Week 5 Storytelling: The Fight for the Win

Once upon a time, in a city far far away lived a family in the low socioeconomic income bracket. The family was made up of three brother, two sisters and a mother. The mother grew up in the streets as a beggar and she has lived with chronic health problems her whole life. Her children were all young, except for Anastasia who was thirteen. Anastasia, like most teenagers, was very temperamental, but she loved her family and helped take care of her brothers and sister. One day after coming home from school Anastasia ran to her room she shared with her mother and sister and cried.

“What is wrong my dear?”, her mother questioned.

“Nothing mom... you wouldn’t understand.”, she responded with sobbing eyes.

Anastasia was troubled at school by a great bully. Her bully was an older girl in school who always picked on Anastasia for her used clothes and un-kept hair. Anastasia began to grow courage throughout the year, but she still found the bully hard to deal with. Life went on and the school year was coming to an end. It was the last week of school and Anastasia’s bully again began to pick on her.

Looking directly at Anastasia the bully says, “Someone needs a bath!”

“Leave me alone.” Anastasia pleads.

“I think you need to be taught a lesson in talking back.” She spat at Anastasia.

The Bully and The Girl

Anastasia’s expression changed, “I’m not scared of you!”, she shouted. “I am not afraid.”

The Bully advanced towards Anastasia. An Anastasia trembled ever so slightly. She was tired of running away. The bully continued toward Anastasia, but when she was mere steps away from Anastasia she quickly stopped in her tracks. All of the students were now circled around the girls. Behind Anastasia, her sister and brothers popped out of the crowd. Small though they were, the siblings moved in front of their big sister. The bully now trembled nervously in her new shoes. She decided it was not worth the fight to deal with the siblings. The family had won. Anastasia learned that she did not have to face her problems by herself, because she always had her family.


Author’s Note: Story 1: Hidimba Story 2: Bhima and Hidimba

For this storytelling post I decided to retell the story of Bhima and Hidimba in my own words. In the original stories (linked above) the Pandava brothers and their mother Kunti were living in the forest after their escaped from the burning house. The group was very tired for their travel and decided to find a place to sleep, while Bhima kept watch. Living in the forest was a very fierce rakshasa, named Hidimba. "He was described as a terrible and grim monster. His eyes were red, and he was red-haired and red-bearded; his cheeks were of cloud color and his mouth was large, with long, sharp-pointed teeth (Hidimba).” The monster was very hungry that night and smelled the delicious food of the Randava brothers. Hidimba ordered his sister to go and bring the Pandava brothers and bring them to him. The rakshasa women instantly fell in love with Bhima and she decides she does not want to kill the handsome man, Bhima. The rakshsas women transformed herself into a beautiful women and warned Bhima and the brothers of the rakshsas’s plan to kill them. When she told Bhima of the plan he said that he was not scared of Hidimba and he soon fought Hidimba. They wrestled violently and Bhima dragged Hidimba into the forest and killed him. The sister of Hidimba, still in love with Bhima weds him and she made him very happy.