One early morning in New Delhi, India the Peacock awoke and started the day like any other. He went down stairs, turned on the news, and had a cup of coffee. Peacock doesn't have many friends, and he claims its by choice. But the real reason is that no one can stand to be around him. Whenever Peacock looks in the mirror, he admires his own colors and thinks that he is too beautiful to be associated with the other birds in his town. Whenever Peacock is in public he acts as though he is entitled to the finer things the town has to offer and deserving of the utmost respect. As he walks through the town square, new neighbors yell out, "Hi Mr. Peacock! How are you doing this afternoon?" But instead of replying, Peacock just turns his nose up, and saunters on. One afternoon, Peacock stopped to have lunch at a little bistro in the middle town. As he sat out on the patio, he watched as all of the other birds laughed, played, and talked to one another. He yearned for such interactions, but could not fathom the idea of being seen associating with birds that were not at beautiful as he. After arriving home, Peacock headed upstairs to admire himself in the mirror once more. As he gazed upon his long, beautiful, lush feathers- he hears flapping outside of his window. As he turns around, a black crow lands on the windowsill. Peacock cries, "HEY!!! GET OUT OF HERE!!" The crow sticks a wing out and introduces himself as the new next-door neighbor and instantly admires Peacock's large magnificent mirror. He asks if he can take a look into it, and Peacock snaps back saying that he is too ugly so he shouldn't waste his time. The Crow sighs and says "now I see why the others said not to come by and introduce myself." Peacock asked what he meant by that. The crow simply responds "we all know you are the most beautiful bird in town, but unfortunately that won't make you any friends. It's what's on the inside that matters", and flies back over to his home. It hadn't occurred to Peacock that others still cared to be he friend and no matter how often he looked in the mirror, it still couldn't fill the void of a true friendship.
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Girl Before A Mirror, 1932 by Pablo Picasso Link |
Authors note: The original story focuses on a Peacock and a Crow who take turns seeing what they look like in the mirror. Before the Crow insists on having a turn, the Peacock informs him that it is unnecessary due to his ugly appearance. The mirror ends up showing him his refection, and comments that how looks are deceiving and things such as mirrors fail to show the difference in character between the good and evil.
Bibliography: "The Peacock and the Crow" from Indian Fables by Ramaswami Raju. Web Source
I really enjoyed this story! It was cool how the mirror reflected more than the peacocks physical appearance. My very first thought after reading this story was the children's books about the rainbow fish who had beautiful scales. I am not sure if you are familiar, but maybe you could check it out! I always loved it as a kid, and I liked that it made this new story feel familiar. I also loved the photo that you decided to use! I am not sure if it was previously associated with the story but it is beautiful and is a great visual to exactly what the story describes.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your story and the message that it portrayed. Although peacock felt as though he didn't need to have any friends, he knew that he was lonely. It seems as though the peacock was vibrant and full of color on the outside but every time he would see himself in the mirror it was nothing but grey and dark like he was on the inside.
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