The Stars
This story by S. Rajaratnam is a biting satire of the “science” of astrology. Inspired by the author’s Hindu upbringing in which those around him shared a strong belief that one’s destiny is written in the stars, he relates the tale of an Indian farmer who doubles as his village astrologer. Having charted his own stars and determined the date and time of his death, he decides to silence sceptics by inviting the whole village to witness and celebrate the event. Themes include astrology, determinism vs. free will, obsession, faith, failure (“miscalculation”), scepticism.
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The Golden Goose is about a kind but not very clever young man who one day shares his food with a hungry old man. The old man tells him where to find a goose that has feathers of gold. The goose has a strange power. Those who touch it, and any who touch them, cannot remove their hands. A king, who has a daughter that has never laughed, has promised that she will marry the first man to make do so. The man and goose, with seven people running behind stuck fast to them, look silly enough to do this.
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There is not much one can add to what has already been written about this classic tale from