Week 2 Story - Tricksters: The Burglar, The Security Guard, and the Curator
The Masked Bandit was one of the most elusive burglars the world had ever seen. In and out, no detection, no witnesses, ever- until one cool fall night.
The burglar wore his big puffy black jacket this cold night, easy for stuffing any extra loot not fitting inside his duffel. It was his good luck charm, at least he thought so.
Another perfect heist, the priceless jewels of the biggest museum in the world, all his... until at the last second his jacket got caught in the safe. The undetectable man, trying to free himself from the restraints he put himself in, was detected.
The on-shift security guard came upon him on one of his rounds and began to laugh at the fool caught in the safe.
"Oh how silly you look!" mocked the security guard, "you have done my job for me!"
"Please!" the burglar pleaded, "If you help free me from these restraints I will split them with you, we will both be rich!"
The security guard paused, not expecting such an intriguing proposition. With much thought put in, he finally replied "I will take 80% of the jewels, in return I will set you free."
The burglar, shocked his plea had any worth, grinned as the guard helped free him. Within seconds of being free of his entrapment, he pulled a gun he had stashed away his lucky jacket.
"You fool!" the bandit cried, "I shall take the jewels for myself!"
As the roles reversed so quickly, the security guard began to curse and beg for his life.
"Please! Give me time to clear the security tapes so that you will surely not be caught!" the guard begged trying to buy time.
"Fine. But make it fast", he got in reply.
The guard took off towards the security output, where the film storage is kept. On his way, he began to go somewhat mad, talking to the artifacts as he passed by. He began to ask them what he should do, and was awestruck to hear a response.
"Take me to him", the guard heard in a deep voice.
The security guard jumped back, barely squeaking out "... Attila the Hun..? Is that you..?" as he stared at the life-size figurine.
"No it's not you idiot, it's me the museum curator", a figure coming out of the shadows said.
"Oh of course! I thought I was going mad! Follow me to him, I am in a sticky situation!"
The two returned to the burglar, still waiting by the safe with the jewels packed up.
"Who are you?" the burglar belted as the two men approached.
"I am the curator, I was helping the guard with the video footage! I just had to come see you for myself! I could not believe someone was able to steal our jewels, I just don't believe it!"
"It is true, I am the best burglar around", he replied in a cocky manor.
"No.... it couldn't be. That safe is impossible to crack!"
"But I have done it! The jewels are the proof! I can crack any safe from the outside!" the burglar exclaimed.
"Show me! I must see how you cracked my safe!"
Feeling arrogant and as he had won, the burglar cracked the safe once more, showing he was the master of his craft. Until the safe door quickly shut behind him.
"You are truly such a wise thief!" the curator sarcastically yelled, trapping the burglar back inside the safe.
Author's notes:
This story of a helpful individual, betrayal, and ultimately justice is derived from the story of The Tiger, the Brahman and the jackal. When creating this story, I totally was picturing it out of the movie Night at the Museum, but I encourage the reader to picture it however their imagination allows!
Source: Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1912)
This is a very fresh take on The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackal. It started off suspenseful. I loved the night at the museum reference, and for a second I thought the whole museum was going to come to life to stop the burglar. I gotta say, I was a little disappointed when that didn't happen, but it did make for a funny joke that I chuckled at when the curator came out of the shadows. Really enjoyed reading this story, well done!
ReplyDeleteHey Clay,
ReplyDeleteI love this take on such a classic story! I did not realize the story for what it was until near the end when the burglar began to boast of his skills and his arrogance resulted in his capture. UP until then, and this sounds like what you were intending, I totally was imagining Night at the Museum! When you mentioned an Attila the Hun I literally broke out in laughter at the thought of Attila beating down a fancy cat burglar! I love the playfulness interjected throughout and how it pays such homage to its classical roots, great job and I am looking forward to what else you have to write this year!
Clay, awesome spin on that classic tale! I'm a huge night of the museum fan and have often fantasized about historical figures coming to life so this story immediately had my attention! Super creative revisions of this tale, like yours, make me appreciate all the different ways we can convey trickery, betrayal, and justice with the same loose format! Looking forward to reading more of your work!
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