By Jim Doran
Terrific. They spotted me.
Rebecca floored the accelerator as the car in front of her rounded a corner. Fortunately, most of Athens’s boulevards stretched straight a considerable distance, allowing her to race forward. And at 1 a.m., she didn’t have to contend with traffic.
Rebecca’s electric-blue Ford Puma jumped to 120 kilometers per hour. She couldn’t lose the Peugeot now that she had verified Dimitra Kotzidakis was a passenger. Bribing the landlady had paid off. Dimitra had indicated to the rent collector she was moving out tonight—leaving the perfect opportunity to collar her.
Before turning, Rebecca decelerated to avoid losing control and sliding into a bakery. With the squeal of the Puma’s tires, she prayed the Hellenic Police weren’t near. Her Greek was terrible. If they discovered she was an agent of the Department of Extraordinary Emigration Delivery, or DEED, they would throw her in jail.
Dimitra is the dangerous one. Not me.
At any moment, Dimitra might wield her powers on the citizens of Athens. The police wouldn’t believe Rebecca until it was too late, and DEED’s attempt to hide Dimitra from the world would be ruined.
Why had Dimitra left? She had seemed happy at home as a nurse. She had surprised everyone when she fled.
The Puma shortened the distance between the two automobiles. They raced between the Grecian capital’s concrete columns, reminding Rebecca of the trench on the Death Star. Yes, Athens’s government tried to plant islands of trees here and there, but this city had a way of inducing claustrophobia.
In the back seat of her target’s sedan, Dimitra’s avocado-green babushka bobbed when her car rumbled over the uneven road. The single lane broadened to two. If Rebecca sped up and pulled alongside the Peugeot, she could nudge the other car to the side of the road.
However, Dimitra started to unwrap her scarf. Rebecca gasped and touched a tiny button on the frame of her glasses.
Time to go to camera mode.
Viewing through the camera limited Rebecca’s reaction time, forcing her to slow down. The Peugeot sped away, and Rebecca slammed the palm of her hand against the steering wheel.
What is Dimitra doing unwrapping her headscarf? Does she want to kill me?
No. Turning to stone happens much slower than in the movies, and Dimitra would count on DEED to send someone to restore Rebecca. But the medusa didn’t know the gyrating vipers on her head couldn’t affect Rebecca, thanks to her glasses. Her quarry would assume, as her body hardened, Rebecca would have to pull over and stop. And then freeze. Statuesque.
Wait a minute. Rebecca could use this to her advantage.
Rebecca pretended as if Dimitra had succeeded, and decelerated. She’d let the fugitive assume she fell victim to the medusa’s gaze.
After the Peugeot completed a right-hand turn, Rebecca pulled out, keeping a stealthier distance.
Five minutes later, Rebecca spotted the sedan down a cross street. A harried Dimitra exited and climbed a set of stairs to a townhouse.
Gotcha.
Rebecca parked around the corner and proceeded to the house. A quick picklock later and she stepped inside. The front room was small—padded chairs and a round table. Dimitra stood near a fireplace, her babushka replaced.
“Edelweiss.” Snakes hidden under the headscarf hissed, prolonging the “s” in Rebecca’s last name.
“Enough. You’re coming with me.”
Dimitra stepped away. “You don’t understand. I didn’t leave our home to cause trouble.”
Rebecca unlatched the holster on her belt. “No one leaves, Dimitra. If they discover you’re a medusa, they’ll learn about the rest of us. Your kind, centaurs, dryads, all of us. Do you know what they’d do?”
“It’s not like that, Rebecca.” Dimitra’s face pinched.
“Our kind belongs together, not with humans.” Rebecca set her hand on her Taser in its holster. “We’re free at home—not here. These people would think you’re a freak. Now, don’t make me tase you and—”
“Is there a problem here?”
Rebecca turned around. A robed, middle-aged man with gray hair stood in the doorway of an adjacent room. She opened her mouth to warn him about Dimitra but swallowed her words. The man’s glossy eyes stared in her general direction.
Dimitra rushed past Rebecca and into the man’s arms. Though off-balance, he received her gently. The medusa returned her attention to Rebecca. “This man accidentally washed up near our colony. I nursed him, and…” She put her hands on his cheeks.
The man removed her babushka. “You don’t need to hide yourself from me,” he whispered.
He brushed his fingers down the back of her snakes, and they swayed back and forth. Tender and caring, his hands moved to her face. Tears ran down his craggy cheeks.
Lost in a memory, Rebecca recalled her own spouse touching her cheek, lips on her lips. She couldn’t deny this to anyone else.
I’ve been in the field too long.
The man cleared his throat, his head swinging in Rebecca’s direction. “Who is here?”
Rebecca’s hand dropped from her Taser. “I was just leaving.”
With her lover’s arms enfolding her, Dimitra mouthed “thank you.” Rebecca nodded and let herself out. As she descended the steps, her phone chimed. The text read, “Get her?”
She typed, “Got away. Not in Athens any longer.”
She returned to her Puma, examining the concrete buildings lining the streets. Who would’ve thought a heart beat so strong beneath this stony exterior?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
What a fast-paced story full of mystery and heart! It’s always nice when mythological creatures live amongst us and get their own happy endings.
I’ve always believed everyone deserves a happy ending. Thanks, Felicia.
Exciting opening!
Thank you!
Aw yay for a happy ending. Great description!
Appreciate it.
This is the first modern story that I have read about a Medusa that made me feel sorry for her. Thank you and good job.
Medusa are so misunderstood. Thank you for reading.
I came here after reading your Harmony story. I really enjoyed this Rebecca story as well. I loved the ending. A nice twist, I didn’t expect it.