The Odyssey: A Short Story

Odysseus and his tired men land upon a barren island, surrounded by crystal waters. They anchored their ship and shuffled off, in weary silence. The island was only a raised chunk of smooth white rock, with an igloo shaped cave. “We have learned our lesson with Polyphemus, we must stay clear of that cave.” Shouted Odysseus. Some men agreed with him, but others muttered in disagreement. They group decided to settle down for the night, as they longed to sleep on solid land once again, even for just one night. They set up a camp and lit a fire, none talking as each slowly fell asleep. The long trip had run its course on the remaining men, leaving them with no hope, giving them no voice. There was nothing to talk about these days, with no hope
All they could see was an orange light emanating from the marble cave far away. It was only instinct now - to run to fire. It did not take long for the group of them -around 30- to get to the white stone cave, with no gift in hand. Running was easy for them now, they had had much practice. It seemed, though, that they had forgotten the rules of hospitality. A homeowner must allow a guest into their home, but the guest must bring a gift. The men arrived at the open entrance of the dragon’s home. “Let us enter,” one of the men said, facing the rest. “We do not have a gift, but we have nothing. Perhaps he who lives here will offer us sanctuary.” The men agreed, and entered the cave. Onward they kept, for hours. The long cave’s walls began to grow narrower as they walked, until they spotted the shimmering scales. Some of them knew who the scales were from, but none said anything. They approached the dragon, curled in his sleep, his thunderous breaths disrupting nervous air. The crew crept around, keeping silent for fear of their lives. Suddenly, one of the soldiers whimpered audibly. The men rushed to cover his mouth, but it was too late. The dragon grabbed the man from his comrade’s grip, crushing his bones with sharp white