Storytelling for Week 5: The Golden Deer

A few months into Rama's exile his wife, Sita, and brother, Lakshmana, stayed isolated with him in their forest cottage.  The days were long and the three of them were getting tense.  They thought they were the only ones in the entire forest.   They were wrong... 

"Look outside!  What is that in the wood?"  Sita called to her husband and his brother.  
"What do you speak of my love?"  Rama said as he approached his wife at the window.  
"It's a beautiful creature.  Look over in the grove!  It has gold skin.  How wonderful it would be to have such an exotic and beautiful companion."  

She pointed to a beautiful golden deer with sapphire eyes that seemed to bloom like blue lotus flowers.  Once the deer made eye contact with Sita it had her completely enchanted.  After the beautiful princess from the extravagant palace lived in exile woods for months, she was easily entranced by the prized animal.  

"Please loving husband, fetch the esteemed stag for me.  I want nothing more than to stroke the fur of that exotic animal," said Sita as she pleaded to her husband.  She looked up at him with the very same puppy dog eyes that she used to use on her father when he would tell her she wasn't allowed outside the palace walls. 

"Brother, this may not be the best idea.  You never know what kinds of shapes demons can take and what would this creature is doing this far in the woods?  We have not seen any other deer the entire time that we have been here.  Does this not seem a little too perfect?"  Lakshmana told his brother, hoping he would stay.  

"Look all that Sita has given up just for me.  Why would I deny her the one thing she has asked for the entire time we have been married?  As long as it is well within my ability to do it, I will stop at nothing to give my Sita what she wants."  Rama told his brother while grabbing for his bow and arrow.  

 Lakshmana knew there was nothing he could do to stop his brother, so he kept objecting to Rama leaving.  "Lakshmana if you are so worried, how about you stay here with Sita while I go and fetch the deer?"  

This seemed like a fair compromise, so Lakshmana no longer objected.  Soon Rama ran out the door of their cottage and chased after the deer.  This is when the malevolent demon Ravana saw his opportunity...

 

(The Golden Deer)

 Author's Note:  I wanted to build up some suspense during the time Sita spots the deer and just before she gets kidnapped by Ravana.  If you're unfamiliar with the story click on this to learn more of the context.  It just really intrigues me when something so small like chasing a deer can lead to horrible consequences.  

Bibliography: This story is part of the Ramayana unit. Story source: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913).