Week 3 Story: Dorothy and the Golden Sandals

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As I walk up to the great figure with my three trusty companions I know I should not fear anymore. The scarecrow was eager for knowledge, lion was reluctant to go in with no sense of courage, and the tin man was longing for a taste of emotion. 
The room was dark, musty and smoke filled. Suddenly as the clouds peeled away, a giant head appears in the air. 
“Who here seeks to see the Great and Wonderful Oz”
As the voice echoes in strength across the room, we all shiver in our boots scared of the tumultuous roaring head before us. I, amongst my friends, finally build up the courage to step forward. I explain my journey to the Oz and request that he grant my friends their wishes. That he does. Scarecrow is not gifted a brain, Lion is now with courage, and Tin Man with a warm heart. 
“Please oh Great and Wonderful Oz, I was banished here from my hometown. I need to find a way to go back if I ever so desire, or when I come out of banishment.” 
The Oz then presented before me, a pair of shining shimmering gold sandals. These shoes are the Oz’s personal ones, that he is gifting to me. He explained to me that these magical sandals are used to transport me to my home if I so desire, and with these on my feet, I can accomplish all good things. 
With these shoes, I return out of the cave with my new satisfied friends and return down the brick road. Creatures heads would pop out of the bushes and trees just to get a glimpse at my feet. I was unaware of the importance of these shoes until suddenly a dwarf comes to get a closer look.
He bows down to me and I look at him in complete confusion and embarrassment. Why would someone bow down to me? 
These gold shimmering sandals were a symbol of royal authority. Those who possess them are a figure of royalty and a leader.


Authors Note: I took the story of Rama and Bharata and their interaction. Rama was in banishment in the forest and Bharata gave him the golden sandals off his feet to bid him a good life. Immediately, when I read about "magical" colored shoes, my mind reverted to the Wizard of Oz. I blended the two stories, in the context of Dorothy's adventure. I made very little tweaks to it to fit more of the story line in the Ramayana. but the characters and setting are still in consistency to the Wizard of Oz.

Ruby Red Slippers
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Source. Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913). 


Comments

  1. Shary BouvetteFebruary 3, 2020 at 3:24 AM

    Hi Jinal!

    I absolutely love the story The Wizard of Oz, and I admit that as soon as I read this episode about Rama's sandals I thought about this classic! I think it is an interesting idea that you keep the symbolic significance, which is royalty and honor, and remained consistent transitioning from the original story into this story. Perhaps you could incorporate more aspects from the original story, such as the isolation of the two characters, or the grief of a family member dying. This could show more of how you transformed your original inspiration!

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  2. Christine HoangFebruary 6, 2020 at 12:18 AM

    Jinal,

    What a clever storyline! Because you put it into context with a popular story, I was able to relate to it much better than reading the actual Ramayana itself. Are you planning on continuing the rest of your stories with the same plot, setting, and characters? Or change things up a bit each week? I think sticking with the same plot would be super cool, because then it's like watching a TV show with new weekly episodes each week - haha, "to be continued..."! But it'd probably be quite difficult. I don't even think I could do it, but maybe I'll try.

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