Ithaca.”
The satyr’s brow creased in thought. “Aaaaaa, yes—Ithacaaaa. Sour grapes. Ugly women.”
“My mother—” Odysseus began.
“Aaaall men’s mothers aaaare beautiful,” Silenus said quickly. “Now eat? Or do you intend to follow drowning with staaaaarving? The gods cannot die. But a maaaan need not choose to die twice.”
Odysseus suddenly realised he was not only terribly hungry but thirsty as well. “Water. I’d like water.” He wrinkled his nose. “That is, if you have any.”
“Here, maaaanling.” The old goat-man held out a small wooden bowl filled with water.
Odysseus reached a bit tentatively for the bowl. Then he swallowed its contents down in a single gulp. “More.”
Silenus got him another bowlful from a large pottery krater by the cave mouth. “Drink slowly, else you will bring it aaaaaall back up. Fresh waaaaater is in short supply on this island.”
“I’d guessed that,” Odysseus said, wrinkling his nose again. But in spite of the old satyr’s advice, he drank the second bowl as quickly. And when he felt the water threatening to rise up, he calmed himself by closing his eyes and waiting for the spasm to pass.
“Now eat,” Silenus said.
Odysseus watched warily, but when the old satyr passed him a large palm leaf heaped with nuts, berries, and boiled roots, Odysseus was suddenly so hungry, he quite forgot his host’s smell. He devoured the humble meal as if it were a palace feast.
“Eat the leaf, aaaas well,” Silenus said.
Maybe a goat can eat that , Odysseus thought, but all he said aloud was, “I thank you, kind sir, for the food and drink. I confess I was startled by your appearance.”
“Staaaartled …” the satyr said, and smiled slyly.
“I wasn’t afraid,” Odysseus said, “if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Not aaaat all.” Silenus nodded.
Before Odysseus could answer, something scuttered across the floor. The old satyr snatched up a club from somewhere behind him and brought it down with a loud whack. Smiling, he picked up the dead shrew by the tail. “Caaaare for seconds, young prince?”
Odysseus shook his head. Suddenly the nuts, berries, and water rushed up again, and he barely made it outside the cave in time.
Once his heaving stomach was emptied, Odysseus sat down in front of the cave mouth. It was quiet outside. Even the seabirds had grown silent.
The old satyr offered him a bowl of water, and this time Odysseus sipped it, making the single bowl last a long time.
Silenus dropped down beside him. Outside, the goat-man’s stench was bearable.
Just.
“How caaaame you here?” Silenus asked. “I raaarely have visitors.”
“Rarely?”
“Well, never before, aaaactually.” He sighed, and his long beard fluttered.
Odysseus thought about telling the old satyr the truth about his escape from the pirates. But the truth was so unheroic. If he was to gain the satyr’s co-operation, he’d have to impress it. He gave a moment’s thought to what he would say and a deep crease grew between his eyebrows, but the creature didn’t know the significance of that.
“I set out from Ithaca with five ships under my command,” Odysseus said, thinking five surely sounded better than one. And my command was grander than saying he’d been nursemaided by a merchant captain. “We sailed south to the land of the Egyptians, where we burned their cities and took their cattle, women and gold.”
Silenus leaned forward, his dark eyes bright with interest. “Is thaaaat where you injured your leg?”
“No, that was later,” Odysseus said, really getting into the story now. “We were attacked by Poseidon’s watchdog, a great serpent of the sea. It swallowed my first ship, bit the second in half, and then started to pluck the men from my own ship one by one by one with its huge yellow teeth.”
Silenus showed his own teeth, which were the colour of sand.
“I seized my spear,” Odysseus continued, “ramming it into the monster’s
The satyr’s brow creased in thought. “Aaaaaa, yes—Ithacaaaa. Sour grapes. Ugly women.”
“My mother—” Odysseus began.
“Aaaall men’s mothers aaaare beautiful,” Silenus said quickly. “Now eat? Or do you intend to follow drowning with staaaaarving? The gods cannot die. But a maaaan need not choose to die twice.”
Odysseus suddenly realised he was not only terribly hungry but thirsty as well. “Water. I’d like water.” He wrinkled his nose. “That is, if you have any.”
“Here, maaaanling.” The old goat-man held out a small wooden bowl filled with water.
Odysseus reached a bit tentatively for the bowl. Then he swallowed its contents down in a single gulp. “More.”
Silenus got him another bowlful from a large pottery krater by the cave mouth. “Drink slowly, else you will bring it aaaaaall back up. Fresh waaaaater is in short supply on this island.”
“I’d guessed that,” Odysseus said, wrinkling his nose again. But in spite of the old satyr’s advice, he drank the second bowl as quickly. And when he felt the water threatening to rise up, he calmed himself by closing his eyes and waiting for the spasm to pass.
“Now eat,” Silenus said.
Odysseus watched warily, but when the old satyr passed him a large palm leaf heaped with nuts, berries, and boiled roots, Odysseus was suddenly so hungry, he quite forgot his host’s smell. He devoured the humble meal as if it were a palace feast.
“Eat the leaf, aaaas well,” Silenus said.
Maybe a goat can eat that , Odysseus thought, but all he said aloud was, “I thank you, kind sir, for the food and drink. I confess I was startled by your appearance.”
“Staaaartled …” the satyr said, and smiled slyly.
“I wasn’t afraid,” Odysseus said, “if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Not aaaat all.” Silenus nodded.
Before Odysseus could answer, something scuttered across the floor. The old satyr snatched up a club from somewhere behind him and brought it down with a loud whack. Smiling, he picked up the dead shrew by the tail. “Caaaare for seconds, young prince?”
Odysseus shook his head. Suddenly the nuts, berries, and water rushed up again, and he barely made it outside the cave in time.
Once his heaving stomach was emptied, Odysseus sat down in front of the cave mouth. It was quiet outside. Even the seabirds had grown silent.
The old satyr offered him a bowl of water, and this time Odysseus sipped it, making the single bowl last a long time.
Silenus dropped down beside him. Outside, the goat-man’s stench was bearable.
Just.
“How caaaame you here?” Silenus asked. “I raaarely have visitors.”
“Rarely?”
“Well, never before, aaaactually.” He sighed, and his long beard fluttered.
Odysseus thought about telling the old satyr the truth about his escape from the pirates. But the truth was so unheroic. If he was to gain the satyr’s co-operation, he’d have to impress it. He gave a moment’s thought to what he would say and a deep crease grew between his eyebrows, but the creature didn’t know the significance of that.
“I set out from Ithaca with five ships under my command,” Odysseus said, thinking five surely sounded better than one. And my command was grander than saying he’d been nursemaided by a merchant captain. “We sailed south to the land of the Egyptians, where we burned their cities and took their cattle, women and gold.”
Silenus leaned forward, his dark eyes bright with interest. “Is thaaaat where you injured your leg?”
“No, that was later,” Odysseus said, really getting into the story now. “We were attacked by Poseidon’s watchdog, a great serpent of the sea. It swallowed my first ship, bit the second in half, and then started to pluck the men from my own ship one by one by one with its huge yellow teeth.”
Silenus showed his own teeth, which were the colour of sand.
“I seized my spear,” Odysseus continued, “ramming it into the monster’s
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