"Did you hear the big news?" One fish said to the other. "The Crane who had been terrorizing our lake for years is dead! He was killed by a Crab who outwitted him!" "No way." said the other Fish. "I have to tell every creature I know!"
So the Fish went out and told everyone the good news of the death of the cunning Crane. Every animal he told became excited, and these animals went out and told every animal they knew. Soon, every living creature lake knew about the heroic Crab.
A Frog suggested that the Crab should become king of the lake. He found the Crab and asked "Do you want to be king of the lake?" The Crab said "Yes! What an incredible honor!" But the Crab knew that this was an opportunity to take advantage of all the lake creatures. He was full of deceit. After all that is how he was able to trick the Crane.
The Crab started building trust within the lake by outlawing any sort of predation from birds. All the lake animals loved him.
As soon as the Crab built up trust and power, he started to tax the lake creatures. He announced "10% of all of your collected food must be given to me." The Crab no longer had to look for food like all the other animals. All of his meals were brought to him. He became huge, strong, and powerful.
The Frog, knowing he made a mistake went out to look for animals that could defeat the Crab king. He came across a Monkey named Brahmadatta. Brahmadatta was king of Benares. The Frog told Brahmadatta all about the abusive Crab king and asked him "will you please save us from the Crab king?" Brahmadatta agreed to help.
Brahmadatta came to the lake and said to the Crab. "Wow! What an awesome kingdom you have built up. Have you heard the nearby area called Benares? It does not have a king yet!" The power hungry Crab said "show me this land and I will become king of this lake and Benares!" The Crab had no clue that Brahmadatta was actually the king of Benares.
Brahmadatta and the Crab went to Benares. The mate of a Crocodile in Benares saw the big Crab and said to her husband "I want to eat his heart." The Crocodile said to his wife "I will go get it for you."
The Crab did not know about the Crocodiles in Benares and started to explore what he thought was his new kingdom. Of course, this was Brahmadatta's plan all along.
The Crocodile attacked the Crab and brought its heart to his wife.
Brahmadatta went back to the lake and said "the king Crab is dead!" All of the lake animals celebrated and lived in peace in the lake for the rest of their years.
When one is deceitful, mean, and cruel, they eventually get what they deserve.
Authors Note
I really enjoyed the theme of the "Cunning Crane and the Crab." A line in that story said. "People who try to deceive others often pay for it themselves." I wanted to include this theme while adding characters like Brahmadatta and the Crocodiles from "The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart." I was also saddened for the Crocodile at the end of that story. He was devastated that he could not bring his wife the heart she wanted. I wanted the Crocodile couple to finally have some satisfaction, so that is how I ended the story. I also took the news spreading elements in the plot of "The Foolish, Timid Rabbit" to begin the story.
Bibliography
"The Foolish, Timid Rabbit" from Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt. Web Source
"The Cunning Crab and the Crane" from The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse. Web Source
"The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart" from Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie L. Shedlock. Web Source
Image Source: The Lake Kingdom: Pixabay
I really liked your story. I enjoyed how you combined different parts of 3 different stories in order to create something you wanted. These 3 stories were my 3 favorites out of all the other ones. I think what they teach is great. I also liked how you tweaked the different plots in a way that the stories would have a more pleasant ending.
ReplyDeleteHi Braden!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love when individuals combine story plots to create a more extensive and ongoing story. I also really enjoyed how you started the story at the end of "The Cunning Crab and the Crane" because I was wondering what would have happened after the Crane was killed. It was very creative what you did to have those three stories come together harmoniously. The only question I have is, is this lake the new one or did the Crab manage to kill the Crane before he killed the rest of the fish in the old lake?
Hey again, Braden!
ReplyDeleteIt's cool that you were able to synthesize 3 stories into one new story. Your twists on the plot are cool and maintain similar lessons. In fact, you kind of conveyed the message behind each story in a new way. I definitely was able to follow along and visualize everything very well. And, of course, I love that you were able to incorporate a happy ending!
Hi, Braden! I really liked how you used the three stories to create your own version of a story. By focusing on the theme of the “Cunning Crane and the Crab,” you were able to stay on track while also adding additional characters from the other stories. I thought that this was an impressive skill to creatively write and tie the stories together. With that being said, I was wondering who this frog was, like what kind of authority does he/she hold to suggest the crab to become the next king? However, I think you did a great job in describing how the crab built trust within the animals living on the lake. By outlawing certain unwanted behavior such as predation from birds, the crab was able to slowly win the hearts of the fish as well as the other animals. Furthermore, I also thought it was creative how you wrote about the crab gaining power through taxing the animals.
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