There once was a little boy named Sam who always felt different. He
felt as if something about himself was not right. Like his body and his mind
were not one. Since a very young age Sam would tell his parents he wishes he
was a girl. For the longest time his parents did not take his request
seriously, until one day when Sam brought up hormone injections. His parents
were surprised that he even knew what that was. After that his parents knew
that Sam truly despised being a boy and was miserable. That is when they agreed
to put Sam on hormone injections and start his process of transforming into a
girl.
After several years of hormone
replacement therapy, medication, and surgeries Sam became Sarah. At the age of
20 Sarah had fully transformed and now felt one with herself. Sarah decided she
wanted a fresh start so she transferred from OSU to OU starting her Junior
year. She was excited but nervous. She did not know if she was going to tell
people about her journey or just keep it a secret. Regardless, Sarah was
destined for great things.
The semester was going by
fairly quickly when Sarah met Brad. Brad was a junior Business major. Brad had
met Sarah at an event on campus, and they really hit it off. Sarah and Brad
started spending more and more time together. They went to the movies in
Mechium together every Friday night, did homework together at The Bizz, and
texted each other every minute they were apart. Sarah really started to fall
for Brad, but she was afraid he would not accept her if he knew the truth about
her. Brad also started to really fall for Sarah. Brad was not the type of
person to let his guard down, but he did for Sarah. However, their strong
relationship got rocky when the truth came out.
Sarah finally decided to tell
Brad, he deserved to know the truth about her. It was the night of their 5-month
anniversary. They were going out for dinner, dancing, and then lay out to watch
the moon. The night was winding to an end and while Sarah and Brad laid there
admiring the moon and the stars, Sarah turned to Brad and whispered, “I am not
who you think I am." Brad immediately looked at her. She had tears in her
eyes and he felt her heart beating as loud as a drum. He tried to comfort her
but she continued. She told him everything from since when she was a little boy
to all the surgeries she went through. Brad was shocked.
Sarah and Brad both Heartbroken
(Source: Pixabay)
He had let his guard down for
her, and he felt that she had lied to him. In the moment, Brad thought that he
could not possibly be with someone who was born as a male. Brad had felt that
he had just gotten shot with a million arrows to his heart. He was broken and
just left Sarah there. For the next few weeks they did not speak or make any
contact. Then one night Brad texted Sarah and asked her if he could see her.
Sarah agreed.
When they met up, Brad
explained that he might have over reacted but he just had never even met anyone
who was transgender and did not know what to do in the situation. For the rest
of the night Brad made an effort to get to know Sarah and understand her
journey. Sarah was open and vulnerable. That night set the tone for the next
few years of their life.
The summer after their
graduation, Brad and Sarah got married and lived happily ever after.
Happily Ever After
(Source: Pixabay)
Authors Note:
In the original story, there was a man named Shikhandin who
was born female. He was destined to be bring Bishma to his death. Bishma would
not fight a woman so he lowered his guard when he met Shikhandin on the battle
field. When Bishma did not expect it the Pandava Brothers shot him full of
arrows. I took this bit of the story and created my own. I made Shikhandin Sam
who turned into Sarah. And I made Bishma into Brad. I incorporated the arrows
by figuratively showing that Brad got shot with arrows. I made it into a love
story but also a story about learning and understanding and accepting people
for who they are. Bishma in the real story would not accept Shikhandin as a
man. In my story, I made sure Brad would come to understand Sarah. I gave it
happy ending because I hate sad endings.
Bibliography:
This story is based on Wilson. Indian Books. The Five Tall Sons of Pandu. Reading Guide Part A & B.
Hi Mehik,
ReplyDeleteThis was a wonderfully crafted story. You not only kept the elements in the original story, but brought about the same message through a more modernized retelling. This story is something that actually happens in our country, and so I am glad that this also presents a more realistic point of view. I actually watched a documentary about a little girl who eventually became a boy, similar in the process you have described her. She begged her parents for injections, and at the age of 12, the process began. I forgot the name, but if I ever come across it, I would love to share it with you. Nice job!
Mehik, i was very excited to read your story this week. I think you did a really good job of staying true to the story while also incorporating the modern elements that you were aiming for. I have always enjoyed reading when people take the story and make it into something more modern. I think that your story is also extremely relevant to things that have been happening in our country.
ReplyDeleteI think this is the first story I have read in the class about this topic. I thought it was very interesting and very well put together. It was awesome how you modernized the old story into something done today. I also really enjoyed how you related it to OU, for example studying at Bizzell. Very creative ideas and overall enjoyable story to read.
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