Maid Of Time

MAID OF TIME

By: Kaitlin Pinterpe

            My Queen Penelope will never cease to amaze me. Even with these disgusting men in her palace Queen Penelope still is very kind.  Just the other day, a beggar came into the grounds, with no background she greeted him with open arms.  Apparently, he met Odysseus on his travels. I do not believe him, but Penelope has not had this much hope in a while.  So even if it is a lie, it makes her happy for a while.  Penelope gives the man some food and is going to let him spend the night here.  I think this whole Odysseus situation has made her crazy, but I will follow whatever she says.  But before Penelope let him go to bed, she wants to wash his feet. He quickly tells her no, he does not want a Queen to clean his feet, and at least he has some standards.  Oh no, Penelope is calling me over and asking me to wash his feet.  

            As I am washing this man's feet I look down and see this scar.  It reminded me of the worst pain I have ever felt.  I remember it like it was yesterday. That day it felt as though my heart was being torn out of my chest.  My master, Odysseus was leaving to fight in the Trojan War.  I have been taking care of this man for as long as I could remember.  It even felt as though my own son was being taken from me and forced into war.  Don’t get me wrong, Odysseus was a great man and led his men to victory; it has just been a hard many years.  My feeling could not even begin to compare with what Penelope feeling.  She loved him so much more than anyone can ever love someone that. The timing of this war could not have been more wrong.  Their baby boy, Telemachus, was just starting to grow.   I remember asking myself what happens if he dies? No, I said to myself you cannot think like that Eurycleia, he is going to win the war and came back safe and sound.  When he does come home everything will be back to normal.   Was I ever more wrong?

             Oh my Zeus, this man's feet smell disgusting, like he has not had a decent bath in years.  I can't believe that I am touching his feet, like I would clean my master's feet. 

             Those feet carried Odysseus away on that terrible day. The walk to the dock, where the war ship is, was so quiet and sad.  Penelope and I could not stop crying, and Odysseus just kept his head down.  Poor little Telemachus did not know his father was leaving him for some time.  Odysseus was a great father, before we got to the ships he stopped the group and picked up his son and told him that he was the man of house until he came back. Penelope cried even more, all I could do was to hold and hope that it helped with her pain.  When we got to the dock, the goodbyes were way too short and then the boats started to sail away.  I felt Penelope’s body just lean into me, just every so slightly more, and that was how we walked home. Telemachus was just holding my hand, he is a well behave child, knew when someone was upset, he would not fuss up.   When we get home Penelope just went up to her room and it was not until a week later she came out. I still remember to this day how sad and depressed Penelope's eyes were. 

             Sadly, her eyes are more like that today.  The years have sucked the light right out of them.  I don't know if anything could bring back that light.

           It was ten years since Penelope, Telemachus, and I last saw Odysseus leave the ports.  Penelope has done wonders to the now grown Telemachus, a person would never know that he was raised without a father.  He couldn’t wait to  met and see his father again.  That morning we got the most wonderful news, the Trojan War had ended, and the surviving warriors were going to come home very soon.  I could not remember the last time Penelope smiled so much, and Telemachus was so excited to meet his father again.  All the servants rejoiced to this news and cleaned the palace at least seven times to make it ready for his homecoming.  Then we waited and waited and waited…. He never came home, and both Penelope and Telemachus were heart broken.   I too was heartbroken, but I needed to stay positive for everyone else.  Some nights I just heard Penelope cry herself to sleep, and sometimes Telemachus would try to go in and comfort her, but end up crying also.  Just thinking about it breaks my heart; I prayed every night that he would come home, no matter how much it hurt.  When he was old enough, Telemachus went on a to find his father and came back with a sense of hopelessness.

            "Excuse, old woman, but why have you stop cleaning my feet?"  

            "Oh I am sorry, You caught me in a daydream." 

            "What about, if you don't mind me asking?"

            "A lost friend, actually, you look a little bit like him."

             More years passed and the news of Odysseus not returning had spread like wildfire.  Suitors had come from all over the world to take Odysseus spot in the palace.  This made everyone very upset, except some of the servants; they enjoy having the men around.   I hated them all, they were rude and did not care about Penelope feelings at all, none of them could even compare to what Odysseus was.  They were forcing her to make her decision, on who she is going to marry.  I swear she is too smart for her own good, she convinced the suitors to wait until she finish a blanket she was weaving, in memory of Odysseus.  It was of Odysseus' father, Laertes it is a beautiful it is made of the colors white and blue.  Every day she would work on it, and ever night when the suitors fell asleep she would unravel a few rows.  This plan worked for three years until that sorry excuse for a servant ratted her out.  

              The men started to grow angry so Penelope decided that the suitors would have to have a contest to win her affection.  They needed to string a bow that was designed just for Odysseus then shoot through a row of axes’ handles. The only person who can do is Odysseus.  She claimed she wanted a suitor so close to Odysseus to be her next husband.  She left the suitors to struggle with that for a while.  The Queen made this contest because no one, except Odysseus, can string that bow. 

My fingers accidentally ran over the scar again then I reexamine the scar. Wait a minute, I know that scar.  My master Odysseus got that scar when he was little.  He was attacked by a wild animal while was hunting. By the grace of Zeus he killed the animal before it could injure him more.  I am almost in tears because this man, sitting in front of me is my long lost master.  Then he recognizes me, I see the fear in his eyes and then it turned to anger.  I am about to tell Penelope that it is Odysseus, but when she turns, he grabs me by the throat and says if "You tell her and  I would second guess killing you".  What type of greeting is that from a master I have not seen in twenty years?  I am baffled of what has become of this man I use to worship.  I  start to think the trip has caused him to lose his humanity.  Then he tells me some of his plan, and asks if all the servants have been faithful. I tell him not everyone, and he says he will deal with her later, but first he must get rid of the pest, the suitors.  He tells me to take everyone in a room and lock the doors until he tells me other wise. 

I follow what he says, but I don’t understand why we need to lock the doors.  It is not until I heard the screams of the man in the courtyard.  Odysseus is killing all of them for trying to take his Penelope away from him.  Those screams will always haunt me for the rest of my life, because they were the last things all the men did before they died.  While this is happening I look over to Penelope.  She is both confused, why are the men screaming and then she realized happy that those cries mean that Odysseus has come back to her and will save her from those horrible men. 

            It was a few minutes of silence until I hear the door rattle and I know the horror is over.  Penelope cannot hold her joy any longer.   She pushes pass me and hugs Odysseus and they both start to cry.  We all leave them because they deserve some time to “catch up.” That is the story of my master, twenty years later and he still looks at Penelope like he did when he first met her.