On the Island of the Cyclops, theTrue Story
Carol Dodge

“How did I lose my eye, you ask? Well, friend, that is an amazing story. It changed my life. I, being born with only one eye, had always felt a little unique, like I was different from other people. I was proud of my eye. It, plus my large physique, made people respect me. I was my own man and needed not the help of others. Now, with no eye at all, I am blind. I am forced to rely on the mercy and kindness of others. And to add insult to injury, some people act as though losing my sight has made me lose my judgment. I am constantly being questioned. My life will never be the same.

It happened about three years ago. I was herding on the range with my plump flock of goats. I was just a simple man, friend. I tried to make an honest living the only way I had ever known. I sold the cheese, milk, and meat from my goats. I did not make a lot of money, but I made enough to get by on. I had all my needs meet. That was enough for me. I never wanted any more than what I had, unlike those thieving varmints. The strange thing was that I never once sensed danger. I don’t know how they pulled it off; they were definitely a slick bunch.

Never once sensing danger, I arrived home in the evening, after five o’clock I’d say. Upon arrival to my cave, I noticed something was different. I did not feel threatened, only suspicious. Turned out, the varmints had let themselves inside and were making themselves at home. There were at least five thieves in my cave when I arrived home. Had it taken me any longer to get there, I’m sure I would have found them carrying my belongings out.

So, I walked in to find that they had killed one of my best goats. The varmints had left it sitting out to rot. I suppose it was part of their plan, to leave me with only a rotting goat. That shows you what kind of people I was dealing with here. That is how their kind is, always wanting more. You have to stay away from that kind if you can, friend, they are no good.

Once inside, I still had no feeling of fear. I was much larger than they were and they looked a little on the thin side. I would certainly have no problem, if it came down to it, defending myself against them. They claimed that they had killed my goat as a sacrifice. That of course, is why they had left it out to rot instead of at least eating the good meat. What a lie! Who had ever heard of such a thing? Sure, it was a sacrifice to their god, right. Those varmints would say anything to keep me from becoming angry.

I decided to let them play their game, so I went along with their “sacrifice” story. I did so to see what else they had planned and to give myself to time to figure out an appropriate course of action. Turns out, I should have thrown them out right then and there. But of course, friend, everything is easier to see in retrospect.
I did not sit down with the five thieves; instead, I stood by my fireplace and made conversation. One man appeared to be the ringleader. He introduced himself as Nobody. He also explained that they had sailed from Troy and were on their way home. Then they offered me some wine from their ship. Now, normally I would not have taken anything from such men, but they themselves were drinking some. I figured it would be safe since most alcohol has little effect on me.

Now, friend, I have got to say that what those men were drinking and what they gave me to drink could not have been the same thing. In a matter of minutes, I was losing cognitive abilities. That’s when more men came in from outside. There were fifteen or so men surrounding me. I grabbed the only weapon of defense I could reach, the fireplace poker. I swung it around myself to ward off the intruders. At first, they began to attack one or two at a time. I could defend myself against these. But, they soon began attacking four or five at a time. My poker was stolen from me. Then, because I continued to fight, Nobody poked my eye out. He made me completely defenseless. Then, once I couldn’t see them, they took what they wanted from me and left me to die.

Luckily for me, I happened to be attacked on a Monday. Tuesday is my bridge day and we have a regular circle every week. When I did not show up, my friends came to check on me. They rushed me to a hospital, but there was nothing that could be done. I live now, without sight, without vision. All because of Nobody and his greedy varmints.”

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