Summary

Susi Moore's short story "Arise, Mika!" was inspired by an accidental discovery of a photograph on Unsplash, leading to the creation of a narrative centered around a young boy's dreams and aspirations influenced by the Arthurian legends.

Abstract

The creative process behind Susi Moore's short story "Arise, Mika!" was sparked by a serendipitous encounter with an image of a boy on a black horse statue. This inspired Moore to craft a tale about a child named Mika, who fantasizes about knights and chivalry from the Arthurian legends, despite his father's urging to focus on their own cultural heroes. The story explores Mika's imaginative world, where he envisions himself as a knight, and highlights the tension between his dreams and his father's pragmatic views. "Arise, Mika!" was first published in "The Scriber’s Nook" and is part of an ongoing series where Moore delves into her muses and creative processes.

Opinions

The author, Susi Moore, expresses a personal connection to horses, drawing from her childhood fascination and the impact of reading "Black Beauty."
Moore conveys a sense of intrigue and curiosity about the unknown backstory of a specific black horse statue, which fueled her imagination and storytelling.
The narrative suggests a blend of cultural influences, as Mika reconciles his admiration for knights from "faraway lands" with the real-world heroes of his own heritage, like Biko and Mandela.
The story emphasizes the importance of dreams and imagination in childhood, as well as the potential for literature to inspire and transport young minds to different worlds.
Moore's work invites readers to engage with the themes of inspiration and the creative process, encouraging aspiring writers to explore and share their own muses through writing for her publication, "MuserScribe."

CREATIVE PROCESS — THE MUSE

The Muse Behind the Story (2)

THE ACCIDENTAL INSPIRATION …

Preface

The inspiration for ‘Arise, Mika!’ was entirely accidental. I was browsing Unsplash images for another article I was writing and came across a photo of a little boy astride a statue of a black horse, in what seemed to be backstreets of a town.

I was intrigued. Why was a statue of a fine black horse on the backstreets? Curiosity piqued, I searched the internet for statues of black horses. You guessed it, there are innumerable statues, but not my statue.

Now it was beginning to irk me. What was the story behind this particular statue? If one couldn’t be found, I’d have to make one up! Which is what I did.

I studied the image for a while. The little boy was looking so pleased to be astride the horse. I started to think about why. I looked back to my own childhood. I’d always been fascinated by horses, the aesthetics of their appearance, their good natures, and their will to please. As a child, I’d read Black Beauty over and over and had been appalled at the treatment of horses, deemed little more than a commodity to work to death, or discard when sick or lame.

I dreamed constantly of all manner of fantastical, beautiful horses, running free. I would have loved horses of my own to care for. This wasn’t to be, but the memory of my love for horses never left me.

So, I began to think, what if the little boy in the image (who I named Mika) had similar dreams?

As a little boy, perhaps he would dream of riding great chargers into battle. How and why would this occur? I thought more and devised a story around Mika, growing up in a township, coming across picture books about the Arthurian legends in a community library. Little Mika begs his mother to read them to him. From this stems his obsession with the Knights of the Round Table.

I needed to introduce tension, and this would be in the form of his father, a practical man, and a realist.

Story Extract

Mika’s father would shake his head. ‘Mika, my son, these knights you dream of are from faraway lands, long ago times. They are not real … they are not your people. We have nothing in common with them. We are a township … in South Africa. Why can’t you learn, like the other boys, of our own culture, our own heroes? Biko, Mandela … men who spoke for us, men who sacrificed for us.’

‘Papa,’ Mika would say. ‘I know about Biko. I know about Mandela. You have told me so much about them. I know they were very fine men. But, when they were young boys, they must have had dreams too? Just imagine, Papa, being a noble knight in a brotherhood of knights. That would be a very fine thing! Imagine riding a war horse into battle! Imagine Biko or Mandela riding Arab stallions, with all their knights behind them … what a sight that would have been!’

Arise, Mika! was first published in The Scriber’s Nook (25th March 2023). No part of this work or publication may be reproduced without prior written permission of the copyright holder.

Read Susi Moore’s complete short story here:

Arise, Mika!

A KNIGHT IS BORN

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The Muse Behind the Story is an ongoing series of articles written, produced, and published by Susi Moore.

If you missed her previous article, here it is: