"Sorry about all that, Draupadi," her brother said. "But at least we saved you! See you tomorrow." Without another look back, her four brothers walked out of the apartment.
She was left alone with the memory of her abduction. She had been simply walking behind her brothers, down the streets of New York, when a man suddenly grabbed, forced her into a van, and drove off. Yes, her brothers had saved her, but she didn't feel safe. Every shadow was after her. Every man was just waiting to grab her.
Her brothers were powerful, and power naturally attracts enemies. Her brothers ran the city while everyone who wanted to hurt them used her as an easy target.
She wasn't sure how long she stayed crouched in that corner of her apartment. Several mornings passed until she looked up and the rays from the sun shone so brightly in her eyes, filling her up with hope and anger.
That day she enrolled in every self-defense class she could. She had a knife short enough to conceal, but long enough to do it's job. She wore nothing but running shoes and pants.
A few months later, she was going for a run in Central Park when she tripped on something. There was nothing in her way before, but when she looked up, Kichaka stood over her. He was one of her brothers' sworn enemies. Before she could react, Kichaka kicked her in the head and the stomach. Her head aching and eyes blurring, she couldn't fight back as he put her in handcuffs and put her in a van.
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| Photo of abandoned factory Source: Wikimedia |
The brothers of Draupadi heard rumors that their sister had been taken, abducted by Kichaka. They searched for Kichaka's hideout, but it took so long they were beginning to wonder if they would find their sister alive.
Finally, they heard where exactly they could find their sister. As the busted into the abandoned factory, they expected to see their poor, innocent sister tied up and at the mercy of their enemy.
Instead, Draupadi stood over the limp body of Kichaka, blood on her hands and victory in her eyes.
"We... we came to save you," the eldest said shakily.
"As you can see, I am no longer in need of your protection. Sorry to waste your time. See you tomorrow!" Without looking back, Draupadi left the factory leaving her brothers to shake in fear from the power and strength of their little sister.
Author's Note: This is a retelling and modern version of the story of Draupadi'a abduction. As I mention in my reading notes, I wish there was more strong women in the Mahabharata that kicked some serious butt. I also don't think Draupadi would be abducted by Jayadratha and then wait patiently to be abducted again and her brother to save her. So my story is set in modern New York (inspired by Law and Order SVU) and shows a bada** Draupadi who is unsatisfied with being saved by others. She wants power for herself and she works for it and overcomes her enemies.
Bhima and Kichaka. The Indian Heroes by C. A. Kincaid (1921).
Author's Note: This is a retelling and modern version of the story of Draupadi'a abduction. As I mention in my reading notes, I wish there was more strong women in the Mahabharata that kicked some serious butt. I also don't think Draupadi would be abducted by Jayadratha and then wait patiently to be abducted again and her brother to save her. So my story is set in modern New York (inspired by Law and Order SVU) and shows a bada** Draupadi who is unsatisfied with being saved by others. She wants power for herself and she works for it and overcomes her enemies.
Bhima and Kichaka. The Indian Heroes by C. A. Kincaid (1921).
This is a cool perspective for this story. I like how Draupadi'a developed from unable to protect herself to able to escape from her attackers. You wrote this story so elegantly, and with such great detail.
ReplyDeleteHey Jillian, I really enjoyed your story. I was also not happy with how the Mahabharata made Draupadi seem helpless multiple times in the story and needing to be rescued by someone else. I like how in your story you leave room for the readers imagination to decide how the fight between Draupadi and Kichaka played out. It made her character stronger and seem capable of taking care of herself. Great job, I'll try and come back later on to read more of your stories!
ReplyDeleteYes!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love that you made Draupadi grow from her trauma into a strong fighter. There were too many women portrayed as weak in the stories, and I'm glad that many are rewriting the characters to be stronger. I imagined Draupadi as a ninja for some reason, so maybe you could also create a story of her being somewhere in Asia training to be a ninja after her traumatic attack. I loved this story and look forward to reading more of yours!