Week 5 Story
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Being a parrot, I am often overlooked as a simple bird. Most people would prefer that parrots spout off meaningless sayings so they can laugh and clap in my face. Unfortunately for these people, I am much wiser than your average bird. I have saved a woman from adultery for weeks upon weeks, unfortunately, I could not save her from death. Let me explain.
Being a parrot, I am often overlooked as a simple bird. Most people would prefer that parrots spout off meaningless sayings so they can laugh and clap in my face. Unfortunately for these people, I am much wiser than your average bird. I have saved a woman from adultery for weeks upon weeks, unfortunately, I could not save her from death. Let me explain.
Back before I was owned by my owner, Miemun, I was placed in a market. It had always been my dream to be picked out and bought. I suppose my owner at this point knew I was going to be special because he made me extremely expensive, too expensive for most people to purchase. However, somehow I had caught the slightest attention from Miemun as he walked by me one day. Even he, an extremely wealthy man, decided that I was too expensive to purchase this day.
I knew I had to act quickly, so I began to give him advice. Acting in my most humble manner, I told him of my predictions of the caravans of Cabuls coming to purchase spikenard. However, I had just overheard another conversation of people speaking of this. After Miemun heard this, he purchased me and all of the spikenard in the entire market. He ended up selling this for a vast amount of money so he began to trust me.
After going to his home and making acquaintance with not only his wife but also another bird he bought for my company, Miemun left for a pilgrimage for weeks and months. While he was gone, his wife fell in love with another prince from another land. What was I to do? Miemun had purchased me just as I had always dreamed. Watching this woman kill the other bird I was in company with, I knew I had to be wise about the way I prevented her from committing this adultery.
For weeks, I was able to tell her stories to prevent her from leaving. Story after story, I kept her all night and told her stories so that she wouldn't go meet her new lover.
Unfortunately, I was unable to keep this information from her husband upon his return. I had to tell him all about the happenings in his absence. After I had told him everything that happened, he killed her. I pleaded on her behalf. During our time together, I had grown fond of his wife. Watching her be slaughtered by her own husband was brutal for me.
Author's Note
After reading about the Tales of a Parrot, I was interested in the wisdom of the parrot. He was not only smart enough to think about how to get Miemun to purchase him at the market but also how to keep his wife from visiting her mistress. I thought the story from the parrot's point of view would be an interesting angle on the story.
The story was great. I like how you started the story from the almost end then go with a traditional flip to the beginning of the story. I did not read the original story but it made me sad that the wife killed the bird company. It does confuse me why she killed it though. It would be nice to know why. Other wise this was a great story
ReplyDeleteI immediately was drawn into your story because I knew it was a spin on Tales of a Parrot. I read that this week as well and it was really interesting. I like the approach that you are taking. Hearing what the parrot has to say from his point of view will be fun! It was really sad hearing the thoughts of the parrot at the end. The way you say that it was brutal for him to was Khojisteh’s death is heartbreaking! I wonder what happened to the parrot after the story ended! Hopefully he was able to live to continue telling his stories.
ReplyDeleteHey Morgan! This story is incredibly interesting! I read Arabian Nights this week, and the premise of the frame tale is almost exactly like this one. I like how you wrote from the parrot's point of view; it's always interesting to be inside an animal's head. The parrot is obviously very clever, but I wish he had found some other way to convince the wife to remain faithful to her husband other instead of telling the husband! I can't believe he killed her! I wonder what the parrot's primary motivation is. Is he selfish and just trying to keep himself alive? Does he care about his owner?
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work!
Hi Morgan! I read this original story this week & really liked it. But I like it even better told from the point of view of the parrot. I don't remember the second bird though, I wonder why she killed it? In the story you say that she fell in love with another prince, but in the author's note, you mention her leaving for a mistress. Which did you intend it to be? I know which it was in the original, but as you've changed the story, you can make it anything you want I suppose. I understand that the parrot had to tell on the wife, but I really wish there could've been a way such a clever bird had been able to convince her not to cheat or convince her husband to let her live.
ReplyDeleteHi Morgan! The fact of having a parrot actually be wise instead of how we usually think them as is pretty unique. Just a couple of questions...Why did the woman kill the other bird instead of the parrot? Also was the bird becoming fond of the woman as in liking her himself? At first reading this and seeing that the man left for so long, I was assuming that the bird would find out that the husband is cheating on his wife and tell the wife because of his fondness of her. Since the bird witnessed this murder, does the man kill him or keep him alive?
ReplyDeleteHi Morgan,
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting to hear this story from the parrot's point of view. I also liked how you made the parrot just overhear other people talking about the caravans instead of having some sort of ability to see the future. This helped me think more of the parrot as a clever character. Overall, I enjoyed your take on this story.
Hey Morgan! This was an interesting story to read, I thought it was very unique and creative. I liked how you added in the descriptions of the bird and his place at the market. I was happy once someone finally bought and took home the bird. I think it would be interesting to hear more about this other prince. How did they meet? Did the husband ever want to hear his wife out?
ReplyDelete