Home at Last

I clung to a splintered section of the mast bobbing in the sea. Fifty yards away, twisted in a bunch of line, floating on a heap of shattered planking and a broken spar, was Telemachus. He groaned in pain from an obviously broken arm. His lower body hung in the water.

"Donjeta! Donjeta! Please come to me, comfort me. It hurts so bad."

I continued paddling away. I had been at it for an hour at least, but it was slow going paddling a broken mast. I had a goal, however, for before me, another forty yards, the water changed color, a wide strip of brilliant greenish-blue. It was a current. I was sure of it.

"Be quiet, Telemachus. Pray to the gods to save you, for I won't."

I kept paddling. The sun beat down on me draining me. My thirst grew, but I kept paddling. Telemachus began to sing, a silly song one might sing to a child.

I paddled. I drew close. A few more yards.

"Donjeta! The fish are biting me!"

Five more strokes, and I moved into the current. The water suddenly became cool and I started to drift.

"Donjeta! Donjeta, don't leave me here!"

It was ten more minutes before he was too far to hear.

The night was cold and a crescent moon cast her wan glow over the wine-dark sea. I couldn't sleep though. The mast was narrow and I clung to it. If I slept, I would slip into the deep.

I slept.

I woke to dawn's rosy light and strong arms pulling me from the churning surf. A man dragged me onto the sand. The ship's mast was nowhere to be seen.

"I don't know which god is looking after you, girl, but you're lucky I was on the beach today, and lucky I chanced watch the dawn."

He set me down and stood back looking at me. He was a rugged man with a bald head and deep sad eyes. He gave a wry smile.

"Well, if you've been drifting at sea I expect you're thirsty. There's a spring. Can you walk?"

I rose on shaky legs.

"I can walk."

"Good. You're not in such bad shape. Been drifting long?"

"Only a day this time."

"This time?"

His eyes glinted.

"You've been shipwrecked before?"

I said nothing.

"Alright, you needn't explain yourself to me. Come. Follow me to the spring."

I drank my fill. Then I followed him and sat on a small bluff overlooking the water.

"I like to sit here and watch the surf. It's peaceful and reminds me of home."

"Where are we anyway? Is this an island or the land?"

"This is Ogygia, the isle of Calypso the nymph."

"Where? I've never heard of it. What men live here?"

"Well, one man, just me."

"Oh?"

"The nymph keeps me here."

"I see. They do that, nymphs. Ever heard of Circe?"

His eyes glinted and he got quiet. We watch the surf crash against the shore.

"Surf's coming up. It's doubly good you drifted in when you did. The gods truly favor you."

"I wonder, do they?"

He stared out over the sea for a long while.

"Good question. Do they favor any of us?"

"What's your name anyhow?"

"I'm Nobody."

I glanced at him. I laughed, a tiny laugh.

"I'm nobody too, but you can call me Donjeta."

"Hi Donjeta. Just call me Nobody."

"You're serious? ... Oh, you are. Well, hello Nobody."

We sat.

"Donjeta, let's build a raft. I've been here too long. It's time I went home and stopped being Nobody."

"Yes! That's a very good idea."

We spent the day chopping trees with crude tools, whittling them down to well shaped logs, then tying them together with fibrous vines. We finished half that day.

We ate the fruit of the island. For dinner, Nobody slipped up to the nymph's caverns and brought back bread, honey, and wine.

"She's mad at me again. I wonder if she realizes I'm leaving."

"Why's she mad at you?"

"I don't love her. She says I pine too much for my home and family."

"Oh. What does she expect?"

He shrugged and lay down. We slept, near, but not too near.

The next day we finished the raft. More bread, honey, and wine, and another night's sleeping under the stars.

"I not going with you, Donjeta."

"Why not?"

His face was rigid, a dark cold expression.

"I dreamt last night, words on the wind sent by Athena through Morpheus's horned gate. My wife is faithless, has been for years, and my son is fated to die."

"We have many dreams that are false."

"This dream wasn't false. The goddess has neglected me, but still, I know her form and manner. It was Pallas I saw."

Why didn't she visit me?

"Get on the raft. I will push you through the surf."

"We'll push it together. I can swim."

"True. You're strong for a girl."

We pushed the raft through the breakers into the sea.

"You sure you won't come, Nobody?"

"No, I shall return to the nymph. I'll tell her I love her. I've never said it before, and I'm not sure that I do, but still -- it'll make her happy. I shall make her a garland of hyacinth and put it on her neck. I'll kiss her and swear to be her faithful man. She'll smile."

He released the raft and swam until the surf caught him and carried him to shore. I set the sail and the wind grabbed, shooting me out to sea. I looked back at the island, but he was gone.

A strong east wind carried me through the day and into the night, until my eyes dropped. I furled the sail and cast an anchor line into the sea. I slept under the stars. Dawn rose, and I set my sail, catching the wind.

Mid-morning I saw a ship heading north, its oars sweeping the sea a half-mile away. I stood and waved my arms. I even shouted, for all the good it would do at such a distance, but the ship slowed and turned, rowing toward me. I saw a figure dash its length, from the stern to the very tip. As it drew close, I saw that figure was a girl. I waved and called out.

"Hello!"

"Hi. You need help I assume."

"Yes. Help would be most welcome."

I adjusted my sail and maneuvered to the side of the ship. A crewman pulled me up. The girl approached me.

"Welcome aboard. You must have an exciting story, drifting in a raft in such an empty part of the sea."

"Yes, but it's a long tale. I'm Donjeta."

"Hi Donjeta. I'm Nausicaa of Phaeacia."

"Pleased to meet you."

Nausicaa wore a diaphanous dress. She had cream colored skin, brown hair, and dark eyes. She turned and walked to the rear of the ship.

"Come Donjeta. Are you thirsty?"

"A little. I had plenty of water on the raft, and food to last a week."

"Oh? I'll have a crewman bring it on board. One can never have too much at sea, but forget your boring water. We shall share some wine."

A man met us on the rear deck. He smiled.

"So, Princess Nausicaa, who's your new friend?"

"Donjeta, this is Captain Eustathios. Captain, this is Donjeta."

"Hello Captain Eustathios. Nausicaa, you're a princess?"

"Yeah."

"Your family sent you to sea?"

"Yes. I'm to be married, and I go to meet my husband, a king in Thrace."

"You're sailing to Thrace?"

"Indeed. Now, where's that wine? Captain, please find it? Donjeta, let's sit and dangle our legs over the sea. I find that pleasant."

The captain fetched a small pitcher of wine. I joined Nausicaa and dangled my legs from the rear deck over the sea. The ship got back under way, the men rowing hard, and a white wake churned behind us.

"So, Donjeta, tell me your tale."

I told her my tale. I left a few parts out, about Telemachus, and my being an Amazon, and Athena -- just a few parts. When I finished the princess looked at me with a big grin.

"So, you wanna go to Thrace too?"

"Yeah."

"The gods must have arranged our meeting."

"Yes, I suppose they did."

"Let's sleep under the stars, Donjeta. I'll have the captain bring up my bedroll. It's big enough for both of us."

"Yes, I'd like that a lot."

I lay with her, curled under a thick fleece blanket. We watched the sun set, the daylight drift away. The stars peeked out, Venus first, a speck of light in the fading sweep of blue. I reached over and touched Nausicaa. I stroked her breasts.

"Donjeta, please don't. I don't do -- those things."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

I rolled away and removed my hand. She was quiet. I turned to her.

"Are you mad? Do you want me to move away?"

"No, you can stay. Please stay. It's pleasant having you close. You can hold my hand."

I moved close and held her hand. We watched the last rosy hint of dusk slip away. We felt the cold night creep through our blanket. I drew closer to her warmth, such a soft, gentle thing. I began to drift away to sleep.

"Donjeta."

"Yeah?"

"You can kiss me if you want."

I kissed Princess Nausicaa under the starlit sky.

The men rowed for seven days with the wind hard against them until they couldn't carry on. We put in to Icaria to let them rest. Two days, then we sailed again with a middling wind that came and went. I offered to make myself useful, to tie lines or mend the sail. Nausicaa wouldn't hear of it.

"No Donjeta. I'm sure you've had a life of toil, and maybe you will again, but on this trip you're the guest of a princess. We shall linger, nibbling sweet fruits and drinking red wine."

After two days sailing we put in to Lesbos for water and supplies, to the town of Mytilene on the eastern coast. We beached our ship and piled out. Nausicaa took my hand.

"I've always wanted to visit Mytilene. There's a poetess who lives here, a woman who once visited my family when I was very young. Let's head into town to find her while I try to remember her name."

"That sounds fine. Can one of the men loan me a knife?"

"A what?"

"I'd like to carry a knife, in case we get into trouble."

"Don't be silly. I'll have two of the rowers follow along with spears and knives. They'll keep us safe."

The princess and I hurried into the town, through its gates and along its sandy streets. Two of the rowers took spears and knives and followed along.

We found Nausicaa's poetess. She was beautiful and kind. We spend several hours in a garden with a marble fountain and a ring of poplar trees. We talked of love and family. We talked of aging and death, and the gentle whisper of the gods. Nausicaa held my hand and leaned to me, giggling, blushing, and casting down her eyes. The poetess came and took us both, kissing us. Then she and I showed Nausicaa how to love.

When we finished we tottered out on wobbly legs giving each other shy smiles. We met the rowers waiting outside.

"I'd like to make an offering before the temple of Artemis. Wanna come along?"

"Actually, can I split off and visit Athena's temple?"

"Sure, if you want. I'll send one of the rowers with you."

"Don't. I'll be fine on my own. After all, you're a princess, I'm just a girl."

"True."

The temple to Athena was a smallish structure, with only a frontal colonnade. A pair of red latticework doors were closed over its entrance. I climbed the steps, avoiding small clay statues and a bowl of grain left as an offering. I peered through the latticework to the shadowy interior and saw the rough silhouette of the statue within. She held her spear and shield.

I knelt before the doors and closed my eyes. I sent a prayer to her, asking if she still loved me, should I continue on? I heard a voice behind me.

"Do you think they listen, the gods?"

"I hope so, Telemachus. I really do."

I rose and turned, and indeed it was him. He hobbled up the stairs, his swollen arm hanging useless at his side. There were new scars on his face along with the old. He cracked a twisted smile. He had few teeth.

"I prayed to them that you would love me, and they must have heard me for they ever put you in my path. But you don't love me."

"No Telemachus. I don't love you. I never could, you know."

"No, I don't know that. You could have, if things had been different, if you hadn't been so stubborn."

I looked at him. He shifted around. I spoke.

"So what now? Will you keep following me?"

He laughed, a high, wheezing sound.

"I don't even try, you know. Phrygian traders found me floating there, where you left me, and put me off at Lesbos, the only Greek port they planned to call. So again, the gods put us together."

"At this very temple?"

"Well, yes. I dreamt you would be here, so I came."

"Why not go home to Ithaca?"

"Like this?"

I looked at him.

"Telemachus, let's go down from the hill. I shall meet some friends there. I won't do what I must here among the gods."