Amos Daragon_ The Mask Wearer - Bryan Perro [36]
“Who are you and why did you come to my aid?” he then asked her.
“You would not be able to pronounce my real name,” answered the gorgon. “Call me Medusa. That is the name humans often give us. It’s a name inherited from Princess Medusa, who was transformed into a hideous woman by a nasty goddess. Many legends exist on the subject of gorgons, but no one really knows the origin of my species. I know that your name is Beorf. It is said that you can morph into a bear. Is that true?”
Flattered that this beautiful young gorgon knew his name, Beorf changed into a bear on the spot.
“True,” he said, standing proud and hairy from head to foot.
“Hide your eyes,” Medusa said. “I’d like to look at you.”
Beorf put a paw over his snout.
Pulling her hood back and uncovering her eyes, Medusa exclaimed, “How magnificent a bear is! I’ve never seen such an animal. You know, there are only gorgons and snakes where I come from. There are also many stone statues,” she added, laughing her enchanting giggle. “To answer your question, I helped you because I too need help. Karmakas is a wicked sorcerer. He controls my kind through his magic, and forced us to come to this realm to do his bidding. If we defy his orders, he tells our snake-hairs to bite our shoulders and backs. It hurts so much that we cry out in pain loud enough to make mountains shake.”
She pulled her hood back over her eyes and told Beorf it was safe to look at her.
“We are nocturnal creatures and cannot bear the sun easily,” she went on. “This does not mean that we are nasty and cruel. It’s true that our power transforms all living creatures that we come across into statues. To avoid such misfortune, my people live in hiding in the arid hills of the east desert. It’s the gorgons themselves who sent me to free you.
“I beg you to believe me. We don’t want to harm anyone and we know how to bring back to life the stone statues that we create. It’s a little complicated, but it can be done. We don’t want to wage battle any longer; we only wish to go home and live in peace. But we are unable to fight Karmakas. Our power does not work on him, so we remain his prisoners. The gorgons are his slaves. We must serve him or suffer horrible pain. Look at the skin on my shoulders and you’ll understand what I mean.”
Medusa pulled down a sleeve of her dress, exposing her shoulder. It was covered with open wounds and scars.
“You see!” she said. “It’s difficult for me to believe that my own hair can do this to me.”
“Why don’t you cut off those nasty beasts, then?”
“Would you cut off your arm or your leg even if it hurt you?” she answered, a little upset. “My hair is a part of me. I love it very much. Each of the golden snakes that you see contains a part of my life. To cut them off would be my death. They’re my only friends and my solace. I’ve known them since I was little, and each one has a name. I feed them and take good care of them.”
“May I ask you something?” Beorf asked very politely.
“You may ask whatever you want,” Medusa answered.
“I’d love to see your eyes, your entire face.”
The gorgon giggled again. “You don’t seem to listen to what I tell you, young bear. It’s impossible—you’d be instantly turned to stone!”
“I know that it’s possible to look at the reflection of a gorgon in a mirror,” declared Beorf rather proudly. “I know because I’ve done it by accident. I have a mirror here and—”
When she heard these words, Medusa panicked. “You have a mirror? A mirror! Did you bring me here to kill me? I knew I was wrong to believe in you! I always said to my fellow gorgons that we had to be wary of what looked human. You’re vicious and you always wish to kill whatever does not look like you! If you want to kill me, do it now, but stop torturing