Odd Woman Out

Instead, I told him briefly of how the soldiers came. There were no details, but I was still crying.

He had tears in his eyes, as well.

"I see," he said. "It must be difficult for you and your mother now, dealing with men."

I later told Mama, and she blamed herself for the suggestion. She was telling a story to me, and it had been so long that since she had dealt with outsiders, that she forgot to warn me of the burden of truth. Oracles had to speak truthfully, and answer questions, whatever the consequences.

When next I saw Percy, we did not talk much, but held hands. I told him that I did not like being questioned, which was true. Instead he told me about himself. I did not understand very much, as he had lived in a society far removed from the only place I knew, my island home. The builders had technology I had never seen before, or things far advanced from those in the old village.

So instead he told me about the world. Then he asked me if there was anything I would like from him.

I did not have to be an oracle to tell him the truth. I wanted books. Stories and information about the world. He said he would see what he could do.

What he did was introduce me to his father, who was the general manager of the new village.

"Arnold Zeusman," he said, holding out his hand, "but everyone calls me Zee," so I shook it.

"So your name's Medusa," he said, adding with smile "do you have snakes for hair?" But he said the last words in Greek, and I nodded.

"Vai," I said (yes) because I had to. I checked my headscarf was tight. My snakes had been interested in hearing a little Greek.

An oracle has to answer truthfully, but she does not have to believed. He must have thought I was joking.

"Oh, you know Greek?" he said in English.

"It is our language," I replied, "but we spoke the language of this area until the ethnic cleansing."

And I sobbed and tried not to think of it.

At least that ended the questions.

Later he told me that he had studied Greek as part of Classical Studies at university, which is why he had come from Britain, to the Greek islands. He had become a manager for a holiday company, and had been promoted for this new resort in the Adriatic. He was a widower, and after some adventures Percy had decided to join him at the resort.

They gave me what books they had, including some in Greek. Zee said it would be a good idea to have a little library, especially as they were expecting older customers, and they would get ones we liked.

CHAPTER 6

We were in the café, talking with Zee, when something alarming happened. Someone knocked into Mama and her sunglasses fell off onto the table. Zee picked them up and handed to her and she put them on quickly.

"Excuse me, please," she said standing up. "Come on Medusa."

She took me to the ladies' toilets. There was no-one in. She spoke to me in Greek.

"I looked into his eyes," she whispered. "It was an accident. He was looking straight at me, and I was looking at him."

"But he didn't freeze," I said. "Why not?"

"Perhaps I've lost the curse!" she said. "Maybe something affected both of us!"

We had to find out. It was some time before the right moment came.

We were in the little shop, and there was no-one else, apart from the shopkeeper who was sorting through some things on the counter. She came close, and took off her sunglasses.

"Excuse me," she said, and he looked up. And stood still. I recited the alphabet slowly as Mama put her sunglasses back on.

I had just finished when he shook his head and looked puzzled.

"Yes, madam?"

She bought a bar of chocolate and we went home.

It had been a strange experience for me. Everyone had been so careful on the island that it did not happen very often. I could scarcely remember seeing it as a child. This was our power and our curse.

I suppose Percy and I had what the English romantic stories would call a courtship, but it was an odd one. We tended to get together with Maria. She knew very little English (but was learning) so my conversation with Percy was fairly private (although she could recognise giggles and blushes). I could also speak in her language so that Percy did not know. The books would call her a chaperone, but it was to protect my secret, not my honour.

He accepted that I did not like questions about my past or my religion, so we mainly talked about happy experiences and things he liked to do. But it was hard to avoid.

I so much wanted to do more than hold hands, and one day, I did. I put my hand up to stroke his cheek, and he let me. Then he put up his hand to stroke mine.

"Please don't touch my face!" I said, pulling back.

"Why?" he said. It was automatic: a simple question. I had to answer and I could not lie.

"Because I'm afraid you will touch my hair." Which was true.

"Sorry," he said, "I forget. Is it OK for you to touch mine? You can, if you want."

"That's fine," I said happily, and stroked his curly hair. It does not sound much, but that contact was so much of a thrill! I did it again, often.

Meanwhile, Mama was still keeping away from the village, but joined me sometimes to talk with Zee. They both liked talking in Greek. Apparently our language was somewhere between modern Greek and the old language he had learned at university, and he was fascinated by some of the things she said which seemed ordinary to us.

She had carefully tried to look into his eyes several times with no effect (apart from a smile from Zee), but had also made a couple of other men freeze. We could not understand it.

Then one day they were talking and he stopped. Mama put on her sunglasses and looked down, while I looked around in panic to see if anyone had noticed. Percy was not there, but Maria was. She got up quickly and started speaking to someone at the next table so that they would look away.

Zee looked puzzled.

"Sorry, where was I? Lost track of what I was saying."

He polished his glasses and put them back on.

It was the glasses! Just as the mirror had no effect, looking through glass also stopped the power somehow. Maria told us what we needed to do, so we asked Zee for help, saying (truthfully) that Mama's vision was not as good as it was, and we thought glasses would help.

It was difficult, but it was arranged that Mama would be taken by boat to be measured by woman optician on the mainland. There she was measured and spectacles were prescribed. I went, of course, along with Maria, Zee and Percy.

But it was also our first view of the modern world. Just a small town, but terrifying and wonderful. Zee and Percy were astounded at how new and frightening it was for us.

Maria took us to buy new sandals and some simple dresses and cloths to cover our hair. Zee said it was being paid for out of the rent for the bit of our land.

"I would prefer if you told us the truth," said Mama. He looked embarrassed.

"All right, they are gifts from us."

"That's better," said Mama, and we both thanked them.

CHAPTER 7

When the boat brought the spectacles, Mama was so happy, both with the vision and of course that she could actually look at people, and asked Zee what she could do to repay him.

"Well," he said, "you told me that you and Medusa play music together. I would very much like to hear it."

There was a problem. I could not imagine playing without my snakes being free. In fact, the best was when we played and danced naked outside. Covered, it would be dismal.

Eventually Mama got a plan.

Zee, Percy and Maria came to our little house. We were in the bedroom with the door open. The men were in the main room, with Maria guarding.

We just had on simple tunics, and our snake hair free.

It had been good to play together. It was wonderful to know there was an audience just a little way away! The music soared as it had not done for a long time. We played of the sea, of nature, of love. Our snakes could see Maria at least, and we knew what she was feeling, how the sadness of her loss was not gone, but kept quiet, and she had some of the joy of a girl in nature again, and the warmth of her husband's love.

"Thank you," she said, when we stopped.

We carefully covered ourselves, and came out.

"That was amazing!" said Percy, "I've never heard anything like it."

"I've heard something like it," said Zee, "but never anything as good."

He looked at our instruments and shook his head. Mama told him the syrinx had been made by her grandfather, the lyre was much older, but she had made new strings of goat gut, and the aulos was oldest of all, but she had replaced the reeds.

Mama had an idea, but it was risky.

"Zee and Percy, we want to ask you something, but you have to promise something."

She paused and took a deep breath.

"Please sit facing away from us. You must promise not to turn around to look at us, however curious you are. If you do, even for an instant, we will never talk to you again. Don't ask why, don't ask any questions."

They agreed. Maria went and stood in front of them and we were behind. We uncovered our hair.

"Percy, what do you think of Medusa?"

Straight away he answered "I think she's wonderful and I think I love her."

My snakes felt like they had never done before. This was what it was like to be an oracle. To know that someone is speaking the absolute truth. And much more than that, it was if I could feel into his soul and know we had the same feelings. And if I could sense the future, it was that I could trust him.

"Zee, what do you think of me?"

"I think you're the most remarkable woman I have ever met. No-one could replace my dear wife, but I wish I could stay with you."

I could tell his feelings and hers, and knew what they meant. He had spoken the truth. But I was not sure of absolute trust.

I could feel there was a question coming, but Maria shushed them, and we covered ourselves.

"Thank you so much," said Mama. "Please don't say anything, but just go, and we will talk again."

Obediently they went.

Mama hugged Maria.

"I hope you understood enough," she said, as Maria's English was still limited, and Maria laughed.

"More than enough!" was her reply. "I think you have two fine men there, but only you know if you can trust them enough."

"And you should trust yourself," she added, waving a finger. "The oracle is always right."

She turned to me.

"I asked your Mama what would happen if she asked the men how they felt. She told me exactly what did happen. I hope your little snakes did their job, my Meddy!"

She fondled my hair and kissed me on the nose, and went.

We went to bed and let our snakes intertwine for a while.

Later we talked. She asked me what I thought about Percy.

"He was telling the truth," I said. "We have feelings for each other, and we want more. I feel I can trust him even with our secret."

"Do you think he has had sex with girls?"

"Yes," I said at once. "Two, but it has been respectful and loving." I knew this as surely as if he had said it. My snakes told me, so it was there in my head.

"And what did you think of Zee?"

"He is a good man. There have been other women, but he really did love his wife most. But he is hiding something."

Mama sighed.

"I agree. Zee and I have much in common. We both have loves we have lost who can never be replaced. However, we could be companions, if I could trust him as I think we could trust Percy."

"He is more powerful than he seems or admits, and has lived in different ways, as well as having different women. But he is curious and questioning. He was definitely thinking about turning to look. I could tell, and I know that Maria knew it, and was getting ready to hit him!"

She hugged me. I could feel her sadness.

"If you reveal yourself to Percy, his father is sure to find out, and we cannot risk that."

CHAPTER 8

We continued cautiously. I spent what time I could with Percy. It was bittersweet, wanting so much to hold him close and kiss him, but not being able to. I held his arm as we walked along. That was something.

Mama was polite, but spent less time with Zee and was more cautious. I could see he was sorry.

I suppose it was because we were afraid of being questioned that we did not ask them about their past. But one day Percy decided to tell me.

"My dad wasn't always a holiday representative," he said. "Maybe your mum would have more respect if she knew that he used to be a professor, and quite a famous one at a big university. Mum was an archaeologist, and they met on an excavation. I was the result."

"He was devastated when Mum died, lost his post at the university and ended up as a tour guide in Greece."

"I think Mum and Dad tried too hard, so I wanted to do anything but the classics. I learned a bit of Latin, that was all, but went my own way. I wanted to be a biologist -- I even had a couple of pet snakes. After university it was difficult to find a job, but when Dad got this position, he got me a job just as a labourer during the building. I like to look at the wildlife, but I'm sorry there don't seem to be any snakes on the island."

"Oh, there are," I said. "I can show you."

Mama and I had often sat and talked with snakes. It is not really talking of course, because they are simple animals, but we share something with them and our own snakes like to see them.

I am not sure if we can summon them, or if our snakes sense where they are, but it was just so easy when we were alone on the island. Now with my hair covered, it was more difficult, but I went to their favourite places and was able to find some. My own snakes were very annoyed that they were not let out, and sulked for the rest of the day.

There was an adder I knew well, but I could not persuade her to come to me.

"I'm sorry," I said. "She normally lets me stroke her, but with you being a stranger..."

He was surprised, but said how he had liked handling his non-venomous snakes when he was a boy.

He asked me to show him the snakes again, and eventually the adder came to us, and wrapped herself around my arm. She allowed him to stroke her there, but would not let him hold her. My snakes hissed at the same time as she did, when he tried.

I should have known that he would tell his father, and should have been concerned for his father's power. Perhaps I did.

Because one evening Zee knocked on the door of our house. Our snakes were upset as we covered them.

"What do you want?" she asked, peering round the door through her glasses.

"I'm sorry to have to do this," he said in Greek, "but I ask you, are you an oracle?"

She could do nothing but say yes, as she quickly closed the door, and put her fingers in her ears. I did the same.

In a while a piece of paper came under the door.

"I think you have hair like snakes, but I promise to keep it secret. Love, Zee."

Perhaps it was the word 'love' which did it, for she opened the door and invited him in.

"Sit down, and ask your question," she said, looking frightened but brave.

"Keto, dear, do you have hair like snakes?"

"No," she said, "we do not."

"But do you and your daughter have unusual hair, which is an inherited condition?"

"Yes, that is true."

"May I see it?"

"No, you may not. Now I would ask you to leave and not bother us with questions, but also not tell anyone what you have learned."

We hugged together in fright. We did not need to talk, but we both understood deeply what we felt about these men.

Just before dawn, Mama took me down to the flower meadow. We had no covering on our hair, and at the meadow dropped our robes. We were cold but feeling the world all around us as it should be felt.

She gently got the adder out of its hole. It was sleepy, but felt my warmth as I held it close to my breasts, and was happy.

"My daughter, you are very beautiful," she said, and I told her she was too.

We did not need to say it, but it was good to do so.

"Daughter of mine, Medusa," she began. "In the name of Hygieia, I ask you, as the oracle, and with this snake, this question. Can we trust the men Zee and Percy with our secret?"

"Yes," I said. I do not know how I knew, but I was certain.

We each kissed the adder, and I knew she was going to have children. I put her on a rock to warm up as the sun rose.

CHAPTER 9

We stayed at home for a couple of days, then finally went down to the village. There we asked them to come to our home that evening for dinner. I put on a dress that I had been bought, and Mama put on her wedding robe, which was simple and white.

We offered our guests a drink, begging them not to ask questions.

We had discussed what to say, so Mama told them.

"You wish to know our secret, and we are going to tell you. But I warn you, we are trusting you with our lives. There is nowhere else we can go, and I cannot think of anything else to do."

"We do not have hair LIKE snakes. Our hair IS snakes. And you should not believe some of the nasty stories about us."

So we showed them. We took off our head coverings.

I stood there, and my snakes told me we had done the right thing. The men were shocked. It was beyond what they had imagined, but I knew they would not betray us.

Mama reminded them not to ask questions, and we had our meal. Our snakes were very interested to observe the two men, and we had to bend down and turn around so those at the back could have a view.

As we ate, she told them the legend of our people.

"Our people used to live in a beautiful valley. At that time the snakes were known as the wisest of creatures, and people came to get their advice, at a special tree. There was a woman who especially loved the snakes. Her name was Medusa, which means protector, because she looked after them."

"Medusa wished to be more like the snakes and the goddess Hygieia granted her wish, for one morning she woke up to find that her hair had been turned into snakes, and she had the gift of oracle. She also had the snake's power to freeze an animal with a stare."

"Medusa was so grateful and so kind that Hygieia granted her also the power of healing."

"With her husband Gorgon she had six daughters and six sons, all of whom had snakes and wisdom and the power to freeze an animal, but only the daughters had the power of healing."

"For many generations they were respected for their wisdom and sought out for their healing powers. However some men were jealous, and prayed to other gods that the people known as Gorgons should be killed or at least lose their power."

"Gods are also fickle and jealous and can be persuaded by prayers. So it was that the gods of the jealous men robbed the Gorgon men of their power to freeze, so they could be killed more easily. Hygieia could not prevent this, as her power was strongest over women, but she increased the powers of the women to protect themselves. Sadly, this meant that the healing stare was lost to be replaced by the killing stare, but men would freeze just at a glance to allow the woman to escape. In place of the healing powers Hygieia gave them knowledge of plants and the understanding to be very clean. They covered their hair in public and taught the healing arts to any other women who would listen, and very privately acted as oracles to those who trusted them."

"Their numbers grew fewer as they were hunted, and they hid in places further and further from their ancestral homes. When my colony was attacked, I escaped with my grandfather to come to this island. He was the last of the Gorgon men, so far as I know."

"However, Poseidon sent me a man from the sea, a blind Englishman who was Medusa's father. As she was probably going to be the last woman of our people, we named her after the first."

I did not need special powers to see how they were affected by this story.

Percy spoke first.

"I will not ask, but I tell you that I wish I could touch your snakes, Medusa."