Dessert vs Men
David was a merchant and right now was the beginning of Spring, This was the peak time to sell produce at the market in town. They lived out of the town and in order to get money for this month they needed to go into town where they would be able to sell their products. The only problem was that in order to get to the market he had to go cross the hot sandy desert to get the town. David prepared his wagon and oxen for the journey he also asked 6 of his workers to go with him on the journey. In order to get ready for the journey, David prepared rice for food and enough water to last them 4 days.
Right before sunset, all the men gathered to set forth in their journey, they began their journey in the evening because it would be impossible to travel through the desert when the scorching hot sun would be hitting them with its rays. One of the workers Peter, was assigned as their guide since he knew how to read the stars and would be able to guide their path safely. As soon as all preparations were ready all seven men began their long journey. The desert was hot during the daytime but at night it was freezing cold, sand storms made it even more difficult to walk as sad would get in their eyes. They traveled a good amount and finally came to a stop, they cooked rice to eat and gave water to the oxen. After some time Peter noticed that they were almost there, he inferred they would be getting there the next night. He told the rest of the men they could through the water and firewood away since they wouldn't need it. However, when he was resting the oxen took a wrong path and when he awoke he realized this and told the men.
The men were all frightened. they had no water and now they still needed one more day of travel. The hot air and not having water for the past hours had taken a toll on the men they had been walking for hours trying to find a source of water in the sandy desert but were having no luck. Suddenly, few slumped to the ground and refused to go on. They saw no benefits in keeping trying to find water and thought they were just wasting energy plus all the walking was making them more thirsty. Three of the men laid on the ground and refused to get up, they had given up. David, Peter, and 2 more men decided not to take that fate and continue to walk. The oxen were more and more tired, and they too could barely continue to walk, each step weighing like 10 pounds and their mouths so dry they felt like sandpaper. They couldn't even speak as their voices were so hoarse and their throats hurt. "Maybe, this is the end, we have been walking for hours and no sign of water, I think we should give up now," one man said. And just when they were about to give up, the youngest male spotted some grass, they decided to dig for water, it took a long time and lots of effort and finally WATER! They were ecstatic to finally have water, they quickly drank some and gave some to the oxen too. They were thinking of going back to the other men, but they had walked miles from them, and the oxen were tired and both were running low on energy. Nighttime was also about to come and if they wanted to make it into town in time they needed to rest now to be able to travel that night.
The night came, the men began their journey again soon they arrived in the town and had a successful sale. They sold everything and successfully made it back home all because they never gave up whereas the men who gave up met a whole different tragic fate.
Authors note- This story is based on the folk-tale The Sandy Road from Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbit. The moral of the folktale was to not give up. I used the same plotline just added names to the character. However, I did make some small changes to the story for example in my version 3 of the men do not make it whereas in the main story all of them make it to the other side. I wanted for the story to include what would have been the consequences of giving up which is why I made 3 of the men give up entirely.
Hello Monica,
ReplyDeleteI thought your story was well written and read very similarly to a fable. Your story made me very grateful that I don't live in a desert and have a car, LOL. You certainly conveyed the point of your story clearly, since the three men who don't make it out of the desert end up dying. I suppose it's hard to continue trekking on sometimes, but it's certainly better than drying out in the desert.
Hi Monica,
ReplyDeleteI hadn’t read this story before so I didn’t know that they men originally all made it until I read your note. I kept thinking that was kind of dark but I like your reasoning for it. It does set up the consequences well. The man who told them to get rid of the supplies though could be another moral since they shouldn’t have gotten rid of them regardless. Always be prepared would have been a good moral to take away.