Week 6 Storytelling: Till Death Due Us Apart

One stormy night an angel came down from Heaven to visit 10 year old Bhishma. She was a beautiful little girl who had so much to offer. The angel told Bhishma that she was special, and therefore has the power to choose the moment she will die. However, there was an exception to this rule. Bhishma had until she was 16 to come up with the limits of when she will die. For example, Bhishma could say that she will die after she rules the world. Or after she hits 90.etc. The angel soon left her alone with her thoughts.

Bhishma took her time coming up with her limits. Every time she thought she knew when, something would happen and she would change her mind. Finally, one day when she was coming home from school and saw an old man sitting outside her apartment complex. He was dirty and smelled weird. He kept whimpering "so hungry, so hungry." Bhishma hurried upstairs and made him a peanut butter jelly sandwich. She grabbed an apple and a water bottle and ran back downstairs to the man. He was so surprised and touched by how friendly this little girl was, that he started to cry. He told her that she really made a difference in his life. And suddenly it hit her...

The Homeless Man Bhishma Helps

(Source: Wikimedia)

Bhishma decided that day, that she would die after she has completely changed someone's life for the better. This made Bhishma want to help others even more. She knew that all she ever wanted to do in her life is help others and to completely change someone else life would would make hers. Bhishma soon started started a non-profit organization at the age of 16 helping homeless people. Things were going really great until one day...

One afternoon Bhishma was passing out flyers in the halls to her classmates about her non-profit organization when she collided with the school's bully (Aryan). Aryan was known to prey on those kids who were so called "nerds." He believed he was better than them and was quite the troublemaker. He got suspended every now and then and his grades where the lowest in his class. When Bhishma collided with Aryan her flyers flew everywhere. Instead of apologizing to Aryan, which most people tend to do because they do not want to be on his bad side, she looked him dead in the eye and said, " Pick up my flyers and help me pass them out." He was in such shock that he actually listened to her!

This opened the door for their friendship to blossom. Bhishma and Aryan started hanging out quite frequently. They would go pass out clothes or food to the homeless, she helped him with his homework, and he stopped being mean to others. Bhishma had influenced Aryan in such a positive way. With each day that passed by Bhishma's feelings for him got stronger and stronger. By now she had completely forgotten about her power and was just focusing on the life she was living.

Now Bhishma and Aryan were 18 years old. Two years had passed by that they had been dating. Aryan had become a new person because of Bhishma. Twas the night after their graduation, and Aryan and Bhishma were laying out admiring the stars planning the future. When Aryan pulled out a ring, and Bhishma to marry him. He told her that he had never been happier and that if it was not for her he would've never gotten his life together. She was so fully of joy and had tears running down her cheek. Aryan uttered the words," you have completely changed my life for the better, will you please marry me?" And suddenly Bhishma had remembered the rule to her power and she fell to the ground.. and died.

Bibliography:

This story is based on the Mahabharata Reading Guide Part C and D

Author's Notes:

In the original story Bhishma is male and not female. Bhishma has fallen in battle against the Pandavas. However, he still does not die. Bhishma is granted the power to choose the moment in which he will die. He chooses to die after he has taught the rest of the survivors of the battle how to rule what is left of the world. He is then accompanied by rishis and Parashurama when he finally dies. I decided that I wanted to key in on the aspect of Bhishma having the gift of choosing when to die and turn it into a modern day tale. I change Bhishma's character to a girl as well to help compliment my story.