Ganesha Competes for The Mango

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful, royal family that lived in a town called Far-Far-Away. There was the King, named Jackie Chan; a Queen, named Beyonce; a Prince, named Zac Efron; and another Prince, named Ganesha. They live in a wonderful palace filled with gold, jewelry, and most importantly, lots of food. Everyone in the family is loyal and athletic, except for Ganesha.

Ganesha is different from the rest of his family which makes him stand out and special! He is curious, adventurous, and an amiable young boy. Surprisingly, he has a bigger belly than the rest of his family because he eats a lot more than everyone else! When Ganesha sees food right in front of him, he sees it as an opportunity that needs to be taken. Therefore, Ganesha would do anything when it comes to food, especially sweets!

One day, King Jackie Chan was strolling through the park with his wife, Queen Beyonce. Suddenly a mango fell from the tree and landed on top of King Jackie Chan's head.

"Owww, what in tarnation was that?!" said King Chan.

"It was a mango that landed on your head, boo," said Queen Beyonce.

"Dang does that look good. Should we eat it?" asked the King.

"No, googly-bear. We should give it to our kids because we love them," says the Queen.

"Oh, you're right, let's take it to them! Wait, but there's only one mango and I believe that our kids would never share their foods," said the King.

"What should we do, cookie-lips?" said Queen Beyonce.

"We should have our kids compete for this mango! Whoever gives the best love for their mother would get to eat this sweet and tasty mango!" said King Jackie Chan.

"Aww, boo... That's why you're my man. Sounds like a plan!" said the Queen.

As the King and Queen walked back to their palace, they showed their kids the special treat.

"Oh sweet, thanks, Mommy and Daddy! Wait, you guys, did bring two mangoes back home right?" said Ganesha.

"Honey, unfortunately, we couldn't find any other mangoes along the way. So, this is the only mango we have," said Queen Beyonce.

"What! I don't want to share it with Ganesha! One bite to him fits the whole piece of the mango into his mouth!" said Prince Zac Efron.

"You calling me fat, bro? Mommy, Zac is calling me fat again..." said Prince Ganesha.

"That's why your mother and I have decided for the both of you to compete for this mango to be fair. All you have to do to win this prize is to give the best love for your mother!" said King Jackie Chan.

"Ohhh, that'll be too easy... Ganesha, you are going down!" said Prince Zac Efron as he runs and finds the perfect gift for his mother.

Ganesha, on the other hand, just stood in front of his parents until Prince Zac Efron finally came back for his mother's perfect gift.

"Mom! Here's the perfect gift for you!' said Prince Zac Efron as he gave his mother pure red roses and a box of caramel chocolate. "Where's your gift at, loser!" as Prince Zac Efron stuck his tongue out.

"Aww, that's so sweet, Zac. Thank you," says Queen Beyonce.

"Do you have something for your mother, Ganesha?" asked King Jackie Chan.

"Yes, I do. I want to give my Mommy my whole heart and love like I've always had. You mean the world to me and I don't need an item to remind you that I love you. I will never forget to cherish you, Mommy, like you've always cherished me," said Ganesha.

"Awwwww, honey. That's the sweetest thing I have ever received!" said Queen Beyonce while King Jackie Chan started crying.

After the competition, King Jackie Chan and Queen Beyonce decided to choose the winner and it was Ganesha! Love isn't all about giving and receiving items. It's the heart that makes someone feel important and special to whom you care about. Prince Zac Efron understood why he lost and will learn from these challenges for the next competition. Overall, Ganesha sat in peace in front of the sunset, kicking his feet high in the air as he enjoyed his delicious, prized mango.

Author's Note:

The original story was about Ganesha competing his brother for a mango that was given to his father, Lord Shiva, by Sage Narada. This mango wasn't just an ordinary mango. It gives knowledge and wisdom to whoever eats it, given by Lord Brahma. That's when Lord Shiva consulted with Parvati to decide what to do with the mango. So, Lord Shiva held a competition for his boys. The competition was that whoever circles the world thrice wins the mango. Ganesha was a plump boy that had a mouse as his vehicle. However, his brother, Kartikeya, had a peacock as his vehicle. During the race, Ganesha called his parents and asked them to sit together at Mount Kailash while Ganesha's brother, Kartikeya, was racing around the world. Ganesha folded his hands and walked around them in a circle thrice and then told his parents to give him the mango. Ganesha's parents told him that he did not fulfill their terms of the competition and then Ganesha's eyes started to twinkle. He told them that he did race because his parents meant the world to him. That is why he went around them thrice which equals to going around the world. Ganesha's parents then were so pleased that they decided to give him the mango and not to Kartikeya.

Overall, I picked this story because it was fun to learn about Ganesha's history. I created a whole new story by replacing each character's name to a modern celebrity names like Lord Shiva to King Jackie Chan, Parvati to Queen Beyonce, and Kartikeya to Prince Zac Efron. However, I kept Ganesha's name because he is the main character for this storybook. I did use a similar source from the author's note but switched up the competition up a bit because I wanted to create a competition to something that could relate to our daily lives and that could provide a moral to the story for the readers.

Bibliography: Race Around The World, by R. Krithika.