In the town of Norman Ka Shivir, there were five friends: Mia, Brooke, Rowdi, Steven, and Josh. These five friends hung out every week just doing whatever they could to pass time and have fun together. So, one day the friends went on an adventure around the town on the new electric scooters that made their mark in town. In a group of friends like these five, there are always a few that could be questionable on how they make it through the day and still come out without hurting themselves or others and then there are some that are noble and levelheaded that some look up to.
The friends set out on the scooters to go roam the campus and experience the new fall colors added to the gardens and the trees that were starting to change the colors of their leaves. Some of the friends were not coordinated enough to roam about on these scooters with ease and Brooke and Josh really set the bar for this theory to become true. As the friends were making their way across campus Brooke and Josh were going as slow as they could, running off the sidewalks and falling off the scooters at every turn that was made. While Mia, Rowdi, and Steven were moving along with grace and coordination following next to each other making the ride seem like a breeze, Brooke and Josh were covered in grass and had scuffed up hands.
The ride finally came to end when the friends arrived at their favorite place to be on Campus Corner to wind down for the night, O'Connell's.
The friends parked the scooters and made their way into the pub to sit at the bar and relax for the night. However, there was a problem that faced them once they arrived at the bar to sit down. The normal bartender that served them every time they visited was no longer there and the new bartender was not going to allow them a free seat unless they were to answer questions given to them. The bartender made it clear that no one was to sit at the bar until all questions were asked and answered.
As the friends approached each were given a question, Rowdi was first to be asked.
The bartender asked Rowdi, "What room do ghosts avoid?"
Rowdi replied, "The living room." Rowdi's answer was correct and the bartender let her sit down at the bar.
Mia and Steven were next in line and both were given the same question to answer together.
The bartender asked the question to Mia and Steven, "My life can be measured in hours, I serve by being devoured. Thin, I am quick. Fat, I am slow. Wind is my foe. What am I?"
Mia and Steven really had to stop and think this through to figure out what the answer could be. Luckily for Steven he was paired with Mia who is able to think through and find the answer.
Mia quickly blurted out, "It's a candle." The bartender was shocked she actually got it right and granted Mia and Stephen a seat at the bar with Rowdi.
Next were Brooke and Josh and both were being clumsy and had no regard for their surroundings. Both of them proceeded to sit down and were oblivious to the warnings that were given to them.
The bartender said to them, “I warned you to not sit at the bar unless you could answer my simple questions first.”
Brooke replied, “I only want a drink, not to play any games with you.”
So, the bartender turned to the big security guard sitting in the corner and summoned him over to take care of Brooke and Josh. Mia being the noblest of them all pleaded with the bartender to give her more questions to answer for Brooke and Josh to have a place at the bar.
The bartender was not one to cave with persuasion that all college students pleaded with on a nightly basis. The security guard grabbed the two friends and outside they were sent to spend the rest of the night, sitting next to the old gentleman playing the guitar while everyone else sat inside enjoying a cold one.
Author's Note: I am not very good at this creative writing thing and so it took me way longer than it probably should have to write 500 words to get this short story completed. When reading the Mahabharata, the story that really stuck out to me the most was the story of the Hundred Questions. This is when the brothers are famished from hunting all day and need water. They come upon a pond and are told to answer questions before they can partake in drinking the water. One by one the brothers go to the pond to make sure it is safe to drink and each one is given the warning to not drink the water until they answer the questions that are asked to them. However, the brothers being tired and thirsty disregarded the warning and drank the water and instantly fell dead. Each one of the brothers did this until the last one, Yudhistira, he was wise enough to see his brothers' mistake and answer the questions the yaksha asked him. In return he was granted one wish since he was able to answer all the questions that were asked to him. In the first line, “Norman Ka Shivir” is Hindi for Norman’s Camp. I used this because the name for the town of Norman came from a guy named Norman. Norman thought it would be funny when surveying the land for Oklahoma before the Land Rush to brand “Normans Camp” into an elm tree.
Bibliography: The Mahabharata, R.K. Narayan. Book Source.
Banner Source: Friends
Riddles used in the story are from- Riddles Web Source