The Man Who Changed The Heart of A Queen Witch

The Man Who Changed The Heart of A Queen Witch

By: Bernice Schnick

The Aeaean island is my home, and whenever someone comes to visit me, well let’s just say, they do not return to the land they came from. I am Circe, and I know I hold some of the most powerful knowledge of magic potions. It gets lonely sometimes living in this huge mansion all alone, but nothing is going to stop me from using my powers to my advantage. Whenever someone dares to enter my mansion and walk past my gates, I have no choice but to direct them into my mansion, misleading them to believe that they are going to have a great time with me in my mansion. Then after they are comfortable, I mix poison into each and every visitor’s food or drink. After they consume it, they become animals. I can change them to whatever I want, from lions to rabbits! When that happens I get to keep them in my house or yard forever! So technically I am not as alone as I think, but sometimes I wish there was one who proved to be strong enough to overcome my spell, now  that would prove he is worthy enough for my love.

Today started off like a regular day, me being able to bask in my glory of being a goddess and walking around my lovely mansion. The weather was quite warm, and I just had a feeling I was going to run into some more victims today and that I would soon have more animals roaming around my house. I know there are people out there to defeat me, but I am too great and powerful for that to ever happen. I am the Queen of Aeaean and no one will ever be able to take that away from me. Just as I was reassuring myself of the great power that I possess, I noticed a group of men who looked like warriors wandering around. As I witnessed them walking to my house, I smiled to myself and whispered “And let the games begin”, each and every entrapment of man is new and exciting each time.

These men wander up to my door and I pretended not to notice. I casually sing and know the men stop to listen. My soothing voice lures them closer to my lair of magic and entrapment. I hear them call out to me and praise me because of my magnificence. I invite them all into what will soon be their final destination, because after they eat my poison, they will never leave. I smirk at the thought of this, knowing they are so innocent and do not see it coming. Although there was one foolish, or I guess smart, one that stayed behind sensing a trap, I laugh at his accusation and invite him in again.

“Come in and enjoy all that my mansion and I have to offer you and your men” I say in a tempting and innocent tone.

“I do not trust you one bit and if my men were not delirious from being on this journey for such a time I think they would be able to sense it too, I can only warn them so many times, let their foolishness and greed take over. I will not fall under your wicked ways, even though I am not sure what they are I know you possess them” said the man

I merely shrug and whisper “your loss” as I shut the doors to my mansion securely. As I look back out the window, I see the man running like he had seen a ghost. I think to myself better hurry this along before some other foolish man thinks they can rescue the men in my grasp. Once those men entered my mansion their fate was doomed. I escorted the men to a huge dining room table and promised them am exquisite meal, one they have never had anywhere along their journey. The men eagerly ate up what I put in front of them not even asking what it was, typical men. Little did they know that I mixed a potion in the food they were consuming. One by one they turned into pigs in front of each other’s eyes. As they turned into pigs, they lost all recollection of their home and the urgency of the journey that they were on.  Each screech of horror at the sight of their friends turning into pigs and knowing any second they were next was music to my ears. I grinned devilishly at the men who pleaded with me. At last each and every one of them turned into pigs and I sent them into their pens mockingly throwing pig food at them as they left.

I sat alone in my mansion once again, thinking about how I much desired a man who could fulfil my needs, but none of them were strong enough to challenge me. Maybe that man who did not want to enter my mansion, maybe he was a possible candidate. As I was deep in thought, I heard a man hollering for me from my front gates. I turned on my charm and opened my door, ahh another helpless victim has fallen into my trap I think as I smile at the man. I invite him in, wow this is a good day I think to myself as I lead him in. I lead him to one of the most special of chairs in my mansion. I give him a drink mixed with my toxic potion. I wait in anticipation for the spell to work. My mind turns into a panic mess when I realize it does not work. I use my last resort which is my wand to physically cast the spell. To my horror that did not work either! As the realization that he cannot fall under my spell hit me, he ran at me with his sword. Terror I have never experienced struck me and I got on my knees and begged while crying. Tears ran down my cheeks as I pleaded for answers.

I went into hysterics “Are you the one? The one who has the power overcome me, the one who cannot be cursed?! Who are you oh great one? I beg of you, answer me I need to know. I saw you drink the poison and nothing happened!! No one has ever been able to overcome one of my spells!! You have the kind of mind that cannot be tricked or tempted! I have been waiting for you!”

Then it dawned on me as I was hysterically screaming the questions and crying “There is only one person you can be, Odysseus, I have heard stories of you! If there was one man who cannot fall to my spells and tricks I am forever grateful that it is you!” 

He nodded ever so slowly not knowing whether to keep listening or finish me off there. I knew I would have to step up my game.

I slowly get up and say “come with me and I will make sure you understand how grateful I really am that you have finally come to me” I grab his hand and try to lead him up to my bedroom. As we were almost to the stairs he stopped me and forced me to look at him and stop walking.

“You devil will receive nothing from me. You turned my men into pigs and cast them outside for them to wander for eternity! I am here in this house not for you but for my men. I will not even consider being with you for a second till you swear to me that you will undo the spell on them and never harm me or them” the words spat from Odysseus’ mouth angrily.

He seemed quite surprised when I began to swear to him that I would never do harm to him. He did not understand how long I had been waiting for a man like him to come along. He seemed quite pleased after I made my oath for his safety while in my mansion. I ordered my maids to prepare the bedroom just as Odysseus would like it. I walked him up to a blazing fire and a table strewn with food all over it. I left him in there to eat and I come back and he has not touched a single piece of his meal that was in front of him. I urge him to eat, but I can tell the sorrow in his eyes and I knew no amount of food would be able to fix that sadness. I knew what was coming next. He begged me to lift the spell that I had on his men and let them enjoy this non-cursed meal with him. I sigh and mumble “If this was anyone else”, knowing he had made me swear not to hurt him and knowing not undoing the spell on his friends would hurt him, I walked away knowing what I needed to do.

I walk to where I had left Odysseus’ cursed men. I lift the spell and make them stronger and healthier than they were before. When I brought his men back to him, the emotion displayed by not only him but also the men when they saw him was extreme. They all embraced each other, crying, and it even made me feel a little sympathetic for putting them through that. Gosh, this Odysseus man has messed with me more than anyone ever has. He proved his worth though when he overcame my spell. I have a little suspicion someone might have helped him. I do not know how, but I also do not really care now that he is here with me. He thanked me for lifting the spell and said he would comply to my request from earlier. So while Odysseus and I left the men, I ordered my maids to wait on the men hand and foot.

The same routine happened for the next year. I have never been so happy in my life, waking up next to Odysseus, knowing he was the one I had been looking for. One day I saw the faces on his men become different and that worried me. I became even more concerned when they insisted on talking to him. I felt my heart sink when I saw his face when he came back into the bedroom. I knew what he was about to say was not going to make me happy. He confesses his men want to leave my mansion and continue on their journey. I knew this day would come, but I feel like it came too fast. Odysseus talked about his home with such enthusiasm that I knew he would never feel truly fulfilled if he stayed here. I granted him permission to head back on his journey. It hurt worse than I thought it would to say he could leave me.

I sent Odysseus on a journey down to the House of Death so he could turn to the ghost of Tiresias who had information I knew Odysseus would need to know. I saw some sadness in his eyes as he left, but I think I was the one who felt worse. I had been waiting for the love of a man like him for what seemed like forever, and when he walked into my mansion I finally thought it was possible to love. Now watching him walk out that door down the path with his men following him whole heartedly, I wept more than I ever had for it was then I realized I fell in love with Odysseus, and watching him go is the hardest thing I have ever experienced.