Sikhandini sat on the floor of the hut in total stillness as day turned into night. When the sun rose, her eyes did not move from the nothingness upon which she had fixed them. One day turned into two, then three, and by then time seemed irrelevant, but Sikhandini remained, never once moving from her place.
All the while, the yacksha Sthuna watched with growing concern as this despondent guest grew more gaunt by the hour, until finally he feared that she might waste away into death there on his floor if he waited one moment longer.
"Oh, sad child, please! I can no longer bear to watch you suffer. Tell me what causes you such pain!" he cried.
Sikhandini showed no indication of having heard the yaksha, so he tried once more.
"Please, child. If it is wealth you desire, I can offer great treasures!"
The girl's complete stillness and dull eyes gave her the appearance of a stone carving, solemn and lifeless. Still, she was silent.
"Oh, sad child, please! I can no longer bear to watch you suffer. Tell me what causes you such pain!" he cried.
Sikhandini showed no indication of having heard the yaksha, so he tried once more.
"Please, child. If it is wealth you desire, I can offer great treasures!"
The girl's complete stillness and dull eyes gave her the appearance of a stone carving, solemn and lifeless. Still, she was silent.
Sthuna was desperate. "If not riches, then anything you desire!"
He paused, searching for the right words to awake the stagnant girl. Finally, he pleaded in a quiet, compassionate voice, "I will do the impossible, if only it would ease your pain! I beg you, just say what is wrong!"
Suddenly a light flickered in Sikhandini's eyes, which she raised to meet Sthuna's.
"You can do the impossible?" she asked, her voice weak but calm.
"I will find an answer to whatever you ask of me -- just ask it!"
Sikhandini lowered her eyes once more and stared at her hands. They had been small before, dainty and feminine, but her stillness and hunger had leeched their delicate curves. They were now no more than thin, pale skin wrapped loosely around brittle bone. Her eyes traced over every sharp angle of every joint, mouth set in a firm grimace.
She was silent for so long that the yaksha almost thought to beg once more, but eventually she spoke again, with the same calm weakness.
"These hands. Pathetic girl's hands."
Sthuna was baffled, but desperate. "You desire new hands? Take mine! We will trade!"
Sikhandini ignored him, slowly wrapping her frail arms around her emaciated frame. "And this body," she muttered coldly. "Utterly insufficient."
The yaksha responded immediately, "I can make you strong! Your body need not limit you any longer!"
Finally Sikhandini brought her eyes back to Sthuna's. "You offer impossible things."
"For you, who has shown such courage in her suffering, nothing is impossible!" he responded confidently.
Sikhandini's gaze did not waver, though hot tears came to cover them in a hazy sheen. She tried hard to prevent any trembling in her voice as she gently asked, "Why do you show such kindness? You have no cause to care for me."
He paused, searching for the right words to awake the stagnant girl. Finally, he pleaded in a quiet, compassionate voice, "I will do the impossible, if only it would ease your pain! I beg you, just say what is wrong!"
Suddenly a light flickered in Sikhandini's eyes, which she raised to meet Sthuna's.
"You can do the impossible?" she asked, her voice weak but calm.
"I will find an answer to whatever you ask of me -- just ask it!"
Sikhandini lowered her eyes once more and stared at her hands. They had been small before, dainty and feminine, but her stillness and hunger had leeched their delicate curves. They were now no more than thin, pale skin wrapped loosely around brittle bone. Her eyes traced over every sharp angle of every joint, mouth set in a firm grimace.
She was silent for so long that the yaksha almost thought to beg once more, but eventually she spoke again, with the same calm weakness.
"These hands. Pathetic girl's hands."
Sthuna was baffled, but desperate. "You desire new hands? Take mine! We will trade!"
Sikhandini ignored him, slowly wrapping her frail arms around her emaciated frame. "And this body," she muttered coldly. "Utterly insufficient."
The yaksha responded immediately, "I can make you strong! Your body need not limit you any longer!"
Finally Sikhandini brought her eyes back to Sthuna's. "You offer impossible things."
"For you, who has shown such courage in her suffering, nothing is impossible!" he responded confidently.
Sikhandini's gaze did not waver, though hot tears came to cover them in a hazy sheen. She tried hard to prevent any trembling in her voice as she gently asked, "Why do you show such kindness? You have no cause to care for me."
The yaksha smiled sadly. "Your pain has become my pain. To reclaim my life, I feel I must save yours. Tell me what I must do."
At this, the tears escaped and ran down Sikhandini's gaunt face, tracing the sharp angles of her bony visage. Your pain has become my pain. The words echoed in her head.
Pain.
A sudden change came over Sikhandini. Her spirit became like stone once more, but this time it was as resolve, not apathy. Weakness left her face, replaced by fiery determination. The tears left her eyes, and those remaining on her cheeks seemed to be so hot they burned her delicate skin, leaving angry red trails along their path.
Finally, Sikhandini rose from the floor. Her bones were weak and what muscle remained on her body strained; Sthuna worried that the girl might collapse, or snap in two like a sapling under foot, but she stood as solid as a banyan.
Her eyes rose and locked firmly on the yaksha's. Beneath her sickly skin, Sthuna saw Sikahndini's jaw clench, then relax, each muscle on her small frame tensing as if with anticipation.
She looked down at herself, and then back at him.
"I know what we must do."
Author's note: I was so excited to read more about Amba/Sikhandin(i)! (S)he has become my favorite character in the Mahabharata -- no matter which form she appears in, her fortitude is so admirable.
I wrote this as a bit of a companion piece to my other story about Amba. I noticed some parallels in her two lives and thought it might be nice to recall some elements from my own previous writing.
This story tells of Sikhandini's encounter with the kind yaksha Sthuna in his home in the woods. It occurs just after Sikhandini has overheard her parents discussing how her gender may cause the destruction of their home -- because they had been promised a son, they offered her as a groom to a kingdom who was so offended it threatened to attack. Sikhandini feels responsible for all the strife, and runs away. I'm hoping to continue my focus on Sikhandin(i) in future storytelling assignments, so be sure to check in soon if you'd like to follow along with my version of this story (...including a resolution to this melodramatic cliffhanger)!
I changed the characterization of Sikhandini a bit to make her match my previous portrayal of Amba. In the original story, she is more tearful and grateful, and less creepily steadfast; eventually Sthuna offers to trade genders temporarily. I decided to imply that Sikhandini came to this conclusion because it felt more in line with my version of the character.
Credit to Laura for suggesting the banyan reference at the end! In my cursory search for an appropriate tree to complete the metaphor, I learned that the banyan is not only the national tree of India, but also seen in Hinduism as a symbol of eternal life -- fitting for a character who lives so many different lives.
At this, the tears escaped and ran down Sikhandini's gaunt face, tracing the sharp angles of her bony visage. Your pain has become my pain. The words echoed in her head.
Pain.
A sudden change came over Sikhandini. Her spirit became like stone once more, but this time it was as resolve, not apathy. Weakness left her face, replaced by fiery determination. The tears left her eyes, and those remaining on her cheeks seemed to be so hot they burned her delicate skin, leaving angry red trails along their path.
Finally, Sikhandini rose from the floor. Her bones were weak and what muscle remained on her body strained; Sthuna worried that the girl might collapse, or snap in two like a sapling under foot, but she stood as solid as a banyan.
Her eyes rose and locked firmly on the yaksha's. Beneath her sickly skin, Sthuna saw Sikahndini's jaw clench, then relax, each muscle on her small frame tensing as if with anticipation.
She looked down at herself, and then back at him.
"I know what we must do."
Image of banyan by Colin Calvert; Source
Author's note: I was so excited to read more about Amba/Sikhandin(i)! (S)he has become my favorite character in the Mahabharata -- no matter which form she appears in, her fortitude is so admirable.
I wrote this as a bit of a companion piece to my other story about Amba. I noticed some parallels in her two lives and thought it might be nice to recall some elements from my own previous writing.
This story tells of Sikhandini's encounter with the kind yaksha Sthuna in his home in the woods. It occurs just after Sikhandini has overheard her parents discussing how her gender may cause the destruction of their home -- because they had been promised a son, they offered her as a groom to a kingdom who was so offended it threatened to attack. Sikhandini feels responsible for all the strife, and runs away. I'm hoping to continue my focus on Sikhandin(i) in future storytelling assignments, so be sure to check in soon if you'd like to follow along with my version of this story (...including a resolution to this melodramatic cliffhanger)!
I changed the characterization of Sikhandini a bit to make her match my previous portrayal of Amba. In the original story, she is more tearful and grateful, and less creepily steadfast; eventually Sthuna offers to trade genders temporarily. I decided to imply that Sikhandini came to this conclusion because it felt more in line with my version of the character.
Credit to Laura for suggesting the banyan reference at the end! In my cursory search for an appropriate tree to complete the metaphor, I learned that the banyan is not only the national tree of India, but also seen in Hinduism as a symbol of eternal life -- fitting for a character who lives so many different lives.
Bibliography: Sister Nivedita's Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists, "The Resolve of Shikandini", 1917
Kayla, since you did not have time to finish this story, make sure to put a note in the body of the post so that people will know to comment on your Week 6 story instead. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this story, Kayla. I truly enjoyed reading it. You did such an excellent job employing adjectives. I really felt that I was able to visualize everything that you were saying. I loved this line in particular:
ReplyDelete"They were now no more than thin, pale skin wrapped loosely around brittle bone."
There is just so much description packed into that little sentence. It can be difficult to find a balance between sufficiently and excessively descriptive, but you make it look easy. The story as a whole flowed naturally. I felt like the dialog was nestled nicely into the narration. The pacing was excellent as well. I felt the rhythm to your writing as it pulled from sentence to sentence.
My only question is whether there is going to be more to the story or not. It ends on such a cliffhanger! What must she do?
Hi Kayla, I definitely think that this story maintains a lot of the characterization from your previous one. I particularly like how steadfast you made Sikhandini. The descriptions of her emaciated form and her unwavering will actually reminded me a lot of Gandhi during his hunger strikes.
ReplyDeleteI do want to say that your use of italics around the word pain was very visually interesting. It made my eyes pull to it immediately and conveyed that there was some deeper, unkown meaning.
I do think that the story cuts off a little abruptly and leaves the reader a little confused. It feels a little sudden. I all for leaving a story on a bit of a cliffhanger, but you might want to move the author's note to the top to give the reader more context. Unless, of course, you plan to add more to the end of the story. In which case, I think it's flowing very well, and with a good resolution, it could make for a wonderful story with great visuals.
Hi Kayla,
ReplyDeleteYour story was very appealing. I loved, loved your description of Amba, especially when you described how delicate and dainty her hands were, and now you can see the curvature of the bones. Great production of imagery and the pictures that you chose fitted your story very well. I’m taking another glance at The Mahabharata to see if I can gain more of an interest. I read your previoud story about Amba, and I can tell that you have gained a like for the character.
I found a grammatical mistake, nothing major. One was in paragraph one, yaksha was spelled with a “c.
Your author’s note was very detailed, and it produced enough sufficient information to let me know the context of your story and why you chose to write about Amba again. I think your enjoyment of Amba, is much like mine’s to Sita of The Ramayana.
Kayla,
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely loved reading your story! You story was so descriptive! It was seriously wonderful. You have a great talent for describing in detail. It was such a pleasure getting to read it. It was absolutely beautiful. Your background and format are so pretty, too! I liked how you kind of left the end up to question. You did not give much background information but then again you did not need it!
Hello Kayla,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your retell story. I liked it how you were very descriptive throughout the story. Along with that, it was nice how you were descriptive in your author’s note as well. Which helped in clearing some of the information. It was just a wonderful story. I am looking forward to read more of your blogs. Thanks for sharing. Good job.
Kayla,
ReplyDeleteI truly enjoyed reading your second story in your portfolio. I like that she has such a fire, a passion. You tell the story of what is going on so smoothly without having to stop mid-story to explain something. This was a lesser known subject of the Mahabharata that you have literally breathed life to, and I have enjoyed your creativity.
A few small notes, your layout is really pretty, and a fun one I have not seen yet in this class. The navigation and comments font is very small but really neat as well. The font and size font you used for the story were perfect; both being large enough to not confuse the reader while reading but also a simple to read font with no confusion of letters.
I hope you add more to you portfolio so I may continue reading about the story of Amba and her reincarnation!
Hi, Kayla! Your story about Sikhandini and Sthuna was very interesting. I vaguely remember these characters in the Mahabharata but it was a nice read from your point of view. You made me want to go back and search them up because the story got so intense with emotional rollercoaster between the two. I never really understood the whole process of them changing genders but it was still fun to read about. You added the correct details at the right times and that really helped me feel more connected with the story itself. I really appreciate your Author’s note too! It helped clear up most of my confusion. Your pictures were a good image of the scenery. I loved the whole theme of this story, especially the quote, “Your pain has become my pain.” Those words also echoed in my head when I read it. It is such a simple sentence but holds so much meaning. Loved everything and can’t wait to read more from you!
ReplyDelete