Week 7 Story: Firefighter
When I was young, I was a hero. I slayed dragons, and rescued damsels in distress. I fell in love with mermaids, and defeated creatures of legend like the demon boar. The people of Japan wrote songs about me and praised me like a God. I am Yamato. You may have heard of me.
Now, things are a little different....
People don't remember who I am. The young people don't anyways. I will find an old soul here and there sometimes. They will invite me to their home for dinner, and we will share stories. It's nice. It reminds me of a time when I was younger, where everyone knew the amount of respect immortals deserved.
That way of life is lost.
Dating? Don't even think about it.
So from one immortal to another, I am leaving these words to you, whoever you may be, to help you adapt to this new life.
Rule #1: Change your name.
This one is hard, I know. But it's a necessity. Your name is probably one that hasn't been used in decades, possibly even centuries. And not a lot of people know this, but the paintings of me done over time are scary accurate. If the paintings done of you, if any, are accurate at all and the people of Japan hear your name, they will start to get curious. We don't want this, trust me.
So change your name. Pick something common. Blend in. Don't be someone that someone will remember.
Rule #2: Don't attempt to lead.
I am speaking from personal experience on this one. In previous years, I decided to become emperor of Japan. I revealed myself to those in charge, and they put me on the throne.
You do not want this.
Leadership is responsibility and after a lifetime of being a hero, you will want to relax. I promise you this is not the way to go about it. On top of that, things are different now. We can't just go to war with people who upset us. That way of life is gone. A leader is required to be friendly, but stern. Merciful, but harsh. And don't even get me started on public image.
Just don't.
Rule #3: You're not a hero anymore.
This one took me some time to learn. I wanted to be praised, and I wanted to feel like I was contributing to something meaningful. I searched day and night for opportunities to prove my valor. But there are no demons anymore. They have been slain. The mythical creatures of old have gone into hiding, even I don't know where they went. Their isn't a war to fight anymore.
Well. I think that's all I have for you. If I'm being honest, I didn't follow that third rule very well. One night, when I was out running, I saw an apartment on fire and rushed to help. But when I got there, their were already a dozen men sprinting around, spraying water and escorting people to safety.
It was very.... heroic. I just got hired on in a new station over on 5th street, and I'm already late for my shift.
It will be hard, and it will require you to change your perspective a little, but you can fit into this new world if you want.
And if I can give you one last piece of advice, let me say this -
Find purpose.
Good luck, hero.
THE END
Now, things are a little different....
People don't remember who I am. The young people don't anyways. I will find an old soul here and there sometimes. They will invite me to their home for dinner, and we will share stories. It's nice. It reminds me of a time when I was younger, where everyone knew the amount of respect immortals deserved.
That way of life is lost.
Dating? Don't even think about it.
So from one immortal to another, I am leaving these words to you, whoever you may be, to help you adapt to this new life.
Rule #1: Change your name.
This one is hard, I know. But it's a necessity. Your name is probably one that hasn't been used in decades, possibly even centuries. And not a lot of people know this, but the paintings of me done over time are scary accurate. If the paintings done of you, if any, are accurate at all and the people of Japan hear your name, they will start to get curious. We don't want this, trust me.
So change your name. Pick something common. Blend in. Don't be someone that someone will remember.
Rule #2: Don't attempt to lead.
I am speaking from personal experience on this one. In previous years, I decided to become emperor of Japan. I revealed myself to those in charge, and they put me on the throne.
You do not want this.
Leadership is responsibility and after a lifetime of being a hero, you will want to relax. I promise you this is not the way to go about it. On top of that, things are different now. We can't just go to war with people who upset us. That way of life is gone. A leader is required to be friendly, but stern. Merciful, but harsh. And don't even get me started on public image.
Just don't.
Rule #3: You're not a hero anymore.
This one took me some time to learn. I wanted to be praised, and I wanted to feel like I was contributing to something meaningful. I searched day and night for opportunities to prove my valor. But there are no demons anymore. They have been slain. The mythical creatures of old have gone into hiding, even I don't know where they went. Their isn't a war to fight anymore.
Well. I think that's all I have for you. If I'm being honest, I didn't follow that third rule very well. One night, when I was out running, I saw an apartment on fire and rushed to help. But when I got there, their were already a dozen men sprinting around, spraying water and escorting people to safety.
It was very.... heroic. I just got hired on in a new station over on 5th street, and I'm already late for my shift.
It will be hard, and it will require you to change your perspective a little, but you can fit into this new world if you want.
And if I can give you one last piece of advice, let me say this -
Find purpose.
Good luck, hero.
 |
| Firefighter Link |
THE END
Author's Note:
Hey! Thanks for reading my story. I really did not know where I wanted to go with this, so I just started writing, and we got here. I don't know if I based it off something, or just kind of made up, but I'm happy where it ended. I wrote about Yamato, from Japanese Mythology. He was a great hero, similar to the heroes we read about in Greek Mythology. He did a lot and was very well known in Japan.
Bibliography:
Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917).
Hi Rhett! Phenomenal story! I am amazed by the creativity and fun you had with this. Even through it does not follow a specific story, it flows incredibly well and makes total sense. It was helpful that you included bits of mythology and history within the story. I loved how it was advice to a hero from an immortal hero. The story had a conversational tone that was easy to read and follow. I wonder if Yamato will continue being a fire fighter or if he will find another purpose.
ReplyDeleteHey Rhett! I think your concept for this story was amazing along with your execution. It honestly amazes me that you didn't plan this out before you wrote it because at some points, I felt nostalgic like I could relate to what Yamato was talking about. You captured the tone of wistfulness very well. I just want to reiterate how cool this idea was!
ReplyDeleteHi Rhett!
ReplyDeleteThis was a very fun story to read! I've never really though about what it would be like for an immortal to live in the modern world. So the idea of a "how to" guide for immortals to fit it with the modern world as times change is very creative. I also love how you took a character and just wrote a completely different type of around him. Very creative! I'm excited to read more of your stories!
Hi Rhett! I loved reading your story! I especially love your idea of making a guide for other immortals to survive this modern world. Throughout reading I was like "what is this about?" because I always try and see if I can make a connection to the original story. So when I read your author's note, it all made sense. Even then, I still think you did an amazing job with this story! I really liked that you also included references to history and mythology by mentioning "emperors" and "demons." This was a really fun story!
ReplyDeleteHi Rhett, this is a really interesting take on the story! When I got to your author's notes I was like... so did you just make up your own story? and then I saw that you retold the Yamato story and then I was like nice! I really like the way that you chose to tell the story, instead of doing like a traditional and regular story telling, you went for a talking to the readers approach. It felt like I was reading a guide to something. Great job!
ReplyDelete