Unrequited Love

Circe’s story:

I am the wicked witch of Circe’s Island. My name is Circe. I am the most beautiful woman that anybody has ever seen. Although my wicked powers could knock any man on his knees, my looks could do much more than that. We don’t get many men around here except for the locals, but they are not good enough. I guess I will just have to wait for the right man.

It was told when I was younger that I would fall in love, and then I would lose the one I loved. I never thought I could fall in love until a man named Odysseus came to the island. He was so handsome! Finally my love had come. He was everything I always wanted.

Every day we were together. Our year together was as sweet as a lotus flower. He treated me with suck kindness and brought me flowers every day. It was obvious we were perfect for each other. Everything was perfect until Odysseus came to me one day and told me that his time with me was a dream but he and a wife and a son to get home to. And that his men had wives and kids they hadn’t seen in almost twelve years. I was very upset at this. My prophecy was coming true. I was losing my only love.

I had promised Odysseus that if he stayed with me for a year, I would give him directions for home. Well, I guess that time had come. I told him I would tell him, but he would not dare follow the directions I would give him.

He got all cocky and said, “I am Odysseus, King of Ithaca and hero of Troy! I think I could handle it.”

I said, “Very well, your path lies through the shadows of the underworld. There, among the spirits of the dead, you will find the oracle Teiresias. He will tell you what has passed and what will come.”

Odysseus did not like the idea of that. He fell to his knees and cried, “Please unsay it, or you’ll make a coward of a man who has looked death in the eyes fifty times and never flinched! Go to the underworld before my time.”

I was so happy he felt that way. I had that little ounce of hope that he would stay with me. We went to sleep, and when I woke up a couple hours later, he was gone. I went to my globe and asked to see him, and it showed him standing by his boat. At this time I was more hurt than I was before.

I ran down to the beach and fell to my knees and cried, “May the gods keep you safe, Odysseus! Place your keep in the path of the sinking sun. Then River Ocean will draw you on without the need for oars. Bind the tiller and make sacrifice to Hades, god of the Dead.”

At that I left Odysseus to sail for himself, praying the gods would keep him safe. That’s all I could do. He leaves me now with an empty heart. I guess that goes to show that prophecies really do come true. Maybe I’m not meant to love.

Author: Megan