Hoping to protect him, his mother hid his little horns with various hats or wrappings around his head. She would tell him, "Ahvi, it's very important you do not reveal your horns to anyone except me." And when he asked her why, she would only smile sadly and hug him tightly.
Also as he grew, Ahvi discovered the powers of illusion inherited from his rakshasa parent. He enjoyed these powers and would practice and play with them in secret deep in the forest. Because of this, he grew stronger and better at illusions the older he got.
One day, the small farming village he lived in was attacked by a crazy bear. This bear destroyed some of the villagers property and killed some of the livestock. Thankfully no one was harmed. This attack though gave Ahvi an idea. What if he used his illusions to keep dangerous wild animals away from the town? And so he began to use his illusions to send any dangerous animal away before they could do any harm. The villagers had no idea they were being protected until the day the village was attacked by a hungry rakshasa who had long ago thrown his honor and morals away.
This day began like any other normal day. Villagers were working in the fields and Ahvi was helping where he was needed while keeping an eye out for signs of wild animals. Then a stranger entered the town. But this stranger had large horns growing from his head and two sets of arms. He was also larger than any normal human. The stranger bellowed the order, "BRING ME YOUR LIVESTOCK FOR ME TO EAT OR I'LL KILL YOU ALL INSTEAD!"
Before the villagers could move to obey, Ahvi approached the stranger and simply stated, "No. You will not have our livestock or our lives." And he created the biggest illusion he could to scare the rakshasa away. The evil rakshasa took a step back and Ahvi used this chance to strike him down quickly. He grabbed his hunting knife and slashed through the intruders neck.
The villagers stood there shocked. Then Ahvi's mother rushed forwards to stand between Ahvi and the villagers with her arms spread wide. But Ahvi simply smiled at her and gently pushed her behind him. He looked at the crowd of villagers and, with the evidence of his defense of the village behind him, addressed them, "You all know me. You have seen me grow up and know I have never hurt any of you. Does what I am really make a difference when you already know who I am?"
Ahvi, with the woman who raised him as her son behind him, watched the crowd. What will they decide? And as he watched, the crowd relaxed and slowly approached...
Painting of a Rural Village
image found here
Author's Note:
The inspiration for this story is the Jataka tale Granny's Blackie. In this story, an older woman is given a baby elephant that she names Blackie and raises. The elephant gets along with all the villagers and never has to work. One day, he realizes that the woman is getting old and can't work as much as she used to so he goes to find some work to help make money. He does manage to make money and then helps her with any hard work after that.
I wondered what the story would be like if the woman raised a boy who is part rakshasa instead of an elephant. And from that came this story where I wanted to show that a person's heart and mind are more important than their appearance or race.
Bibliography:
"Granny's Blackie" from Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt found here
I thought this was a nice twist in perspective of the Rakshasa. I like how you made it more personable and gave a bit of backstory while still providing narrative and strife into the character. You provided a villain, heroic action, and an ultimatum, while bringing it all together into a story that a reader can enjoy. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey Rapheal,
ReplyDeleteI liked your story, and I think it had a good message and everything. I haven’t read this Jataka tale yet, so I think you did a good job of explaining it in your authors note. I liked the little visual of the town. Maybe you could have moved it higher up in the story so I could have kept it in mind while I read.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteMy first reaction was reading the part that the baby was part rakshasa. This took me by surprise. Good element of surprise. I already feel bad for the poor demon. In my favorite anime, Inuyasha, the main character is half human and half demon so I have a soft spot for individuals that feel like they don’t belong. I’m glad that he’s gotten better at his abilities and overall stronger. It made me so happy when the son fought the demon. That detail showed true courage and perseverance because he hasn’t been in a fight before and who knows what the villagers might have done? Great job on creating ethos for the boy.
Rapheal,
ReplyDeleteI have to say, that story captivated me from the beginning to the end. What brough my attention to it was how you incorporated the rashaka horns to the human child, which in itself is something extraordinary that makes the readers question what is the rest of the story about. That being said, I very much enjoyed the development of the character in how he discovered his powers to how he used them at the end to save the villagers, even though he knew that this would expose his identity. This gives a different perspective to rashakas themselves and how we view them, and is refreshing to read from the point of view as such. Good work!
Hi Raphael,
ReplyDeleteGreat job on this story. You had me scrolling up and down searching for the ending where the people of the village either accepted or denied Ahvi. You established him as a character very well as well as setting the setting the scene. I think it would have been a good addition for the mother to tell him, " they would never understand" or something similar to Ah vi when he asks about his horns. Great job!
Hi Raphael,
ReplyDeleteI loved how you made the baby part rakshasa as a nice twist to the story. You did a great job developing the relationship between Ahvi and his mother and also incorporating his village. I am so curious what os going to happen, the cliffhanger was another great twist! Overall, great job retelling the story but making it your own that is interesting to read.