The Odyssey: A Not-So Ancient Tale

I don’t know why, and I don’t know how, but I am, most definitely, cursed by Poseidon.

Now, you’re probably thinking….”What is this crazy, psycho maniac talking about? How in good heavens, is that even realistic?! Poseidon isn’t real!”

Well, let me just say, it’s true.

It all started this summer, the week that I was headed overseas to visit my grandmother. The night before I was supposed to fly out, a typhoon formed right outside the coast of Japan, putting my grandmother’s and my mother’s nerves into an absolute whirlwind. They were extremely worried that my flight from Tokyo to Hiroshima would be canceled, but everything was okay… the airline just delayed my flight a couple hours and flew through the storm!

But that, that was only the beginning of my dreaded curse….

So, I already mentioned I rode into my grandmother’s house on a typhoon, but did I mention that the typhoon happened to cause a lasting storm for the entirety of the first half of my two week visit? Not only that, due to all of the rainfall throughout Hiroshima, one of the main tanks at the prefecture’s water utility company burst from too much water, resulting in a prefecture wide drought.

Who would have thought, right?

Anyhow, when the rain finally stopped, the remainder of my visit to my grandmother’s house was spent standing in three hour water ration lines to get six liters of water at a time, and man, did I get a tan!

Now, you might be thinking, “So you got rained on a little, the water went out for a week, so what?”

Well, first of all, you don’t realize how valuable something is until you lose it. Did you ever realize that if your water goes out, you can’t wash your hands, you can’t wash the dishes, you can’t take a shower, and, the worst part. You. Can’t. Flush. The TOILET!! …thank goodness Japan is an island country made up of volcanoes, and on every street corner is a hot spring bath house where you can take a nice, hot bath!

This little adventure in Japan wasn’t even the end of my curse from Poseidon (I am pretty sure I got worse treatment than Odysseus did in the Odyssey, and the guy had tricked a cyclops)… When I finally got back from my grandmother’s house, which, by the way, didn’t get their water back until the day AFTER I got home, it started to storm in the U.S., as well. I had a five hour layover in Chicago because of the ongoing rain in Missouri, the airline lost my luggage and it took them two days to fly it back to me due to the storm, and our house lost power from the flooding, which resulted in no water within our house until the power came back.

Thank you, Poseidon!

The following week, my family decided to take a delightful trip to Punta Gorda, Florida to lie on the beachside, enjoy some exotic foods, and of course, relax and enjoy the plentiful water…

WRONG!

When we got to Florida, the state was dealing with some good ole’ Red Tide, a phenomenon caused by algal blooms during which algae become so numerous that they discolor coastal waters, deplete oxygen in the waters, release toxins that may cause illness in humans and other animals, for those of you who don’t know…Thanks Google! So yeah, that relaxing vacation, that was a bust. We did, however, find an amazing Thai food restaurant where we ate ourselves silly with Pad Thai! What a blast.

To be honest, my last high school summer, and the many adventures throughout it, I owe it all to Poseidon. He did me the honor of cursing me and forcing me to fight, head-on, with the many turmoils of nature and left me with the most memorable summer. I didn’t trick or impale a cyclops’ eyeball, but I sure did have a lot of fun. So this one’s for you, Poseidon, and hopefully, to all the wonderfully, memorable adventures ahead of me, as well.

*Disclaimer: Jane Elliston does not believe in Poseidon, nor any other ancient, mythical creatures.*

Editor’s Note: Jane Elliston is a Senior at Fair Grove High School, she writes about her life and the challenges she faces.