Personal Narrative-My Trip To Ithaca

“To my journey afar- home to Ithaca, a strange whirlpool stood in my way. Of course at first, who knew what it could be? Was Poseidon’s vengeful state of mind affecting me and my company? Shortly after, we discovered the mysterious disturbance. We should have known— the Labyrinth Lampsi. With her rainbow hair and sparkling persian blue eyes, she could not be missed. She was the remarkably isolated monster that lived in the clouds of Kolab, near the Gods. Before we knew it, our ships entered the whirlpool. Upon entrance of the whirlpool, our ship slammed into rocks, as if we were no longer in the ocean. After deboarding the vessel, we continued along a narrow pathway which led to a single, large, circular rock. With an abundance of experience of such conduct, my men, with me leading, mounted the stone. Then, with great power, we shot up into the sky, as if we were flying among the birds that reached the far corners of the Earth. It seemed as if we were in a cylindrical conduit, changing the very laws of gravity. At first, I saw a sparkle, then more and more of them appeared. My men shivered. This was not an appearance we were particularly familiar to. Out on the sea, we were primarily faced with terrible winds and dreadful

monsters.
“Throughout my various journeys, I had heard rumors. See, at first when I arrived, I would have automatically left, but I, the Great Odysseus, do not step down from an unfamiliar quest. Labyrinth Lampsi was a strange monster, in the sense that she was not quite a monster at all. Moreso, she embraced happiness and the positives in life, rather than destruction. Living close to the Gods made intentions better; if I were to form an alliance with this monster, the Gods would assist me on my departure home. Based off my spectacular judgment, after various encounters with odious sea monsters, I do not believe this particular monster will impede our journey for long. I was dubious about this monster once entering, but decided not to fight back because this peculiar monster would make a good story!
“‘Men, gather around; we have faced an encounter of the Labyrinth Lampsi. A monster with only love, compassion, and happiness. Be careful once she appears; Gods only know what she will do,’ I said with confidence. Suddenly, a crewmate shouted, ‘I hear she has no other family and bashes her subjects with… gaiety?’
“‘Listen to me, men. Do not be afraid of a fake monster, for we have beaten the unbeatable and won’t rest until we conquer again,’ I said in reassurance.
“Suddenly, the quietest of footsteps approached, and a small, peculiar being appeared with multicolored hair. Her actions seemed much like the malachite-green fields of springtime that seemed to be covered in a bright sheen under the dawn moon, and clouds shaped like fuzzy pillows gliding slowly across the sky, carrying an airy, warm, drizzling rain with them. They cleansed the land and banished the strangling coldness and stunned silence of winter.
“ Quietly and quickly, she evaluated us, judging our facial expressions and state of mind, I continually wondered what. Unlike Polyphemus, she welcomed us to her mischievous island in the clouds with Xenia. Providing a few bungalow homes for each of us, she gathered food and drink for us; it was the best I’ve had in years. By observing my surroundings, I could tell that my men had brightened up. This was an improvement from our previous encounters since they would tend to leave their hearts heavy with sorrow after watching their fellow crewmen die. Of course, I, Odysseus, son of Laertes, would never feel isolated. It was my job to keep my men intact in order for them to return home. Staying on that island inspired me to be more involved with my men and assure that they are at their best, so we can continue to conquer all obstacles we face. With the help of Labyrinth Lampsi, I thought this could be done. However, after a brief amount of time, my mind was set into a deep sleep. Suddenly, my men and I heard footsteps approach. We got up, and the monster from afar shouted,
“You are not cheerful...’ and bashed us in the face with rainbow dust. Even after all this hospitality, I knew that my men could not endure this distraught satisfaction for too long. As fighters, soldiers, and explorers, we are serious and damaged people, too strong to be interrupted and consumed by a silly, useless monster.
“The monster continued to bash my men, then, she turned my way. There was nothing I could grab, so I thought of running. However, once I saw what this monster was capable of, there was no turning back. We had to abscond from this mysterious realm. Looking towards the door, I cautiously searched for the monster, and she was gone. It was as though she disappeared into thin air. Suddenly, from behind my back, I heard a scrawny squeak. A sting in my backside arose. Before I knew it, I blacked out.
“Upon my wake, I saw my shipmates and I stuck in glowing chambers. I was not aware this type of technology had yet been developed, but being close to the Gods gave an advantage. That was it, the gods, perhaps they will aid me. I prayed and prayed. Five minutes after waiting for my prayers to be answered, I realized that the Gods are not quickly responsive to the demands. I, for one, had places to be. I took it upon myself to devise a scheme in order to escape from the glowing chambers. There was such a positive atmosphere… making it difficult for me to conceive a worthwhile plan. As far as I could tell, the walls were cushioned, and the bars were glowing, possibly made of molten rock. As valiant as I was, there was no way I would burn my precious hand, so I made my loyal shipmate tap it with the back of his hand. I stood corrected, the bars were indeed made of hot material. First, in order to overthrow this monster’s plan, we had to escape our imprisonment.
“After a few days of evaluating the actions of the Labyrinth Lampsi, I came to a conclusion. Every day, I saw my vulnerable men from the surrounding chambers being taken out. Not only did I have no suspicion of where they were being taken, but they also seemed content in the process. It was not the powers of the Goddess Komodia that were taking over this place, but the effect of the Labyrinth Lampsi. That’s it, that's the way I will overturn this monster’s plummeted plan. Putting my astounding thought process to use, I composed a sly procedure to destroy her from within. It was in my best interest to use her power against her. Since she was taking the men who were seemingly happy, I would become one of them. The peculiar tactic she used to brighten my men’s attitude was both intriguing and insulting. Since I was the strongest, most fearless amongst all, it comes to no surprise that I was the best regarding drama skills.
“When the monster arrived in the room the next day to observe our actions, I was pretending to be the happiest one there. She snickered at me a few times, unsure of whether my actions were worthy. But, as time passed by, she finally decided to remove me from the cell. She grabbed my shirt, hastily, and threw me in a cart behind her. I was offended by this, yet with the thick skin I developed through my journeys, I managed to endure this torment.
“As I was dragged along in the cart, I saw a familiar place. It was indeed our original room. Before being taken out of the cart, Labyrinth Lampsi remarked:
“‘Well, Odysseus, I must admit— you were a tough one, but it worked. You can stay here now and embrace glee.’ Before she turned away, I asked:
“‘What exactly do you mean by ‘stay here’? I am not going to stay here. I am returning home to Ithaca, to my beloved Penelope.’
“‘You are never getting out of here as long as you are on my watch.’
“After she said this, I panicked, not knowing how to escape.

I gathered my men and told them I needed valuable time to think. Of course, in this matter, they lifted me up and fanned me while walking around the realm to ensure a comfortable thinking environment. Suddenly, I heard a swish, then a dash of glitter. A womanly human figure appeared from the opening. I did not know who she was, or why she was here, yet I held a gut feeling this being would bring good to us. She too was taken to another room filled with bunks. I was not aware of this at the time, but she was Aphrodite, the goddess of love. After overhearing my enthusiastic love and compassion towards Penelope, one of the almighty immortals responded to my prayers and aided my

escape.
“As she was escorted by the Labyrinth Lampsi, we made unfamiliar eye contact, and she whispered:
“‘We are going to get out of here; create a distraction.’ I gave her a nod of assurance. Who would think that I, Odysseus would need a woman to help escape an unworthy monster? She seemed exceptionally bold in her actions, so I gave her a chance.
“The split second before Labyrinth Lampsi turned around to leave, Aphrodite pulled out a knife and stabbed her with no emotion. Fantastic! I was eager to join the rebellion, so I did.
“‘There will not be much time before the wound is healed, so we must hurry.’
“‘Thank you,’ I said with full sincerity. My crewmates and I followed the fanciful lady, I was urged to have an affair, but I knew Penelope was waiting for my arrival.
“Since we were pushed by an unpredictable force into the sky to enter, the only way to leave was to be shot down by the same force. The unidentified woman tapped a glowing light on the base of where we landed upon arrival. From the distance, we could see the monster racing towards us, reluctant to permit our departure. Too late for her, because we were halfway down the tunnel by then. A loud, dignified holler from the monster was in echo during on our way to the base. Upon reaching the end, we landed on a single rock, surrounded by thousands of great ships. We solemnly thanked the nameless woman who saved our lives and boarded the boat. If there’s one thing I learned from the experience, it was that I, Odysseus, can escape any inferior sea monster that crosses my path.”