“Listen hear lads and I will tell you the story of how I became cursed. This is quite a long tale so grab a pint of ale and listen well.”
“It all began a morning much like today. It was dark and gloomy day. This weather mean that I would find plenty of birds in their nests. As I was preparing to leave, I picked up my new bow and as luck would have it, the bow broke. Now I should’ve taken this as a sign from the lords above that I shouldn’t go out today, but I knew there would be no better time to find fresh food so I continued on.”
“Upon leaving the house I found that a tree had fallen into the shed where I kept my firewood. I cursed and scoffed, but I continued on for there was birds to be killed. As I continued on my path I came upon a beggar. He was old, frail, and not well washed. As I passed by he asked if I could spare him some food. I replied that I have no time for dirt like you. I must find my prey and slay it. If you want food so bad go work for it! As I left the old beggar, I heard him mutter under his breath that by the end of today I will wish I had been kinder. This was but another reason why I shouldn’t have gone after the birds.”
Valmiki and the Hunter. Source
“As I rounded the final bend, I heard it. The sweet song of my prey. I strung my old and weathered bow and took aim at my target. Right as the bird hit the high note, I let fly my arrow. No truer has my aim been then on that shot. Straight through the heart is where my arrow land. As I approach my kill, I hear a voice crying. When I reach my prize I see that it is a old hermit. The hermit locks eyes on me, and begins to get angry. I can see his face turning bright red with rage. He shouted at me saying that I was cursed to wander for all eternity because I killed a bird in love. Then he started chasing me with his staff, and I decided it was best to run then to try and reason with him.”
“As I made my way back to my house, I laughed that the old hermit had tried to curse me. He was just a old and crazy hermit. He had no real power that I should be afraid of. When I tried to lay down to sleep that night, I began to get a pounding headache. It only lasted as long as I tried to rest. The words of the old man came suddenly to my head. I was doomed to wander for all eternity. I finally realized that the old man really had cursed me.”
Author’s Note- I decided to tell the story of Valmiki, the Birds, and the Hunter, pg 7. Instead of telling the story from Valmiki point of view I decided to tell the story from the hunter’s view. The hunter really just appeared and left in a matter of a few pages so I thought it would be fun to write from his point of view. I also add the backstory of the hunter since we really weren’t given any information about him. I also thought it would be fun to have the setting be in a tavern. I thought the hunter would love to tell his story to other hunters to impress them. Also since he is forced to wander with no rest, I thought that he would just be a traveling barb. He would go from tavern to tavern telling his story. I added in all the bad omens because I wanted it to show that the hunter was bound and determine to get that bird even though everything in the world was telling him he shouldn’t go hunting today. It was fun to write this story because I am a hunter and there have definitely been times that it seemed like I wasn’t meant to go hunting, but I went because I have a real passion for it, and I think the hunter in the story had a real passion for hunting also.
Bibliography
Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.
