Weekly Expression #15 - MC

WE #15 - MC

            ** Author's note**   Ok, so Beka and I were arguing about this week’s picture and whether or not the “moon thing in the sky” was actually a moon or a tennis ball. If you guessed she said it was a moon, you are correct. I am the retarded one who thinks it is a tennis ball. This goes to show that people perceive things in different ways, which is the whole point for Weekly Expressions. So, being the dork that I am, while we were debating, I decided that I would make a story about a tennis ball, whether the big round thing in the sky is actually a tennis ball or not. This is the story of a magician named Octavius who found favor in the eyes of the Greek gods. It is completely fictional – I have no idea whether there is really a Greek god named Tennis. This story is to be taken light-heartedly, as it is meant to be humorous. This one’s for you, Beka!

                Poseidon nudges his brother, Zeus, and picks up a basketball on the court. “C’mon, dude! Let’s play a game!”

                Zeus sighs and shakes his head. “Basketball again? We just played it last night.”

                “So?”

                “And the night before.”

                “Yeah?”

                “And the night before that.”

                Poseidon spins the ball on his fingertip. “What’s your point?”

                Zeus zaps a nearby tree with a thunderbolt and shrugs. “My point is, we play the same sports over and over. Even zapping things with thunderbolts has become boring.”

                The other Greek gods join the 2 brothers on the court.

                “Playing Severed Human Head Dodge Ball has become boring too,” Ares says.

                Apollo holds up his lyre. “Musical chairs has lost its charm.”

                “Everyone here is so dumb,” Athena looks around accusingly, “Wisdom Wonder Trivia has no point. I’m the only one who ever wins.”

                Artemis nonchalantly shoots a bird out of the air with her bow. “Hunting holds no thrill for me anymore.”

                “Alright, alright,” Zeus holds up his hands. “It is clear we need a new sport here on Olympus, correct?”

                The gods nod their heads in agreement.

                “Then we shall assign a task to Octavius,” Zeus declares.

                “Octavius?” Poseidon says with confusion. “Who’s he?”

                “Octavius is an 800-year-old magician who is a genius with sports. He shall create a new sport worthy of us Olympians!”

                Ares crosses his arms. “And if he fails?”

                Zeus shrugs. “Then we zap him with a thunderbolt and find someone else.”

                Once again, the gods nod their heads in agreement.

*****

                “What are you doing?”

                Octavius turns from his crystal ball. “Ah, my beautiful wife! The gods have instructed me to create a new sport for them. They have grown weary of their games and are in need of a new one.”

                “I see.” Octavius’s wife, Helena, steps into the spacious magic room and looks at the crystal ball. “A fuzzy ball?”

                “So it is soft.”

                “Ah. Well, my love, it is late and I am tired. I shall be off to bed!”

                “Good night!”

                Helena lingers a moment more, looking at the fuzzy ball in the crystal glass. She then shakes her head with a smile and leaves Octavius to his sport-making.

*****

                “Wake up, my beloved! Wake up!” Octavius shakes his wife awake.

                Helena lifts her head and squints at her husband. “What is it? What’s the matter?” she croaks.

                “Come and see!” Octavius grabs Helena’s arm excitedly and pulls her out of bed.

                Helena grabs her robe and slips it on over her nightgown, mumbling about it being the middle of the night, and follows Octavius to the magic room.

                Octavius practically runs to his crystal ball, reaches his hand magically through the glass, and pulls out a small fuzzy, yellow ball no bigger than a marble.

                “This is it?” his wife asks, still half asleep. She stifles a yawn.

                “Come and see!” Octavius leads the way to the top of their tree house.

                Helena sits in her designated chair and watches as Octavius holds the marble in his cupped hand. For a moment, nothing happens. Then slowly, the marble-sized ball grows and floats into the sky. When it is done growing, it is as big as the moon.

                Helena’s eyes grow wide with wonder.

                Octavius spreads his arms wide in triumph. “Behold, the Tennis Ball!”

                The ball spins and then floats off in the sky until it disappears.

                “They better make me a god for this!” Octavius mutters under his breath.

*****

                Well, as it turns out, the Greek gods liked the game of tennis so much, they changed Octavius’ name to Tennis and made him a minor god on Olympus. And that, my friends, is how the game of tennis was invented and a magician made a god at the same time.