Post by Cloverheart ✿ on Aug 18, 2016 18:31:50 GMT -5
please comment!
She had been alone for so long.
For years upon decades upon centuries, it had just been her, all alone in that place.
There was a time, when she had family; sisters who loved her very much.
But they were monsters.
And she was not.
Not until that day.
She had trusted him with her life. All she had, she had given to him. She broken her promise and went to be with him.
But then that one found out.
That one discovered her betrayal, cursed her forever. And then he left her.
And then everyone left her.
And no one would ever gaze upon her again, that was her curse to bear.
Having been born such a beautiful person, she was not accustomed to such loneliness.
She hated them all.
She would never love again, never trust again.
Over and over, she would hear the stories of herself, the ugly monster, who you mustn't ever look in the eyes.
After all,
She would turn you to stone.
..
And then he came along.
---
Actually, it all started out pretty normally.
I was visiting my sister in New York--that's where I grew up--and she had asked me to go to the post office to deliver some letters. I sort of wished I could tell who she was sending them to, maybe tease her about having a secret boyfriend or something, but she wouldn't tell me if she did, and it wasn't like I could read what she had written, anyway.
Oh, that's something I should probably note--I'm blind. Have been my whole life. It's gotten to the point where I can recognize sidewalks and roads and stuff, but since the post office was on a different route than the ones I know, my sister insisted that I take her dog, Cerberus, because he had been trained as a seeing-eye dog for when I visited. "Teddy," (That's my name, it's short for Theodore) "I know you want to handle it on your own, but just take him, for safety." She had told me this, at the time, and I was a little upset; looking back at it now, I'm really happy that I took her dog with me.
Anyway, I was on my way to the post office, following the directions in my mind and also my sister's dog. I knew all the usual smells, of gasoline, and chalk, and concrete, so I was on the right track and feeling pretty good about it.
And then it happened.
I caught a whiff of the smell before it did, and the scent surprised me quite a bit. It smelled .. fresh, like flowers and grass. At first I thought, Maybe there's a park? But that couldn't be it. I knew there wasn't a park there, only building after building.
So what was it?
In normal cases, I would have ignored it, continued walking, and just asked my sister about it later.
But then the dog freaked out.
It happened really suddenly, and all I knew is Cerberus was barking a whole lot and dragging into this fresh-smelling place. I stumbled after him, trying to hold onto his leash, only to fall down and listen as his pawsteps thundered away.
So there I was, on my scraped knees in the middle of a garden-y place, latched onto something that felt like a stone leg. I let out a distressed sigh, trying to wobble onto my feet, which is surprisingly hard when you can't see. Then I heard footsteps, approaching me. They were light, delicate. The person, as they got closer, smelt like a a wave of fresh air on a hot day, if that can be described as a smell.
"Um, excuse me, can you help me up?" I called out, not really sure where I should point my face. There was a moment of silence, then a confused noise coming from the person.
"Why isn't it working?" A girl's voice said quietly. So it was a girl.
"Uh, what?" I replied, managing to pull myself up using the nearby.. statue? That's what it felt like.
"Who are you?" The girl asked in a demanding tone. I turned my face more towards her voice and hoped I was looking at her.
"Um, I'm Teddy. Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude or anything, my seeing-eye dog sort of pulled me in here and--" She interrupted me.
"Seeing-eye?" The girl asked in a confused manner. "Yeah," I said nervously. "I'm .. blind, so I have to have one, to help me get around and stuff." It was silent for a moment, and then she spoke again.
"Blind?" She asked, as if she had never heard the word before.
"Uh.. yeah, it means I can't see anything."
"You can't see me?"
Didn't I just say that? "Nope, sorry. Even if I wanted to, I can't." I laughed awkwardly for a second, not really sure what to say. Who was this girl, and why did she ask so many weird questions? She then mumbled something under her breath like, I guess that makes sense.. It might have been 'I like Evanescence', which would be cool, because I like them too.
"So, uh, again, really sorry I intruded. Can I.. ask your name?" It would be kind of weird if I didn't know her name and she knew mine, so that's why I asked. Not that I need to justify myself, I just asked.
"My name.. is.. Medusa.." She said it really slowly, as if she didn't believe it herself.
"Uh, sorry, did you say Medusa? Like, snake-lady-stone-people Medusa?" My parents were Greek Mythology nerds. Greek-Freaks, I liked to call them. On the topic of parents, did hers just hate her or something?
"Yeah. That's the one." 'Medusa' said, almost as if she hated it. Which, really, I couldn't blame her. Suddenly, I heard a hissing noise. And then another. And then lots of hissing, all at one time. "Darn it, I woke them up." She said with an annoyed tone. I was really confused at this, but I didn't feel like asking who "them" was.
"In any case," Medusa said, her voice growing a tad more distant as if she had turned around. "I want you to leave and never come back."
"Well, that's a bit harsh, don'tcha think?" I let out a nervous laugh, but she was sort of freaking me about by now. It was silent again--she sure liked not talking--and then she spoke once more, her voice lowered in a tone that was hard to understand--it was as if she wanted to sound scary, but instead sounded very, very sad.
"Foolish mortal. Don't you know who I am? Even though you are immune to my curse, you should not be around me. I cause only trouble."
It was then my turn to be silent. She started to walk away, I heard her footsteps, but I acted on impulse--maybe just not wanting to be left alone. I reached out and grabbed cloth, maybe her sleeve or her shirt or something.
What I said next was hard for me to believe. I didn't really believe it, but I guess that's something that happens if you're blind. When you never see the world, it's not that hard to imagine a different reality then what you've been told.
"You're really Medusa, aren't you?"
---
Two weeks had passed ever since I met Theodore. At least, I suppose it was two weeks. When you've been around as long as I have, time seems to morph together into one solid clump. Or something like that. Anyhow, this strange blind boy who had stumbled into my home kept returning every day with that hound of his. Every day he brought something new, like a pastry his "sister" baked, or a hairtie for my snakes. I find it hard to understand why he bothered to stay. Was it something I said that day?
...
"You're really Medusa, aren't you?"
I winced. How dare he even speak to me! Most mortals, if they were not already stone, would have ran far away by now. But this boy.. why would he not leave?
"Why do you care who I am?" I snapped, backing away a bit.
"I-I'm sorry! But just what you said, and.. I mean, it's stupid. Medusa's not real. I mean, you're real, but--"
"I am real."
"...yeah. Listen, I'm sorry to bother you. If you want me to, I'll leave."
"I don't."
"You don't.. want me to leave?"
I stayed silent. Why did I say that? I could care less if he left. I took a deep breath, crossing my arms.
"Listen closely, child. To answer your question, yes, I am the bewared Medusa of which you speak. It is best you flee now, before I find other means of silencing you."
"You mean.. you're real?"
"Yes!" By now I was getting frustrated. What did he not understand?
There was silence for a moment. He stood there, seemingly in thought. I took this time to examine him. He had dusty brown locks, hair that reached a bit past his ears and bangs brushed to the side over his gray eyes. He wore a red shirt and blue jeans. As a side note, yes, I know what blue jeans are.
"Didn't Perseus kill you?" He suddenly said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I snorted. "For a bit. Monsters such as I don't stay in the Underworld forever, you know." I was surprised, however at his knowledge of my past. Greek mythology, they called it? Yes, I suppose that's what I was.
"And you can't turn me to stone because I'm blind?"
"That's right."
He was silent again. How annoying. If he was going to waste my time speaking, he might as well hurry up with it.
"Aren't you lonely?"
I froze. Was I?
"I guess."
"Well.. Medusa."
"What?"
"My name is Theodore. Teddy for short."
"...so?"
"So I want to be your friend."
"You do?"
"Yeah! So I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Um.."
I watched, now my turn to be silent, as he found the leash of his hound and walked off back the way he came.
What had just happened?
( to be continued • u • )
Prologue
She had been alone for so long.
For years upon decades upon centuries, it had just been her, all alone in that place.
There was a time, when she had family; sisters who loved her very much.
But they were monsters.
And she was not.
Not until that day.
She had trusted him with her life. All she had, she had given to him. She broken her promise and went to be with him.
But then that one found out.
That one discovered her betrayal, cursed her forever. And then he left her.
And then everyone left her.
And no one would ever gaze upon her again, that was her curse to bear.
Having been born such a beautiful person, she was not accustomed to such loneliness.
She hated them all.
She would never love again, never trust again.
Over and over, she would hear the stories of herself, the ugly monster, who you mustn't ever look in the eyes.
After all,
She would turn you to stone.
..
And then he came along.
---
Chapter One - The Blind Boy
Actually, it all started out pretty normally.
I was visiting my sister in New York--that's where I grew up--and she had asked me to go to the post office to deliver some letters. I sort of wished I could tell who she was sending them to, maybe tease her about having a secret boyfriend or something, but she wouldn't tell me if she did, and it wasn't like I could read what she had written, anyway.
Oh, that's something I should probably note--I'm blind. Have been my whole life. It's gotten to the point where I can recognize sidewalks and roads and stuff, but since the post office was on a different route than the ones I know, my sister insisted that I take her dog, Cerberus, because he had been trained as a seeing-eye dog for when I visited. "Teddy," (That's my name, it's short for Theodore) "I know you want to handle it on your own, but just take him, for safety." She had told me this, at the time, and I was a little upset; looking back at it now, I'm really happy that I took her dog with me.
Anyway, I was on my way to the post office, following the directions in my mind and also my sister's dog. I knew all the usual smells, of gasoline, and chalk, and concrete, so I was on the right track and feeling pretty good about it.
And then it happened.
I caught a whiff of the smell before it did, and the scent surprised me quite a bit. It smelled .. fresh, like flowers and grass. At first I thought, Maybe there's a park? But that couldn't be it. I knew there wasn't a park there, only building after building.
So what was it?
In normal cases, I would have ignored it, continued walking, and just asked my sister about it later.
But then the dog freaked out.
It happened really suddenly, and all I knew is Cerberus was barking a whole lot and dragging into this fresh-smelling place. I stumbled after him, trying to hold onto his leash, only to fall down and listen as his pawsteps thundered away.
So there I was, on my scraped knees in the middle of a garden-y place, latched onto something that felt like a stone leg. I let out a distressed sigh, trying to wobble onto my feet, which is surprisingly hard when you can't see. Then I heard footsteps, approaching me. They were light, delicate. The person, as they got closer, smelt like a a wave of fresh air on a hot day, if that can be described as a smell.
"Um, excuse me, can you help me up?" I called out, not really sure where I should point my face. There was a moment of silence, then a confused noise coming from the person.
"Why isn't it working?" A girl's voice said quietly. So it was a girl.
"Uh, what?" I replied, managing to pull myself up using the nearby.. statue? That's what it felt like.
"Who are you?" The girl asked in a demanding tone. I turned my face more towards her voice and hoped I was looking at her.
"Um, I'm Teddy. Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude or anything, my seeing-eye dog sort of pulled me in here and--" She interrupted me.
"Seeing-eye?" The girl asked in a confused manner. "Yeah," I said nervously. "I'm .. blind, so I have to have one, to help me get around and stuff." It was silent for a moment, and then she spoke again.
"Blind?" She asked, as if she had never heard the word before.
"Uh.. yeah, it means I can't see anything."
"You can't see me?"
Didn't I just say that? "Nope, sorry. Even if I wanted to, I can't." I laughed awkwardly for a second, not really sure what to say. Who was this girl, and why did she ask so many weird questions? She then mumbled something under her breath like, I guess that makes sense.. It might have been 'I like Evanescence', which would be cool, because I like them too.
"So, uh, again, really sorry I intruded. Can I.. ask your name?" It would be kind of weird if I didn't know her name and she knew mine, so that's why I asked. Not that I need to justify myself, I just asked.
"My name.. is.. Medusa.." She said it really slowly, as if she didn't believe it herself.
"Uh, sorry, did you say Medusa? Like, snake-lady-stone-people Medusa?" My parents were Greek Mythology nerds. Greek-Freaks, I liked to call them. On the topic of parents, did hers just hate her or something?
"Yeah. That's the one." 'Medusa' said, almost as if she hated it. Which, really, I couldn't blame her. Suddenly, I heard a hissing noise. And then another. And then lots of hissing, all at one time. "Darn it, I woke them up." She said with an annoyed tone. I was really confused at this, but I didn't feel like asking who "them" was.
"In any case," Medusa said, her voice growing a tad more distant as if she had turned around. "I want you to leave and never come back."
"Well, that's a bit harsh, don'tcha think?" I let out a nervous laugh, but she was sort of freaking me about by now. It was silent again--she sure liked not talking--and then she spoke once more, her voice lowered in a tone that was hard to understand--it was as if she wanted to sound scary, but instead sounded very, very sad.
"Foolish mortal. Don't you know who I am? Even though you are immune to my curse, you should not be around me. I cause only trouble."
It was then my turn to be silent. She started to walk away, I heard her footsteps, but I acted on impulse--maybe just not wanting to be left alone. I reached out and grabbed cloth, maybe her sleeve or her shirt or something.
What I said next was hard for me to believe. I didn't really believe it, but I guess that's something that happens if you're blind. When you never see the world, it's not that hard to imagine a different reality then what you've been told.
"You're really Medusa, aren't you?"
---
Chapter Two - Opening Her Eyes
Two weeks had passed ever since I met Theodore. At least, I suppose it was two weeks. When you've been around as long as I have, time seems to morph together into one solid clump. Or something like that. Anyhow, this strange blind boy who had stumbled into my home kept returning every day with that hound of his. Every day he brought something new, like a pastry his "sister" baked, or a hairtie for my snakes. I find it hard to understand why he bothered to stay. Was it something I said that day?
...
"You're really Medusa, aren't you?"
I winced. How dare he even speak to me! Most mortals, if they were not already stone, would have ran far away by now. But this boy.. why would he not leave?
"Why do you care who I am?" I snapped, backing away a bit.
"I-I'm sorry! But just what you said, and.. I mean, it's stupid. Medusa's not real. I mean, you're real, but--"
"I am real."
"...yeah. Listen, I'm sorry to bother you. If you want me to, I'll leave."
"I don't."
"You don't.. want me to leave?"
I stayed silent. Why did I say that? I could care less if he left. I took a deep breath, crossing my arms.
"Listen closely, child. To answer your question, yes, I am the bewared Medusa of which you speak. It is best you flee now, before I find other means of silencing you."
"You mean.. you're real?"
"Yes!" By now I was getting frustrated. What did he not understand?
There was silence for a moment. He stood there, seemingly in thought. I took this time to examine him. He had dusty brown locks, hair that reached a bit past his ears and bangs brushed to the side over his gray eyes. He wore a red shirt and blue jeans. As a side note, yes, I know what blue jeans are.
"Didn't Perseus kill you?" He suddenly said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I snorted. "For a bit. Monsters such as I don't stay in the Underworld forever, you know." I was surprised, however at his knowledge of my past. Greek mythology, they called it? Yes, I suppose that's what I was.
"And you can't turn me to stone because I'm blind?"
"That's right."
He was silent again. How annoying. If he was going to waste my time speaking, he might as well hurry up with it.
"Aren't you lonely?"
I froze. Was I?
"I guess."
"Well.. Medusa."
"What?"
"My name is Theodore. Teddy for short."
"...so?"
"So I want to be your friend."
"You do?"
"Yeah! So I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Um.."
I watched, now my turn to be silent, as he found the leash of his hound and walked off back the way he came.
What had just happened?
( to be continued • u • )
