As Kunti and her sons approached the mansion, Kunti marveled at the massive canopy of oak trees that sheltered the driveway. The manor was set in a beautiful wooded area on an expansive plot of land. The sheer size of the structure was enough to invoke awe. It was white with six roman columns aligned across the front of the house and an enormous lantern hung from the ceiling.
When the group exited the sedan, Vidura noticed that the building was covered in a thick oily substance. He would not have paid this fact much mind, but it was nearly impossible to ignore when the double front doors opened, and the red velvet drapes were also doused in oil. As they were led to their rooms, they took in the view of the home. The entry housed a grand double staircase lined with painted wooden bannisters and every door was comprised of a deep mahogany frame and door. Noting all of these easily ignitable substances, he decided it was worth worrying about.
"Mom, do you think that it is a little bit unnerving that this building could catch fire any moment?"
"Yes. I do."
Within a day, he had found a contractor that would do under the table work for him. The contractor began to quietly dig a tunnel that began from a discrete first floor closet to a clearing out in the woods.
Purochana had been waiting for this day for months. He was finally going to do it. Little did he know that his guests had already outsmarted him. They had escaped through their tunnel earlier that day. In the forest, Bhima, one of the brothers, decided to avenge the intended victims. He crawled back through the tunnel and set fire to the house, the scheming Purochana inside. His plan turned on him, and the family in the forest saw no suffering.
Authors note:
For this story, I completely changed the setting. My story is told in modern times where cars and mansions are commonalities. I added a lot of descriptors and a little bit of dialogue. There is more to the end of the original story, but for the sake of one storyline, I chose to focus on only one. I really like the imagery of the inside of the home. I enjoyed writing this..I hope you enjoy reading it!
The House of Fire-PDE Mahabharata
Sources used: Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore.
When the group exited the sedan, Vidura noticed that the building was covered in a thick oily substance. He would not have paid this fact much mind, but it was nearly impossible to ignore when the double front doors opened, and the red velvet drapes were also doused in oil. As they were led to their rooms, they took in the view of the home. The entry housed a grand double staircase lined with painted wooden bannisters and every door was comprised of a deep mahogany frame and door. Noting all of these easily ignitable substances, he decided it was worth worrying about.
"Mom, do you think that it is a little bit unnerving that this building could catch fire any moment?"
"Yes. I do."
Within a day, he had found a contractor that would do under the table work for him. The contractor began to quietly dig a tunnel that began from a discrete first floor closet to a clearing out in the woods.
Purochana had been waiting for this day for months. He was finally going to do it. Little did he know that his guests had already outsmarted him. They had escaped through their tunnel earlier that day. In the forest, Bhima, one of the brothers, decided to avenge the intended victims. He crawled back through the tunnel and set fire to the house, the scheming Purochana inside. His plan turned on him, and the family in the forest saw no suffering.
Authors note:
For this story, I completely changed the setting. My story is told in modern times where cars and mansions are commonalities. I added a lot of descriptors and a little bit of dialogue. There is more to the end of the original story, but for the sake of one storyline, I chose to focus on only one. I really like the imagery of the inside of the home. I enjoyed writing this..I hope you enjoy reading it!
Pandavas and Kunti. From wikimedia.
The House of Fire-PDE Mahabharata
Sources used: Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore.
Hey Jessie. I enjoyed you kept the essence of the original story and were able to add your own flare to it. The amount of detail in the story is great. It helped me imagine the manor. I would have liked different picture. Overall, it was a great little story. I look forward to reading the rest of your work in the future.
ReplyDeleteHey Jessie! I really enjoyed the “House of Fire” story from the Mahabharata. It shows that Purochana was so focused on destroying the Pandavas, that he did not notice the ridiculousness in his own plan. The description of the mansion was wonderful and I could really picture it in my head. I loved the description on how the contractor was doing “under the table” work. This was a good retelling of the story!
ReplyDeleteHey again Jessie! I loved the way you were able to put your own spin on this story from the Mahabharata. It really shows how undermined Purochana was. The detail was great and I could tell that you really enjoyed writing this story post. Great job and keep up the good work for the last half of this semester!
ReplyDeleteHi again! Wow Jessie, this story is so good. I really like the changes you made. The modern twist definitely suited this story. You did a great job with the detail, I could honestly picture what was happening. The revenge in the story also made a nice touch, and it was comical that the plan backfired. I look forward to reading more of your work. Great job and best of luck the rest of the semester.
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