Casandra drabble...
I'm doing a series of drabbles, loosely centered around relationships between mothers and daughters, but we'll see how that turns out. For now, a Cassandra drabble inspired by my lunatic asylum phobia.
Queen Hecuba of Troy sat in the room of her oldest daughter, Cassandra, watching the girl sitting opposite to her. But Cassandra said nothing to her. She kept her eyes lowered and twisted her hands in the fabric of her tunic. She muttered under her breath as though to people Hecuba could not see.
This was one of her better days. Often, Cassandra flung herself at Hecuba, begging her mother to let her out of this room or to banish Helen of Sparta from Troy. She told those nightmarish tales of fire and war that had gotten her locked up here in the first place.
Today at least she was docile. When Hecuba had entered, Cassandra’s hands were bruised and bleeding - the guard who was stationed at the wall outside of the tower room said that she had been beating on the door with her bare hand - and her hair was tangled. But she had been merely sitting in a corner of the room crying when Hecuba had come, and she had not fought when her mother bandaged her hands and brushed her hair. But neither did she speak, even while she sat in the chair opposite the one Hecuba sat in for many long minutes.
Until she finally looked up, her eyes filled with a pleading, and spoke. “Mother, please…make him leave me alone.”
Hecuba knew that whoever Cassandra spoke of would be most likely another one of those figments of her imagination, but decided to humor her daughter. “Who is it, dear?”
“Apollo…with his taunting voice which is the very essence of light itself and his visions of fire…” Cassandra’s voice turned into almost a shriek. “I don’t want to know! I never wanted to know!” Suddenly her focus changed from some indefinable being to Hecuba. “You’re all rushing headlong into disaster blindfolded and laughing! When the first spear is cast and the blood of Troy herself begins to pour out, you shall all hear her screams! And when fire engulfs the whole world, you will feel agony! When your husband’s body lies at your side and you have seen all your sons die, Queen Hecuba, remember that it was I who warned you! I!”
Hecuba silently slipped out of the room, locking the door, but Cassandra’s shrieks, as always, would haunt her dreams.
Queen Hecuba of Troy sat in the room of her oldest daughter, Cassandra, watching the girl sitting opposite to her. But Cassandra said nothing to her. She kept her eyes lowered and twisted her hands in the fabric of her tunic. She muttered under her breath as though to people Hecuba could not see.
This was one of her better days. Often, Cassandra flung herself at Hecuba, begging her mother to let her out of this room or to banish Helen of Sparta from Troy. She told those nightmarish tales of fire and war that had gotten her locked up here in the first place.
Today at least she was docile. When Hecuba had entered, Cassandra’s hands were bruised and bleeding - the guard who was stationed at the wall outside of the tower room said that she had been beating on the door with her bare hand - and her hair was tangled. But she had been merely sitting in a corner of the room crying when Hecuba had come, and she had not fought when her mother bandaged her hands and brushed her hair. But neither did she speak, even while she sat in the chair opposite the one Hecuba sat in for many long minutes.
Until she finally looked up, her eyes filled with a pleading, and spoke. “Mother, please…make him leave me alone.”
Hecuba knew that whoever Cassandra spoke of would be most likely another one of those figments of her imagination, but decided to humor her daughter. “Who is it, dear?”
“Apollo…with his taunting voice which is the very essence of light itself and his visions of fire…” Cassandra’s voice turned into almost a shriek. “I don’t want to know! I never wanted to know!” Suddenly her focus changed from some indefinable being to Hecuba. “You’re all rushing headlong into disaster blindfolded and laughing! When the first spear is cast and the blood of Troy herself begins to pour out, you shall all hear her screams! And when fire engulfs the whole world, you will feel agony! When your husband’s body lies at your side and you have seen all your sons die, Queen Hecuba, remember that it was I who warned you! I!”
Hecuba silently slipped out of the room, locking the door, but Cassandra’s shrieks, as always, would haunt her dreams.