Week 5 Story: Adventures of the Brothers Fite pt. 2

Adventures of the Brothers Fite

Pt. 2 The Homerun Derby

A few days after the Rama and Lakshmana returned home from the Meadow of Sports, the brothers learned that King Janaka was hosting a Homerun Derby and that the winner would be granted permission to marry Sita. Lakshmana was stoked, "Rama this is it! This is your chance to win Sita! You can hit a homerun in your sleep." 

"It's not that simple," Rama retorted, "all the other competitors are kings with way more training and experience than me. I know that I'm strong, I just worry it won't be enough. I don't want to let Sita down." 

Despite his hesitation, Rama entered the Derby and he and Lakshmana began their journey back to the Meadow of Sports. When they arrived, the boys learned that all the competitors would be required to hit with the bat of the god Siva. Only a man truly worthy of Sita would be able to harness the power of the bat to hit a homerun. King Janaka wanted to be sure that Sita's husband would love her well and make her happy. Rama was filled with confidence because he knew that his love for Sita was pure and true and that would surely be enough to utilize the full power of Siva's bat. 

Each competitor had only swing with the bat. One chance to hit the ball out of the park. One chance to win Sita's heart. Batter after batter, king after king, stepped up to the plate to take their swing. No one could master the power of Siva's bat to his the ball out of the park. 

Meadow of Sports 

Finally, it was Rama's turn. As stepped into the batter's box, Lakshmana whispered a quick prayer, knowing that Rama's hit would be earth-shaking. Rama was in the box, the pitch sped towards him, high and inside, just like he wanted. Rama took a deep breath, and as he swung the bat he knew that this was it. The bat made contact with the ball and....

CRACK!!!!

Siva's bat splintered in two as the ball soared through the air, across the field, and out of the Meadow of Sports. The sound of the hit shook the ground and good be heard from miles around. At first, the crowd was shocked, but then Lakshmana broke the stunned silence with a loud, "That's my brother!" Thunderous applause followed, and Sita ran to Rama. Celebrations rang throughout the stadium as King Janaka proclaimed Rama the winner. 

Author's Note: I decided to write this story about Rama winning Sita by breaking Siva's bow because I thought it was the perfect place to pick up from my story a couple of weeks ago. I loved the idea of the Meadow of Sports, and wanted to continue with my interpretation of what that may look like. My source material was The Divine Archer by F.J. Gould, and I especially enjoyed this version because of the way it showed Lakshmana's personality. I held off telling the part of the story where an angry hermit came to challenge Rama because I thought it may be interesting to make that its own story a little later on. 

Source: The Divine Archer by F.J. Gould (pt. 2)