Gilgamesh found himself on a beach with skulls and bones. He sought immortality for the people of his kingdom and himself, too.
Gilgamesh's girlfriend appeared to him as a bird and said, "The Sun God can help you." Then he saw the Sun God fade into the mountain, so he climbed and climbed. He fought beasts and rescued a lion cub from two scorpions. The scorpions where impressed by how he stood up to them, so they told him where the Sun God was. He went through the tunnel filled with monsters. Then he found the Sun God's garden.
"I seek immortality," said Gilgamesh.
"There's only one man who has immortality, and that is Utnapishtin," said the Sun God. Gilgamesh set off into the desert. He had lost all hope, until he saw a great palace covered with vines. Gilgamesh was determined to finish his quest. He knocked on the door. The door opened. He saw a beautiful woman who served wine to the gods .
"I have come for Utnapishtin," he said.
"He's not here. You have to cross the Sea of Death if you want to see him," said the lady, and it destroys every oar it touches." So Gilgamesh got a bunch of logs and made a boat and got 120 oars and started across the Death Sea.
He rowed and rowed, but when he broke all of the oars, he was so close that he wasn't giving up yet. He made his shirt into a sail.
When he saw Utnapishtim, he told him how long of a journey it took him to get there. Utnapishtim told him to stay six days and seven nights while listening to a story that made him immortal. While Utnapishtim told the story, Gilgamesh fell asleep. He failed the test.
When he woke up, he begged Utnapishtim for a second chance.
Utnapishtim told Gilgamesh, "See that light. There is a flower there. That flower will make you young until you die." So Gilgamesh dove into the Sea of Death and got the flower.
Then he started back to his kingdom. On the way, he stopped for a quick nap. Then Ishtar, a serpent ate the flower because she hated Gilgamesh. He awoke in horror, "Ishtar, you have killed my friends and now you have killed hope."
His friend Enkidu came flying down. Gilgamesh climbed on her back and so did the lion cub. He came upon his city. He knew how beautiful it was and was amazed at his own city! There was his immortality.
Jonathan, you really grasped all the important details of the story. I'm impressed with your recall.
ReplyDeleteYour writing is getting very smooth-one part of the story flows easily to the next.
My only suggestion is that the blue letters on the dark background are difficult to read. You don't have to change them but it would make it easier for your readers.