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Lakewood Times

Myth Writing

Sleep

High upon the clouds on Mount Olympus, young Caressius was born to Zeus and Hera. His delicate but determined nature and obsession with keeping everything in the Olympus Palace in order decided his lifelong task for him–he’d be the protector of humankind. When he reached eight years old, his training would begin. And so it did.

From the dewy hours of the morning to the dark hours of the night, Caressius practiced various routines that would sharpen his reflexes and teach him the valuable skills that it would take to protect humanity. He learned several martial arts skills for wordly intervention, if it be needed. He learned what plants are edible and what would cause illness. He learned everything under the sun about the dangers humans had the potential to inflict on themselves. When he reached twenty years old, his parents deemed him ready to put his skills to use. Caressius was allowed, for the first time, to see into Earth through the portal on Mount Olympus that allowed divine intervention. His eyes glowed with wonder at this other world that had been hidden from him for so long. He’d heard the stories from the adults about tales of humankind and the bizarre choices they made, but now he’d be able to concoct his own stories. Caressius couldn’t wait to perform his lifelong duty. 

The first person he had to save was a five year old girl who was trying to climb out of her crib in Tokyo. His acute senses allowed him to locate her and pinpoint that there was a problem. He sent a wave of curiosity over her, causing her to develop an intense attraction to the mobile spinning overhead. She stared at it for several minutes until she became entranced. Caressius smiled at himself and the little girl, overjoyed that he’d potentially saved a life, or at least prevented injury. 

The next case was far more sinister. In Dublin, a crazed man was attempting to drown his ex-wife in a river that flowed behind his house. She clawed at his arms, but he was much stronger than her. Caressius panicked, racking his brain for something he could use to intervene. He decided to overwhelm the man with intense empathy, feeling every emotion the people around him felt. As soon as the empathy left the God’s hands, the man lifted the woman gently out of the water and carried her inside the house, a shocked look on her face. Caressius took a deep breath and regained his confidence after such a terrifying event happened. 

The day went on, as did the people needing to be saved. From Paris to Cancun to Cairo, injuries and deaths waiting to happen were overflowing.  He grew overwhelmed with the burden of saving lives, immediately knowing it would be too much to continue for his entire infinite life. Even if he took shifts with another God or Goddess, the stress he felt when working was too intense to bear. He closed the portal and ran around Mount Olympus to find his parents. 

He found Hera sunbathing at the poolside bar near their house. He urgently called her to attention and she implored him to share what was wrong.

“It’s too much, Mom. I can’t do this. Can I have half the day to myself? I need to rest and to be,” he explained. She placed a gentle hand on his forehead and shushed him. 

“Of course, my love. Zeus and I simply wanted to see how much you could handle. Dionysus had this idea of imposing “sleep” on the humans. We can speak to him about it now.” She called Dionysus over from the bar, a glass of wine in each hand, and he set his drinks down on the table next to Hera’s lounge chair. He then went on to explain the sleep process, how humans would spend half the day asleep and half the day awake, allowing both the Gods to rest and the humans to live. He explained the intricate idea of Circadian rhythm, and how sleep patterns would allow people to experience wonderful dreams and imagery in their minds while unconscious. Caressius hugged him after, grateful for such a wise God to be available to help him. 

“I know my parents call you a drunk incompetent, but I think you’re amazing,” Caressius half-joked. They all laughed together, soaking up the sunlight as night was soon to fade over Earth.

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