Week 5 Story: The Doctor Who Didn't Believe in Fate
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| Surgeon's Tools |
Once, there was a doctor who did not believe in fate. Though many relied on fortune telling as a way of life, he was an exception. The doctor was kind in nature, but also a man of practicality.The notion of having a set destiny was something of fiction. At the very least, he assumed that those who believed in fate were just wishful thinkers, daydreaming to pass the time.
The doctor often traveled far and wide to treat his patients, as healers were hard to come by. It was on his many journeys that he encountered interesting people from different walks of life, including the occasional fortune teller. One particular day, the doctor encountered an oracle beckoning him over to their stall off the side of the road. Too polite to ignore them, the doctor went over to give the fortune teller a spare moment of his time.
What this oracle said was peculiar, unlike anything the doctor had heard before. “You, my good young man,” they started, “are destined to marry a princess. As a reward for your kindness, your matrimony will be happy and virtuous.” They smiled at the doctor, and concluded, “your fate is already sealed.”
It took everything in his power not to chuckle in their presence. Of all the various fortunes he had been told, this was the most strange and unusual. Still, the doctor thanked the oracle for their time and carried on, disregarding the idea of ever marrying a princess.
It was nightfall by the time the doctor had reached the next town. Looking for a place to lodge for the evening, he was soon drawn to a secluded cottage in the woods. Approaching the door dimly lit by a hanging lantern, he was greeted by an old woman who kindly offered him a bed and a meal during his stay.
As the two ate in silence, he noticed a small light coming from a different part of the cottage, where another person appeared to be dining alone. When asked, the old woman said that a distant relative had joined her to live in the country. The young lady in the next room had been in poor health for most of her life, only worsening as time passed.
“May I see her? I am a doctor, you see—perhaps I can help.” He asked, and the old woman agreed to this, hopeful that this young man could help in some way.
The two went into the next room to greet the young lady. She looked sickly and weakened, confined to the bed and barely able to move. Explaining the situation, she agreed to be examined, looking for any way to stop the pain that she felt. After observing her, the doctor found the source of her illness and requested wine for the next procedure. With much patience, the lady drank as much as she could, and with the old woman present, the doctor made an incision and went to work. Many hours later, he sewed the wound and bandaged the young lady. Despite being tired and sore, she already seemed better as she dozed off for the night.
Time passed as the doctor continued to travel. It wasn’t until much later that he found himself in the same woods where he treated the young lady from the cottage. It was there that he saw her again, only this time she seemed to have a regal air about her, walking about. He found himself taken to her. Recognizing the young man, she greeted him and properly introduced herself.
“My good doctor, I am the princess of this kingdom. It wasn’t too long ago that I was ill and had to be sent away—no one could rid of my sickness, and I feared I that I would never recover until you arrived. I ask that you come and work for me at the palace as the royal doctor.”
Unable to refuse such an offer, the doctor agreed and worked in the palace, treating many throughout the kingdom. As fate would have it, he and the princess did fall in love and marry. Like the oracle had once said, the doctor lived a full and happy life in the palace. And so it goes.
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Author’s Note
The first time I read this story, I was shocked to see the prince receive the fate he wanted at a terrible price. With a story like that, I don’t think the prince was deserving of his fortune. In my mind, his new wife should have reprimanded and left him. That, or the story would have to be changed to have a satisfying outcome. Which is what I decided to do, because I like myself a good ending.
Instead of writing a prince, I wanted to create a character who could heal the weaver’s daughter. That is how the doctor came to be. Secondly, I decided to make the doctor skeptical, someone who doesn’t believe in fate and would be happily surprised at the end of the story. With that, I made the weaver’s daughter a princess, one removed from her kingdom so that she could heal, left in the care of an employee from the palace. From there the story wrote itself, with the main character’s destined for one another.
For readers curious about surgery during ancient times, please note that I am not at all familiar with medicine in history, most of which failed until the 1800s. A lot of alcohol was involved. All in all, suspend any logic for this story.
Bibliography: “Fate” from Georgian Folk Tales, translated by Mary Wardrop. Web source.
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Tell: I absolutely LOVED this story! As a pre-medical student who also enjoys the mixture of nonfiction with history, this story was right up my alley. I thought the way you changed the story was both fascinating and logical.
ReplyDeleteAsk: I am curious as to what sort of illness the doctor treated. I always enjoy a little bit of medical gore in regards to detailing, so that may just be a "me" thing to be interested. I also would love to know how the two came to fall in love. I like the possibility of an appreciative princess when it comes to intelligence, but I would be even more interested to see what sparked the flame for the doctor.
Give: What if you decided to flip the sex of the two characters? Sometimes it is interesting to see how a male can have his interest peaked in regards to the intellect of a woman as opposed to possibly just her beauty. The reason I say this is because many of these old myths tend to focus on a woman's beauty instead of her smarts/wits. Not to mention, it would be pretty awesome for a female doctor in that day and age to heal the wound of a male, especially a prince!
Hi Natalie!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite parts about this story was how you made the doctor skeptical of fate. First and foremost, I feel that doctor's outlook made the story more relatable to me, as I am sometimes skeptical of fate. Additionally, I feel that is exactly how doctors in real life feel about fate. That aspect of the story made the story come to life and become much more realistic. Last but not least, I appreciated that the doctor worked at the palace as a doctor first, then fell in love. Once more, I feel that is much more realistic and more true to an actually love story. Overall, I really enjoyed your story!
Hi Natalie,
ReplyDeleteI love the use of the 'they' pronouns when describing the oracle. I am all for gender ambiguity. I am curious about the original story. Maybe you could explain it a bit in the Author's Note? I really like the skeptical outlook of the doctor, and the fact that he was not rude to the Oracle even though he didn't believe. I would love to hear more about the Doctor and Princess falling in love.