Chapter Twenty Six: Week 5 Story - The One That Got Away

*Author’s Note: I drew inspiration from the part in the Ramayana where Sita decided to prove herself by allowing herself to be taken back by Mother Nature. I specifically drew inspiration from the film by Nina Paley. It’s called Sita Sings the Blues. It’s absolutely amazing. Anyway, I wanted my story to be somewhat modern and sort of relatable. It seems almost YA novel-ish but I think this is where we see most of finding yourself type of stories anyway. In my story I didn’t want the female to have to prove herself again because she had already done so she was tired of it so I wanted her to be able to find her self and realize that in a really good relationship you don’t have to consistently prove yourself so that’s exactly what I wrote about here. 



Diana had gone through enough in her current relationship. She was sick and tired of being treated like she wasn’t enough. She had proven herself countless times, but it still wasn’t enough for him. Unfortunately, she still loved him and probably would for the rest of her life. She knew deep down that Jake was her soulmate, and she was his. They were destined for each other. Through all of the trials and tribulations they faced, they always found their way back. But was this healthy? Was she in a relationship she didn’t realize was toxic the entire time? Jake is currently upset with her for something she didn’t even know about, and he won’t tell her. 

In order to cope with her current situation, Diana decided that she would go on an adventure around the world to find peace within. She went to various countries, starting with France making her way to Germany, Poland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. She documented everything and made significant progress while Jake sat by keeping tabs at home. He stalked her social media pages wondering if she really was doing better, unsure what would become of them when she returned. Now that she wasn’t physically there, he felt as if something was missing. But Diana found that she didn’t need to prove herself anymore. She learned she’d be far happier if she didn’t have to answer for every little action. She had finally returned from her world trip, so she took the opportunity and broke up with Jake. She realized she loved to travel so she packed up and continued her adventure. Shortly after their breakup, Jake realized what he had lost and attempted to make amends. He would find that Diana was not interested in his apologies. Every day from that point on, he dealt with the memories of the one person who truly understood him and how she got away. 


(Image titled A Backpacking Travel to Europe R002-005 by Kokorowashinjin on Flickr) 


Comments

  1. Hey, Kassy!

    I really enjoyed this story, giving a fresh perspective on the relationship between Rama and Sita. I also watched Sita Sings the Blues, and I agree that it was a great movie. It does feel at times frustrating that Sita doesn't stand up for herself and realize her own self-worth. I started speculating and I came to the explanation that Sita's unwavering loyalty is actually her tragic flaw. I go more into depth about my reasoning on my Part B reading notes for Sita Sings the Blues:
    https://crmclaughlin97.blogspot.com/2020/09/reading-notes-sita-sings-blues-part-b.html

    It's a long read, but I hope that you'd find it worth your time.

    Cheers,

    Chris

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  2. Hi Kassy,

    I love the inspiration you took for this story because I thought the same thing about Sita's submission to Rama's desires. It irritated me that she wouldn't stand up for herself and I honestly considered rewriting that part of the story as well. I loved the way you wrote this character as standing up for herself.
    I have one question though, why is Jake necessarily toxic? The text specifies that their relationship is toxic, but why is it necessarily so? Knowing the answers to these questions would help me relate to the story more.
    For this piece, I think it would be helpful to include dialogue as well so that we get a better sense of their relationship and how they communicate with each other. I want to see how they interact and why they are so toxic for each other. I would be able to connect more to their situation if I could experience their relationship.
    Awesome job Kassy!

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  3. Hey Kassy, I love the way you were able to modernize the story from the Ramayana. I also watched the film and often times found myself wondering why Sita had not had enough of her worth and faith being questioned by Rama, and was speculative that maybe she will realize at some point that she no longer has to prove herself to anyone and leave Rama. I enjoyed that in your story Diana came to the realization that she was worth more and deserved better than what she was getting, so she took matters into her own hands. What if in the story Diana met someone along her journey that really made her realize her worth, and understand that what she was dealing with back home was not healthy or normal? I think that could be a super cool dialogue to include in the story. Overall, I enjoyed reading your story and hope to see more in the future!

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  4. Hello Kassy, I really enjoyed how you were able to make this such a relatable story for many people. The change in character role and plot from the original was a great touch. I would have kept Sita's character role the same, but seeing this from a female perspecrive was unique. You did a great job showing the independent character role in Sita.

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  5. Hello Kassy,
    I like that you put a modern twist on this story, it actually kind of reminded me of the Netflix show 'YOU' when I read it. (If you haven't watched it, it's about a guy stalking the girl he's interested in and works to appear like he fell into her life by chance, etc.). Toxic relationships are definitely something that a lot of people can relate to.

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