Week 3 Story: Passing a Curse

Running late for class one windy afternoon in late October 2017, Timmy was panicked. He had spent weeks studying for the exam he was about to be late for. As the model of a perfect student, Timmy couldn't fathom that he had slept through his alarm. He'd barely put on shoes or a shirt as he stumbled from his apartment towards campus. As Timmy passed the Physical Science Center, a blast of wind hit him from behind. Off balance, he tripped over his untied shoes. Everything from Timmy's unzipped backpack spilled across the pavement. Papers flew everywhere. Already late for his exam, Timmy hurriedly grabbed everything he could find. Some papers had flown so far that Timmy knew he had no hope of gathering them. He snatched up his laptop, a handful of papers, and sprinted towards the Physical Science Center by the shortest route- directly under the clock tower.

Late to his exam, Timmy did the best he could. Despite his best efforts, Timmy struggled to remember anything. He could do little but stare at the exam, rub his sore knee he'd scraped on the pavement, and feel frustration build inside him. His weeks of studying had amounted to nothing! Timmy was devastated, but not surprised, when his professor returned his exam the following week. Timmy had just earned his first F! The model student didn't know what to do. Could he still graduate on time? Would he have to give up on his dream of becoming a doctor?

In the following weeks, Timmy's life fell apart. He failed exam after exam in each of his courses, regardless of his studying efforts. He dropped his laptop in a puddle that caused it to short-circuit. Due dates came and went without Timmy's knowing. The perfect student seemed destined to spend a fifth year at OU. It was only when Timmy recounted the many mishaps of his semester to his roommate that he learned of the curse of the clock tower.

"Walking underneath the clock tower means I won't graduate in four years?" Timmy cried. "I ran under it on my way to my exam! That's when I started having these problems!"

Timmy knew of only one person on campus capable of lifting curses- Baker Mayfield. Coincidentally, Timmy had tutored Baker in their beard growing class freshman year (yes, Timmy should be credited with Baker's ability to grow impressive facial hair). Baker had promised Timmy anything he wanted after Timmy's tutoring had carried Baker to a 4.0 semester.

Baker Mayfield, with his iconic beard, still owed Timmy a favor.

Source

With no one else to turn to, Timmy called Baker. They agreed to meet near the clock tower under a full moon. Thus, the week before finals, Timmy met Baker, equipped with a football, as the full moon rose over the clock tower. Baker informed him that the curse could only be passed to others- it could not be broken- but Baker was willing to shoulder that burden for his pal Timmy to honor his debt. He instructed Timmy to moonwalk backwards under the clock tower and then catch the football Baker would throw him. Timmy had no choice but to follow Baker's orders if he wanted to graduate on time. Thus, Timmy, illuminated by only the full moon, moonwalked under the clock tower backwards. He looked up just in time to see the football Baker had thrown between the clock tower's pillars. Timmy caught the pass. He felt a weight lifted from his shoulders as the football in his hands became heavy like a weight. Timmy gave Baker a handshake, thanked him, and returned home to study for his finals the following week. That semester, Timmy managed to earn perfect grades, including extra credit, on every final he took. He passed every class that semester and was again on track to become a doctor.

Baker Mayfield returned home, football in hand, after lifting the curse from his pal Timmy. Knowing that he did not need to graduate to be successful in his career, Baker lay awake that night wondering how the curse of the clock tower would impact him when he seemed destined to win the Heisman Trophy. It was not until January that Baker learned how the curse would affect him- OU experienced a heart breaking loss to Georgia in the Rose Bowl. Rumor has it that Timmy's curse still haunts the OU football team to this day, ensuring they reach the College Football Playoffs, but preventing them from ever "graduating" to the National Championship.



Author's Note: This story is loosely based on the portions of the Ramayana that are titled "Manthara and Kaikeyi" and "Dasharatha's Karma." The main characters of these stories are Rama, the son of Dasharatha. As the king of Koshala, Dasharatha has three wives who have given him a total of four sons. Kaikeyi, one of those three wives, gave birth to Bharata, Rama's brother. At some point in the past, Kaikeyi saved Dasharatha's life and he swore to give her any two desires she has as a sign of appreciation. Additionally, Dasharatha once killed a hermit in the woods on accident. As a result, the hermit's father cursed Dasharatha "so wilt thou suffer in like manner, sorrowing for a dearly beloved and righteous son." Both of these events in Dasharatha's past are brought to the present when Kaikeyi asks Dasharatha to exile his beloved son Rama and instate Bharata, her son, as heir to the throne.
I wanted to capture the idea that the events of the past can prophesize or impact the events of the present. Here at the University of Oklahoma, we have a comparable story about walking underneath the clocktower that I used as inspiration. I combined that with the perceived curse the OU cannot win a CFB playoff game to create a story with mystical/prophetic elements that students could appreciate.


Bibliography:
"Dasharatha's Karma" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie. Web Source.
"Manthara and Kaikeyi" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie. Web Source.