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Odysseus and his oarsmen are becoming desperately close to reaching home. Heading towards Ithaca, they round the Maleas cape (southern tip of Greece) when strong North winds drive them past the island of Cythera! After days of weary rowing and encountering other perils, they bury the keel of their ship on a secluded sandy beach of the Cyclops' island and disembark. Odysseus and a dozen of his finest fighters arrive at the cave of the giant to find he is gone, so they make themselves a fire in the cave and feast on his bountiful supply of food and marvel at his pens of animals and supplies from shipwrecked vessels. The Cyclops returns and closes the entrance off with a large stone...
"Quick, scurry!" I say to the crew as the Cyclops turns to the interior of his abode. This massive hole in the side of the mountain looks large enough to house a hundred soldiers. We weave through some stalagmites, hurdle over a pen for his sheep, and retreat into one of the many narrow tunnels at the margin of his cave. As we make our way down the slick passage, the tunnel opens to another large cavern with what looks to be the home of a less fortunate giant. I spot a few crates of Athenian goods, old netting, and some cheese which has me wondering if we're still in danger, until a number of grimy sailors with lowered daggers crawl out from their rock hides.
"Who are you and why are you here?", I demand from the nearest sailor who squints from the bright torch in the hand of Polites.
"I am Alexios, and we are what's left of the merchant ship Adrestia which was smashed against the rocks at the far cape of the island. It is too dangerous for us to set up shelter on the surface of the island, for the giant shepherd would surely spot an encampment. Tell me, friend, do you have a ship? Will you help us leave this wretched cavity we've called home for too long? We steal cheese, wood, and the occasional lamb from the giant to sustain ourselves while building the raft."
"A raft!" I exclaim. Well, that could take us to our ship on the beach. At least, if the giant hasn't spotted it yet. How long until the raft is complete?"
"Well, we steal only a few limbs a night, along with anything else that the dim Cyclops wouldn't take notice of, for his supplies are plentiful. I'd say another month of steady work and we'll be ready to brave the shark infested waters at the opening of the grotto."
"The Cyclops will have found my ship and scourged my unsuspecting crew by then. We must take action tonight!"
As the cracks of light in the ceiling of the cavern begin to fade, we sneak back up the tunnel to observe the Cyclops. With the monster sleeping among his sheep, the men quietly pilfer food and wood. I begin my search for a crevice in the massive stone blocking the cave entrance, when all of a sudden a loud snap comes from a branch a sailor was tugging on. The side-sleeping giant opens his eye with blood vessels thick as serpents, and as he rises he lets out a booming shout. The Cyclops grabs his club and throws it towards our retreating unit. The club flies over our heads and lodges itself in the tunnel intended for our escape!
"For many nights I've noticed the disappearance of cheese or milk and considered it to be the Gods taking their share in light of my defiance. Now I see that they wouldn't dare mess with a Cyclops! Only the foolish humans would behave as rats and loot my fortune."
With this the giant grabs two of Alexios' sailors, each by a foot, and raps their bodies against the cave floor, splattering their brains like a squashed berry. He then throws them into his monstrous oral cavity as jagged teeth crack their femurs and grind their ribs into rubble. The men look on in abject horror as the Cyclops washes their souls down with a bucket of goats milk and returns to his slumber.
Infuriated and scared that my men might meet a similar fate, I close my eyes and let Athena impart her wisdom.
"That is it! In the absence of this grotesque giant, we shall take this olivewood club and lop off the handle. We will plane it down and shave the tip to a fine point before charring the end good and hard. Then I will entice the Cyclops with this heady wine, a gift from Apollo, until he falls into a deep slumber. We will drive this stake through his eye and ride the underside of the sheep to freedom! Let's get to work!"
Author's Note: This was my toughest story to write as far as trying to find a creative vein and making sure that my narrative didn't contradict the original translation. I wanted to stay consistent with the first-person storytelling seen in books IX-XII of the Odyssey and to keep my three stories consistent. Inspired by Jeanne DuPrau's City of Ember, I wanted to open up another world within the notorious cave of the Cyclops, another group who stumbled upon the Cave and have since taken refuge in its recesses. Also, in original translations it is assumed that Odysseus' men are eaten by the Cyclops, but in my story a couple of the poor merchant sailors are picked by the giant and all of Odysseus' men survive. Probably because the Ithaca crew has light armor and swords, and that would surely cause the beast some indigestion. The original Odyssey can be picked back up with nightfall bringing the Cyclops and his sheep back to the vault, and Odysseus offering the Cyclops some of the potent wine.
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