Monologue Of Telemachus

We set out early the next day just as dawn awoke to light our way. We wanted to put distance between us and the island of the cyclops. I had thought that the ram I had sacrificed the night before had brought us good fortune, but I was to be proven wrong. The sea glittered like millions of lustrous jewels all dancing in the placid waves of the ocean. The ocean seemed to lap at the boats, encouraging them to sail faster towards the distant lands. Wisps of white fluffy clouds streaked the light blue sky as if a painter had lazily taken his brush and dabbed it in a few places; it seemed accidental, but in reality it created a master peace. The fresh sea breeze blew in our faces along with gusts of wind that danced in the air and propelled the boats on; it seemed to beckon us to explore the ocean. It was one of the days that seemed as though nothing

could go wrong. I had been entranced by this joyous atmosphere; in addition to my victory the previous day, I felt as though nothing could stop me and my fleet of glorious ships. I thought this is how it must feel to be a god.
I foolishly let my guard down to lavish the feeling and, in this very instant, thunder pierced by ears as Poseidon Earthshaker laughed at my child-like behavior and conjured up his revenge. I could not help but let my smile be chased away, as thunder clouds burst forth from the innocent white clouds, cluttered up the sky, and swallowed the sun in a gray gloom. Lighting struck the ocean, the wind howled with Earthshaker's anger, and the waves were rallied to form a vicious storm. The vessels tossed and turned at a sickening pace.
I quickly gained my formidable courage back and turned to my men. "Bring the sails down and tie down the supplies!" I ordered them. When they stood stunned by the change of fortune, I roared for them to move swiftly if they wanted their lives spared. Rain started to pelt down from the darkening clouds; soon I could only see the deck of the boat I was on and a swirling mass of water surrounding it.
"Hold on to something or tie yourselves down!" I bellowed. They obeyed without hesitation, fearful for their lives. The storm seemed to be playing a game with the vessels. When two young boys are competing against each other, they always vigorously try to outdo one another. They deal all the cards they have but hide their lack of cards in hopes of misleading the other. The result is a competition of strength and skill; it seems effortless but is driven by immense power and determination. Just like this did the tides play with my poor fleet. One powerful tide would grasp a vessel and raise it until it almost tipped over; it would then playfully toss the boat to another tide, which would try to put the ship in even more peril. The men moaned as the rain soaked into their clothes and the tides churned their stomachs. I prayed to Zeus to clear the skies, but I knew Poseidon would not cease the unslot.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of water and sea sickness, a loud bump brought the ship to a halt. The tides lost interest with the snared vessels and the storm started to recede. Exhausted and thoroughly soaked, it was agreed that we would all rest and assess the damage the next morning.
I awoke to the sun greeting me and assuring me that I was alive. This time I was not such a fool as to relax my body and bathe in its gentle heat. I stretched and looked about. My fleet of ships had all managed to be impaled by jagged rocks jutting out of ocean. There were many of these crags which seemed to resemble a host of spears, as if warrior angrily threw them down into the depths of the sea. They were spread about haphazardly, yet stayed within an invisible oval boundary. A craggy island no bigger than half a ship, was formed by many of these rough rocks clustered together in the center of that boundary. This was desolate save for a few shrubs; there had been nothing I could repair my ships with.
My men began to awaken, which distracted me from my analyzation of the area. They drowsily stretched to rid themselves of fatigue, but slouched back down, disheartened at the sight of the beached ships. I saw their pitiful looks and I turned to assure them there was a solution to this predicament.
As soon as I opened my mouth, there came a roar of water. A geyser came shooting up from the ocean and a dark shadow rose up with it. At first it looked like an oversized bat bearing massive ebony wings, which easily dwarfed the size of the boat. The shadow blocked out the sun then engulfed the boat leaving me and my crew momentarily in pitch-darkness. When taking a stroll on a beach or sailing across the ocean at nightfall, one realizes the night is not pitch-black. In reality the night is alive with stars that twinkle in the heavens and bring light to the gloom. Likewise this darkness created by the ebony wings harbored miniature stars that sparkled. I was captivated by the millions of tiny lights that glittered like a night sky. The gentle sound of the waves against the stranded boat was all I heard along with breathing. One source of breathing seemed a much heavier and as if it belonged to something much bigger. Then two white, glowing eyes pierced my very soul and I found myself holding my breath. My eyes were drawn to the face of the creature. The faint outline of him revealed a massive head of a dragon belonging to a stocky neck. The head was easily the size of a full grown man, and it was mere inches away from me.
Suddenly, he hissed, "Odysssssseussssss." Peculiarly, the deep, entrancing voice seemed to come from the depths of my mind and echoed around in my skull. It's mouth was filled with a soft glow of white light as it spoke; the teeth looked like inky swords the size of my legs. "Odyssseusss the wissssse," he cackled. He paused drawing in a breath, then continued, "Odysseusss the one of cunning thoughtssssss, the esssscape artissssst, Odysssseussss worthy of the godsssss." His mouth twisted into a taunting sneer and he jeered, " Let usss ssssee how truly wissssse you are."
Instantly I was blinded, as the wings, which had been the color of the ocean's abyss, turned to a color that matched his glowing white eyes. Promptly, the light was replaced by a scene. The wings seemed to project images like a enormous moving painting. It portrayed a hillside with a modest town, farms surrounding the area, and a massive house that irked me in its familiarity. Common folk tended to the cattle and the farms with a gloominess that suggested they had lost their purpose. The grandiose house was littered with animal carcasses and tables with empty bottles and filthy plates. In a pinch, I realized that this was my homeland… Ithaca.
Suddenly, the moving painting changed to one depicting a woman washing clothes outside and a young man proudly strutting to her side.

My heart wrenched when I recognized my beloved Penelope and my stately son Telemachus. Telemachus was a fine young man, but his face was twisted with worry. Their mouths opened as though they were conversing yet no words could be heard. Abruptly, a man with a drawn sword leapt at them. Telemachus, as quick as a fox, drew his own sword and fended the fiend off. Blow for blow he matched him, until the fool ran away. The battle left him wary and he seemed to urge Penelope inside. My heart lurched as men I recognized from Ithaca and men I did not recognize, ambushed my dear Penelope while Telemachus tried to defend her. Loyal slaves came to aid Telemachus, but the effort was in vain. I lost sight of my son and wife in the crowd of tussling bodies. The scene cleared to reveal Penelope, Telemachus, and my loyal servants slain and strewn about on the ground. I stared at the scene; my heart shattered, which had nearly caused me to collapse. The very purpose of my journey had seemed to dwindle

away.
The scene faded again to the color of the night sky. This time the wings had more stars, wihch revealed the dragon's monstrous figure. He watched me very closely as if studying my every reaction. He seemed to ponder over a topic as his white eyes narrowed and his webbed claws drummed on the railing of the boat. He interrupted my thoughts by inquiring, "If you could bring them back to life… would you?"
I was startled by this question and let my heart cry out, "Of course!".
A long pause followed this answer and then it added, "Can you bring the dead back to life?" My mind was filled with far too much sorrow and anger to properly contemplate the question; thus, I let my mind wander to thoughts of revenge, and did not answer.
"How about another quessssstion," he mused, "let ussss ssssay your belovedsss and those dear to you... have perissssshed…. But you have a chanccce to revive them by sssacrificccing your crew…. What would you ccchooossssse?" My mind was thrown into turmoil; I wanted to immediately beg for my beloveds to be revived, yet something held my tongue from doing so. My thoughts began to clear and I realized that I had not felt the presence of my crew the entire time I was watching the scenes unfold. I turned around and only saw the dark dome the immense wings created. Apprehension and confusion gnawed at my gut. Then the previous question of the creature seemed to echo in my head. Can you bring the dead back to life? Then the words the creature choose struck me as peculiar. Let us say...
I turned and stared into the beguiling white eyes of the sea dragon. He seemed to grin as though he had read my thoughts.
"You can not revive the dead once they are gone. Sacrificing my crew would not bring back what I have lost; it would only bring more loss. These men have suffered along with me and do not know what they have lost at home either; thus, it is only right that I should lead my men home and finish the journey we started together," I solmay proclaimed. Promptly, there was a blinding light from the wings again and the presence of the crew returned. My head pounded as though waking from a nap.
The sea dragon leaped into the air and unfurled his vast shadowy wings. In the sunlight, the scales along his body shimmered like millions of blackened sapphires.
As he opened his mouth the black, webbed frills along side his face flared. He roared," I am Abysssssellite, meddler of illusionssssss, weaver of riddlesssss, ponderer of the abysssssss! You have shown me your clever waysss and loyal heart; therefore, I will aid you in your journey home to Ithaca. Ssso that you and your crew may ssssee your beloveds once again." With this, he curled up his lengthy, powerful tail the ended with something resembling a dolphin's tail that was webbed. Like a coil, it curled up tight then released.
The end of the tail clapped with such force on the water that from that spot a tidal wave arouse. The water engulfed all the ships and everything was submerged. I struggled to keep my grip on the railing, but was quickly as the water had swallowed us, it vanished and left all the boats floating on calm ocean waters. Wondrously, all the holes and damage done to the fleet was repaired and all the men, although thoroughly soaked, remained on the boats. Everyone seemed to have awaken from a haze and I turned to search for the mysterious creature, yet it was nowhere to be seen. All I saw was a miniscule island in the far distance.
I smiled and turned to my men, "Sails up and every man to a post! It seems as though the gods have smiled upon us and brought us good fortune!" The men snapped awake and cheered. Then off we sailed, into the light blue sky towards the distant island.