If I Had Words

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Chapter 68      Chapter 70

“We can’t find Psyche,” Phobos and Deimos said, coming back from a lengthy search.

Eros wondered where Mother had sent her. They had all watched Psyche enter the chariot, but without knowing the destination, she could be anywhere. 

“Zephyr!” Eros called. 

The wind whipped through the group. 

“Do you know where Psyche is?” Eros asked. 

The wind whipped away. 

“Where do you think Mother sent her?” Deimos asked.

“Hard to say,” Eros said. “Mother seemed quite happy as she escorted her to the chariot. But she was certainly displeased that Psyche had completed the first task.”

Zephyr returned and whispered the answer through the group.

“That’s near where the golden sheep are, isn’t it?” Phobos asked. 

“That must be the task,” Eros said. “We’d better go catch up and see how we can help. Harmonia, lead the way. You know the islands best.” 

They all followed Harmonia until they reached the area on the mainland directly across from a gnarly looking island. 

“Can anyone see her?” Eros asked.

Phobos and Deimos disappeared and then reappeared again. 

“She doesn’t seem to be on the island,” Phobos said.  

“We’ve checked various sides,” Deimos agreed. 

Eros took to the sky, scanning the mainland and water, frantically trying to find her. He couldn’t see anything on the mainland. He kept scanning until he noticed something pop out of the water momentarily before disappearing again. He watched the river carefully and saw it pop up again. 

She was getting rapidly swept away in the current.  

“She’s in the water,” Eros said urgently, returning to the group. “How can we help her?” 

“Do we know any river nymphs?” Harmonia said.

Eros sheepishly shrugged. No river nymph would even speak to Eros after what he had done to their friend Daphne. 

Phobos and Deimos looked at each other. 

“The Gods of Panic and Dread don’t have many friends,” Deimos said. 

“Well, let’s at least follow her and see if we can think of something,” Harmonia said. 

The group followed Eros from below as he motioned to them from above once he’d found her again. He was relieved to find her holding onto a tree branch. It looked like it had reached out to her. 

“That tree,” Harmonia said, surprised. “It is as if it’s trying to help her.”

“I told you,” Eros said, landing. “The Elements love her.”

They watched as Psyche slowly pulled her way towards the thick reeds. After a moment, the reeds made a path for her so she could reach the shore.

Harmonia looked at Eros. 

“See,” he said. 

“Amazing,” she said.

Psyche was now sitting on the bank and one of the reeds put a leaf on her hand.

She’s feeling despair, they said.

Eros looked at Harmonia. 

“Maybe you can help her by speaking through the reeds,” Eros said.

Harmonia nodded and closed her eyes.

You will make it across, Harmonia told Psyche. Don’t lose hope. You will make it. 

“How?” Psyche said. “And even once I’m across the river, how can I complete this task?”

Answers will come, Harmonia said through the reed. 

That seemed to help Psyche feel better and they watched her get up and start walking. They assumed she was making her way back to the clearing a good distance away. 

It was quite a long walk.

“Mortals are so slow,” Phobos moaned.

“Yeah, can’t we get her to run or something? Scare her just a little so she quickens her pace?” Deimos said. 

“You’ll waste her strength,” Harmonia said. “We’ll call for you once she’s across the river.”

Phobos and Deimos nodded and disappeared. 

Eros and Harmonia watched Psyche from a distance as she hefted her basket on her head, then set it down, then secured it to her back. 

“That’ll make it easier,” Harmonia said. “Psyche is pretty clever.” 

Eros smiled.

Psyche had now finally reached her destination and they watched as Psyche stepped back into the water for another attempt. She got only part way across before the river was pushing her downstream again. Luckily, she didn’t waste much time and was soon back on the mainland shore. 

“We need to help her figure out a better strategy,” Harmonia said. “The current will be too strong for her to swim straight across.” 

“She needs to use the current,” Eros said, looking upstream and wondering how far up she would need to start. 

“Good idea,” Harmonia said. “But how to put it into her mind?”

“Maybe use the reeds again?” Eros said.

Harmonia nodded, directing a nearby reed to touch Psyche’s hand.

Don’t try swimming across, Harmonia said.

“Then what? How can I get to the island?” Psyche said. 

Use the current, Harmonia said.

Psyche furrowed her brow and looked upstream.

Now that the Elements knew the plan, the reeds and overgrowth started waving and moving upstream, guiding Psyche to a better starting point. 

They all watched as Psyche entered the water for a third time and floated her way across to the island. 

Phobos! Deimos! Harmonia called. 

“She made it across?” Deimos asked, as he and Phobos reappeared.

“No, brainless, she’s drowned and the whole thing is over,” Phobos said, giving Deimos a friendly shove. 

Deimos scowled and pushed Phobos back.

Annoyed that Deimos had pushed him so hard, Phobos pushed his brother back, harder.  

Soon they were pushing and shoving each other and kicking up a lot of dust. 

Eros rolled his eyes.

“They’re still new at this,” Harmonia said. “Give them a chance before you judge them too harshly.”

Harmonia closed her eyes and inwardly reached for her brothers.

You’re needed, she said.

Phobos and Deimos finally stopped. 

“We can’t do this without you,” Harmonia said as Phobos and Deimos rejoined them. “Psyche has gotten across the river, but we don’t know how to help her with her true second task.” 

Phobos and Deimos looked at each other and nodded, silently agreeing to a truce. 

The group disappeared and reappeared on the island, some distance from where Psyche was walking in her search for the sheep. 

“This is a place oozing with terror,” Deimos said. “This task is not going to be easy.”

“Looks like just a bunch of thorn bushes to me,” Eros said.

“Yeah, but look at the bones!” Phobos said. “Are soft, fluffy sheep going to leave those behind?” 

“There’s one of the sheep,” Deimos said.

Psyche saw it too.

“See, look at what it’s eating,” Phobos said. “That’s no clump of grass.” 

“Mother,” Eros said with disgust. “She’s going to get an earful when this is over.” 

Psyche carefully approached the sheep, shears in hand. 

“She’s getting too close,” Eros said, concerned.

“I can touch her,” Deimos said, his hand out and ready.

“Wait,” Harmonia said. “It’s clear she doesn’t know that the sheep are dangerous. If you scared her now, she won’t know why. We need her to know the sheep are dangerous.”

“I can help with that,” Deimos said, getting an idea.  

The sheep raised its head. Psyche stopped and waited. The creature slowly turned and stared at Psyche.

“Urgh, that is one ugly sheep,” Phobos said. 

“Well, she’s definitely afraid now,” Deimos said. 

The creature gave a roar. 

“She’s not moving. Touch her, Deimos!” Harmonia cried. 

Run!! he said.

Psyche turned and ran. 

The creature untwisted itself and lunged forward towards Psyche. It followed close behind her until suddenly it gave an ear-splitting scream and ran the other way.

Everyone looked at Phobos.

Phobos shrugged.

“What? Couldn’t let him eat her yet. We still have a task to complete,” he said.  

They all smiled. 

“What now?” Deimos asked.

They all looked around and found Psyche trying to pull at a piece of fleece stuck in one of the thorn bushes. She drew back in pain as a thorn pricked her.

“This is going to take forever,” Phobos groaned. 

“No, wait, she’s doing something,” Harmonia said.

The bush started to shake. 

“She’s talking to it,” Deimos said in disbelief. “She really is an odd one.”

“More odd,” Harmonia said, “is that even these bushes are responding. Whatever she’s saying, it’s doing something.” 

The row of bushes started quivering in a certain direction. 

The bushes rippled again and Psyche turned and followed the movement. 

The group watched as Psyche eventually made her way to a clearing where an enormous flock of the sheep-creatures were wandering around. 

“Oh, great,” Eros said. “Let’s hope she doesn’t — “

“Look!” Harmonia interrupted. “Look at all of the thorn bushes around the field. There are little bits of fleece stuck in them.”

“Right,” Deimos said. “She could just collect the wool from there.” 

“But is it enough?” Eros said.

“Help is on the way,” Phobos said, giving a mischievous smile. 

Phobos disappeared and without warning, one of the sheep gave a loud shriek. 

Reappearing, Phobos looked at Deimos.

“Coming?” Phobos asked.

Deimos smiled.

The two brothers worked among the sheep, sending them smashing and crashing against the thickets. The sheep would run in frantic terror one way, then scream, and turn back towards the thorns and barbs. The dumb creatures knocked and pushed each other along the sides of the branches, trying to find room to get away from whatever imagined fear had been conjured. 

Harmonia and Eros stood staring as the sheep screeched their way through the thorns and brush. Phobos and Deimos whooped and jumped from creature to creature, watching and making sure none of them escaped until the job was done.

“This is getting ridiculous,” Eros said to Harmonia.

“But it is working,” Harmonia said.

And it was. 

The twisted twigs of the bushes now glistened gold as large and small chunks of wool hung trapped.

“Don’t you think that’s enough, though?” Eros said, with a grimace.

“The creatures will eventually tire,” Haromnia said.

And not long after, the creatures stood panting in the field.

Phobos and Deimos returned, Phobos wiping the dust from his hands. 

“You’re welcome,” Phobos said.

Eros couldn’t help a smile.

“I think you had a little too much fun with that one,” Eros said.

“Guilty,” Deimos said, raising his hand.

“Now how to get them to leave?” Eros said.

“I can help with that,” Harmonia said. “It’s nearly time for them to move to their evening shelter anyway.” 

Harmonia touched the sheep and they were soon walking in organized lines out of the clearing.  

“Psyche had better hurry. She needs to gather the fleece before it gets too dark,” Deimos said.

“You’re right,” Eros said. “Hopefully she’ll — “

As if on cue, Psyche cautiously emerged from her hiding place and was now in the clearing talking to the bushes. A ripple passed through them and they untangled their barbs and thorns, depositing the clumps of wool onto the ground. 

Not wasting any time, she quickly gathered them until she had enough in her basket. 

She whispered something else to the bushes and soon trees and shrubs were creating a ripple that Psyche now followed. 

Shortly, Psyche was standing on the shore of the island, looking across to the mainland. 

She quickly set her basket down and began wrapping it into the blanket. 

Eros observed red scratches and soaked bandages all over her body. 

He felt his anger rising.

His mother had gone too far. 

Psyche stood for a moment, examining the current of the river before braving the cold water and letting the current carry her to the other side. 

He felt a surge of relief as she climbed up the opposite bank. 

He let out the breath he’d been holding.

She had done it. She had braved her second task and had conquered. 

He didn’t think he could possibly love her more. 

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