A Match Made

This is such a waste of time, this is such a waste of time, why do I bother?

Rumbling through her little wooden box, looking for the ruby earrings that bring out her eyes, she fought with herself about going. Her stomach twisted at the thought of seeing another face freeze in fear when laying eyes upon her. She knew that she wasn’t conventionally pretty but as a teenager, she certainly wasn’t ignored. The boys, and even the girls, would tug at her bouncy curls playfully, and on more than one occasion, best friends fought for the right to sit next to her.

That was many years ago, and she hadn’t had someone look at her with longing in quite some time. She knew she had hardened both inside and out, and she no longer radiated the blissful youth that once lured hungry lovers to her door. 

Finally, a glimmer of deep red appeared in the corner of the dusty box. Her heart jumped in a moment of triumph until she remembered finding the earring meant she was ready to go, and her heart sank to the floor. With great effort, she pushed her hair behind her neck and fastened the gleaming rubies with a snap. 

Just go, and then you can come right back. It will be twenty minutes of your life.

She stood at the front door staring at her shoes, procrastinating the inevitable rejection she knew awaited her. Finally, she selected her kelly green ballet slippers, the least intimidating shoes she owns. 

Stepping out of her tiny house, the humid air drops onto her, causing her hair to appear more wild than usual, jutting this way and that. Every inch forward she begins to convince herself this is not worth the trip or the heartache. 

Rejection. That is the worst thing that can happen. That’s it.

Coaxing herself towards the garden where her sister, Euryale told her the date would take place, her palms began to sweat, and her stomach twisted into knots. She thought of the possibility of loving someone, of actually being open to the stranger she was about to meet. And it terrified her. To be touched or to be held seemed so violent to her, so possessive. She paused. The back of her neck began to sweat as she remembered there are worse fates than rejection, much worse. And then she remembered how truly terrifying and painful twenty minutes can be, and how twenty minutes can feel like a lifetime. 

Her mind traveled back to the darkest night of her life. His eyes were as deep as the ocean and equally dangerous. Almost as if a siren song played for whoever gazed into them. But the sea is unpredictable, and while alluring, it will swallow one whole if the mood strikes. And the mood did strike him. So he struck her. And the violent forcefulness that proceeded can only be remembered as a haze of pain and fear. 

Flinching at the memory, she twisted her foot to turn around, wondering how and why she would ever subject herself to the presence of one of those monsters. 

As she swung around to return to the isolation of her tiny home, a rat whizzed past her slippers, and she let out the gentlest gasp. Following it with her eyes, she watched it take cover under the sewage drain, and it turned back to admire its escape route. She locked eyes with the rodent, and it froze in its tracks, perched on the lip of the drain with a narrow stream running over its feet in tiny waves. 

I’m the monster. I’m not the one who should be afraid.

Mustering all the courage in her being, she marched to the park, prepared to stare down this person unabashed. As the wall of the garden neared, her steps slowed, and her stomach twisted again.

Brace yourself.

She walked through the gate casually surveying the area for any company; there was none. A sigh of relief left her lips, and she felt the usual comfort of being alone. She began to walk down the dirt path and clawed her hair back behind her ears to admire the blooms on either side. 

They haven’t shown up. They probably won’t show up. Thank Zeus!

She stopped walking to bend over and inhale the airy, unmistakable scent of the pansies. While admiring the soft purples, and vibrant golden flowers that have always been her favorite, she could just barely hear a distant tapping sound.

A bird must be making a new home, or a three-legged donkey is walking on the street nea-

“Hello?” a soft voice came from the direction of the tapping that was beginning to grow clearer to her. She jumped as the stranger interrupted her thought and at first she considered not replying at all and hurrying on down the path. 

I shouldn’t be afraid. Why am I afraid?

“Yes, who is there?” she answered quickly and clearly. 

“My name is Caecilius. I’m supposed to be meeting someone.” A tall figure wearing a forest green robe and holding a wooden stick out in front of him appeared around the bushes. “I’m sorry if I startled you, are you Euryale’s sister?”

“Yes, but I-“

“Oh, thank Hera, I’ve been wandering around this garden for far too long, I thought you were a no-show! What’s your name?” 

Staring down at her ballet slippers, the words caught in her throat. 

He sounds so genuine. I can’t look at him. I shouldn’t have come. I am a monster.

Finally, she said with an edge, “Was I late?”

“Oh, very. But that’s no matter, your sister warned me dating isn’t your thing. It’s not mine either I have trouble seeing the bad in people, a terrible judge of character.” He chuckled with his whole body for a moment or two, “please, I’d love to know your name.” There was no more wiggling around. She could either flee from this man or she could look him in the eye and introduce herself, welcoming what she knew was inevitable. 

Her head lifted slowly to face him, but she kept her eyes glued to the little satin bows on the front of her slippers. After what seemed like an hour of silence, but was only seconds, and awkward posture on her part, she moved her eyes off her shoes and onto him, fully erecting her head and neck in confidence. 

“I’m Medusa.” The words left her mouth as her neck straightened, and she held her breath after they were out in the air. But no look of terror streaked his face. His eyes were not widened, his mouth was gently closed, and he calmly stood staring at the tree behind her. After a moment passed, she realized something was different. She was looking at this bald man with a sweet smile on his face, and he was ever so slightly swaying back and forth on each foot. Definitely not frozen in stone. 

“What an interesting name, my parents named me Caecilius because I was born blind, and they were very focused on it. Does your name have any meaning?”

She could barely hear the words he was saying. Medusa stared at him with her lips parted in disbelief and wonderment. And then, she started to stare harder, and she took a ginger step closer to him.

“You can’t see me?” she softly asked him.

“Can’t see you, can’t see me, can’t see anybody ever. But I’m sure you’re a beautiful woman, I can tell by your voice, it sounds so innocent.” He motioned towards the path, “Would you like to stroll and chat?”

Oh my Zeus, he is just fine! He is okay. He is standing in front of me talking, and now he wants to walk. 

She nodded her head and began to walk in front of him, still in amazement he was able to follow her. They walked past the violets and the marigolds while they spoke about their families; hyacinths and narcissi lined their steps, caressing their conversation in a romantic fragrance.

When they strolled past the fluffy pink flowers, he smirked while looking straight ahead, “Peony for your thoughts?”She giggled, and they stopped their stride to admire the bushes. He turned towards the peonies, and she watched him.

“How did you know we were by the peonies?” She didn’t know why but for a moment, she was scared he wasn’t truly blind and had been planning to attack her to gain honor or fame. So many had tried before. Men that now stand on her front lawn, no more sentient than lawn gnomes. 

“Oh my nose is like a bloodhound, you wouldn’t believe it.” He crouched down, feeling around in the flower bush until his fingers made contact with the soft petals, and he gently caressed the flower for a moment as if checking for the perfect avocado. Then he pulled upward, snapping the stem, turning towards Medusa with the largest peony of the whole bush. 

How did he pick the biggest one?

All of a sudden he was moving towards her with the flower, towards her face, towards her hair. 

“What are you doing?” She barked at him and pulled away, and the snakes hissed and contorted away from the stranger. 

A look of embarrassment washed over his face, “I’m so sorry, I thought it would be nice in your hair. That was foolish of me.” She didn’t say anything and began walking again. He trailed her pace by just a step, the wooden cane in line with her shoes. She looked down at her dusty slippers that were slowly becoming more brown than green, and then she looked up at the light fading from the sky. 

“I should go home.”

“No please, I wasn’t thinking. I just thought you would like the scent in your hair. Please don’t go just yet.”

She continued walking slowly. She could sense him holding his breath for her to answer. So she didn’t, she just continued walking, and he continued along with her. After some time, the sun finally fell behind the tree line, and she stopped at the gate of the garden. “It’s dark now.”

“It is. The air is cooler now. Would you like to go home?”

“I would.”

“Thank you for staying. Thank you for a wonderful evening. You are a beautiful person.” He swayed gently forwards and backward, seeming expectant of nothing but her exit. She stared at his soft features and distant eyes, basking in the human contact. She didn’t want to leave but was, so afraid of becoming a monster in his eyes. The first pair of eyes that hadn’t winced at her face since her beauty was taken from her. Neither of them wanting to leave, they stood there in silence for a few minutes until the words seemed to bubble out of Medusa’s mouth.

“I was one of Athena’s maidens when I was young. I promised my celibacy to her for eternity. For my warrior goddess. But something happened, a sacrilege, and I had no control, I couldn’t stop it even though I tried. In a fit of rage so that it may never happen to me again, my goddess bestowed me with incredible power.” She studied his face for a sign of fear, but all she could read was intrigue. He was leaning towards her now rather than swaying this way and that. She felt her heart lighten a bit and continued to tell the story she had never had enough time to tell another human soul. “This power protects me, but I have become a monster. I have been cursed with a vision that hardens anyone who looks at me to stone.” He furrowed his brow and took a half step backward. She took a step back, folding her arms over one another, bracing for the scream or the rage that was boiling in him. His eyebrows relaxed, and his mouth opened to speak, but he froze, twisting his hand on the top of his cane. 

Finally, he said, “Please, continue,” and he took another step forward and held his hand towards her for a moment and then rested both hands on top of his cane. 

She hesitated to proceed, but she felt grateful for the night of conversation and wished she hadn’t decided to begin her story. 

I shouldn’t have told him and ruined this. I should’ve just said goodnight and gone home to brush my snakes. He’s going to sprint away at any moment. He probably hasn’t because he’s terrified I’ll eat him or something.

“She took away my green eyes and made them red, and now anyone who looks into them turns to stone forever. But you can’t look into my eyes because you’re blind, I guess,” he nodded to show that he had already worked that out, since he was, in fact, not stone, “but she did it to protect me from men. And… she also made it so no man would ever want to be with me ever again, she took away my beauty. I had pale, soft skin and curly brown hair that bounced whenever I walked. But now… my eyes are red, and my skin is scaly. And my hair, it doesn’t bounce anymore when I walk, and it isn’t brown… my goddess gave me a head full of snakes.” All of the salivae disappeared from her mouth. “She did this to protect me, but I am only ever alone now. I am a monster, I used to be adored, and now I am an abomination…” tears began to well up in her eyes, her snakes wrapped themselves along the back of her neck and down her shoulders, squeezing her for comfort. She reached over her shoulder and squeezed them back as she began to softly sob. “I am so sorry I have tricked you all night,” her breaths were shaky, and she took a deep inhale to steady herself, two of her snakes wicking away the tears from her cheeks, “I had a nice time too.” 

Her face sunk into her palms and her snakes gathered over her head and hands. Caecilius, who had been listening intently, began to softly chuckle. And then he began to really chuckle, from deep in his belly until Medusa sniffled and lifted her head to look at him. His laughter faded and with a gleefully comedic sigh, said, “There’s been a bunch of snakes a few feet away from me this whole time? I love snakes, I had three snakes growing up!” He stepped forward, holding his cane under his arm until he was less than a foot from her.

He looked down into her ruby eyes and she once again questioned how in some moments his eyes were so distant, but now, she was sure he was looking right at her and would turn to stone at any second. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and the snakes hissed but didn’t strike.

“I’m so sorry Athena cursed you. I’m so sorry for everything that has happened to you. But you are not a monster; you are still so beautiful.”

His hand on her shoulder felt like what she remembered love felt like, how she would hug her parents and kiss schoolmates on the cheek. She was still staring back into his eyes, and she realized she was the one frozen by his gaze, unable to break it or move away. He began to slowly come closer to her face, and the snakes began to hiss furiously and dodge back and forth. But Medusa was stuck in her place, and slowly, the sound of her snakes’ hissing began to blur into overarching white noise as Caecilius brought his mouth closer to hers. He moved his hand from her shoulder to the nape of her neck, and the spell broke. She reached up slightly and met her lips to his, infuriating the snakes that whirred and darted around both their heads but never attacked. He dropped his cane to the dirt and brought his hand to her forehead, and with a single gentle motion, he swept the snakes away and behind her ears. The snakes quieted and wrapped themselves into a bun on the back of her head, closing their eyes in peace. 

Smiling through the kiss, Medusa threw her arms around his neck and leaned against him, sinking into the moment. 

On her walk back to her little house, she looked down at her dirty brown slippers, and she’d never felt more beautiful.