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Authors: Patrick Bowman
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grunting on the floor by her feet.
Despite the fog over my thoughts, I felt a growing horror as she worked her way
across the room, struggling to shake off my paralysis as she stopped before me.
She made a pretty frown for a moment, one slender fist pressed to her lips.
“You’re a tiny one, aren’t you?” she chirped. “You’re going to make such a cute
pig, I just know you are. I think I’ll have to keep you for a house pet!” I saw
the brush coming toward my face and made a last herculean effort to stop her but
my arms wouldn’t even twitch.
For an instant I thought it hadn’t worked, but all of a sudden my balance was .
. . wrong. I toppled from the stool and landed sprawling on my stomach. I tried
to scramble up but somehow my arms weren’t long enough anymore. Something large
and pink was blocking most of my vision, and for some reason I could suddenly
see nearly all around me. I opened my mouth to shout but all that came out were
grunts andsqueals. The fog lifted from my mind and I understood:
I was a farmyard pig! Farmyard? The word stopped me in my tracks. Gods. Was she
raising us for food?
There was a sudden smack on my backside as Circe swept us out the back door
with a broom. “Out, out, no pigs in the house, you know!” She paused and looked
at me. “Well, maybe just one, you cute little thing. But not until you’re
housebroken, of course,” she added hastily.
She bent down to pick me up and I squealed angrily as she rubbed my neck. “Oh,
just look at that curly little tail!” she exclaimed, tugging on something behind
me. “You just don’t know how cute you are. No you don’t!” She lifted me to rub
her nose in my face before putting me down again.
“There now, my pigglies. Don’t you all feel better? I just want to help you,
really I do. And don’t worry that you can still think like men. In a few days,
that will wear off, and you can get on with being real pigs.” She leaned on her
broom, her eyes shining. “Just think of it—rooting for beech nuts, climbing
trees . . .” She paused, floundering. “Or, um, whatever little pigglies like to
do in the forest. But you’ll be happy, you’ll see. I promise!”
Her words set off a frantic squealing and grunting from us all. Surely there
had to be some way to make her turn us back. But she just smiled and waved a
hand at us. “Oh, please, don’t. There’s no need to thank me. I did it because I
wanted to!”
She turned to collect some handfuls of acorns and beech nuts from a large
amphora by the back door. Throwing themdown to us, she added,
“Oh, such an important thing, and I nearly forgot. You really must watch out for
the other animals. Pigs are awfully tasty, and I’m afraid that some of the other
men I’ve set free have very, very sharp teeth and big claws now. But don’t
worry, you’ll know them when you see them.”
She glanced up at the sun. “My goodness, look at how late it is, and I haven’t
even started my housecleaning yet. What must you think of me? Well, enjoy
yourselves, and stay well, little pigglies. I’ll be back out to feed you
tomorrow!”
CHAPTER FIVE
The Conquest of Odysseus
THAT NIGHT BEHIND the sorceress’s cottage was the longest in my
life, worse even than the night in the Cyclops’ cave. We huddled in a corner of
the narrow yard, terrified that one of those huge lions would sniff us out. A
stone wall wouldn’t even slow down creatures like that, I was sure. And if the
lions didn’t get us, we would lose our minds and become thoughtless pigs in a
few days, most likely to be slaughtered and eaten.
At least I wouldn’t go alone. Speaking of that, what had happened to Ury? I
couldn’t remember seeing him since we’d come through the gate.
The sky gradually brightened as dawn approached. Morning came,
and Circe appeared at the door to toss some more nuts to us. I’d never eaten
acorns as a human,
Despite the fog over my thoughts, I felt a growing horror as she worked her way
across the room, struggling to shake off my paralysis as she stopped before me.
She made a pretty frown for a moment, one slender fist pressed to her lips.
“You’re a tiny one, aren’t you?” she chirped. “You’re going to make such a cute
pig, I just know you are. I think I’ll have to keep you for a house pet!” I saw
the brush coming toward my face and made a last herculean effort to stop her but
my arms wouldn’t even twitch.
For an instant I thought it hadn’t worked, but all of a sudden my balance was .
. . wrong. I toppled from the stool and landed sprawling on my stomach. I tried
to scramble up but somehow my arms weren’t long enough anymore. Something large
and pink was blocking most of my vision, and for some reason I could suddenly
see nearly all around me. I opened my mouth to shout but all that came out were
grunts andsqueals. The fog lifted from my mind and I understood:
I was a farmyard pig! Farmyard? The word stopped me in my tracks. Gods. Was she
raising us for food?
There was a sudden smack on my backside as Circe swept us out the back door
with a broom. “Out, out, no pigs in the house, you know!” She paused and looked
at me. “Well, maybe just one, you cute little thing. But not until you’re
housebroken, of course,” she added hastily.
She bent down to pick me up and I squealed angrily as she rubbed my neck. “Oh,
just look at that curly little tail!” she exclaimed, tugging on something behind
me. “You just don’t know how cute you are. No you don’t!” She lifted me to rub
her nose in my face before putting me down again.
“There now, my pigglies. Don’t you all feel better? I just want to help you,
really I do. And don’t worry that you can still think like men. In a few days,
that will wear off, and you can get on with being real pigs.” She leaned on her
broom, her eyes shining. “Just think of it—rooting for beech nuts, climbing
trees . . .” She paused, floundering. “Or, um, whatever little pigglies like to
do in the forest. But you’ll be happy, you’ll see. I promise!”
Her words set off a frantic squealing and grunting from us all. Surely there
had to be some way to make her turn us back. But she just smiled and waved a
hand at us. “Oh, please, don’t. There’s no need to thank me. I did it because I
wanted to!”
She turned to collect some handfuls of acorns and beech nuts from a large
amphora by the back door. Throwing themdown to us, she added,
“Oh, such an important thing, and I nearly forgot. You really must watch out for
the other animals. Pigs are awfully tasty, and I’m afraid that some of the other
men I’ve set free have very, very sharp teeth and big claws now. But don’t
worry, you’ll know them when you see them.”
She glanced up at the sun. “My goodness, look at how late it is, and I haven’t
even started my housecleaning yet. What must you think of me? Well, enjoy
yourselves, and stay well, little pigglies. I’ll be back out to feed you
tomorrow!”
CHAPTER FIVE
The Conquest of Odysseus
THAT NIGHT BEHIND the sorceress’s cottage was the longest in my
life, worse even than the night in the Cyclops’ cave. We huddled in a corner of
the narrow yard, terrified that one of those huge lions would sniff us out. A
stone wall wouldn’t even slow down creatures like that, I was sure. And if the
lions didn’t get us, we would lose our minds and become thoughtless pigs in a
few days, most likely to be slaughtered and eaten.
At least I wouldn’t go alone. Speaking of that, what had happened to Ury? I
couldn’t remember seeing him since we’d come through the gate.
The sky gradually brightened as dawn approached. Morning came,
and Circe appeared at the door to toss some more nuts to us. I’d never eaten
acorns as a human,
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