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Week 4 Story- The Hungry Urshana

It had been seven days that all of the animals had been stowed away on the ship. They were hungry. They were tired. Their paws, claws, and hooves hurt. It seemed as though every moment another type of animal was complaining about something, and it took all Noah had to be patient and try to tend to their every need. He was exhausted as well; not only did he have to build this giant ark, load all of the living things on the entire earth into the ark, load and take care of this family, but he also had to feed every species on the boat. Imagine herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores all living in one boat. It was all Noah's responsibility to keep them from eating each other and from eating Noah and his family! For such a long time, as well. This was not just a week-long, leisurely vacation with his family. This was the entire responsibility of saving the world that God had put in Noah's hands! So yes, stressed and exhausted is an understatement.
On the eighth day, Noah was walking through the ark trying to feed all of the animals everything they needed. He simply needed a break. Noah walked to a corner of the ship that he didn't think any animals even knew about. Noah sat down against the wall and placed his head in his hands. "Oh God, I don't think I can do this any longer. I don't know why you chose me for this job. I am exhausted and I am incapable." "...Um...excuse me? Noah?" A little tiny urshana poked his head out from behind some hay in the corner. "Hi Noah. I couldn't help but overhear you talking to God just now. I know this probably means nothing coming from a tiny guy like me, but I think you are doing an absolutely wonderful job. You are patient and kind and all of the animals love and appreciate you, even if it doesn't seem that way."
What I picture an urshana to look similar to. 
Noah was speechless. He had forgotten about the urshana species. They reminded him of mice, but smaller and gentler. He remembered how kind they were when he was originally loading the ship, offering to help Noah in whatever ways they could. Noah looked down at the little guy. "I really appreciate you voicing that to me. It has been a difficult journey for my family and myself, but we are making it. Your kind words mean more than you know, friend. Say...you look a little smaller than normal. Are you hungry?" The small urshana felt his stomach growl deeply at the mention of hunger. "Well, I did not want to bother you as you were trying to find food for all of the other animals, but now that you mention it I am a bit hungry." Noah reached in his sack and pulled out a square of cheese. "How does this look?" The urshana practically drooled at the sight. "That is better than anything I could even imagine! You are so good to us Noah, thank you! I knew the Lord was right in choosing you for this job." It was at that moment that Noah was reminded of his purpose in the journey God had him on.


Author's Note: I wrote this story based mainly off of one sentence from the story The Flood by Louis Ginzberg in The Legends of the Jews. In this sentence, Noah finds an urshana in the corner of the ark who hasn't eaten in a very long. Noah asks if he is hungry, and the urshana says that he did not want to both Noah. I thought this sentence was beautiful and needed to be expanded upon. I could just imagine the way that Noah was feeling throughout his time on the Ark. Exhausted and stressed and probably underqualified. Sometimes you just need encouragement, and that is what I pictured that Noah felt when he spoke with the urshana. Thanks for reading!

Bibliography: The Flood by Louis Ginzberg in The Legends of the Jews

Comments

  1. Hello again Piper! This story was really touching and realistic considering this story is the story of Noah's Arc. The amount of details you put into the story really stood out to me. In the original story, it never mentioned how exhausted Noah was or how hard it was to complete that task, so you did a great job or portraying those personal feelings. I was a little confused what the specific circumstance was that made Noah realize his purpose again. Was it the urshana speaking to him? Was it the urshana thanking him? Or was it the selfless act that the urshana performed by holding back his hunger to appreciate Noah?
    I suggest making that a little more clear for your readers. Your author's note was easy to read and clarified some of my questions that I had. I also like you did take that scene from the original story and recreated your story as an expansion. Great job Piper!!

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  2. Hi Piper,

    I think that your story is fantastic. Its great that you were able to build an entire story off of one sentence. The urshana is so cute! I agree with Caitlin. I think that the ending could use a bit of expansion. I can see how this moment would make Noah feel better, but I think that maybe the conversation or Noah's thoughts should guide us to see how he got from misery to remembering why he started this journey.

    I look forward to reading more of your work!

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  3. Piper,

    Fantastic story! I do not know where to start, I was so impressed that you took one sentence from a story and ran with it. What a unique way to write a story and provide details that may have originally been overlooked. I was interested throughout the entire story.

    What if Noah had interacted with other animals? Perhaps other animals were not as nice to Noah but he was still nice to them? I am wondering what made the animals tired and what their specific complaints were. Or maybe you highlight more on how the Urshana was very helpful in the beginning, only to get his reward at a later time?

    I think it would be great if you looked into the other animals as well, all while keeping the Urshana the main focus, because I like how you made it that way. Maybe consider very different animals that all respond to Noah differently.

    Awesome story, cannot wait to read more!

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  4. Hi Piper! I love this story and how you focused on the emotions Noah was feeling. When I have previously read the original story in the Bible, I never felt like enough emphasis was given to how difficult it must have been for Noah to go through all of this. Taking that one sentence about the urshana and creating this story out of it makes for a very moving piece! Great job!

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  5. Hi Piper!
    Love the story, I was able to skim through your entire storybook and I actually am a big fan of all your work. I know my bible well and so I was really drawn into your biblical stories like the one above. Hopefully you continue to write after this semester because you really have a unique ability to draw your readers in and keep them wanting more. Great job!

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Introduction to Pip

Hi friends! Welcome to my blog :) My name is Piper, but most of my friends call me a slew of nicknames like Pipe, Pipey, Pipes, Pipeydoodle, Pip (hence Pip Pip Hurray)... you get the point! I am a student at the University of Oklahoma, and I am currently finishing up my last semester before I graduate (don't remind me, I'm getting emotional about it). I am from Tulsa, OK originally, and I would love to go back someday, but my future is pretty up in the air right now so I am not sure when that might be. I am studying Health and Exercise Science with an emphasis on Pre-Occupational Therapy, and the goal would be to start OT school in Summer 2020. I'm super passionate about people and forming relationships, which is what drew me to OT. I love the idea of working in a profession that allows me to make new friends, love others, and solve problems all at the same time. As well as my many nicknames, my friends call me an old lady at heart. I love to read (most recent book- Where