The Quest

Weak from fighting one another Rama, Bhima, and Hanuman could not give immediate chase to Ravana. Ravana had taken Sita and made her his prisoner in his underground hideout. The hideout was located under an abandoned bank in the outskirts of Dubai. The entrance was through a vault door so Ravana could easily lock intruders out. He locked her in a cell that was closest to his room so he could get to her location easier. He told his gang that he had captured her just to make Rama upset but his real reason was that he was extremely jealous of Rama and Sita. He was desperately in love with Sita and wanted her to return his love. On the second night of her imprisonment, Ravana invited Sita to a meal in his quarters. She was hesitant but hunger overpowered her nervousness. She followed him into his quarters and they started eating. "How do you like the food?" asked Ravana.

"The food here is delicious and I thank you for the hot meal," said Sita. "However I do wish to return to Rama."

This infuriated Ravana. "Guards! Take Sita back to her cell immediately!"

"Rama will come for me and he will defeat you and rescue me," calmly stated Sita.

He was so angry that he decided to go for a walk to cool off. He would later regret this decision. For outside his base he found Rama, Bhima, and Hanuman waiting for him. Ravana did not bring any weapons with him so he decided that this was a time to flee rather than fight. He began running towards the entrance and the heroes gave chase. He got inside the hideout and locked the vault door. He then ran off to gather his weapons. On the outside of the door the heroes were attempting to get inside. The door seemed liked it would be difficult to open but they soon found out it would be easier than their quest to find this place.

A few days ago, after Ravana had flown away with Sita, the three heroes had ventured back into Dubai for some rest. Being well rested, the heroes were ready to search for Sita. Remembering what Ravana said to them when he captured Sita, the heroes decided to figure out where the slums of Dubai were. The heroes began asking people about the slums and no one knew what they were talking about. Rama was confused as to why no one knew but then an idea came to him. He called Hanuman and Bhima over to him. They were nearby questioning to other people. "I think I know how to find the slums now," said Rama.

"What is your plan?" asked Hanuman.

"Ravana is a gang leader and a criminal, correct?" asked Rama.

"Yes," answered Hanuman.

"Well, we have been talking to normal citizens about a criminal area they probably do not know about," stated Rama. "We are asking the wrong people."

The heroes then rushed off to the jail in Dubai. Once they arrived they explained why they were there but they were not allowed to enter. The jail did not allow the prisoners to have guests right now because there was a riot recently and the prison was on high alert. They tried to explain who they were and that did not help either. Rama told Hanuman and Bhima to go back to the house and rest while he thought of his next plan. Rama then made a scene to get arrested. He threw a chair at an officer and he was then arrested and taken into the jail for attacking a police officer. He went to bed that night but something strange happened. He slept for three days straight. He had dreams about tattoos and Ravana the entire time. One tattoo in particular stood out. It was a red naga with a blue eye and a green eye. That tattoo appeared several times in his dreams. When he awoke he decided to look for the person with this tattoo. He searched the prison yard for hours that morning but to no avail. He went to the mess hall for lunch and sat next to large man, who was covered in tattoos. Rama was looking for the naga tattoo but did not see it so started to eat. The man dropped his fork while eating and bent over to pick it up and that is when Rama saw it. The naga tattoo was on the man's lower back. Rama asked him if he knew about the slums and the guy laughed and then asked, "Why you need to know?"

"I am looking for Ravana," said Rama.

"You are a fool. If Ravana be the one you seek, death will come to you but I will tell you where he is," stated the tattooed man. "He is in the outskirts of town in an abandoned bank."

Having the information he needed Rama proceeded to make his way out of prison. Being super strong and fast he was able to overpower the guards and escape. He joined Bhima and Hanuman and they started traveling to the bank in the slums of the outskirts. They arrived and decided to wait for someone to come out. After a few hours Ravana stepped out of the vault door.

Title: Rama and the Monkeys

Author: Geraldine Hodgson

Source

This story was based on the story of Rama sleeping for three days. He was praying to the Gods for a way to cross the vast ocean. He used flaming arrows to try to dry up the water but that did not work. He did not give up though. He fired arrow after arrow until the God of the Ocean appeared before him. I made the Ocean God the tattooed man in my story. The God tells Rama exactly where to shoot a flaming arrow to dry the ocean so they can cross to find Ravana, just like the tattooed guy reveals Ravana's location to Rama. I also used the story about Ravana holding Sita captive. I changed some details about that story too. In the original he did not invite her to dinner but I thought that added a bit more to the story than her just being locked up the entire time. It shows the temptation of a hot meal and a nice place to stay if she chose Ravana. The overall theme was that Sita remained loyal to Rama even when tempted. This story picked up where the introduction left off. This will lead into the final story about about their final battle with Ravana.