A bloody and disheveled woman tore through the restaurant and just as one of the guards grabbed her, Ravana spoke with an angry force "Stop!" The guard immediately dropped his hands and the woman, Ravana's sister Shurpanakha, approached the booth.
Ravana grimaced at his sister's dirty appearance and spoke. "You disturb my peace sister, what has come over you? Who dares attack the sister of the mighty Ravana? Tell me now!"
Shurpanakha laughed ruthlessly. "Ravana you sit around in your mansion all day and count your money, when was the last time you looked to see how we were doing on the street? We're falling apart out there Ravana! Our brothers and sisters are being slaughtered on the streets and our family is mocked by all of New England, yet you puff on your cigar as our enemies roam free. Our brothers are dead! They were defending my honor and they were ruthlessly killed along with 14,000 of our best men, yet you ask "who dares?" Not the feds, the cops, or even one of the other mobs, it was the homeless Rama who wanders the streets like he owns them with his fearless brother and beautiful wife."
"Ah Rama, he will rue the day I learned his name. You say he has destroyed our men, but he has never seen the likes of Ravana and he will tremble at my voice. I will seek his one true weakness and I will use it to break him, his weapons and prowess are no match for me. "
"Brother!" Shurpanakha exclaimed, "I already know his weakness - it is his wife Sita. She is the reason that he scorned me and Rama released his fury on our men when Sita was endangered. She is the way to truly damage him."
Ravana slowly put his cigar out on the ash tray at his table, and then a wide grin came over his face and he let out a slow and vicious laugh. The restaurant silenced as the dreadful noise filled the space, with people averting their eyes before Ravana caught their stares. The restaurant quickly emptied, for his laugh captured his murderous determination and none of them wanted to be the first target.
(Christopher Walken, who I imagined playing Ravana in this
mobster adaptation; Image Source)
Author's Note:
This story is based off of "Shurpanakha and Ravana," the first part of The Ramayana where we meet Ravana and prepare for the story to shift. Before this story, Shurpanakha, Ravana's rakshasa sister, approached Rama in the form of a beautiful woman, trying to seduce him. Rama turned her down quickly and joked that she go and see Lakshmana to find a fitting husband. Lakshmana poked fun at her, which made her grow outraged, and when she tried to attack Sita, Lakshmana cut off her ears and nose. She then ran to her brothers who gathered an army of 14,000 rakshasas to go and attack Rama, but Rama subsequently killed the entire army to protect Sita. Then we reach the present story, in which Shurpanakha goes to her brother Ravana, king of the demons, and tells him her woes. Shurpanakha says that Ravana must take Sita as his own to torture Rama, rather than letting him off with death.
I pictured this story from the beginning happening with Ravana being a mob boss who is pretty oblivious to what is going on in his domain while he enjoys his own pleasures. However, once his sister has been offended and someone dared to kill off so many of his men, I pictured Ravana ready to take matters into his own hands. I think that I related Ravana to a mob boss for the fear they inflict on the people around them, the power they wield, and the lengths they will go to to defend themselves and their family. I pictured Christopher Walken as Ravana and this all unfolding in 1930's New York.
Bibliography:
"Shurpanakha and Ravana" from The Iliad of the East: The Ramayana by Frederika Richardson Macdonald.
Hi Baylie,
ReplyDeleteWOW!! This story was so good to read. I love how you made it like this day and age. You used so many descriptive words like "losing his eyes as he puffed his cigar" and "beefy men". I loved it. You made the story come alive with the different tale you told.
I wonder if Rama in today's world would be like Zac Efron or someone along those lines? I wonder if the story could use some Italian mafia stuff added in? Well of course that makes anything better. And Zac Efron makes everything better.
What if the Ravana would be poisoned by Rama instead of killed with a bow? I fell like that would be more likely for this day and age than a bow. I also think what if his sister never told him what happened to her and if he would take action on Rama?
You did an amazing job!!
Baylie,
ReplyDeleteI was immediately drawn in by your description of the office setting Ravana was in. It made me picture old mob bosses discussing plans while having cigars. I think Christopher Walken is a great representation of this mob boss
I wonder how exactly these characters would actually ract if transported to this new time. Would they be confused and terrified by all the new devices around them, or would they just dapat to the situation. I also wonder how rama was able to kill the army of 14,000 strong.
What if instead of portraying the story in 1930's New york it was instead placed in 1770's new york during the American Revolution. I wonder how that would affect tthe story. I really enjoyed reading your story Baylie.