Week 2 Story: The Prince of the Lotuses, part 2

            When the prince arrived at the pond, his hair stood on end. The pond was small in size, yes, but undoubtedly deep, and unnaturally dark. Many lotus flowers grew around the edge of the pond, but right in the center grew a single blue lotus, which seemed to glow against the black backdrop of the water. The mud around the pond was still damp, but it held shapes well. Hundreds of footprints, many of which belonged to monkeys not unlike the prince himself, went into the pond near the lotuses, but none seemed to come out.

            The prince was a strong swimmer, but he was fearful of the dark waters of the pond, and what might lurk within. With his incredible strength, he lifted a small boulder over his head, and threw it down among the lotus flowers. As the rock hit the water, the pond erupted with turmoil, and a huge head shot froth from the center of the pond, biting down on the boulder. The prince leaped backwards, but realizing he was out of the beast’s reach, he relaxed. As the ogre spied the monkey, he retreated into the waters, but his eyes stayed above the surface, watching the prince’s every move.

            “Great ogre, I’ve come to bargain,” the prince said.

            The ogre raised his head so his lips were out of the dark waters, but no more. “You have nothing I want, save your flesh. I was promised a strong monkey to eat once a year, and I haven’t had such a meal in almost two.”

            “Were you promised those meals by the monkey king of this jungle?” the prince asked, though he already knew the answer.

            The ogre’s eyes shifted as he paused, but growled “yes,” through his yellow fangs.

            “If you help me, you’ll get your meal, and revenge against the king for the year he was overdue,” the prince replied, “but if you hinder me, I’ll devote my life to making sure no other creature stumbles into your waters.”

            The ogre smirked, but only the corners of his evil mouth were visible above the water’s surface. “Clever monkey. Tell me what your price is.”

            “The monkey king is my father. He wishes me dead, so he sent me here to collect the blue lotus that only grows in your pond. Bring me that lotus, five of the white lotuses, and five of the pink lotuses, and I will bring my father back here. I will come in the water first, and then he will. He is yours to eat. You can eat me first if you wish to betray me, but you will never get your revenge for his broken promise. He wants me dead, so he will be happy if you eat me, and he will never come close to your waters again.”

            “As you wish…” the ogre whispered as he lowered his head back into the water, bubbling out the last word before disappearing from sight. But as the water settled, the blue lotus floated slowly over to edge of the water, and a long black arm scooped up the prince’s desired lotuses and dumped them on the shore.

            After gathering all the flowers, the prince returned to the palace. When he entered the throne room, the monkey king looked dumbfounded, but said “My son, you have returned so quickly! I haven’t even prepared the ceremony yet. I am greatly impressed.”

            “Father, my king, that pond was so lovely! But I barely wet my feet getting the blue lotus because I didn’t want to be soaking wet for the ceremony. Can we go for a swim tonight, and have the ceremony tomorrow?”

The king smirked, for he didn’t truly want to crown his son, and hoped the ogre would eat the prince this time. He quickly replied, “Of course my son. It will be a lovely time spent together.” The king and the prince walked back to the pond, which looked as still as it had before.

“Come on in father! The water is lovely,” the prince laughed as he jumped into the water. He splashed around for a minute before the king finally started into the water. That darn ogre must have died or moved to a different pond. No matter, I won’t have any issue drowning the boy, the king thought to himself. But the moment his foot touched the water, a great hand grabbed the king’s entire leg, and the prince’s father was never seen again.

When the prince returned to the palace, he told the guards that a great ogre had eaten his father, and he had barely escaped with his own life. The guards believed it, for they knew of the ogre’s pond, and many of them had thought the king was cruel and cowardly for sending his enemies there. The prince was crowned king and ruled benevolently over the jungle. Years later, he took a wife and made her queen, and he lived the rest of his life happily with his many sons and daughters, none of which he ever tried to kill.

Author’s Note: this writing is based on the story The Monkey who Gathered Lotuses. This is the second half. The first half is in the post before this one. In the original, the prince notices that the pond is inhabited by an ogre. This is where my version and the original greatly start to differ. In the original, the monkey skillfully collects the lotuses without touching the water. The ogre then praises him, and makes up a rhyme about how skillful the monkey is. Then the ogre offers to carry the many lotuses for the prince, and when the king sees the ogre carrying the lotuses, his heart explodes. I thought this ending felt out of place and anticlimactic, so I changed the ending, and otherwise tried to make the story more visual and exciting.

Original Story: The Monkey who Gathered Lotuses