Scylla and Charybdis

A narration by the captian of a ship travelling from far away, to reach their destination they most survive the sea of Strait of Messina, where two difficult challenges await

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It has been a long way. We have fought, we have laughed and cried. To think this is probably our last week as a complete crew. Mi name is Captain Walton, we are currently one week away from arriving to the Strait of Messina, mainly known for the catastrophic monsters that lay there, Scylla and Charybdis. I know you’ve probably heard of them, if you haven’t, now you will. Scylla, voice sounds like a new born whelp, twelve feet high, six long necks, each one with a horrible face, and three rows of feet. Her mother is Crataeis, her father unknown, although some say is Apollo. Charybdis, well, how can I describe her? Torso of a human female, which makes her scarier, six long necks with toothy mouths and twelve feet high. Some consider Charybdis more dangerous than Scylla; she swallows all the water of the sea and then throws it up, creating a massive whirlpool where no one can be saved.

Things have moved faster than expected, not really sure how to feel about it, we are entering our death bed, the Strait of Messina. Before taking the position as the captain, I knew we would be facing dangerous challenges, I did my research. People from town talk to me about how horrible they were, how mean, how big their heads are, how many people they’ve killed, they are monsters in the eyes of many, except in mine. As we reach to the direction of the rocks, Charybdis comes first to my mind, funny to think about how a beautiful girl ended up in here. Zeus had his reasons, I mean she did try to stole the cattle that Heracles had taken from Geryon, it was fair to punish her, but humiliate her this way? Apparently, she was known for having quite an appetite, so Zeus send her to the sea and modified her nature so she could drink the whole sea, and then throw it up. And although I know her power can cause more damage for my ship and crew, I believe the most dangerous is the one who is more hurt, Scylla.

As we begin our journey through the rocks that hide the dangers ahead, I can’t help to think about poor Scylla. It was unfair what happened to her, she was a victim of the jealousy of a woman, more specifically, a goddess. It all began because of the sea god Glaucus, who was madly in love with Scylla, but she didn’t return the feeling, in fact, she was disgusted by him. Glaucus in a desperate call asked for Circe’s help, but Circe happened to be in love with Glaucus, so instead of giving Scylla a love potion she poisoned the water in her bath, giving rise to the Scylla we’ll face today.

As we flow with the water I start praying to the gods, praying to keep my crew and myself safe, to let these two creatures feel the empathy that wasn’t given to them, and let us live. I know is too much to ask, but I do hope they can have their happy ending, because I know that even them deserve to have one.