15 Penelope and Odysseus Meet Again

CHAPTER 15 Penelope and Odysseus Meet Again In her excitement, the nurse's old feet became young and quick again. She sprinted upstairs to tell her mistress the news. "My lady," the nurse cried. "Odysseus has returned. He has destroyed the suitors! We are now free." "My good nurse," answered Penelope, "have you lost your mind? Don't punish me like this. I have finally stopped crying over my lost husband. Are you trying to trick

me?" "My dear," the nurse said. "I promise I am not trying to trick you. Remember the stranger you welcomed into your home? The one who just shot his arrow through the axes? That was Odysseus!" Penelope suddenly realized it might be true. She jumped up from her bed and began pacing her room. Penelope trusted her nurse, but she was still uncertain. This was a truth she wanted to believe so much. "I can give you proof," the nurse said. "I saw his scar! I wanted to tell you about it, but he would not let me. Now he has asked that I reveal the truth to you." This was excellent proof, but Penelope was still unsure. "Bring him here," she said. The nurse happily ran from the room to fetch her master. When Odysseus arrived, Penelope kept her

distance. He looked like her husband. But she could not be sure this was not an awful test from the gods. Penelope carefully came close to him. They sat by the fire with some distance still between them. Then Telemachus leaped into the room. He was excited about the reunion of his parents after twenty years. But he was upset that they still sat so far apart. "Mother," he cried. "Do you not recognize your husband? Why do you not go to him? Is your heart made of stone?" Penelope answered, "My son, there are things you do not yet understand. If he really is my husband, Odysseus, we will need some time to get to know each other again." Odysseus smiled and said to Telemachus, "Let her test me. Your mother's cleverness is one of the things I love about her. She will make up her own mind. Just give her time.

Besides, I have more awful things to worry about. The suitors' families will surely be greatly upset. We will need to lie low for a while. Telemachus, please go and have the servants secure the house. I will stay here with your mother." Telemachus went and did as his father had asked. Penelope thought for a moment before speaking again. She rose and moved toward her bed. "I was wondering if you could help me with something," she said to Odysseus. "This bed that I once shared with my husband has moved a bit too close to the window. I would like to move it, but it is too heavy. Can you help?" Odysseus smiled. "Why, Penelope, I would be glad to help you. But as you know, that bed is not movable. It is made out of a thick tree trunk that grew up through the center of our house. I built it with my own hands. This was a secret between us."

That is what finally convinced Penelope. No one else could have known the bed's history but Odysseus. With this proof, Penelope rejoiced. She ran to Odysseus and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back as tightly as he could. "Do not be angry with me," she begged. "I just needed to be sure you were truly Odysseus." "My dear and faithful wife," Odysseus replied. "The sight of you is as welcome as the sight of land to a shipwrecked man." Then the couple talked and laughed until morning. Penelope told Odysseus about her suffering at the hands of the wicked suitors. And Odysseus, in his turn, told her how he had suffered at sea. He told her about the lotus eaters on the island, and how his men gave in to eating the plants. He told her the story of how he had

blinded the Cyclops. He told her about Circe, the goddess who had put a spell on him and his men. Then he told her about his travels to Hades to consult the prophet Teiresias. With sadness, he described seeing the ghost of his mother. He told her about the tempting song of the Sirens. He also could not forget the story of the terrible Scylla, who feasted upon passing travelers with her many heads. He spoke of how his men stole the cattle of the Sun God,