Storybook: The Deathly Hallows

           There were once a family of three brothers who were walking along a road very late at night. The brothers soon grew to be parched, so they went to find a nearby source of water. Once they found a river nearby, they hurried towards it. They were so thankful to find this river because they thought that they might die of thirst. As they draw closer and closer to drinking the water, a shadow appears in the sky. They soon come to learn that this shadow is in fact, the shadow of death. Death told the three brothers that before they could drink the water, they were entitled to a wish. 

            The oldest brother requested a wand that was struck with magic. An object that was more powerful than any weapon. Death goes to a nearby tree and makes a wand from the branch. He strikes it with magic and gifts it to the elder brother. The second brother asks for the power to bring back loved ones from the dead. Death goes into the river and brings him a stone. This stone had that ability that the brother had wished for. The third and last brother thought very hard and carefully. He wished for a way to be invisible at times of his choice. Death fashioned together a cloak that when wrapped around oneself, they would turn invisible. 

            Death departed and the brothers went upon their walk. They separated down three different paths in order to find food and reunite that evening. The first brother travelled to a nearby village in hopes he could show off his new possession. Drunk with power, the first brother killed an innocent man. The slain man’s brother approached the first brother, stole his magic wand, and slit the first brother’s throat. Death had taken the first brother for his own. 

            The second brother travelled to a nearby empty field and pulled his new stone out of his pocket. He held it in both hands, closed his eyes, and wished for his fiancée to return from the dead. His immortal wife appeared and the second brother was elated. She grew to be sad though, for the mortal world was not for her after all. The second brother was hopeless, all he wanted in the world was to be with his fiancée. He killed himself in order to be with her for eternity. Death had taken the second brother for his own. 

            The third brother went on his own voyage, with no mission in mind other than food. In order to get food without attention, he used his cloak of invisibility. Death searched for the third brother but was never able to seek him out. The third brother lived a long and healthy life. He passed on his cloak to his son and joined death when of old age. He greeted Death with a warm and cunning smile. 

Authors Note:

My story is a retelling of The Three Brothers that make up the Deathly Hallows, a story in the Harry Potter series. I chose to do this because while reading the Mahabharata, I stumbled across a story that was similar to this one. Riddles at the Lake felt very familiar and I instantly started thinking about the Deathly Hallows. Death took the two brothers, or Nakula and Sahadeva. Death did not take the last brother, Yudhishthira. The voice in the Mahabharata was the god of wisdom and justice and the voice in my story was Death. Although there are a lot of contrasting aspects, the gist is about the same. Three individuals approaching a body of water with a suspicious voice, two out of three awaiting their death. 

Deathly Hallows
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