Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

from The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse

The Plot: In a city of she-goblins (that sometimes wanted husbands. It depended on their mood,) a ship full of 500 men finds itself wrecked near the infested city. In order to deceive the men and not scare them away, they made an illusion of this peaceful, farm life with their magic powers which convinced them to stay. Now lulled into a false sense of security and feeling bad for these women who said their husbands were lost at sea, the men agreed to marry the women, not knowing what trouble would be ahead. The captain woke up as his wife came back, who was still munching on the bones of men held in their goblin prison, and heard her say alarming words about eating men. He didn't like that. The captain told those around him, some believed some didn't, and lucky for him, he found a fairy that so happened to hate goblins and agreed to help him. With the help of fairy powers and a horse, some of the men escaped safely, the ones who didn't believe were goblin chow.

The Setting: The rundown island of Ceylon, overrun with she-goblins. There is nothing special about it that stands out, it might even be in a state of scarcity as the goblins are in desperate need of more men to eat. When the men arrive, the island is transformed into a harvester's paradise. Nice, lush gardens. Rich soil. Peaceful farm life. The "villagers" seems normal, tending to their own work. The men can never see Ceylon for what it truly is, or the women for that matter, until the end.

The Characters:
She-Goblins: Mysterious, deceitful, manipulative.
The Captain: Earnest, brave, loyal
The Fairy: Kind and generous

The characters are simple, archetypal. You have the evil women seductresses preying on the gullible men trope in play here. I personally find this story very fun! Rakshasas are fun to work with. There's a lot to play around with in regards to the setting as well. I should be able to come up with something fun with this story!


The Flying Horse by W. Robinson


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction to a Dolly Parton Fanatic

Image
As someone who writes frequently, I find it difficult to write about myself, but I will do my best! My name is pronounced like ‘Riley’ and I’m a criminology major. My most frequently asked question is, “Do you want to be a cop?” Nope! Having studied the criminal justice system so intensely, I’ve decided I’d rather not have a career in it. I’d rather teach or do social work. I’d also be fine doing independent studies of some sort. I love sociology. I think it’s so, so important in today’s political climate that we tackle social problems with care. As much as I love talking about my major, it can be a tad heavy at times. When I’m not trying to save the world, I like to research people. My two favorites happen to be similar in many respects, Dolly Parton and Billy the Kid, western icons. Dolly and I share the same birthday and I feel we are linked somehow because of this. Coming from poverty and being able to create such an empire for herself, I just think she’s rema
Read more

Week 9 Story: The Best Archer

Image
A trail of crimson ran down Ekalavya’s hand and onto the dirt. The boy used his free hand to apply pressure to the new wound, his thumb now missing. Drona looked down at Ekalavya, stone-faced, as emotionless as he could be. He was mildly surprised that the young archer had completed such a serious request with no refusal. When asked to cut off his right thumb, listened to the words of his teacher, someone he had not even trained with in person, and did what was asked of him.             “What a shame,” Ekalavya said to himself, quietly.             Drona raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”             Ekalavya looked up at the taller man, his deep brown eyes brimming with tears. Drona assumed the tears were in relation to the pain of losing a thumb in a brutal fashion. “I could’ve been great. You know that, right?” Ekalavya paused, wincing in pain as he shifted his hand slightly. “I had been practicing so hard too.”             “I can tell. That’s why this
Read more