Week 3 Story: Hanu the Dog

There was once a teenage boy named Varun, and it was rumored that he ran faster than the wind. An expert sprinter, Varun told all that his speed was due to his loyal German Shepherd, Hanu. As a young boy, Varun adopted Hanu when he was a puppy. Both Varun and Hanu were inseparable; whether it’s playing fetch or taking a walk, Varun always spent his time taking care of Hanu. As they grew older, they fell in love with racing, and the duo would run across the winding roads. Their sprints were a sight to behold, with the whole town holding their breath in anticipation to see who won the race.

 

One day, Hanu woke up with a hunger to run like no other; he was pacing around the house and could barely contain his excitement. He roamed around the town searching for Varun. When he finally found him, Hanu barked and begged to race, and his excitement was infectious. After what felt like hours of whining, Varun said,

 

“You want to race, boy? Let’s go for a quick run. We’ll make this one the fastest we’ve ever done.”

 

The duo ran back to the winding road behind their house, and the townsfolk knew this race will be like no other. Varun counted down the race:

 

“3,2,1. Go!”

 

And off they went! Initially, they were neck and neck, but Hanu soon outpaced Varun. Even the fastest sprinter couldn’t keep up with Hanu’s insatiable desire for speed. Faster and faster, Hanu ran towards a bright light. The light kept getting brighter, drawing him in, until Hanu froze. He was hit with a sound like no other. The blinding lights belonged to a white car, and the German Sheperd faced the noise of a screeching halt. As Varun caught up, he saw that the car stopped just in time, but he also knew that the car belonged to his father. Varun’s dad slammed the door and ran to Hanu, shouting:

 

“Hanu! You’re a bad dog, you’re grounded!”

 

Hanu winced with sadness, and Varun felt his pain as well. Both ran back to the house and went to Varun’s room, where they stayed put. The townsfolk were at a loss for words, and all, even Varun’s father, went to console both Hanu and Varun. All stood outside Varun’s room, giving compliments and praise to Hanu’s feats. Some brought gifts as well, with the local butcher bringing some steak so that Hanu can be even stronger. Finally, Varun’s dad came forth and made a promise to both Hanu and Varun.

 

“Varun, I promise I’ll get a trainer to help with Hanu. I want to give him the gift of intelligence and wisdom.”

 

After a moment of silence, Varun and Hanu came out, and all was good again.

 

Author's Note: My story was inspired by the tale of Hanuman and his father Vayu, the wind god. In the original story, Vayu and Hanuman were playing, and Hanuman's hunger made him believe the sun was a mango. With the help of Vayu, Hanuman went flying towards the sun, but he was struck down by Indra, the king of gods. Vayu took Hanuman to a cave, and all the gods came down to appeal to Vayu to return. All the gods gave Hanuman gifts, and Vayu eventually returned. I wanted the character names to be relatively similar, so I converted Hanuman to Hanu and Vayu to Varun. I also wanted to convert Hanuman to another animal that's mischievous but loyal, and I decided a German Shepherd would be the best fit. Both protagonists were hungry and were drawn to light, but both paid the price for it. Furthermore, the main antagonist in both stories were in positions of power over the protagonist, and both brought the gift of intelligence and wisdom.
 
Bibliography:  “When Hanuman Was Hungry” from Tiny Tales from the Ramayana, written by Laura Gibbs. Web Source.

 

A German Shepherd. Source: Wikimedia

 

Comments

  1. Hey Ish! This is a cool adaptation - my mind was at first in the ancient setting of the Ramayana (where racing and dogs definitely could fit in), so I was caught off guard by the dad arriving in a modern-day car! I also connected with some other elements of your story: one of my roommates has a German shepherd, and I had a friend back in summer camp when I was a teen named Varun. Little details like that can add a lot!

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  2. Hi Ish. I really liked your story. I thought it was really intense when the car almost hit Hanu, but I felt a sense of relief when I read that Hanu was alright. It was sad when Hanu was grounded, because I though that he might not be able to race again. However, that was not the case. Overall I really enjoyed your story.

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  3. Hey Ish!

    I really liked your adaptation of “When Hanuman was Hungry.” This was such a unique story that kept me intrigued the entire time I was reading it. I liked the idea that both Varun and Hanu were able to run faster than the wind itself. I felt kind of bad that the father got mad at Hanu and Varun. I thought that would be the end of their racing. I liked that the father eventually felt bad for what he had said and told Varun that he would get a trainer for Hanu. The story had a happy ending which I loved. Good job and keep up the good work!

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