Calypso

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         The dream began as usual. Ajax was standing on a beach. The ocean curved off at the horizon. The sun was just setting. A young woman, maybe twenty, approached him. Her red hair fell around her bronze-blazoned skin. She took his hand. Slate blue eyes that stood out marvelously against her skin pleaded with him. Her gaze lingered.

         Ajax wrinkled his brow. Usually she stared at him for a second, and then turned her eyes out toward the ocean. Typically, she would begin humming a song in some strange language. But this time, she stared at him. “Please. The window of time for rescue is short. My island drifts on the day of Zeus and Hera’s wedding. Hurry!”

         The earth rumbled. Ajax fell back. The island crumbled. Ajax was falling. The woman dove for the crack. “They’ve discovered us! I cannot communicate through dreams anymore. Look for me! I am everywhere! You just have to look!”

         The fissure above him closed. Ajax flinched and woke up. He rubbed his face and sat up. “Oh…” he moaned.

         He rolled over out of bed. The apartment he lived in had a bathroom, a bedroom, and a living room with a kitchenette. That was all. It was small; but it was enough. Ajax glanced at his clock. He yelped. It was almost ten! That job interview was at 10:15! Ajax ran for his dresser. He yanked out boxers, slacks, a sweater, and a collared shirt. He pulled them all on, pausing to put on deodorant before pulling on the shirt.

         Ajax pulled on socks and dress shoes, grabbed his résumé, and rushed out the door. He got into his car, an orange mini cooper. He started up the engine and began to drive. He had missed the rush hour; now it was just tourist traffic. As it was, he barely made it on time. The doorman held the door open. Ajax rushed into the lobby and dashed to the receptionist.

         “Ajax Greene to see Penelope Mayhew.”

         The receptionist looked up from her Sudoku lazily. “You here for the job?”

         Ajax nodded eagerly. The receptionist pursed her lips and held up a mirror. She procured a stick of bright red lipstick. As she applied it, she spoke. “Too late, buddy. Job already filled.”

         “Filled?” Ajax gasped. “But, what?”

         “Yep. Some lady came in and got the job.”

         “What?”

         “Later, buddy,” the receptionist turned around and held the mirror up to get a better angle. Ajax stared at the mirror. The receptionist’s reflection shifted. Suddenly, the dream woman appeared in the mirror. She stared at him.

         “Ah!” Ajax yelled. Everyone in the lobby looked up. The reflection shifted back to a normal reflection. Ajax flushed red, and then he quietly walked out of the building.

         Ajax felt like a bum. He would be, pretty soon. He really needed a job.

         “Stupid dream,” he muttered as he got into his car.

         The roads were clearer. He drove past Lincoln Park. As he did, he glanced at a tree. The woman was standing under the tree, staring straight at him. Ajax slammed on his brakes and looked closer. She was gone. Ajax curiously drove his car around the park, searching for signs of the woman. After making three complete drive-throughs, he slowly stopped as close as he could to the tree where she had been.

         He examined the ground around the tree. She wasn’t there, but perhaps she had dropped something. He was thankful all the snow had melted. Ajax searched the ground and found only the top lid of a broken glasses case. He looked at it. On the inside was a design that read Calypso.

         “Calypso…” he mused.

         Had the woman left that there for him to find? What was that she had said about Zeus and Hera’s wedding? Maybe this all was real. Ajax got up. Ajax got back in his car. He knew the only place that he could access the internet was the library. “Hopefully, one of the computers will be open,” Ajax murmured.

         Thankfully, when he got there, the library was open. And a computer was open as well. Ajax smiled and smelled the fresh scent of lemon juice. The library always smelled like lemon juice. It was a quiet, soft, cozy place. The walls were lined with bookshelves. They led to the main reading area. Cushy red chairs sat on the dark blue carpet. The computers were in the main reading area.

         Ajax eased himself into the chair. “Okay, let’s start researching,” he mumbled to himself.

         The first thing Ajax did was pull up Google and search for Calypso. Naturally, there was a Wikipedia article. Ajax read the article and pieced together what he could. Calypso was the daughter of a Titan who was exiled on an island called Ogygia. What had the girl said about her island drifting? Perhaps, when modern exploration began, Ogygia began to drift. That would explain why no one discovered it.

         So that explained the why, where, and who. Now he needed a what, how, and when. When would be the easiest. She had specifically told him Zeus and Hera’s wedding. But when was that? Google held the answer, as usual. Ajax typed in “Zeus and Hera’s wedding” and the Theogamia popped up. Apparently, it was a festival that took place on February 1st commemorating Zeus and Hera’s wedding. Ajax mentally checked the when off of his list.

         Just then, the computer beeped and flashed red. Then, the screen turned off completely. Ajax got the attention of a librarian to fix the problem.

         “Oh, that’s just an annoying bug. It happens sometimes. Completely shuts down the computer, and closes off access to whatever you’ve looked at. Anything important?” the librarian spoke extremely fast.

         Ajax thought this all seemed pretty suspicious. “No, just some Greek myths.”

         Ajax thanked the librarian and left. He was starting to think this all was real. Why would his computer shut down? It was as if some force was working against him. Greek gods, perhaps?

         This suddenly seemed too crazy. Ajax decided to go home and take a shower. While in the shower, he heard the bathroom door creak open. “Is someone there?” he called.

         “My island is so lonely. My only friend is the echo,” answered a voice. It sounded exactly like Calypso.

         “Calypso?” Ajax peeked around the curtain. There was no one there.

         Ajax turned off the water and got dressed. He examined his bathroom to see if there was anything left of Calypso. On the mirror, he found a fogged up message.

         “Echo, Echo, Echo,” he read.

         Calypso had said something about her only friend being the echo. She had said that strangely, though. Special emphasis on Echo, the way that Ajax would say a name. Wasn’t Echo a character from Greek mythology? Maybe she was still a conscious being. Only one way to find out.

         Ajax pulled on a coat and boots and marched his way to a long, empty alley by his building. The sun was just beginning to set. Ajax positioned himself at the end of the alley.

         “Echo? Are you here?”

         “Here,” came an echoed reply. It sounded different than Ajax’s voice, though. It was higher, more feminine.

         “Can you show yourself? I here you’re a friend of Calypso, and I’m trying to save Calypso.”

         The air whirled around Ajax until it formed a girl in tattered jeans and a t-shirt. “Save Calypso?” she questioned.

         “Yes, do you know how?” Ajax asked.

         “Know how,” she replied with a nod.

         “Can you say anything but the last things I say?”

         Echo shook her head vigorously. Ajax tried to remember the Echo story.

         “Were you cursed by a god?”

         “Cursed by a god,” she affirmed.

         “By Zeus? By Hera?”

         “By Hera,” Echo replied. She glared as she spoke Hera’s name.

         “Oh, okay. I can see why you like Calypso. Can you help?”

         “Help,” Echo replied with a smile.

         “Okay, so, I’ll explain to you what happened if you just follow me.”

         Echo tugged on his arm. “Follow me.”

         “Okay,” Ajax replied. Echo led him out of the alley and along the sidewalks.

         Echo moved quickly. Ajax hurried to keep up. “So, Echo, can you answer questions?”

         “Answer questions,” she nodded.

         “So, how is Calypso’s island here? It’s not like it’s Chicago.”

         “It’s Chicago,” she replied.

         “How does it get here? Does it shift?”

         “Shift.”

         “When it shifts, does something happen?”

         “Something happen.”

         “What? A flood? An earthquake?”

         “Earthquake.”

         Ajax thought a moment. “Was Calypso’s island in San Francisco in 1906?”

         “In 1906.”

         This could be bad. If a disastrous earthquake struck Chicago, millions of people could be displaced. Ajax really needed to save Calypso. What day was it? He checked his watch. January 31st!

         Ajax realized they had stopped in front of the tree where Ajax had seen Calypso. He turned to Echo. “This is Calypso’s tree.”

         “Calypso’s tree,” she nodded.

         “But what am I supposed to do? Call her?”

         “Call her.”

         Ajax took in a deep breath and checked to make sure no one was around. “Calypso! Come out, Calypso!”

         “Come out, Calypso,” called Echo.

         The area in front of the tree shimmered and Calypso appeared.

         “Calypso!” Ajax exclaimed.

         “Ajax, it is good to see you. Hurry and speak, I can only make myself visible to you for a short while.”

         Ajax tried to take her hand. His passed right through hers.

         “What?” he asked.

         “My island is on a different plane of existence. I am not fully here.”

         “Not fully here,” Echo sighed.

         “Well, then, what do I do? Echo brought me here.”

         Calypso looked at Echo. “In my haste, I forgot she cannot just tell you.”

         “Cannot just tell you,” Echo said.

         “Well, what do I need to do?”

         Calypso sighed. “It only happens once a hundred years. I tried with Ulysses, but he was already married, so he could not help.”

         “Wait, what only happens once a hundred years?”

         “A hero of mortals is arisen who holds the key to unlocking my curse. Only the bravest, boldest, most righteous of men can release me,” Calypso tried to caress his bicep.

         “Am I that hero?”

         “Yes,” replied Calypso.

         “Yes,” echoed Echo.

         “Well, what must I do?” asked Ajax.

         “Propose to me,” replied Calypso.

         “Propose to me,” Echo said. Her face flushed red and she covered her lips.

         “What? Now? I don’t have a ring,” Ajax was caught off guard.

         “No, you do not have a ring. And it cannot just be any ring. It has to be a certain kind,” Calypso began to fade away. “I am fading! Echo can tell you!”

         Calypso then disappeared completely. Ajax turned to Echo. “Is the ring around here?

         “Around here,” she nodded.

         She led him to the open part of the park.

         “What, is the ring here?”

         “Ring here.”

         “Do we have to search for it?”

         “Search for it.”

         Ajax looked up as the last rays of the sun disappeared.

         “It’s too dark. Do we need light?”

         “Need light,” Echo replied. In a poof, she disappeared. Another poof, and she was back with two flashlights.

         “How did you get those? Since echoes are everywhere, are you a sort of omnipresent?”

         “A sort of omnipresent,” Echo nodded.

         Ajax checked his watch. It was 5:04. They still had around seven hours. Hopefully this wouldn’t take too long.

***

         At 7:15, Ajax pulled up a muddy toe ring of a ruddy bronze. “This can’t be it, can it?”

         Echo looked up. “It.”

         “Really? This dirty little ring? I thought the ring matters.”

         “Matters.”

         “Wait, does the ring matter, or does the jewel matter?”

         “The jewel matter.”

         “Oh, I see. We could have just gone to Zales’ or something. I could have afforded it.”

         “Could have afforded it?” came Echo’s questioning, teasing reply.

         Ajax flushed red. “Oh, right, you’re everywhere. You’ve probably seen my failed economic life.”

         “Failed economic life,” Echo laughed.

         Ajax shook it off. “Alright, so where’s the gem?”

         Echo took his arm and began to pull him. They walked all across town. Ajax was a little uncomfortable at night in Chicago, but Echo made him feel safe. They walked quickly, but as it was, it took a little over an hour and a half to reach their destination.

         They stopped in front of the Field Museum. Ajax gulped and looked at Echo. "It’s in there?”

         “In there,” she replied firmly.

         “So, what, am I just supposed to steal it?”

         “Steal it.”

         “How do I get in?” he asked.

         Echo disappeared for a minute and then reappeared with a golf club. “How will this get me in? I don’t see any windows.”

         Echo wrapped her arms around him and they both disappeared. They reappeared in the main hall.

         “Wait, can you get me any closer? Or can you only transport to places that echo?”

         “Only transport to places that echo.”

         “What about guards?”

         Echo looked around and then closed her eyes. “Guards,” she affirmed.

         “Where?” Ajax asked.

         Echo pointed to a nearby map and pointed to seven distinct spots.

         “Alright, where do we need to go?”

         Echo pointed at the Grainger Hall of Gems. Ajax nodded and hefted his golf club.

         “Let’s go.”

         The trip took longer than expected. Echo kept on having to transport him back to the hall, because a guard would almost find him. Twice, they had to duck into restrooms. Most had disgusting rust stains somewhere. “Ugh, do they clean this in the morning?” Ajax whispered.

         “Clean this in the morning,” replied Echo.

         Another guard entered the restroom, and Echo had to transport him back. They went touch-and-go like this for about two hours. Finally, they made it to the Grainger Hall of Gems.

         “Alright, which one am I supposed to take?” asked Ajax.

         Echo dashed to one case containing a green gem. “Take,” she said.

         Ajax shrugged, walked over and smashed the case. Alarms blared. Ajax quickly reached in and took the gem. As he brought it out of the light, it turned pink. “What is this? Alexandrite?” he read the sign.

         “Alexandrite,” Echo replied.

         “Freeze!” yelled a voice. They spun around to see a night guard pointing a gun at them.

         “You’re gonna move nice and slow, out of here. One sudden move and I shoot the man.”

         Ajax put his hands up. Echo put hers up. The guard began to walk close. He reached towards the Alexandrite. “I’ll take that,” he said.

         Echo tackled Ajax and wrapped her arms around him. They transported outside of the museum.”

         “Run!” yelled Ajax.

         “Run!” yelled Echo.

         They took off towards Calypso’s tree. Police had not arrived yet, and the only witnesses were a couple sitting down to a late dinner. The couple, of course, was too busy focusing on each other to notice. Ajax dropped the golf club as they got onto the streets. They ran for an hour and a half. Ajax checked his watch. 11:56!

Echo pointed. Calypso’s tree was right there!

         The earth began to shake beneath them. Ajax and Echo broke into a full run. When they reached Calypso’s tree, she wasn’t there.

         “No! It’s too late!”

         Echo shook her head and pulled on his arm energetically “Too late.”

         “Wait, it’s not too late?”

         “Not too late.”

         The trembling reached a new height, bringing them both to their knees. “Calypso!” Ajax screamed.

         Calypso appeared, clutching the tree.

         “Ajax! Did you get the gem?” she called.

         “Yes,” Ajax pulled the gem out of his pocket and pushed it on to the small ring. The ring glowed, and, when the glow faded, the ring was pure gold, inset with the Alexandrite.

         “Will you…” Ajax began.

         “Wait!” called Calypso. She turned to Echo.

         “Echo, will you be alright?”

         “Be alright,” tears trickled down Echo’s face.

         “Are you sure? I could wait another hundred years.”

         “I could wait another hundred years.”

         “Wait, this ring can unlock Echo’s curse as well?” Ajax asked.

         “Yes, but it only works once a hundred years. The proposal and ring are keys to any female’s curse.”

         Ajax looked at Echo. She was now crying. What a good heart she must have! All this time, she had been helping Calypso when she could have been helping herself! Ajax was now conflicted on whom to propose to. He finally made up his mind. He turned to Calypso and knelt.

         “Will you marry me, Calypso?” he asked.

         Calypso reached out from her tree and grabbed the ring.

         “Yes,” she replied. The earth stopped shaking.

         She took him by the hand. Calypso was actually able to touch him!

         A light pierced the clouds, settling on Ajax and Calypso.

         “Those who can unlock their curse win a place on Olympus and the immortality of their husband,” Calypso released his hand.

         Ajax got down to where Echo was. “Can this wait a moment?”

         Calypso smiled. “Of course. I meant we would leave after we say goodbye to Echo.”

         Ajax looked Echo in the eye. “Thank you, Echo. I know you tried with Narcissus.”

         “Tried with Narcissus,” she agreed.

         “But, the one after me will be even better. And Calypso and I will guide him to you,” he kissed her on the forehead, “thank you.”

         “Thank you,” she echoed.

         Calypso also got down. She hugged Echo. “Sister, I will not see you for a hundred years. I cannot wait for us to be able to be together, not as companions of misery, but as sisters on Olympus. I can tell you this though. The next one, his name is Phoenix. You will find him in Cambridge, England.”

         “Cambridge, England,” Echo repeated. She smiled.

         Calypso raised Echo up to her feet. “Goodbye.”

         Calypso backed into the light and took Ajax’s hand. “Goodbye!” called Echo.

         The light began to lift Ajax and Calypso up off the ground, much like Ajax had seen in many space movies. Ajax suddenly remembered something.

         “Echo! You can have my place! The down payment is good ‘til September!”

         Echo smiled and waved. Ajax looked at Calypso.

         “We will be able to guide Phoenix to her, right?”

         Calypso laughed, pulled him in close, and kissed him.

         “Of course we will. Echo will have her happily ever after.”