“What made you choose this angle for the picture?”
“Watch the pain on the baby elephant’s face….”
“Yes. It is not a merry expression.”
“Have you heard the story of Lord Ganesha’s elephant head?”
“This is a museum, not an Indian mythological movie.”
“Allow me to complete. His father, Mahadev had ordered the head of a baby whose mother was sleeping with her back to her child. A baby elephant was the unfortunate one, whose head replaced Ganesha’s.”
“Why unfortunate? He gained immortality.”
“I see the same pain in the eyes of the baby elephant here. He has seen his mother being grounded, feet nailed to iron tiles, before he met the same fate. The pain remains the same, be it in any geography or era.”
“I agree. Immortality at the cost of a normal life is not welcome.”


When I first saw the picture, I found it haunting, your story says it all. Well done.
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Thanks, Mike!
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A reflection on the dark side of realism. Well done, Reena.
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Thanks, Franci!
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😊
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I don’t know much about the Indian mythologies, but this is a chilling tale. I don’t know how I feel about it yet except that the story chilled me.
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Skip that and try not to think about it. Taxidermy is not a pleasant topic.
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nise
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Agree very much Reena
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What an excellent take on the prompt.
Click to read my SunPhoFic!
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A fascinating moral story. There is a cost to everything in life.
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Right. Thanks, Susan!
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