Author's Notes

For the first story, The Promise Between Brothers, is the fact that these two brothers work so well together in the original story mentioned above and that their abilities match each other so well. I wanted to create a backstory that would explain why they would continue to stick together even when they are older. I also wanted them to make a promise to each other to never abandon the other.

For the promise to happen realistically, I needed to come up with a reason for them to make one. I eventually came up with the idea that they were left alone when they were very young (I picture them in the 10 to 14 years old range). I made their mother very sick in order to lead into their parent's disappearance. If you picked up on the hints in the story, you'll have noticed their mother died on the day their father returned and he buried her while they were away in the forest. (Remember the soft spot of ground and red fabric and broken pot that the boys found while they were looking for their parents? Yeah, that was where she's buried.) I researched burial traditions and found that women who die while their husbands are alive are wrapped in red cloth. They also break a pot by the head of the deceased and I added details in the story to hint at this.

Then I wanted to hint at what might be next, which is why I included the town's response to seeing two rakshasas followed by the hint that someone is going to change their mindset.

For the second story, The New Purpose Discovered, I wanted the brothers to meet a brahmin for the first time and I wanted them to gain the respect of this brahmin. I wanted Agastya to be this brahmin.

The brahmin Agastya sees right away what's really going on and chooses to help Ilvala and Vatapi. I imagine Agastya would be curious about these two who refused to attack a group of men who attacked first. And especially since they are rakshasas who were the ones to step into the town themselves without any intent to harm.

Agastya reminds the two brothers of their mother's stories which is why they choose to learn from Agastya. They also are really curious about what he can teach them, but for these two the reminder of their mother is a stronger motivation.

It's not stated in my story, but I imagine the brothers learning about different burials and burnings from Agastya which would allow them to put together the clues they found in the first story and come to the conclusion that their mother died and was buried. I didn't mention this because this would be a few years after they left their home behind and they already knew they would never see their parents again.

Then at the very end is their new purpose that they begin to work towards (this is the same goal that Abhavi said he was working towards as well in the intro) and a hint that something goes wrong.

For the third story, The Evil is Born, I wanted to lead up to the only story told about these two brothers. For this, I showed what they have accomplished so far by creating a town dedicated to learning. They truly are dedicated to uniting all people, spreading understanding and limiting discrimination. I feel like the moral of this can be applied today too. Obviously we don't have rakshasas around but there is still discrimination among different groups of people.

As for the original story, it is described above. I made up the name of the brahmin who refuses to grant the boon of a son. Rishindra is a combination of “rishi,” meaning sage, and the name Indra. I borrowed the ideas that Ilvala asked for a boon of "a son as great as Indra" as well as them killing thousands of brahmins. As mentioned above, in the original story Vatapi would turn into a goat that Ilvava would cook and serve to brahmins. Then Ilvala would call Vatapi who would be ripped out of the brahmins' stomachs. I didn't mention how they killed the brahmins in my story because I wanted to focus on their interactions, reasons and breaking point. I also wanted to explain the statue of Ilvala that was mentioned in the introduction and why the statue appears to be human.

Now, I wonder how many will catch the hint at the end for the next story? Any guesses on who Agastya will find to continue the brothers' purpose?

For the last story, The Legacy Continues, I wanted to bring the story back around to the introduction. Because it is the last story, I tried to make sure there were no questions left unanswered for the readers (I know how annoying that is). I also wanted to end the story in a way to make the readers think. I have always enjoyed stories that got me to think about a what if. Such as what if rakshasas were real and the reason we don't believe they are is because we are all part rakshasa now? Or if people today intermingled to a large extent for a very long period of time, would there still be noticeable differences such as skin color?

Anyway, on to the story. There is not an existing story I based this on. This is simply my own ending to the story. I had been planning from the beginning for my character Abhavi to be part rakshasa and continue the purpose the brothers discovered in my second story. The brothers had wanted to pass on their purpose to someone who would understand it but they were refused. However, their purpose isn't over because of the brahmin Agastya and the child he finds. I really like the idea that Abhavi has a bit of all sides in him. He is by blood human and rakshasa but raised by a brahmin. This makes him the perfect person to continue Ilvala and Vatapi's dream.