Part 57

He landed in the midst of a patch of briars, extricated himself slowly and carefully. "My, but he is peeved!"

Two mighty brothers served Zeus faithfully and well. Yet there came a falling out, and the anger of Zeus could not be appeased. One brother he chained to a mountain crag, and daily sent a great eagle to tear and rend his flesh.

One he placed in eternal servitude, to carry upon his shoulders the earth and heavens. And that was Atlas.

Torture, torment? More like Hades than Heaven! What a strange and obscene task was this!

"Mother, the Gods at times have been cruel to man. What manner of cruelty have they applied, what devices or creatures that give pain?"

"A strange question. But, yes, the Gods work in strange ways."

A sparkle lit her eye.

"There is a legend that once, in long ago times, there lived on earth only men. They grew proud and warlike, offended each the other and offended all the Gods. Zeus became very angry, and called unto him all the Gods. Long they parlayed, and angrily. And at long last they decided on a torture so inhuman, so merciless, so enduring that they hesitated to loose it upon even these undeserving earthlings. At last Zeus authorized the punishment."

She paused, stirred the pot in which vegetables were beginning to boil.

"And that was?"

A smile crossed her face.

"A present was delivered to man. One that he looked on with delight, and took to his heart. A present that has punished him ever since. It was an object of unending torture; still, a torture that poor weak man courted."

"A present, Mother?"

"Yes, he sent to man Pandora. Pandora, the first woman. And since that day man has found himself unable to live without her. She torments him, tantalizes him, arouses in him all emotions. Yet he turns again and again to her." She laughed.

"Just as Athena torments you, yet you turn to her again and again!"

"You tease me, Mother?"

"No, the legends say it's true. Woman was man's first punishment. Disguised as a gift! Well, well, perhaps your Athena will be more the gift, less the punishment!" She tousled his hair, hummed to herself, glanced in amusement over her shoulder at him, and laughed.

Demo smiled. Such pleasant punishment.

Yet, truly, how much pain. The wanting, the loneliness, the feeling of emptiness when she was not near - before he met her they did not exist. Now they were his constant companions.

A coin has two sides.

Gift and punishment indeed!

The more he thought, the more reasonable it seemed. The punishment for Atlas, the ultimate punishment, would be to find him a mate.

Of course, it was difficult. For one such as Atlas, who might qualify?

There were children's' stories, tales, even legends, of women such as these. But reality knew none such.

I have a task of great difficulty, he thought to himself. I'll get busy on it after lunch. "Mother, haven't we anything to eat?"

"Mother, tell me of women."

"Women! Why . . . , eh, what in the world do you want to know? She blushed slightly, frowned.

"Well, you spoke of Pandora. I am sure there are other women in history. Tell me of them."