2 Odysseus's tale

Chapter 2 Odysseus's tale Although you wouldn't know it to look at me, I'm a king. My kingdom is on the island of Ithaca, and I've been trying to get back there for the past seven years. When I set sail for home, my men and I had just won a war against Troy. It took ten years and we lost many comrades. Still, twelve ships full of my men survived, and we were glad to be going home at last. At least, we thought we were going home...

Our journey began badly when a storm blew us off course, leaving us adrift for days. When we finally saw land, my men cheered and rushed ashore. Unfortunately, the island was the land of the Lotus Eaters, where the fruit is so delicious, you never want to leave. After one taste, my men lost all interest in home. All they wanted was the fruit! I hac to drag them back to the ship and lock them up before we could be on our way.

We sailed on. On the next island, we discovered a gigantic cave near the beach. Someone obviously lived there, so I said: "Men, let's wait here to see whose cave it is. Maybe he can give us supplies, or at least directions?" As it turned out, that was a terrible idea. The cave was the home of a Cyclops, a one-eyed giant, and his single eye wasn't in the least pleased to see us. As he arrived home with a herd of giant sheep, he roared at us. "Who are you?"

He rolled a huge stone over the entrance to trap us inside. "I am Polyphemus and this is my house! Why are you here?" I spoke up. "We're weary soldiers on our way back from a war," I said. "And, as I'm sure you know, the great god Zeus looks kindly on those who are kind to strangers." I winked at him. "So it's probably a good idea to give us food and water...

The Cyclops burst out laughing, spraying a shower of foul-smelling spit over us all. "Zeus? Hahahahaha! I'm not afraid of him— he's my uncle!" With that, he plucked up two of my men in his meaty hands- and ate them, raw. After a swig of sheep's milk, the monster grabbed another two. Some of my men cried, "Kill him. Kill him now!" But, looking at the huge stone blocking the door, I knew I couldn't. "We'll be trapped if he dies," I whispered to Eurylochus, my right-hand man. "But I have another idea..."