for your sake!"
At this, the traveler was even more confused and surprised. The squirrels had said the same thing, but they were small animals. They could be easily defeated by many things. But cheetahs are extremely fast. If a python lived here, couldn't the cheetahs outrun them, or save the humans by carrying them on their back and sprinting across the forest? The traveler reassured them that he could easily fight off a python, as he had dealt with and calmed down many snakes in the village back home.
After an hour of trying to persuade the traveler to go back home, the cheetahs finally gave up and decided to let the man see for himself.
Not longer than half and hour after his encounter with the cheetahs, did the man walk by the cave in which the python was curled up and sleeping. The scent of the man reached the snake, and suddenly the ground shook, as if someone had taken the planet in their hands and jumped with it. He turned, and what he saw almost made him pass out. The python, like the other animals had warned him, was NOT an ordinary snake. His head itself was bigger than the tree next to the cave. With one swift move, he quickly gobbled up the traveler. He had not listened to the animals that had tried to help him, and therefore was given a cruel fate.
Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki) Unit.
Author's Note: This story was inspired by the Japanese Fairy Tales, namely the story The Goblin of Adachigahara. In it, a goblin disguised itself as an old woman. A priest passing by needed a place to stay, so he asked her for accommodation. She reluctantly agreed, and told him not to go inside a certain door while she went out. He listed to her, but got very impatient so he headed to the back room where he wasn't supposed to go. As soon as he opened the door, he fell back, terrified. In the room, there were piles of dead men's bones. He immediately ran out of the house, and the goblin found him. They ran through the forest until dawn, when suddenly the goblin vanished. The priest then realized he met the Goblin of Adachigahara, a monster he never believed to be real. I decided to change this story quite a bit, but kept the parts where a traveler was passing through a forest and the part where he didn't believe the story of a monster until the end. I decided to make the monster a python, and chose the city of Pune, India just because it started with the same letter as python and it sounded cool :-) I hope you all liked my retell!
One day, a lonely traveler who was exploring different forests in India ended up in the city of Pune. He had not heard the story of the python as of yet, but as soon as he entered the forest, some squirrels came scurrying up to him.
"Mister! Mister! Do not tread here any further, for a great python awaits you!"
The traveler was quite surprised. He replied, "Hello little furries! What do you mean, a great python? I have defeated many obstacles in my life, and I am sure I can calm down a python easily."
"No no, mister! You do not understand. This python is not like any other. His body is the size of the entire land, but he is always curled up! You will not see him coming until he has already eaten half of you."
At this, the traveler scoffed. There is no way the squirrels were serious. He thought they were exaggerating, so he went on about his way, despite the squirrels' concerns.
Along the way, he came across a group of cheetahs. They too, were surprised to see a human in the depths of the forest. They began shouting at once.
"Mister, what brings you here?!" "Have you not heard of the tragedies of this area?!" "Retreat back to your home, please, for your sake!"
At this, the traveler was even more confused and surprised. The squirrels had said the same thing, but they were small animals. They could be easily defeated by many things. But cheetahs are extremely fast. If a python lived here, couldn't the cheetahs outrun them, or save the humans by carrying them on their back and sprinting across the forest? The traveler reassured them that he could easily fight off a python, as he had dealt with and calmed down many snakes in the village back home.
After an hour of trying to persuade the traveler to go back home, the cheetahs finally gave up and decided to let the man see for himself.
Not longer than half and hour after his encounter with the cheetahs, did the man walk by the cave in which the python was curled up and sleeping. The scent of the man reached the snake, and suddenly the ground shook, as if someone had taken the planet in their hands and jumped with it. He turned, and what he saw almost made him pass out. The python, like the other animals had warned him, was NOT an ordinary snake. His head itself was bigger than the tree next to the cave. With one swift move, he quickly gobbled up the traveler. He had not listened to the animals that had tried to help him, and therefore was given a cruel fate.
Source: The Mighty Python of Pune.
Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki) Unit.
Author's Note: This story was inspired by the Japanese Fairy Tales, namely the story The Goblin of Adachigahara. In it, a goblin disguised itself as an old woman. A priest passing by needed a place to stay, so he asked her for accommodation. She reluctantly agreed, and told him not to go inside a certain door while she went out. He listed to her, but got very impatient so he headed to the back room where he wasn't supposed to go. As soon as he opened the door, he fell back, terrified. In the room, there were piles of dead men's bones. He immediately ran out of the house, and the goblin found him. They ran through the forest until dawn, when suddenly the goblin vanished. The priest then realized he met the Goblin of Adachigahara, a monster he never believed to be real. I decided to change this story quite a bit, but kept the parts where a traveler was passing through a forest and the part where he didn't believe the story of a monster until the end. I decided to make the monster a python, and chose the city of Pune, India just because it started with the same letter as python and it sounded cool :-) I hope you all liked my retell!
Hey Akriti! I would not want to live by this snake. This story is so interesting and has such a powerful message behind it. Although the traveler was following his gut, his arrogance got the best of him! I loved the changes you made! You told a very similar story with very different changes which can be a hard thing to do! Great job!
ReplyDeleteCommenting on these stories that people have written is always so inspiring! I definitely want to try keeping a lot of the setting and theme while still changing it up a bunch! It was a really engaging story, and it definitely stands on its own, which makes it's mythological-roots like a cool side-fact instead of a necessary piece of info for reading this story.
ReplyDeleteHey Akriti! I like the changes you made to this story. It seems like it could serve as lesson on the dangers of arrogance and not listening to warnings, which I feel like is a common theme in myths and fairy tales. I liked the detail of the man thinking that the squirrels had exaggerated the size and danger of the python because they're small animals. I also think the the python of Pune is a really cool title, because I love alliteration.
ReplyDeleteI really loved all of the changes that you made from the original story. I love stories where the author changes up a famous one so much that you almost don't notice the original underneath. You did an awesome job with this one and I really love it. You are a very creative writer and I want to read more of your stories!
ReplyDeleteHi Akriti! I really liked your story about the traveler and the python in set in Pune, India. Your story was great in that it shows people that they should listen to their surroundings. I was also positively surprised when I read your author’s note and compared it your story. You changed quite a lot in your retelling which I think is great as it creates a whole new story for others to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteHello Akriti! I love how you made this story your own. Keeping some elements of the original was nice, but it was awesome to see how you made it into something different. I could see the inspiration the original was within the story but it wasn't a simple-retelling of the same thing. Your story was different and unique. Good work!
ReplyDelete