A silver moon shines over the sandy coastline of Serifos, Land of the Cyclops. Frothy waves brake against salty shores and wispy clouds dance with shimmering moonbeams. The ocean front, where the water meets the land and where the crabs, barnacles and starfish live out strange encounters, feels alive amid the mystical light show of the natural world.
A lithe, silver-haired cat, almost invisible in the moon’s gleam, stalks amongst the sea creatures. Clenched in her teeth she holds the chewed-up remnants of a baby blue crab. The hunt took her far these last nights and the crab is a fresh kill. She’s eaten well. It’s time to go home.
She ascends the island cliff flanking the ocean front with supple movements and, reaching the top, she perches at the edge. Her ears prick against the wind as she looks over the ocean. Her left ear is torn clean down the middle – a battle scar inflicted long ago by the great eagle of the sky. She moves on, nimbly traversing the forest and grasslands that stand between her and her destination.
***
Polyphemus the Cyclops awakens to the darkness of his cave. The fire is burned out. All is quiet but for the sizzle of the embers and the soft murmur of his sleeping sheep. Dawn is still hours away. Polyphemus rises from the stack of straw he rests upon and rolls aside the mighty boulder blocking the cave entrance. He steps into a prairie awash in shimmering moonlight, welcoming the refreshing cool of the nighttime breeze. It was hope that woke him. He scans the horizon with his lonely eye.
A soft something brushes against the side of his leg, triggering an immediate feeling of relief that washes over his entire being. He looks down and smiles, scooping up the silver-haired cat with a massive calloused hand.
“You left me for too long,” he whispers affectionately, looking down at her with his one-eyed gaze.
She purrs at him and returns his singular look. Her right eye, reflecting the polish of the moonlight, gleams brightly. Her left eye is missing. It was lost long ago in the battle against the great eagle of the sky.
The End
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