Scratch

I wrote this as a school assignment. After we read The Odyssey along with the Penelopiad (the story from Penelope's point of view) we were assigned to write our own short story from another character's point of view. Here's mine:


Ropiad

O sing in me Muse, if it be my fate to account upon this great, valiant tale, then help me so. Or at least get me a good grade.

As the storms raged, and Zeus fought to deter our journey, who was it that stood up to the wind, the waves, the storm? It was not the sails, nor the oars. For they had jobs of such leisure! Only I had enough endurance to rival both night and day against the gods. After days of sailing and listening to those ungrateful crewmen complain about their oh-so-simple task of pushing against a mere fluid, we finally hit shore.

Odysseus’ men, masters of laze, favored only by Aergia, decided to have a picnic on the beach! That’s just what I expected from men with such little devotion. In fact, while at sea and the winds were strong, they would let up on their rowing. Odysseus let them sleep, while my work was at its highest!

Odysseus, second in guile to nobody but me, knew that I was the only one who would work at such a time. I was dropped into the water, assigned with the most important duty of keeping the boat from fleeing. It was looking to be a long day ahead of me.
A great distance away, I could not hear Odysseus order his three men. Thought I still knew what his order was.

“Run off. Find a warm place to nap, but remember, I want you back soon.”
It’s incomprehensible to me how, an order like that, might come to be taken with such spite. Even so, as Odysseus’ men left on their quest for leisure, they kicked the rocks sneering as Odysseus behind his back. They have nothing to worry about from this land of such little treachery. For I’ve been told, it’s filled with people who spend their days relaxing in the sun, eating sweet Lotus, and often forgetting that their hands are in fact not transparent. I, however, shall have to spend my time guarding the boat, and when I’m finished? Another task for me.

After a long while of waiting on their behalf, Odysseus ordered me to lead the rest of the crewmates to capture those lazy humans. There was little understanding of Odysseus’ reason among the crew, but they followed his orders anyway. We had found the men, lying in a field. They were more than a little brainless, but seemed happy none the less. I wrapped myself around their arms and legs, leaving ghastly burns wherever I touched. There was resentment from the crew when we left. Though he gave no reason behind his actions, Odysseus’ orders were taken without protest, but not without criticism.

As we again once again left a new land behind in haste, Odysseus assured us that with his cunning, nothing could go wrong and no decision was poorly made. He said that we would have all lost our hopes of home, if we had stayed. But what was home for this pitiful crew? Both Odysseus and I were rushing home, driven be need to see our families. Was that the same for the others, or could they be tempted to stay behind if it not for their fear of Odysseus?

Either way, I lay in wait for my next entanglement, be it sailing, a capture, or a noose.