Gellis and the Mysterious Man

By Daniel S.

Hi. My name is Gellis.  It is 757 B.C. and I am telling you a scary story that I found interesting. Just this morning, I set out do some work on the farm, when I saw a man. He looked like he wanted something from me, but I wasn’t sure what. The man was young, had dark hair, and he looked like he was from another city-state. I thought he was from Greece because sometimes he would walk around without clothes and I heard that the Greeks do that. I wanted to ask him if he needed help, but it seemed as if he was up to something.

Later that day, I saw the same man. He approached me and asked if I had a family. I said I had a wife and two children. I hesitated before I answered and wondered why he would ask a question like that. I was suspicious--of what, I don’t know--but there was just something funny about this stranger from Greece.

As it turned out, he did want something from me. It was my wife. I was surprised because I was a pretty wealthy man, and I thought he would want my money. I said to him that there are many other women to marry, and why couldn’t he choose a woman without a husband. The young man said he couldn’t. I didn’t understand why, and he didn’t tell me, but I knew that I wasn’t going to give up my wife to anybody, including this stranger. He threatened to fight me.  I said no, but he didn’t listen. He said that he’d meet me tomorrow in the Acropolis. I didn’t want to walk the whole three hours to the sacred building, but my fear of the warrior from Greece made me. When I finally got home, I told my wife the whole thing and she said to fight him. I told her that this man looked dangerous, and that he may hurt me, but she said to do it anyway.

 I thought of a plan to keep my wife, and not fight. I would try to scare him off. The next day I went out with a military sword, which was as tall as I was, and weighed almost half as much as I. As soon as the man saw me he looked scared. He was holding a kitchen knife, and it was obvious that if we fought I would win. He looked at me and ran off. I was quite surprised that all he had brought was a kitchen knife, because he seemed pretty determined to get my wife.

I thought I would never see that man again, but wouldn’t you know it, exactly a month later he came to my house and knocked on our door. As soon as I opened it I recognized the man. He was holding his kitchen knife and was pointing it at me. I said to him that he couldn’t have my wife. He threatened to kill me, but I suggested asking the gods who was right.

We asked Aphrodite, the goddess of love and desire, if I should be able to keep my wife, or if I had to give her up. As it turned out, Aphrodite said that I could keep my wife, and that the stranger had to leave us alone. If he didn’t, the goddess of love, beauty and desire would punish him.