When Suha the forgotten child was born, he was different from his twin brother— weaker, smaller, and less attractive. The enemies forced him to farm all the land and protect the estate until his body and soul was entirely worn down. One night, the forgotten child decided that escaping was the only way to live a joyful and fulfilling life. The risk of dying was well worth all of it.
When running away, his foot was severely injured by a sharp thorn, puncturing right through his foot. Suha lied there rolling in agony hoping the pain would go away and the healing would begin. A lion, the king of the land, passed him by. What first came to his mind? For this human can be my supper for the next day. After hearing the man whisper curses and prayers over and over, the lion now knew his story and came up with a better idea: If this man leads me to his slave owners, I will feed on many humans for 30 days of supper without hunt.
At first startled, Suha had no option but to remain calm to hear what the lion had to say. “Young man, I will remove that thorn and lick your wound, for only one thing in return. Lead me to the people who drove you away. I will tear all of them into pieces.” So Suha was healed and complied to lead the lion back to the people who held him hostage for so many years. During this journey, the lion and Suha discussed their lives and bonded over being a slave— Suha, a slave to humans and the lion, a slave to his appearances. For the lion, all the other forest creatures were afraid of him. For he lived in entire isolation. Suha and the lion became friends through these relations.
Once arrived, the lion and Suha declared themselves owner and co-rulers to all previous captors. The slave owners immediately surrendered and even worshiped the two. For it was ultimately a miracle how flesh and a beast could exchange a smile, yet alone a conversation with each other. The lion then feasted on Suha’s parents who abandoned him at birth.
Author's Note: This is a story inspired from Androcles and the Lion by Joseph Jacobs. In the original story, the boy's name in Androcles instead. I changed the boy's name to Suha, traditionally meaning "the forgotten one." In the original story it does not specify the boy's origin, however, I created his parents to be the evil ones who ultimately forced Suha into enslavement. Finally, because the lion traditionally symbolizes great strength, his character in this new edition was less vulnerable and more ferocious sounding. For example, Suha, instead of the lion, got a thorn pierced into his foot. The lion's strength is then exposed as an insecurity because no one wants to be friends with a beast. The ending of the story is similar to the original. The lion and the boy reconcile creating a seemingly impossible friendship and defying odds to the other humans.
When running away, his foot was severely injured by a sharp thorn, puncturing right through his foot. Suha lied there rolling in agony hoping the pain would go away and the healing would begin. A lion, the king of the land, passed him by. What first came to his mind? For this human can be my supper for the next day. After hearing the man whisper curses and prayers over and over, the lion now knew his story and came up with a better idea: If this man leads me to his slave owners, I will feed on many humans for 30 days of supper without hunt.
At first startled, Suha had no option but to remain calm to hear what the lion had to say. “Young man, I will remove that thorn and lick your wound, for only one thing in return. Lead me to the people who drove you away. I will tear all of them into pieces.” So Suha was healed and complied to lead the lion back to the people who held him hostage for so many years. During this journey, the lion and Suha discussed their lives and bonded over being a slave— Suha, a slave to humans and the lion, a slave to his appearances. For the lion, all the other forest creatures were afraid of him. For he lived in entire isolation. Suha and the lion became friends through these relations.
Once arrived, the lion and Suha declared themselves owner and co-rulers to all previous captors. The slave owners immediately surrendered and even worshiped the two. For it was ultimately a miracle how flesh and a beast could exchange a smile, yet alone a conversation with each other. The lion then feasted on Suha’s parents who abandoned him at birth.
The Lion and Suha, Pixabay
Hi Shary!
ReplyDeleteYour retelling was full of detail! That is one the of things I am trying to improve. I loved how you altered the lion's personality! By simply changing certain characteristics of a character, the tone of the story changes as well. The fact that the lion and Suha still became friends at the end is touching. Despite a different journey, the ending is similar.
Hi Shary! I really enjoyed how you switched the roles of the lion and the boy from the original story. Upon reading the original story, I never really considered the story with the lion being the one in position to help rather than the one suffering from the thorn. It is interesting how you did and how it does not take away from the ultimate ending of the story. I am also interested in why you decided to name the Suha and how you came upon the name. Suha is not really a common name, and your story was the first time I have heard of it, so I am curious to find out its origin. I think the name suits the boy well as he is truly forgotten due to his parents leaving him. I also wonder what happened to his twin brother and what his role may be as well in the story.
ReplyDeleteHi Shary,
ReplyDeleteI liked the amount of detail you used in this story. Especially in the beginning where it was sad to read about how he has to run away to be happy. I also liked that you italicized the lion's thoughts. I thought that it was unique and kept me engaged in the story. I would have liked to see a little more buildup and detail when the lion eats his parents at the end.
Hello Shary,
ReplyDeleteI am quite impressed with the way you changed up this story. You made Suha even more vulnerable by putting the thorn in his foot but also made the lion more vulnerable in a different sense. The lion becomes vulnerable socially rather than physically. You made it more personal by making Suha's parents the evil ones and then having the lion take them out in the end. I appreciate the thought behind it all, you did very well with the author's note, explaining how you came up with all the details. I really enjoy rich details, what if you gave Suha and the lion a bit more description? This would make the two characters even more compelling in the story, especially when they meet.
Hi Shary,
ReplyDeleteI love how you made the lion's strength also where he is brittle. It isn't easy to make friends if you're a top predator. I also enjoyed the lion's motivation. It is difficult for a lonely person to open up their heart for affection. What I got from reading your story was that the lion wants companionship and figured he would only have something to gain by helping Suha, no matter if he and Suha would become friends in the future or not (food and friendship versus just food). I don't know if that's what you intended, but either way, your story was enjoyable to me.