Emerald

Pretty monsters

§Medusa§
§Two months later§

I think humanity has a rather wrong understanding of what sacred is; they say women are sacred, and that they should be protected but then others go on to objectify and use them like disposable silverware. They say there's admiration for having the ability to literally create a life, but they still use menstruation as weapon of insult. They say they want to protect them but all I see is men trying to assert their power by making women feel vulnerable, defenseless and useless. By 'they' I'm talking about men, well mostly men because there are women who have been raised to believe they're inferior and perpetrate those toxic behaviors as well.

"Mom?" Alec walked into my bedroom wearing his green cashmere PJs I made for him because he likes to blast the AC in his bedroom.

"Yes, bubba?" I closed my journal.

Alec climbed into bed and lay under my blankets "I watched a movie last night called Monte Carlo and it's about this girl who passes as a wealthy heiress and enjoys her life for a week or so," he looked up at me "what if we were to visit the human world and something like that happened to either of us?"

A soft smile curved my lips "Bubba, it's just a movie but it would be wonderful; what would you do if you could have that heir life for one week?"

"Buy you a big house with a big garden and a space where I can build you a temple...I don't know, I just want you to have everything you deserve but has been refused to you—I know that Athena will give you whatever you want, but you hold back all the time, mom," Alec confessed, playing with my fingers, causing my heart to tighten.

"Bubba, I'm fine, I don't need any of that but I'm really grateful that you think I deserve all of that," I leaned down to peck his forehead.

My baby rested his head on my stomach "I know you're happy with just me and my siblings on this island, but sometimes it's hard to believe this is all you want," he glanced up at me. "You shouldn't settle for this prison that scaly cunt created for you," he flipped off the sea which made me chuckle.

"Alec it's fine, I'm fine," I've trained myself for thousands of years to really believe that, even if deep down I know I'm not...and lately that truth has been crawling out of my brain.

"I hate it when you say that, because you never look me in the eye when you say it which means you don't mean it," he crossed his arms, looking at me.

A deep sigh left my mouth as I locked eyes with him "I'm fine, and you're with me which means everything is perfect, bubba."

My child leaned in to hug me tightly "I'm going to go spend some time with my siblings and will be back for dinner, okay?"

"Okay, bubba," I pecked his cheek as he pulled away. "I love you, and take the fruit for your siblings!" I shouted as he rushed out of my bedroom.

"Yes, mamma!" He shouted back.

I opened my journal and traced the little dessert drawings I made around the paragraph I wrote about my first time using a modern oven; it was odd and I loved it, but then I started seeing these ads of women in their puffy 60s dresses, with the perfect curls on their hair, high heels and an apron on—the perfect wife back then, which actually caused me to stray away from baking for a couple of months, until I realized that wasn't what baking would make me; it was just to make something sweet to cheer me up.