by Ji Xin, Wu 伍止心

The Mirror

“Please turn to page 148. Perseus promises the king Polydectes that he can bring back Medusa’s head……” The Western Literature teacher is blathering and blathering on the platform, and most of the students are nodding on the seats. “Hey, do you know mirrors could reflect the reality?” Allen asks me in a low voice. “Whatever.” I am displeased that he disturbs my sleep. “If you do not mind, I want to “play chess with Mr. Chou”—sleep!” Allen shakes his head and sits back. The teacher’s voice makes me drowsy, and I feel my eyelids are getting heavier and heavier…….

When I open my eyes, I find that I am lying on grassland in a forest. I stand up, and look down. What I see is a prosperous plain on which scatters amphitheaters, markets and huts. In the middle of the plain stands a highland, on which erects a magnificent marble peristyle temple.

I know the grand marble temple. It must be the famous Parthenon in Greece. Why am I in Greece? And why does the historical relic become so new and intact? Am I dreaming? Am I in ancient Greece two thousand years ago? ”

An unexpected voice speaks at my back: “Hey, alien!” I turn my back, and see three men in strange white ropes and sandals staring at me with knives in their hands. I look down at myself. I am still wearing a T-shirt, a blue jean, and Nike shoes, totally an alien in ancient Greece. One of them laughs malignantly: “We have been busy looking for almost a day. Finally here it is, the sacrifice for Athena worship!” My eyes and mouth open widely: “You can not be serious. Sacrifice? Me?” They shout out: “Get him!” They rush to me and tie me up before I can resist and escape. At first I think I am dreaming; unfortunately, when one of the three sweeps his knife, I feel so hurt that every string of nerves in my body could not be more awake.

When every cell of mine is permeated with the fear of death, a harsh white light stabs in eight eyes of ours here. I do my best to open my eyes. The light comes from a mirror-like shield, which is carried by a fair, blonde young man. That young man wears winged sandals on his feet, a silver wallet and a sharp sword at his side, a cap on his head and a shining buckler on his breast. I know that young man. At the sight that the blade of a knife is going to fall on me, I can not help but scream with strength all over my body:

“Help me! Perseus!!”

Hearing this, the young man comes over to stop the hacking. His two luminous eyes fix on me: “How do you know my name, alien? And why do I have to save you?” I know I am still in danger, so I say something that I never dream of saying: “I am an oracle! I know some information about you, your past, present and future. You would need my help.” Perseus hums: “Evil fallacies.” Seeing the knife is going to hack down again, I yell: “Wait! Wait!” The lecture of the Western literature teacher given in the class flows through my head: “Before you were born, there is a prophecy that you will kill your own grandfather. To prevent the prophecy to be true, your grandfather placed you and your mother in a great chest and put it into the ocean. And a fisherman and his wife have taken care of you for years since you two got here.” I gasp but with firm attitude: “Now do you believe that I am not lying?” With wrinkled yellow brows, Perseus stares at me for a moment, speechless, and he turns to speak to the three: “Release him.” One of them says in dilemma: “Perseus, we need sacrifice for the worship of divine Athena.” Perseus speaks dismissively: “Goddess? When I see people suffering from famines and tyrants, where is she? When I see corrupted officials and aristocracy defrauding and screwing people in Her name, where is she? Is this kind of god worthy of human blood as sacrifice?” As he utters these words, his fine body glitters as if he gathers all the light in the world. In a majestic voice he speaks again: “Release him and leave. Or do you want to draw your own blood to replace him?” His hand is on the sword at his side. They discuss in a low voice for a while, and depart after loosing bind on me.

After they all disappear in the forest, Perseus looks at me and says: “There are two kinds of persons I hate most. The first kind, the government officials who persecute people. The second kind, the Elmer Gantries who give out fake prophecies to take advantage of people. What kind of person do you belong?” I look into his beautiful but dangerous eyes: “I come from a place where your imagination can never reach. My prophecies will one hundred percent come true.” Perseus says: “Prove it.”

“Ok,” I say: “I have two prophecies. First, you will slay your grandfather accidentally by a heavy missile. Second, you will kill Medusa, and use her head to kill the king of the island.” Perseus looks at me and utters merely three cold words: “Wrong, Oracle, wrong.” “What?” I can not believe my ears: “I can not be wrong!”

However, what Perseus says totally subverts my belief about Greek mythology in the past of my life.

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I hear something in the bush, and I see one creature which has golden scales and hair of snakes. To my surprise, Perseus hugs the creature with intimacy. I take a closer look, and discover that the creature is just a man in armor made up with metal chips and helmet with iron snakes as decoration. Perseus smiles at the man: “So good to see you. How is your chief?” The man smiles: “The old way. Planning how to attack Polydects, cutting ears from enemies, things like that. Oh,” The man claps Perseus on his shoulder: “She asks you to come. Do not keep her waiting. She said she has a plan…… to end people’s suffering.”

We get through the woody forest, to a tribe constructed in a valley. When we pass cow skin tents, I see many soldiers in snake-shape helmets busily making metal weapons and military training. I ask Perseus: “Is this Gorgon?” “Yes. Their warriors wear the snake helmets. Medusa is their leader. For years, she has led her people to antagonize the tyrant of the king. As the result, the king demonizes this race. He intends to create the nation-wide hostility to Gorgons. He also offers a great reward for Medusa’s head. Most Athens regard her as a terrible monster; ironically, she is….” He shrugs his shoulders, and turns to ask his Gorgon friend: “Where is Medusa?” The man smiles: “I told you, she is waiting for you.” Perseus shows a face of apprehension, and runs ahead so fast like a kid that I and his friend can not follow him.

As we move forward, I see a big parade ground surrounded by people who watch the center of the ground. After squeezing in the crowd, I see that on the ground Perseus is fighting with a warrior in black armor and a snake-shaped helmet. The warrior wears a black iron mask covering the face; but when I confront the iron mask, I feel that two rays sweep over my face. No wonder such luminous eyes would be viewed as the magic eyes which could turn humans into stones. The warrior is a woman.

While I watch them fighting, the conversation between me and Perseus in the woods flow into my mind:

“Oracle, prophecy and religions are plagues produced by corrupted rulers to deceive people for profits.” “I do not deny. History is produced by authoritarianism.” “My grandfather’s prophecy made my cursed destiny since I was born.” Perseus smiles: “What is the face? Are you pitying me, Oracle?” Perseus sighs and looks up at the sky: “I confess, about my fate, I once felt extremely, afraid. Until a woman told me there is no hero made by destiny or gods, but mortals who construct their future with bare hands. Because of her, I decide to overcome my fear and work with her. First, overthrow the despotic ruler of this island. Second, twist my grandfather’s head off.” He looks in my eyes, “Acrisius raped my mother. When she was pregnant, he made up the lie of prophecy to justify the reason to kill her. I swear to kill him until my last breath.”

Perseus’s silver shield and blonde hair shine as sun, but the armor of the warrior is as dark as night. Under the burning sunlight, a gold flame and a dark shadow twist and separate swiftly on the ground. Suddenly, the two figures, which just tussle amuck, stand motionless as statues. Perseus points his sword to the woman’s neck, with a confident smile on his face. However, the woman vibrates her wrist which carries a sword. Perseus looks down. A sword points to his belly. The audience claps. The woman asks them to go to work. After the crowd is away, Persues laughs hard: “The thirtieth time we tie?” Medusa says: “Thirty-two. New sword?” “If you like, it is yours.” Medusa takes over the sword from Perseus’s hand to observe its sheen, and says: “A good sword is worthy of a cart of fortune. But a good warrior is worthy of a whole country.” Medusa says: “We need to talk, Perseus.”

I stalk them to a big tent, and sneak to the back of that tent where I discover a narrow crack. Against the crack I try to eavesdrop them talking in the tent. Medusa says something in a low voice, and Perseus shouts aloud: “What? I can not do that! Did that oracle tell you to do that? Did he?” A fierce argument starts. I can only hear some pieces of their conversation. “….It is the only chance to kill the king, Perseus…..” “ No! You call it a chance? A chance traded with your head?” The argument lasts for a moment. Perseus gives out a deafening cry: “ I am nothing but a mortal! I want to construct my future with bare hands! You told me that, do you remember? I do not want to see anyone die of the stupid prophecy from god!” I peep in through the crack. Perseus covers his face with his hands, trembling. Medusa puts one hand on his shoulder and says: “Listen, Perseus. Killing the king is not fate bestowed on us, but a mission we choose to take out of our free will.” Perseus shakes her hand off and moves back. With eye brows entangled tightly, he speaks to her sadly: “What can I do without you?”

“Perseus,” Medusa’s voice is gentle and soothing: “Since the day I wear this iron mask, I have taken the burden to destroy the king. For years, despite keeping encouraging my people that we will win eventually, I can not see any hope in my heart. Until….. the day I met you.” Her luminous eyes become tender. This is the first time she looks like a woman to me. “Because of you, I start to hope again. You are the only one who I can give my trust and my life to. So,” she draws near to Perseus, and mutters to his face: “it is my last request. Use my death to create a new legend, a new world.” She tries to embrace Perseus to his neck, but her hands drop in the half way.

The wrinkled eyebrows stretch and droop. Perseus smiles bitterly, and draws out his sword. “At least we will become the protagonists in a myth, right, chief?” His smile carries unspeakable dismal. A long, sorrowful silence.

Suddenly, a white lightning crosses the air. “Bang!” The iron mask as well as the snake shape of helmet falls on the ground with a big sound. A strong white light from Perseus’s shield reflects to my eye. On the mirror-like shield, I see a face of a beautiful maiden. With eyes closed and corners of the mouth up, there are some drops of blood on her pink cheek. Her smile is divine and angelic enough to purify all the sins in the world. A real goddess. 

Another stronger light from the shield blurs her image, and stabs in my eyes. I can not help closing them.

When I open my eyes, I find myself sitting in the Western Literature classroom, and the class is the same: the teacher is blathering, and the students are nodding. I wonder: “Is it nothing more but a dream?”

The teacher says: “Now look at the PowerPoint. This is a replication picture of Perseus’s shield. Athena puts Medusa’s head in this shield…..” I lift my eyes to the screen, and gasp abruptly: “It is her!”

The face on the shield is an extremely beautiful look of a young woman, with bliss and hope, like a goddess. It is exactly the same thing as the last image I have seen in my dream.

“Who?” Allen asks me in bewilderment. I turn to see him, speechless. When I turn back, the head on the shield on the screen has become a hideous face whose hair is a mass of snakes.