Week 5 Story: An Adaptation of Osiris, Before the Coronation
Before the Coronation
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(Photo by: Wikimedia Commons)
From
his creation, Ra had worked endlessly.
He has asserted himself as King of the Gods. He had ushered in an age of prosperity.
“Not
that humankind is intelligent enough to appreciate my hard work!” harrumphed Ra
under his breath, “And these young’uns think they want my job!”
After
toiling for years upon years with little thanks, Ra was simply exhausted. His last wish was to become one with the
heavens and look down upon the world he had built. The more Ra exhausted himself, however, the
shorter each day became, and the taller the steps up to his throne seemed. He knew it was time to name an heir to his throne,
but who could ever fill his shoes? Was
he not the almighty King of Gods for a reason?
“These
greedy children know nothing of ruling and guiding” grumbled Ra, rounding the
corner to the great hall. His guards
opened the double doors, revealing his subjects, eagerly awaiting the
announcement of his heir.
Many
whispers had reached him over the years, and more whispers reached him now as
he made the slow processional to this throne for the final time. He had listened to each different voice; he knew
each of his subjects. There was little
doubt in his mind who to pick. Ra would
have to choose Osiris.
Ra
loosed an entirely too tight breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
Although
the choice had already been made, Ra kept second guessing himself. He knew Osiris would be a fine king… But couldn’t
he be a bit more interesting? He was so bookish. He kept spouting ideas about spreading “wisdom”
to mankind. What was the point? Shouldn’t
mankind have figured it out by now? Why bother with the effort of enlightening
the humans?
Why
not pick someone more entertaining? Set! Now that kid would be an INTERESTING King
of the Gods! Sure, he’d ruin all of Ra’s
hard work, and yes, he would create civil wars among the gods, but Ra
would never lack entertainment.
But
then there’s the business of the prophecy…
“Osiris
has come… He’ll be the lord of everything… Yadda Yadda Yadda. Blah Blah Blah” murmured Ra while hitting his
walking cane against the bottom of the stairs to his throne.
“Pardon
me, Majesty?” beseeched an unnerved guard, averting his eyes from Ra’s
face.
“Mind
your place, boy!” snapped Ra. He hated
the pitying looks given to him by his staff.
He was old, but he wasn’t dead yet.
If he could just make it up these damn stairs this one last time, he’d
finally be able to rest.
What
seemed to be hours later, Ra reached the peak of the stairs and turned to face
his kingdom one last time. He had always
imagined this as being more joyous. He had
always presumed he’d be ready to go. He
had never imagined that he might miss being King of the Gods. Standing there for the last time, however, Ra
was overwhelmed with emotion.”
“Be
se-” Ra cut off. He cleared his throat
carefully, avoiding conveying the sadness he seemed to be drowning in.
“Be
seated, my children” he continued, knocking his staff against the floor three
times and sitting upon his throne.
“You
have long wondered who I will choose as my heir, although many of you could
have guessed who it would be” drawled Ra, making eye contact with Osiris after scanning
the crowd.
“My
heir will be the Wise and Just Osiris, as was prophesized long ago. His coronation will take place today, and I
will ascend to the heavens, permanently, tonight” proclaimed Ra in his most
kingly voice. He rose, and his subjects
followed.
He
descended from his throne for the very last time and approached Osiris and his
consort, Isis.
“You
will not disappoint me,” Ra threatened before dropping to one knee and bowing
his head to the soon-to-be king.
The
crowd audibly gasped and quickly followed suit.
Good,
they are still mine to lead thought Ra before rising and exiting the great
hall.
Author's Note:
I totally changed this story a bunch. I loved the story as I read it HERE, but I wanted a closer look into how Ra might have been feeling before handing the throne over the Osiris. I expanded the word count a bit and really took creative liberty with a TON in this story. It's more of a preface and an expansion on an existing story rather than a retelling.
Bibliography:
Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907)
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Hey Tricia,
ReplyDeleteThis story was a ton of fun to read! I really liked the decision to write Ra as this grouchy old curmudgeon that was so nitpicky of the "new generation." This decision made it much more interesting to learn of his thoughts as the story went on, as he was truly given a unique voice and personality through the writing. Great job!
Good evening Tricia!
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My reading this week was also about Ra. I missed the deadline to write a story about it due to travel so reading this made me realize that I was way off in my understanding of my selected readings for the week. I like how you portrayed Ra in your story. It was a fun turn of imagination that you took with the character and story as a result. Additionally I would like to know why you chose this route as opposed to making Ra his old self that was reborn every morning and such. Centering the text to the right hand side would be my only suggestion give its my OCD talking but not much to add on that front.
Once again this was a fantastic story to read and look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Hey Tricia,
ReplyDeleteI love the voice you gave Ra. It made me laugh, especially when he describes Osiris as being "bookish." It gives your story a unique narrative and makes it interesting to read. I loved the story. The only things I noticed were grammar and punctuation related, but other than that, you know how to tell a comical story.
Great job!