Week 12 Story: The Greatest Rivals in the World

 Eli's restaurant was empty despite it being the nighttime rush. And this was not the first time this had happened. Ever since he had opened his restaurant it had consistently been empty, and the customers he did get often asked for a refund since his food was so terrible.

"Maybe I should not have decided to become a small business owner," he thought. "After all, I do not know how to cook at all and my restaurant is on the verge of bankruptcy."

But this was Eli's dream he had ever since he retired from weightlifting.

It was now closing time, and as he was about to close up a hooded man walked in. 

"I have heard you need some help with your restaurant," the stranger said. "I am a master chef who can help you, but it will cost you."

"What will it cost?" asked Eli.

"For everyday I work here you must give me 1% ownership of your restaurant until I own 50% of the restaurant. "I will handle the cooking and you will handle the business side."

Eli was hesitant to accept the offer as this was such a strange request, but seeing as he had no other choice he agreed.

"What should I call you anyways?" asked Eli.

"Just call me Snake," replied the man.

Like Snake said, he was able to help save Eli's restaurant. But he didn't just save it; in the first week of working there Snake had turned Eli's restaurant into the most popular restaurant in the state of California. And in two weeks it was the most popular restaurant in the world! 

However, something bugged Eli. He never actually knew who the man was. The man always wore his hood down and Eli could never get a good look at his face, but despite this there was something familiar about him. However, Eli never pressed Snake on his identity. After all, the restaurant was the most popular restaurant in the world.

Then 50days had past and Snake asked to speak with Eli.

"As you know I now own 50% of the restaurant according to the deal, and I would like to reveal the plan I had all along," said Snake.

With that Snake took off his hood and it was David, Eli's old weightlifting rival, underneath. David spoke before Eli could.

"While we were weightlifting rivals I often thought about what a good team we could be," David said. "And like you I decided to open a restaurant, but it failed due to me not knowing the business side. And when I heard about your failing restaurant I knew that I could use my naturally good cooking skills and your naturally good business skills to create the best restaurant in the world. I am sorry for deceiving you, but this was the only way I could think you would work with me. Will you continue to work with me?"

Eli sat there in silence for a minute and finally said, "Yes I will, friend."

David and Eli shake hands

Author's notes:  This story is a sequel to my week 2 deadlifting world champion story. This story is based on The Frog King's Folly from the book Indian Fables and Folklore. In the story a snake tricks the frog king into letting him eat all of the frogs he ruled over, and then the snake ended up eating the frog king himself. In this story I decided to make the snake Eli's old weightlifting rival David, but in the end I decided to have the rivals reconcile the past and become friends to make the greatest restaurant in the world.

Bibliography: Indian Fables and Folklore by Shovona Devi, 1919

Reading Notes: Indian Fables and Folklore Part B

 Shibi was a kind king who loved all the creatures. One day he sacrificed part of his body to a hawk so that it would not starve and the pigeon would live.

Brahma was sneezing a lot and then a demi god named Kshupa was born from his sneezing. He became king of the earth because he fought the giants out of heaven. A sage named Dadhichi and Kshupa then had a feud between each other. Then they became friends.

Prince Poundra thought he was the real Krishna and made counterfeit weapons of armor that Krishna had. Krishna and Poundra then fought and Krishna won. A fire demon was then sent to kill Krishna but it failed. 

A merchant thought that in order to get salvation you needed to get wealth. The merchant then sent his son money to be traded. However, all of the money was taken by a cunning woman. The son then taught a money to swallow a bunch of money and he sold that money to the woman for everything she had. 

One day a teacher asked his student to bring him a cat to get rid of mice, but the student brought a boy.

One day a bird wife told her husband she wanted to move her eggs away from the shore. However, the husband did not listen and the sea took the eggs. Then every bird in the world fought the sea and beat the sea. 

Bird

Bibliography: Indian Fables and Folklore by Shovona Devi

Reading Notes: Indian Fables and Folklore Part A

 The man in the eye is death?

The hare started taunting an elephant to a fight, but the hare kept dodging. The elephants saw the hare on his back and thought he was super strong, so they ran. 

Monkeys thought the moon had fallen down a well and then the monkeys fell down the well.

A sage turned a rat into a girl and it was raised. Then the girl turned back into a rat and married a rat. A rat got turned into a cat then a dog then a tiger then a rat again.

An old snake tricked the frog king into letting him eat all of the frogs and the frog king

A sage threatened the sun to give his wife sandals and a hat.

Yudhishtir got a dog into heaven

The sun gave the Pandavas a magic food bowl that could feed them.

Frog

Bibliography: Indian Fables and Folklore by Shovona Devi