Alyssa Pooler

Mrs. Dunning

English 9H-Block 2

11 December 2008

The Point of No Return

Straightaway

she began to swear the oath that I required-never,

she’d never do me harm-and when she’d finished,

then, at last, I mounted Circe’s gorgeous bed

When young Dawn with her rose-red fingers shone once more Circe was crying.

Odysseus was to have another child but not with Penelope, with Circe.

Odysseus could not believe the words that she spoke, “I am going to have a child,

now. We are going to have a child, my dear Odysseus. We are to be parents. Why do you

not seem happy about this? We are going to have a child!” Circe had a grin on her face

reaching from ear to ear.

Odysseus shook his head, “No, no this can not be happening. I am already a

father. I am already a husband. Penelope, of I miss her. Telemachus, he must be a man

now.” Odysseus could not believe Circe’s words. He sat there, next to Circe, and stared

into space. He only wanted to go home. Return to Ithaca, to Penelope, to Telemachus.

How could this happen, he asked himself.

Her response was as if she never heard him. “Oh Odysseus, this is magnificent.

We will be together forever. We will get married!” Her eyes glowed with love and
warmth as she looked at Odysseus. “Odysseus, are you going to ask my hand in marriage

now or later?”

Odysseus turned to look at Circe. His face was emotionless. In a flat voice he

said, “I am never going to ask your hand in marriage. I do not intend to marry you. I have

a wife who I miss terribly. I must return to her. I have a son already, Telemachus. He’s a

man by now. I need to of back to my homeland of Ithaca. We will not be together

forever. I must leave now before anything gets worse.”

“I am baring you child. You must marry me. You can not leave. You will stay

with me. We will be together forever.” Her words became more powerful as she spoke.

She wouldn’t let Odysseus leave and he could see that.

“I must go. I must return home.” Odysseus could not spend any more time with

Circe. He just wanted to hold Penelope in his arms again and hear her sweet voice again.

Circe took Odysseus’ hand and laid it on her stomach. “See. You can not leave

me. You can not leave your child without a father. You left Telemachus without a father;

do you want to do that to another child?”

Odysseus looked at Circe with that same emotionless look. “How do you know

that I left Telemachus? I only just told you his name.” His words were stern.

“I’m magical, remember. If you don’t want to say with me, I can always put you

under a spell. You can’t leave.”

“Your magic does not work on me.” He ripped his hand away from Circe’s

stomach. His face was filled with anger now.

“How do u know that the moly plant does not were off?” she raised her eyebrows

with the question. “You could even be under a spell now.”

 Odysseus face was emotionless again as the words sunk in. He wanted only to

return home. He just wanted to see his family, his land, and his people. He wanted to take

his role as king of Ithaca again. Worry flashed across Odysseus’ face as he realized that

she would hold him here against his will.

Taking his hand again, she said, “The gods want us together. It’s fate. The gods

want us to be together, Odysseus.” She smiled at him. “I love you, Odysseus. You must

stay with me and our baby.”

“I do not love you. I love Penelope.” He took his hand away from hers and

sprinted out of the palace. He didn’t look behind him but he heard Circe’s laugh. It

became louder and louder the farther he ran.

Out of nowhere, the sun covered by clouds, rain started to beat down on him, and

lighting and thunder rolled through the sky. The lighting hit the ground next to him as he

tried to run faster but it felt as if he was running through mud five feet deep. He couldn’t

see his ship and crew and the water’s edge but he knew that it must be close.

He could smell the sea. He finally reached where the trees parted to the beach and

he stopped end in is tracks. There was a stone wall as high as the sky there replacing

where the ocean had been. He looked from left to right to find where the wall stopped but

there was no brake.

There was something coming down from the top of the wall, floating like a

feather. It was Circe. “I told you, you couldn’t leave. My dear Odysseus, I can’t even

imagine how wonderful our life together is going to be.” The smile on her face reached

from ear to ear.

 Odysseus fell to his knees. “Let me go home. I only want to go home,” he begged.

He started to feel the tears running down his face as he looked up at Circe.

“Silly Odysseus, you will stay here with me. You won’t be going home. This is

your home now.” She took his hand and pulled him back to her palace with a power of a

team of horses.

As he took his hand, the sky cleared. Odysseus turned to look at the wall. There

was no sign that it would ever be moved or broken down. Odysseus had no change to

leave. He would have to live with Circe until the day that he died.