Week 6 Storytelling: Bed of Arrows

Well, this is awfully embarrassing, Bhishma thought to himself. The moment I step out of my chariot, I manage to trip over nothing and fall directly onto a large number of arrows. Great. Fantastic. Good job, Bhishma, really.

He struggled to free himself, but it was no use. There were too many arrows pinning him to the ground, and shifting his weight caused him too much pain.

Well, that's fine. At least I'm not close to the fighting, so I don't think anyone saw me fall. I'll just die here alone. I'm okay with that.

That's precisely when Bhima came by on his chariot.

"Great Bhishma, are you hurt?" he yelled, his voice echoing off into the battlefield.

Well, obviously I'm hurt. Do you not see the long pointy things sticking out of me? But Bhishma restrained himself. Such an answer was not befitting a man of his stature.

"My dear Bhima, physical wounds are nothing. What truly pains me is this terrible fight that has torn apart my family." Yes! Solid answer, just the right amount of wisdom bestowed. Pat yourself on the back, Bhishma.

"Of course, I understand. I shall fetch my brothers and all the Kauravas at once to come see you in your final hour." Bhima hurried off in his chariot, crying out to every warrior he passed to pay their respects to the great Bhishma.

"No, wait! That's not...okay, you're gone." Of course, it had to be Bhima who found me. Not someone quiet like the twins.

Soon after, all of the warriors on both sides had come to pay their respects to Bhishma, who was much loved for his wisdom and selflessness. It was the mighty Arjuna who spoke first. "Oh lord Bhishma, I know I speak for all, Pandava and Kaurava alike, when I say we are truly saddened to see your death. But please know that you have not died without purpose."

No, no, no. I refuse to die in front of everyone like this. I'm not going to let these idiots make me out to be some kind of martyr. "Arjuna, I fear you have made an error. I may be wounded, but I have yet to die."

"Well, yes, I suppose you aren't dead yet, but you are bleeding profusely from a number of vital organs."

"They are but flesh wounds! My immortal spirit will continue to live on, long after this war has finished." 

Taken aback somewhat by these words, Arjuna didn't know how to proceed. "Well, um...Is there anything we can get for you while you continue to grace us with your wise and virtuous presence?" 

"Some water would be absolutely lovely. Being pinned to the ground by dozens of arrows is really quite thirsty work."

With a quick snap of his bow, Arjuna shot an arrow into the ground, creating a spring of water that shot straight into Bhishma's open mouth.

Such a show-off. 

Bhishma on the bed of arrows; Source: wikimedia

Author's note: This story is taken from Narayan's version of the Mahabharata. This whole scene was probably the most striking part of the final battle between the two groups. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a serious story or a funny story this week, but I really liked the idea of seeing more of Bhishma's inner thoughts while he's lying on the arrows, and it was much easier to write him as a snark who manages to live through his injuries just out of pure spite. I chose this image in particular because there are a lot of images out there depicting this scene, but this one in particular shows the look I would imagine Bhishma's face to have while drinking the water. In the original story, Bhishma is much more stoic and calm, as he is throughout most of the story, so I hope this is a fun counterpoint to his original self. I decided to use italics to write Bhishma's thoughts directly instead of narrating them traditionally, and I think this stream-of-consciousness technique helps convey Bhishma's frustration with the other characters.  I was writing the story when I realized the story was becoming a bit like a scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, so I added a line to reference it explicitly. It really helped play up the more over-the-top aspects of the story.