Rama Chases the Golden Deer
I, Mareecha, slowly stalked around the small den
that was close to the hut. I knew exactly what I
had to do, but I was a bit nervous. You see, the great Rama was inside.
He was a truly great warrior. His massive bow was able to cut down any
enemy, and he used his wits to outsmart his opponents. I had been
tasked
with stealing his attention so that his love, Sita, could be
stolen away from him.
A week ago, the great Ravana had come to me and
asked me to do him a simple favor. I was so afraid of Ravana that I was
forced to do his bidding. He had a pretty simple plan set in place.
Since he was worried that Rama would be able to put up a solid fight
against him, he wanted to divert Rama's attention away from the house
that he and Sita were staying in. He asked that I become a golden deer
that was covered in diamonds and pearls. I would try to lure Rama
away from Sita, and Ravana would run in and snatch her.
There I was, pacing around the den when I noticed a
little movement in the garden right outside of the front door. There
she was! The beautiful Sita was there before me. She looked so amazing
that I temporarily forgot that I was disguised and changed back into my
true form. However, before Sita could see me, I transformed back into a
golden deer and gently walked up the path towards her. She turned and
looked directly at me. I could tell that she had never seen anything
like me before! I was the one thing in the world that she wanted.
I was the beauty that she needed to match her own perfection. I was
Sita in an animal form.
Ravana's plan was so brilliant, because we knew that Rama was
desperately in
love with Sita, and that he would do anything just to make her happy.
He
would go so far as to leave his lover alone for a while just to please
her. Sita ran back towards the house, and I listened intently to the
conversation that she had with Rama.
"Rama! There is a beautiful golden deer outside,
won't you please fetch it for me?" she exclaimed.
"Of course I will!" Rama replied.
Suddenly, the door of the hut burst open and Rama came flying out.
I
knew that the chase was on. I started sprinting due east as fast as I
could. When I was about five hundred yards away from the house, I
turned back to
see where Rama was. I was sure that he would be at least two hundred
yards
behind me; however, as soon as I turned around he was almost on top of
me! I immediately took off and made a huge ninety degree turn to try to
lose Rama. I kept running and running, but at every second Rama
seemed to be gaining on me. After a couple of hours of running I was
becoming exhausted. Suddenly, I saw an opening in a thicket and I ran
towards it, hoping that Rama would not see me. I burst through the
trees and landed facedown under a huge tree. This is when I realized I
was doomed. Ravana and I knew all along that Rama was so devoted to
Sita that he would stop at nothing just to see her smile. He would run
for days until he caught me. His undying devotion could not be proven
unless he brought back me as a prize.
While I was still on the ground, Rama jumped on me
and began to pummel me with his bow. It wasn't long before I lost
consciousness. I could feel my spirit slowly rising away from my body,
but I had found peace. I had finally escaped from the wrath of Ravana,
and Sita would be taken away from Rama! I began to feel a little
remorse knowing that Sita would be taken away; however, I had to do
something to escape from Ravana. He would stop at nothing to capture
Sita.
Author's Note: I decided to utilize the storytelling technique of using
a
minor character to tell a story. I used the golden deer as a
first-person narrator because I felt that it was the only way to show
the
chase without listening solely to Rama's thoughts. Through telling this
story, I have hoped to show not only an exciting chase, but also Rama's
undying love for Sita. He was literally willing to do anything for all.
He was literally at her beck and call. If the deer had kept running for
days, then Rama would have found a way to keep going. Also, I thought
that I was able to convey the background to the story in a very quick
and concise manner. I was able to tie in Mareecha's visit with Ravana
and still incorporate the emotions from this meeting without getting
too off topic. Furthermore, I felt that the dialogue added a much
needed break in the story. It was good to see a small interaction
between Rama and Sita before he left. Lastly, even though this story
used an antagonist as a narrator, I thought that I was able to portray
Rama for what he really is, the rule of all of the earth and beyond.
Also, I decided to leave out Lakshmana because I thought that the story
would be more interesting without him. Thus, the golden deer did not
have to scream out when he died. This was a complete change from the
original version that we read.
Rama Chases the Golden Deer: Web Source: Francesca
Gallowar Art Gallery
Go back to my coverpage
Bibliography:
The Ramayana. R. K. Narayan. 1972