"An object of extreme rarity. Actually, only one exists - all
others, destroyed. A shame, really. Could have sent out a few as
gifts. Love to give one to my dear brother Pluto. Well, well, it
can't be helped. Only one left." Zeus spoke sadly, noting the
effect on Demo.
"And you want me to fetch this precious object for you?" Demo
queried.
"Eh, that's the general idea. Now, there are some difficulties.
I mean, after all, if it were too simple I would have dispatched
Hera."
Suddenly his eyes widened. "Oh, oh, I didn't see you, my dear.
Just joshing with the boy! Kidding around, you know!"
Hera glared. Fortunately for Zeus she was distracted, seeing
Cupid practicing archery in the flowery garden. "Hmmph! Men!"
she murmured as she went into the garden.
"The object - well, I must confess, it is not an object. It is
. . ., " He lowered his voice, glancing toward the garden. "It
is a young lady whose beauty would adorn Olympus. I would have
you invite her to the Olympian Spring Ball. Not a bad task, eh."
Zeus nudged him with his elbow while keeping an eagle eye on
the garden. "Just let her know that the Gods look kindly upon
her, and that she will be the guest of honor. She can't possibly
refuse. Oh, by the way, her name is Medusa. Lovely girl, Medusa."
Now, what is the hitch? Zeus talks so kindly. Yet he is a wily
one. An invitation to a beautiful girl to attend a spring
festival? Why me? Would not an Olympian messenger, Mercury
perhaps, have served better. After all, I have no credentials.
So his thoughts rambled as he proceeded northward.
And I know not where she dwells, nor do I know her appearance.
A bleak stretch of land lay ahead. Empty, barren, dotted with
boulders it stretched well into the distance. At his pace it
would require a fourth of a day to traverse. He moved across the
open space cautiously, checking behind, to either side. He liked
not being in the open, exposed to eyes he could not see.
Surrounded by forest, the open area exposed him to the view of
foes who might wait among the trees. And in a strange land any
might be a foe. Wild animals certainly wandered here. And outlaw
bands who prey on lonesome travelers. He looked around more
carefully. Bushes and shrubs formed a narrow border, beyond
which giant evergreens loomed. In unknown territory, he felt the
weight of unfriendly gaze following his progress.
On reaching the other side of the open meadow he glanced back,
and his own eyes widened.
He shuddered.
It had entered the open stretch, crouched near the wooded edge.
Now it dropped to the ground. Huge, misshapen, a travesty of a
man, it lay quietly, motionless on the ground. Though distant,
he knew it well.
The unseen companion!
Demo notched an arrow to his bow, felt the cool breeze on his
fevered face. He drew the bow to its limit, shook his head.
Too far! The arrow would not carry.
He waited, but the creature lay quiet.
"What want you?" he shouted. "Why do you follow me?"
Silence.
Finally, with a shrug, he turned, started once more on his way.
After a few steps he halted, looked back again.
It has disappeared! The broad expanse held now only boulders,
small shrubs. Lifeless, bare, no hint of motion, other than from
vagrant breeze.
Was it but a dream, an aberration in vision?
No! It was real. The bushes at the edge of the clearing were
moving, disturbed by the passage of . . . He knew not what. He
knew, though it had slipped into the brushes, it would return to
his trail. Whatever it be, their destinies were intertwined.
But days ago I knew only my Mother, Theresa and her family
well. And a few others but only to a small extent. Suddenly I
walk and talk with Gods, and Goddesses - yes, and with imps. And
I am followed by something, by a being unlike any other. What
does it all portend? The thoughts repeated themselves as he view
the clearing.
A foreboding crossed his mind.
One of us shall not survive the tasks of Zeus!
Ever northward he trekked. He did not know why, only that his
feet were guided by Zeus. His quest was to the far north.
Game were plentiful, and he ate well. At times he partook of
venison, at times of fish from the streams. Rarely, he ate not.
After one repast he knelt by a quiet brook, washing his face
and hands.
In the water he saw a visage not his own!
He turned quickly, rose to his feet.
The unseen companion had faded into the undergrowth.
"Come out and face me, coward! Do not skulk and hide, recreant!"
Perhaps a tree branch moved, perhaps a footfall was heard.
Then, nothing.
His eyes widened, as he thought to himself, I must be on my
guard. Whatever it is, it becomes bolder with each passing day.
He followed a stream, a path along its edge. The path widened
as he climbed upward, and at times footprints could be
discerned. A dwelling must lie not far ahead.
At evening he arrived in a small village at the foot of tall,
snowpeaked mountains. He found an inn. Walls made from logs,
with cracks filled with dried mud, and a rock fireplace as one
wall, it formed one huge room. Animal furs, fur of deer, of
bear, hung across from one wall to the other, sectioned off
little bays where the traveler could rest in limited privacy.
Through signs and much nodding and handwaving Demo bartered
trinkets for such a room. The nights were growing cold, and this
brief respite was welcome.
Suddenly a man standing by the door turned toward him, growled
in mixed language at him. Strangely, Demo understood.
"Is he with you? What is he, and why does he loiter in the
shadows?"
They crowded through the open doorway, gazing southward to the
ravine he had so recently traversed. They stared fearfully
toward the shadows at the mountain's base.
A creature, perhaps a man, stood huge in the shadows. It
neither approached nor yet retreated. Even so, from it a
threatening aura seemed to radiate.
The watchers moved nervously, whispered low one to another.
"No, not with me," he responded
"Begone! We want not you, nor his kind. Return him his
treasures. "
The inn keeper reluctantly parted with the baubles he had
received. Two were missing. Demo started to argue, realized it
would be to no avail. Reluctantly he left the shelter.
"I know that creature! He has visited our village before. He
brings pestilence, death. Begone, the two of you, quickly!"
They gathered outside the structure. One reached down to pick
up a stone, then several others. Demo loosed his bow and they
quickly shuffled inside, cursing and threatening.
Demo continued north. He didn't look back. He knew well that he
was not alone.
His queries about Medusa led him now to one domain, now to
another. Time after time, each lead ended without location of
the fabled damsel. Until, at last, in a village on the slope of
the mountains, he received guidance that seemed to hold worth.
The sun had set, and evening stars were beginning to make
appearance. To the north the little bear could be seen. The air
had the feel of coming frost. The great hunter moved across the
cold winter sky, followed by his faithful hounds.
"Feel the air, young man! Is there not a storm brewing? A
blizzard? Medusa has been deserted by her lover. Her countenance
is hard. The chill winds will blow, the lakes freeze over, and
living things shall freeze and die. For her heart has grown
cold."
The old crone rubbed her hands together for warmth, continued.
"Until she takes again a suitor, the world will suffer from her
rejection. Even now, there, beneath the little bear, she waits
in her icy cave."
The night wind began to blow and the chill crept through his
clothing. "Beneath the little bear, then, will I find her?"
"She is there. And she is dangerous. If you value your life,
end this quest. She strikes out in her anger, uncaring for any.
If you go on, beware the great white bear. He guards her by day,
and by night." The old woman turned away, hobbled awkwardly to
her frigid mountain hut.
She stood in the doorway, looked at him intently. "Your
companion, why does he lurk in the shadows? He has nothing to
fear from me."
He did not reply. He knew not himself the reason for the evil
presence.
Game became increasingly scarce.
He was lucky when a rabbit crossed his path. And even these
were few in number, lean in build. Scrub brush served to cook
those few he killed.
The winds wailed, the snow peppered down, then settled in huge
white flakes. At times the storm stilled and he traveled on in a
world where day was night, night day. Across the skies strange
colored images danced, twisting and turning. Here seemed a world
deserted by Zeus, left to the ministrations of lesser Gods.
The world was enveloped in a blanket of white. At times he sank
into its depths. At other times, frozen, it supported him as
well as solid ground. And still the snow fell, wind-driven.
With cessation of the wind he could hear, though from a far
distance, the crunch of footsteps on the frozen snow. Hidden in
the fog or by the falling flakes, the unseen companion was ever
with him, ever following.
Even when the snow ceased the air held a strange opaque
whiteness, as though the world were immersed in milk. At such
times even his hand before his face was not visible. He dared
not travel on, knowing he would circle helplessly in the
blinding whiteness.
Slowly the white out lifted. The barren snow covered wasteland
stretched endlessly.
He pressed on. There was little choice.
At times the storm died, the skies cleared. Crystalline bright
the stars shone down. Still the hunter, now directly overhead
and to his south, marched across the wintry sky. The pole star
gleamed softly, a constant beacon.
But the storm quickly returned.
And then they met!
Invisible in the snow bank it lurked, marked his presence,
waited to attack!
The great white bear moved quietly, without a warning growl. It
charged down upon him, its huge jaws wide. Its clawed paws
reached out to seize him.
Quickly he strung his bow, notched an arrow!
As he drew the cord, the snow settled beneath his foot. He
felt himself slipping.
He fell, rolled downhill!
Demo slid halfway across a frozen pond. Thick, fat flakes of
white touched his face. They melted in cold trickles as he lay
half conscious.
Suddenly the ice gave way beneath him!
Even as he sank he saw, blurred upon the shore, two monsters in
mortal combat.
The great white bear!
And another. One he knew too well.
The bitter cold of the icy waters enveloped him. Through he
forced his arms and legs to move, to try once more to rise to
the surface, it was to no avail. The freezing cold quickly
changed to numbness, then oblivion.
Warmth! He felt warmth!
Not since he had left home had he felt such wonderful, gentle,
soothing warmth.
He slowly opened his eyes, then closed them in disbelief. The
girl ministering to him outshone even Athena in beauty. Slender,
yet with the smooth curves of a mature woman, she held his gaze.
Her face, though pale, mirrored beauty found only in one's
dreams. Her lips, soft and pouting, were warm and red. Her face
expressed concern, and her eyes expressed compassion.
Her hands lightly massaged his body, and wherever they touched
a glow of warmth spread through him. He recalled the icy cold of
the lake, and his eyes widened.
"How am I here? Who are you? How did I escape the icy depths?"
Placing a finger to her lips, she smiled, exposing the whitest
of teeth. "Shhh. Rest. I will explain it all, in good time."
Even as she spoke he closed his eyes, fell into fitful sleep in
which he dreamed he was in her arms; then, dreamed he was
carried in the arms of another, more hideous being.
He awoke with a start as the ravaged lips of the loathsome
monster touched his own. Sitting up he saw no one. Finally, in
the far corner of the room, he saw her. She rose slowly, from
the fireplace dipped warm soup from an iron kettle.
Bringing the bowl with her she sat on the edge of his cot,
slowly fed him the warm broth.
"He brought you here. Your friend. He brought you in from the
blizzard, frozen and cold, and left you with me. In spite of
cold and storm, he would not stay. He retreated into the
blinding storm as though escaping an enemy camp." She shook her
head in puzzlement.
"First, though, these words he said I should say to you." She
thought for a moment.
"The time is not now. You have your destiny to fulfill. By the
tarn shall all be resolved. Strange words, these. Do you
understand his meaning?"
"No, I understand only that a great white beast attacked me. I
fell, rolled into the frigid waters of the lake. I saw them,
doing battle on the lake shore. After that I remember the cold,
then nothing."
"He killed the great white bear. No mortal could achieve that
victory. You have a mighty friend and protector."
"No friend of mine. He has followed me, always near, ever
fearsome. I know not his purpose, but in some strange way our
fates are intertwined. Would I understood it better."
"Why sojourn you in these far reaches. Did none warn you of the
dangers?"
"I journey at the behest of Zeus. I seek Medusa, to invite her
to the great Olympian Ball, where she will reign as queen. Do
you know of her, know where I might find her?"
"Zeus! The Great Olympian Ball! I am Medusa. It is strange that
you have you not heard my story. Do you not know the danger you
face, merely being here with me?"
"I know nought of danger. I see but a damsel of excellent
beauty, and need fear only for my heart."
She smiled at his words, then her face took on a look of
sadness.
"I am condemned. I pass from wild happiness and joy to deepest
misery and sorrow. And those who look on me in my happy times
love me, and those who look on me in time of my distress grow
cold and fearful, and are no more. No one warned you! Ah, Zeus,
how can you be so unkind!" She sobbed.
"Look upon my face, for I am in a gentler mood. Beware, if you
hear me lament, or see an angry trickle from my eye, look not
upon me, but go your way swiftly." She placed the empty bowl on
the table.
"Do you see these glistening white walls? They were formed at a
time when I felt the miseries of the world upon me. The
glaciers, the icebergs, the frozen wastes - all these I formed.
At times, when I bask in the warmth of love, they fade, they
melt. Again alone, once deserted, I form them anew." She smiled
at him, touched his hand.
"I thought, perhaps, Zeus had sent you to me. Yet while you lay
abed in your sleep, in your dreams, I find you love another. It
is well, for my warmth shall not last. Come, let me show you my
chamber of horrors. A chamber of horrors of my own doing."
She conducted him out into the cold. All around statues stood
in various guises. All men. Warriors. Hunters. So detailed, so
well sculpted, they seemed to lack only breath to move and walk.
"These I have loved, and in my anger destroyed. They stand
there, a constant reminder of my uncontrollable nature. Even
now, as I look at them, my heart moans. Begone, Demo, quickly,
for a bottomless sorrow engulfs my heart. Quickly! And do not
look upon my face, if you value your life!"
He started to turn toward her, but she grabbed his shoulder and
turned him away. Even as she did the touch of her hands sent a
chill through his body.
The warmth was gone!
"Tell Zeus Medusa shall attend the ball. Fare the well, young
man. Now, flee for your life."
The calm air was stirring, and pellets of frozen snow that had
been peppering the icy landscape were now blown wildly about.
The wind mounted in howling fury, and soon the blizzard was upon
him. He rushed southward, not daring to look back.
It was no longer the unseen companion alone he feared.
"You're back!", Zeus roared in evident surprise. "Well, yes,
you're back. Been expecting you. Eh, nothing unusual about
Medusa, I take it. I mean, nothing strange and, eh, stultifying?"
"A beautiful lady, sire. She welcomes your invitation, and
shall attend the ball."
"The ball, yes. She will attend the ball! Zounds! What to do?
Well, it may serve my purpose. I shall invite some special
friends. Oh yes, very special friends! My charming brother
Pluto. Serve him right. And a few other who have done me dirt.
The ball is in the third month. And Medusa is in such a mood
that month! Yes, I must invite some very special friends."
Zeus rubbed his hands together and smiled cherubically.
"Oh, Demo, of course you are invited."
What dreams do children dream?
Persephone sat quietly on a wooden bridge. Her legs dangled
down, her tiny white feet broke the surface of the stream. The
crystalline waters of the rivulet bathed them softly. A
hummingbird darted near the water's surface, a brilliant winged
jewel. At times it whirred motionless above the water. Then
angry at the reflected beauty below, dived heedlessly, only to
rise again as the rapid beat of its wings distorted the liquid
mirror.
Persephone smiled, watched with amused attention.
Another hummingbird approached, and soon the two flew away, the
first in angry pursuit. A tiny warrior protecting his domain.
Persephone closed her eyes, leaned back to bask in the warmth
of the sun. The music of the stream, the softness of the breeze,
the quiet solitude of her garden lulled her into a light slumber.
And as she slept, she dreamed.
Games of tag, of skipping ropes, of dolls ran through her mind.
Friends she had known, kitty cats, and puppy dogs. Climbing the
tall oak tree and seeing the big, wide world from its great
height. Swinging on the swing beneath the tree. The taste of
blackberries, of cherries, of fresh peaches.
The dreams of childhood.
Her mother, holding her, hugging her. Her mother's smile.
Colored stones, and crystals, and flowers. Beautiful dresses,
and grown-up parties yet to come.
A far-off day and the arrival of a handsome prince, a marriage,
living and playing together as children.
Children of her own, and she would mother them as her mother
had done for her. Cookies, and pies, and cream covered berries.
Dolls for her girls, and swords for her brave boys. She would
sew for them, and of a night tuck them into bed. She would tell
them strange stories of magic worlds, and real.
Ah, the happy world, the beautiful world.
What dreams do children dream?
"Grim!"
"Inexorable!"
"Pitiless!"
"Passionless!"
"Without feeling!"
"Devil!"
"These have I been called!"
Pluto sat in his chariot on the mountainside, the mounting
storm surrounding him. Gusting wind screamed, and pelting rain
drove from the skies. The fury of the storm matched the fury in
his voice.
"Without feeling! Then why burns this loneliness within me! Why
thirst I for the companionship denied me! Was it by choice this
form is mine!"
A sob was in his voice.
Gloomily he bowed his head, shook it. Reluctantly he took the
reins, returned once more to the nether regions where he held
sway.
Yes, even the devil weeps.