Week 6 Story: Bruce and Helga
Bruce was watching over his four brothers and mother as they rested in the forest, when a beautiful woman appeared. As she finished telling Bruce that they needed to get out of this part of forest as soon as possible, for there was a powerful demon with a thirst for human flesh residing nearby Bruce let out an echoing laugh.
"Any demon in this forest can come get a piece, if they dare!" Bruce boomed through the forest. His voice was nearly as large as his physique. Bruce stood over 7 feet tall--he was a freak of nature. His muscles had muscles and his strength was unparalleled among humans. Demons, on the other hand, were a different beast entirely. They would eat humans for breakfast, even powerful ones. Bruce was no ordinary warrior though.
Helga, a hideous she-demon who ran this part of the forest became enraged after hearing Bruce's challenge. She flew to where the scent of humans was the strongest, and then charged the clearing where Bruce was standing tall. Bruce was ready though. He grabbed the charging demon and flung her through the sky. Helga, initially caught of guard by the absurd strength, recovered her wits and shot out her powerful demon tongue to wrap up Bruce. She pulled him along with her as she flew back through the sky from the momentous fling of the giant hero. They wrestled through the sky in a thundering heap, tearing through every tree in their path. At last they hit the ground. Helga recovered from the fall first, and attempted to bite through the jugular of her fallen foe. Bruce tried to stand, but it was difficult to order his 7 foot frame after falling thousands of feet and landing on the hard dirt like a sack of potatoes. Alas, the demon was too quick. Helga opened her mouth to full extension, more than a foot in length and width, and dug her razor sharp teeth into the neck of the fallen warrior. Unfortunately for Helga, her demon teeth couldn't even pierce the skin of Bruce's neck: his muscles were harder than diamonds, even those in his thick neck. The teeth of the demon shattered, and she let out a horrific scream. Bruce, quick to react, promptly picked up the demon and snapped her over his knee.
The forest clearing in which Bruce and his family rested.
Source: Commons
Author's Note: The story that I used for inspiration for my writing was from the PDE of the Mahabharata: the story of Bhima and Hidimba. In the original, the sister of a powerful demon warns Bhima while he is on watch that her brother is a wicked demon chieftain seeking to eat him and his family. Bhima refuses to be intimidated which enrages the chieftain. They proceeded to wrestle through the forest until Bhima eventually breaks the demons back over his knee. I changed the story by changing the names and adding different description of my character Bruce. I also changed the chieftain from a guy demon to a girl demon. I did reuse Bhima's trademark finishing move for Bruce's fight, however.
Bibliography: Bhima and Hidimba within Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie
Hi Christian. I enjoyed reading your story and thought it was a good adaptation for the Mahabharata. I liked how you gave the characters Americanized names because it makes it easier for a modern reader to follow. I was surprised by the twist where the demon couldn't kill Bruce due to the diamond strength of his muscles, and I thought that was a good way to end the story.
ReplyDeleteChristian! First off, I would like to say that one of the things that drawn me to the story was the way you described the demon's characteristics that was nicely drawn out through the words. You used many of the 5 senses that created a unique image in my head as I am reading through the story! I do wonder though if there was any backstory as to where the demon comes from and how it manifested itself; but maybe this can be another spin-off story that can happen later on! Otherwise, good work and I look forward to the blog.
ReplyDeleteChristian,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your story and your use of language and descriptive words. I have been trying to incorporate new ways to intrigue readers and your work is a great example. It really draws the readers in and makes them want to keep reading and want even more stories. Your creativity in your stories is very intriguing and I hope to read more stories and your project. I like the small touches you added and changed to modernize your story.