James the Creator

Months have passed since James's last job interview and he has started to work at home creating his new company. His hair is now long. His wardrobe now consists entirely of sweatsuits and slippers. After working hard on setting up the infrastructure of his website, James is finally ready to publish his first story, "Journal of the River."

A wanderer is hiking along a long and wide stream. Powerful currents flow past him as he stops for a moment to rest. He sets his pack down on a dry patch of dirt and starts to prepare a lunch for himself of gongura leaves and hot Darjeeling tea. As he is heating a stove for tea he notices a small pile of papers near the river that appears to be bound together by a thick string. He goes to pick it up to observe it further. "Journal of the River" he reads across the top page of the book. Intrigued, he starts to read.

Day 1:

I was finally set to leave my mark upon the world and now I'm stuck here. Lost. Who knows how long I will be in this wretched jungle searching for a way out. This never should have happened. I'm too well trained to be stuck waiting in this situation!

I'll set up camp for tonight but I'm sure I'll escape by early tomorrow. I can't see something as trivial as this jungle keeping me contained for long.

Day 5:

I've been out here for a little longer than I expected but I think I'm close to finding a way out. There's something weird about this jungle though... I've tried chopping down the trees for firewood but the trunks are too thick. They seem to be made up of some kind of dense string.

I think I see a beam of light coming from the distance so I'll set off in that direction in the morning. I'll get out of here soon, I know it.

Day 20:

I've been chasing this light for several weeks now and can't seem to be getting any closer. I might give up on that approach and start for something else next.

Day 22:

I've started making tools out of the string "trees" now. A bow and arrows to hunt some of the weird creatures that are living here. The material is so strange... It's very strong. Almost unbreakable. I've learned that...

The wanderer pauses for a moment as he notices his tea starting to boil over. He goes to prepare his cup before sitting down to return to the journal. He notices there are many more pages and skips several pages ahead.

Day 113:

I'm sick of these trees. So many tangly, dark brown "trees." I want to leave this place and return to the journey I was sent here for. I'm starting to believe something, or someone, is keeping me here.

I won't give up trying to leave. No matter how long I'm stuck in this terrible place, I won't give up.

Day 334:

It's been almost a year now and it has been a while since I've written in this journal. It's been more and more of the same. Thick trees. Disgusting food. Hard, cold dirt.

Yesterday, however, I've finally learned why I'm here. Shiva. Shiva has been keeping me here all this time. I called out and he has finally answered me. I was too arrogant when I arrived! I thought I could bypass him and head straight for the surface of the earth. Now I know that I would have crushed the earth beneath my power if I had done so. So he punished me to be trapped atop his head for this time.

Finally though, I should be free. I'll soon be allowed to leave this place and flow throughout the earth and spread the life that I bring.

The wanderer closes the book and sets down his tea. He gazes upon the flowing river in front of him, amazed by its power.

Several weeks have gone by since the publishing of James's first story. He has since received dozens of emails from new fans, many raving reviews from online journals, and even a job offer from a small publication company. James sits contently in front of his laptop as he soaks in his newfound success. "If this keeps up, my small company will blossom into something huge! I could sign on other writers and a research team. I could even start working with news teams and entertainment companies!" James thinks to himself. Unfortunately for James, his story is only just beginning.

Image: Ganga Coming down to the earth - Wikipedia

Author's Note. This story comes from the birth of Ganga. Sagara was the king of Ayodhya and had two wives. One wife had one son and the other had sixty thousand. While searching for a sacrificial horse, the sixty thousand of Sagura's sons disturbed the sage Kapila and were turned to ash by his gaze. To lay their souls to rest, Ganga needed to come down and wash over the area where they were turned to ash. Ganga believes she is so powerful that she can sweep Shiva out of the way as she descends to the earth to reach her desired area quickly . Shiva has to trap her upon his head for having this arrogant thought. This story expands on this period that Ganga is trapped on his head. The story is supposed to show the characteristics of how Shiva is patient, waiting until the end of Ganga's journey to reveal himself. Also, Ganga is known to be very full of energy. This is why she never gives up on finding a way out of the forest that she is trapped in. Ganga and Shiva complement each other in that they are opposites of each other, Shiva being patient and Ganga being full of energy.

Bibliography. Sister Nivedita. Cradle Tales of Hinduism. The Birth of Ganga.