Shiva, the hindu god of distruction, is also considered the original storyteller of the world.

 

One day, Parvati got bored and begged Shiva to entertain her.

 

So, he told her a story, the world's first story.

 

This story was told in a secret cave somewhere in the middle of the Himalayas. 
 

The plot would have been lost in the snow but for a tiny bird that survives in that cold desolate landscape.

 

The bird shared the story with a fish.

 

The fish shared it with a Gandharava.

 

Who shared it with the Yaksha. 

 

Much may have been lost in the translation for by the time the story reached humanity, it was not one but hundreds of stories with myriad plots and characters, with amazing twists and turns.