Forever Your Mother,

Entry V | The Sirens

My Dear Lysandros,

    Even though it may seem unlikely, there are many things on this journey that have reminded me of you. From the sea to the sun, everything I glance upon tugs on my heartstrings, causing me to reminisce about the days we were together. You would have loved to swim on some of the beaches we have stopped at. You would have loved to mold balls of wet sand under this sun, as we would battle and throw them at each other. The meals on the ship I have made for the others are meals that I believed you would have loved too. I remember how much you loved playing with your food, pretending your bread was a mighty ship sailing across a sea of porridge. I also remember scolding you for messing with your meals, but every once in a while, I would play along. It is doubtful that you would still recall the game we would play with pomegranate seeds, but that one had been my favorite. I even introduced it to some of the men on the ship and they quickly got competitive. Some had even created their own rules. Their new rules included how hitting the teeth is half of a point, striking the tongue is one point, and straight down the throat is three. When you and I played together, the simplicity of the game is what made it appealing. They call themselves innovative, but you and I shall call them cheats. The popularity of our pomegranate seed contests had also caused an increase in choking aboard the ship, as some men attempted to throw multiple seeds at once. For the safety of the men who could not control themselves, we all decided to ban the pomegranate contest. However, my man and I continue to play the unchanged way in secret. Between you and I, my companion must work on his aim. Hopefully, one day, you can show him and every man aboard this ship the true way to play.

    A new difficulty had emerged upon the ship today, being more grave than the issue of the pomegranates. While it had began like any other day, rowing and rowing in the morning, it had all become peculiar as soon as a shipmate had pointed out a distant song. After learning the faint noise came from a singing nymph, we would cease our rowing as King Odysseus warned us of the origin of the song. The men and I were chilled hearing about the hypnotic ability of the Sirens, and how they are able to weave a haunting song over the sea. If we were not to be careful, their singing would be enough to alter our minds. Our great king had informed us that it was instructed upon him that he alone must listen to the words. I became worried as to how that would be accomplished, but those worries quickly faded away as our great king had already given birth to an intelligent plan. By tying our king along the mast, he will be able to listen without being capable of pulling away. And for the rest of us, we would go to use the beeswax to cover our ears, even though it had normally been used for the oars. The feeling of the wax hadn't been the most pleasant, but it had not been difficult to mold onto our earlobes. My companion complained to me greatly, but I reassured him how it was to keep us and the rest of the men safe. The two of us broke into a small fit of giggles after remarking how the pomegranate ban had been for our safety as well. Some men had tied our king to the mast and we began rowing again, fully prepared to withstand the song of the Sirens.

    When the singing creatures had arrived, it had been a very odd sight, for the head of a maiden atop of an animal's body was not a familiar sight. Even looking toward my companion, I noticed his intrigued gaze. Though, his gaze toward the singing creatures had soon ticked me off, as I gave him a hard nudge of my elbow. I had caught him mouth a small "Ouch" in the corner of my eye, and I must admit I had smirked as I saw his stare fall to the deck of the ship below us. None of the men were able to hear the song of the Sirens, but a tiny and hidden part of me almost wishes I could. Especially with how, in my line of sight, our King Odysseus had thrashed, begging to be untied. With how dedicated our king had been during our venture back home, of course I had been curious as to what he had heard from the voice of the Sirens. While curiosity had filled my mind, I did not find it worth it enough to betray my men. I did not find it worth it enough to betray making way back to you. Two men had gotten up to tie the king tighter, and we all continued to row until the sight of the Sirens had vanished. After being sure there was no trace left of the singers, our King was untied and freed from the mast while the rest of us had taken the gunk out of our ears, freed from the beeswax. Let this be a lesson to you, my child. Read of this feat our King Odysseus has succeeded in and apply it to your own life. Where at times the temptation of giving in to your dangerous desires is alluring, you mustn't ever give in to something so unruly.

Forever Your Mother,

Thaleia

Again, while this letter had originally been written centuries and centuries ago, Dee had truly felt so close to the writer of the letters. It amazed him how much Dee could relate to such activities that an ancient Greek warrior had participated in. Specifically, the pomegranate game that Thaleia had discussed in her entry, had caused Dee to reminisce of when he had been younger. It hadn't been pomegranate seeds, but peas that his mother and him used to play around with, the same way Thaleia and her son had. Something so simple that had been shared between a mother and son, centuries apart, warmed the boy's heart. While reading about the sirens, Dee had been extremely disturbed, but he was glad to see the advice Thaleia had given from the appearance of the hypnotic creatures.

    "I want to stay home and let my mom move by herself, but I think Thaleia's advice seems right here too," Dee quietly told himself, looking over the words Thaleia had written, "My desire to stay home isn't dangerous, but staying by myself in town with no one to look after me would be."

    The boy sighed, trying to calm his racing thoughts. What he had wanted had been very different from what he knew was right, and he sat conflicted as to how he was going to talk to his mom. Dee heard his mother downstairs, probably getting the kitchen ready to make something. Even when they had both been upset with each other, his mom still made sure to begin preparing a meal for him. Rubbing his nose, Dee grabbed the last letter in his stack. One more letter and then I'll tell my mom how I feel.