Reety etc.

Photo by pieceoflace photography on Flikr.   The pond had been the home for generations of fish. The pond had seen generations of schools, all swimming up to feel the warmth of the sun after being burrowed in eggs on the deep floor. As the years passed, the pond kept losing water, kept losing fish. What was once a booming pool of abundant creatures slowly became a warm puddle with fish that were slowly suffocating. The wild crane, the old and cranky one near the bay, watch the water line dip lower and lower every year. Instead of working hard to catch a few fish every day in a deep pond, he waited. Patiently. He watched the waters evaporate from the now shallow pond and saw the booming schools of fish starting to panic. He smiled to himself, knowing his long-awaited moment was almost here. "I don't know what much else we can do, sir," said Lole, the wisest fish in the pond. "I've never seen anything like it," said Boe, the oldest fish in the pond....

Illustration by W. Robinson. The Cunning Crane and the Crab   from The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse The story begins with little detail about the small pond. Still, I liked the way that it was described from the crane's point of view. I imagined the voice of the fish to be distinctly different from the crane. The tone of the fish were innocent and it kind of upset me that they never had any chance to develop. Instead of writing about any realization the fish might have had, it simply described that they were eaten. Likewise, was there meant to be any reason that the fish skeletons were dumped by a tree? The author mentions it several times, not only when referring to the fish grave but also when talking about the scenery passing the crane as it carried the crab. I think I was just a bit underwhelmed overall. I read a story of a crane being tricked when I was younger and it was filled with more strategy than just violence. While I can...

Books have always been a tricky part of the college routine, at least for me. I tend to value cost over the physical quality of the text. It's not that I don't like having a physical book, I just know it normally costs more and hurts the planet a little more. Because of these reasons, I chose the online version of Ramayana. Photo by Marduk at Flikr Some of the comics I grew interested in were  The Sons of Rama: Luv and Kush — The Invincible Twins .  I chose it because it reminded me of the various twins that I learned about in Greek mythology. They are abnormally stronger and tend to have a complicated storyline. According to the reading guide attached, both siblings seem to begin that same archetype in this story.  I also chose  Mahiravana: A Magician Outwitted . I chose it really because I thought the title was interesting. After reading through the guideline, I got more interested. Shapeshifting is not common in the stories I typically read so this was ...