Storytelling

"Alright, here's a story of a very old hero from a faraway land."

Rosaline started getting excited as she sat down and listened closely.

"There was once a man named Odysseus. After winning a war-"

"Who's Odysseus?" Rosaline interrupted my storytelling right after I started.

"*Sigh*...he is a hero of an old and ancient country called Greece."

"Ohhhh!!" Rosaline started clapping, her eyes sparkled with excitement. She seemed to like stories about heroes.

Rosaline asked another question, "Where's Greece?"

How should I answer this question? I'm pretty sure there isn't a country called Greece in this world. Then again, the Alumis continent is pretty damn big. Bigger than Asia, Europe, and Africa combined. Makes me wonder how big the planet is, and if there are other continents the same size as Alumis.

I think straight-up lying about the existence of Greece in this world shouldn't be a problem. It's not like this world has the internet. No one in this world can simply look into their phones and do a quick search to verify the truth of something. There may or may not be a country similar to ancient Greece in this world. If there is, then so be it, and if there isn't, who's gonna know the truth?

"Greece was a magnificent country surrounded by the Mediterranean sea. They produced many works of art, from sculptures to poetry, and even philosophical studies that would make anyone ponder reality. They also raised the mightiest warriors of the land. 300 of these warriors could defeat 20,000 soldiers." I recounted what I knew about ancient Greece.

"Wow!! Greece is amazing!" Rosaline's jaw dropped down in awe.

I chuckled at the sight.

"Any more questions?"

"Nah, go ahead."

Clearing my throat, I continued where I left off.

"Odysseus and his men just won a war, and so they sailed back home to celebrate. After many adventurers sailing in the sea, along the way, they landed on an island."

I checked if Rosaline was still listening. She has a history of dozing off when someone is explaining something in front of her.

Turns out my assumption was wrong. She was listening attentively as her eyes sparkled with expectation.

"Unbeknownst to them, the island was inhabited by an evil cyclops." I lowered the pitch of my voice to add a dark tone. It worked, as Rosaline audibly gulped loud enough for me to hear.

Cyclopes are real in this world. They are big, mean bastards that are high as 10 meters tall. The Adventurer's Guild rated them as a 5-star monster. Never seen one myself but I have gotten the liberty to see a drawn picture of a cyclops. Safe to say they look pretty much the same as they are in the movies.

"Upon finding a large cave, Odysseus and his men entered the cave, where they helped themselves to the food and drink they found there and fell asleep. After a time, the cyclops inhabiting the island returned to the cave. His name was Polyphemus!"

Rosaline tightened her fists, visibly anxious at where the story is going.

"Leading his flock of giant sheep into the cave, he rolled a huge stone against the mouth of the cave to close the entrance. On finding Odysseus and his men in the cave, Polyphemus became enraged. He grabbed two of the men, smashed their heads against the rocks, and ate them. Afterward, the cyclops fell asleep. Odysseus dared do nothing to the cyclops since only the Polyphemus was strong enough to move the stone away from the mouth of the cave."

"NO!" Rosaline cried, "That cyclops jerk is evil!!"

"Yeah, he is."

"What happens next?"

I continued the narration.

"The next morning, the Cyclops grabbed two more men, smashed their heads against the rocks, and ate them for his breakfast. He then rolled away the stone, led out his herd of sheep, and rolled the stone back to close the cave. Odysseus devised a plan. He and his men took a large timber, carved the end to a sharp point, and hid it."

Then, a loud grumbling noise echoed in the garden. It came from Rosaline's stomach.

"Eheheh..." Rosaline awkwardly laughed while scratching the back of her head.

She stood up and pointed at me, "Wait here! I'm going to get more biscuits."

Rosaline ran off into the manor, leaving me alone in the garden.

*Pop* *Pop* *Pop* *Pop* *Pop*

I made popping sounds with my mouth, just to pass time.

20 minutes passed and Rosaline finally came back.

Opening the pouch, she tossed a steaming hot biscuit into her mouth. Seems like the biscuits were freshly made.

"Ah!! Hot hot hot!" She nearly spat out the biscuit.

"Blow on them to cool them down, you idiot."

Heeding my advice, she blew on the next biscuit and ate it.

"Now where were we?... ah right. When the cyclops returned in the evening, he again led his sheep in, rolled the stone to close the mouth of the cave, and proceeded to bash in the heads of two more men and eat them. This time Odysseus spoke up and offered the cyclops some strong wine he had brought with him. Polyphemus, who had never drunk wine before, drank his fill and became very drunk. Thanking Odysseus, Polyphemus fell fast asleep in his drunken stupor."

My stomach growled as well.

"Pfffftt!!! Puhahahah!!!"

Rosaline laughed after hearing my stomach growl, which was actually louder than hers. Seems like the biscuits she gave me earlier didn't satiate my appetite.

"Rosaline, can I have a biscuit?" I asked her.

"Huhuhu. What's the magic word??"

Oh my god. Can't believe this is happening right now.

"Can I PLEASE have a biscuit?"

"Alright."

Rosaline climbed the tree and dangled on the branch with the same moves as she did earlier. She fed me some biscuits until I stopped feeling peckish. After that, Rosaline jumped off again, but this time without doing mid-air tricks.

I continued the story once more.

"Odysseus and his men then took the timber and heated the sharpened end in the fire until it glowed red. Then, with all their strength, they pushed the red-hot point into the eye of Polyphemus. The cyclops howled and woke up flailing, but he was now blind."

"Hssss!!!" Rosaline hissed as her face cringed.

"Too much?"

"Yeah...kind of..."

"Want me to stop?"

"No!"

"Alright then. Early the next morning, Odysseus tied each of his men to the belly of one of the giant sheep. When Polyphemus awoke and led the sheep out of the cave, he felt the back of each sheep to make sure no one was on them. Feeling nothing, Polyphemus allowed each sheep to pass out of the cave, carrying with it one of Odysseus' crew tied to its belly. Odysseus himself grabbed onto the fleece of the last sheep's belly and escaped through the mouth of the cave. Odysseus and his men quickly ran back to their ship and hurriedly sailed away from the island."

Rosaline suddenly jumped up and cheered, "Woohoo!! Go, Odysseus!!!"

I couldn't help but smile. This whole scene reminded me of when grandpa told me stories back then.

"So, do you like the story?"

"Yes! Thank you, Luka!" Rosaline smiled brightly as she expressed gratitude.

"But...why didn't they just use Aura to push out the stone blocking the cave." Rosaline had one final question.

"Oh-! Umm...."

Oh crap oh crap oh crap! I forgot Aura doesn't exist on Earth!!! Quick, I got bullshit my way out of this one.

"Um...this was before Aura was discovered!!" I quickly lied through my teeth. Some beads of sweat were rolling down my face in my anxiety.

"Oh!! That makes sense." Rosaline smacked her palm in realization.

Thank the heavens she's a blockhead.