Polyphemus

=Polyphemus=

The Day the Prophecy Came True
I had never paid much attention to all the trash those seers dream up, advice of my old mother, and that did not change even when one was made about me. I figured that if this so-called Odysseus actually came for me, I would be more than a match for him, but I was wrong. That dreadful day, after herding my beloved sheep and goats, I decided the time had come to make my famous cheese.

As I prepared the ingredients, I had a strange feeling that something was amiss. I looked around my cave and noticed that several objects had been trampled, and I quickly lit a fire so that any intruders hiding in the dark shadows would be revealed. Just as I had suspected, there were about a dozen small live morsels of food cowering in the depths of my lair. I called out, “Strangers, who are you and what is your business here?”

The leader of the pack visibly gathered his courage and spoke up, “We are warriors fresh from the battlefields of Troy. Now we are at your mercy, hoping to receive a warm welcome of sorts, as such action is customary of the Greeks. If you honor us with your hospitality, you will be rewarded, and if not…Zeus will avenge the mistreatment of guests whom he protects.”

His insolence outraged me; we Cyclops do not fear the wrath of Zeus! We reside here on our island, living our own lives, and minding our own business. Why should Zeus or these impudent creatures intrude in our lives? We do not come barreling in to their homes, demanding hospitality! In my anger, I lurched up, grabbed two of the little creatures, and promptly swallowed them whole. They were a bit crunchy but, overall, not bad. The next morning, I seized another pair for breakfast and closed my doorslab on my way out to another day of herding livestock.

When I returned at nightfall, the leader spoke to me once more, offering a bowl of wine in a pitiful attempt to appease me. Surprisingly, the man had great taste in wines, and it was the most delicious wine I had ever tasted! I took advantage of his generosity, never suspecting that he meant to sedate me and blind me. I curiously asked him to tell me his name. He answered, “ My name is Nobody!”

By this time, I had drunk three full bowls of wine, and my thoughts were swirling around aimlessly in my head. It occurred to me that Nobody is a rather strange name, but in my state I let it pass. I became drowsy and soon fell fast asleep. Suddenly, I woke with a searing pain in my sole eye. The anguish was so sharp that I felt like dying to make it disappear! Mad with pain, I bellowed to my neighbors, “Help! Nobody is attacking me!” but they did not understand or come to my aid. The next morning, I attempted to keep the men in my cave, but somehow they escaped with my sheep.

Soon, I heard a loud voice from the direction of the sea, calling, “Cyclops, you weak coward! If anyone asks who gouged your eye out, say Odysseus, Laertes’ son!” As if ruining my life was not enough, he continued to taunt me, and there was nothing I could do but return to my lair and vow never to ignore a prophecy again.