Note: This has been added to my portfolio. https://sites.google.com/view/hiddenmorals/a-lion-and-his-villager
There was once a lion and a villager. The lion was locked in the cage and the villager was in charge of feeding it every morning.
There was once a lion and a villager. The lion was locked in the cage and the villager was in charge of feeding it every morning.
One morning the lion said to the villager, "Please let me out of this cage as I am tired of being locked up and I want to be free."
"I'm afraid if I do that you will harm me or my fellow villagers," replied the villager.
The lion sighs and says, "I promise if you let me out of this cage, I will be nothing but good to you."
The villager thought it through and replied, "I am giving you one chance, or I will find a way to lock you up again."
Lion being fed in a cage;
Source: Pixabay
So, the villager lets the lion out and they go about their day, but the villager was extremely worried that something would happen. He started asking others what they thought about the decision that he made.
He stopped to ask a tree and the tree replied, "I always give people shade and even though I get nothing in return except for people breaking off my branches it makes me feel good because I can help others."
The villager listened to what he had to say and said, "Thank you, I had not looked at it from that perspective" and went on his way.
The villager then kept walking and when he got to the road, he stopped to ask the road what his opinion on the matter was. The road replied, "I am always supporting people and all people do is trample all over me, but I know that they need me, so it feels good to be able to help." Once again, the villager listened and the went on his way.
On his way back home, he came across another villager and asked him what he thought of the situation.
The villager replied, "I do not feel like it is safe for everyone, but if you think it was the right decision then trust your gut."
The villager said, "Thank you, I believe he deserved to be free" and went on his way again.
When he got back to the cage, the lion was roaming around near it and was very happy to be free.
The lion thanked the villager and told him that he would help him out anytime he ever needed it.
The villager continued on with his daily routine, still giving the lion food every morning. The lion had not done any harm to anyone and just enjoyed his day roaming and being out of his cage. A few weeks later the villager got into some trouble and called for the lion's help. As soon as the lion heard he jumped up and went to the villager. He helped him get out of trouble and to this day they remain best friends. The lion kept his work to never harm anyone and be nothing but good to the villager. The villager realized he made the right decision and they lived happily ever after.
Author's Note: My story was based on the "Tricksters: Tiger, Brahman, and Jackal." I kept most things the same except that I used a lion instead of a tiger and the plot was a bit different. Instead of the Brahman, the Jackal and the Tiger tricking each other, in my story the villager and the lion ended up being good friends. I also wrote the story to have a different moral than the original one. The original story's lesson was that you can do things to help others out, but never get anything in return and that you really can't trust anyone. My story had a different lesson which was that you should help people because it feels good and right to you and not to expect anything in return.
Bibliography: Tricksters: Tiger, Brahman, and Jackal from Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs
Hi Gabriela!
ReplyDeleteThe twist you added to your retelling is very wholesome. I like that the lion and villager become friends and that neither of them is cruel. However, I wondered what kind of trouble the villager got into! I think it would have added some drama and been a good place for the climax of the story to occur. Maybe the villager could have been threatened by a jackal! Anyway, I think the story is very pure and has a good moral.
Hey Gabbie!
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great spin off the original story. Although I don't mind darker work, having a happy ending every once and a while is always a good spin. I also like how you committed to the relationship of a human and a tiger. It reminds me a little bit of the Jungle Book and the relationships presented in there. The morals you wanted to portray definitely shined through.
Hi Gabriela!
ReplyDeleteThis was honestly such a cute story. I think we have all seen the videos of the man who is apart of a lion pride and they all snuggle and play with him, even the alpha male! This reminded me a little of that as well as one of the stories I just read in Aesop's fables "Androcles and the Lion" where the lion and the man become friends through acts of service.
Something you did very well was portray your morals. It was very easy to pick up on the message of the story and pinpoint examples of how to live by the message. However, I think this story could go to the next level if you threw in some more detail about what kind of trouble the villager found himself in. This could be a creative way to deepen that bond between them but also further convey your desired message. It could also simply act as a point of action if it were a type of battle, or could even be humorous depending on what type of trouble you could think up!
Hey Gabriela! This was a super fun to read and I really like the twist you put on it! The story line sill fits and it was easy to understand what was going on! With so many people attracted to dogs, somebody could easily write a satire like this and make millions! (Don't steal my idea;)) Good work and I can't wait to read more of your work!
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