The Burly Minotaur

The horn-shaped shell blew a low, gentle hmmmmmm into the darkness as he waited, unsure of why he chose to believe the tales now. Surely no one could hear a single shell blast from anywhere across the Seven Seas.

After only a heartbeat, though, the waves began to swirl in a furious fashion and from their midst rose an epic ship, encased in algae and dripping with salt water. The Sea Witch was real!

Excited now, he rushed into the water and dove in, swimming without hesitation towards its bow. As he reached the port side, a rope ladder softly fell down towards him and he climbed up, careful not to let his hooves slip or get caught.

As he reached the deck, he looked about, breathless. The ocean mist swirled about, obscuring his vision until at last it lifted and a tall, dark figure stood in its place.

From her black-laced boots up through her black coat gilded in gold, the captain of The Sea Witch stared at him with a measuring gaze. Her jet coal eyes sized him up as her plump red lips pursed together. “Who summons my vessel?” she asked, her voice deeper than the ocean itself.

Kneeling, since standing taller than such an imposing figure felt wrong, the minotaur replied, “I am Asterion, The Minotaur.”

“Only one? My, what a snowflake.” the captain smirked and pulled off her feathered tricorn hat. Beneath it her hair lay in thick tendrils, curling outwards as if alive. “What brings The Minotaur to my ship?”

“They say you grant wishes,” Asterion replied, holding his breath.

“Maybe. They also say the earth is flat.” She laughed and the ship seemed to shake with her mirth. “What wish would you make?”

“I wish to be human,” Asterion looked up with sad desire in his deep brown eyes.

“But there is only one Minotaur. Why lose such a unique title?” She raised an eyebrow at him, her smile seeming to understand but her silence forcing him to speak his truth aloud.

“I am lonely. I...I wish to befriend someone.”

“Befriend? Surely your horns don’t hold you back from befriending anyone.”

“I want him to love me,” Asterion blurted, his words falling out in order to keep from being shut inside by his rising panic. “He could never love me as a monster.”

“He? How interesting.” Walking around him as he continued to kneel, she reached out here and there to touch his shoulder, his horns, his back. “Who is this poor fool that fails to see your potential?”

“Theseus.” the minotaur said softly.

“Really? Well, at least he’s Greek, honey - I suppose you’ve got a chance.” Standing before him again she folded her arms. “If they say I grant wishes, do they also say what they cost?”

Nodding solemnly, the minotaur answered, “I’m prepared to pay for this wish.”

“And what would you pay?”

He paused. “I...I have no money. What would you take?”

Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, the captain finally snapped her fingers. “Your strength. You will give me all the beautiful, bull-headed strength that you possess. In return, I’ll remove your horns and give you what you desire. But be warned.” A CRACK of lightning suddenly struck the sea as they clouds grew dark. “You have but one week to woo your lover. If he does not accept you in your new form, then you forfeit your humanity - and will spend the rest of your days as part of my crew.”

Another CRACK of lightning lit up the ship and illuminated the shadows around them. Suddenly Asterion could see glimpses of misshapen figures hidden in the gloom - including a hunchback aloft in the rigging, a dark-skinned beauty with toad-like scales, a fierce-looking warrior from the east, and what appeared to be a masked gorgon, until Asterion realized the snakes were just severely curly hair. They watched silently, staring at him but not saying a word or betraying a single emotion. He wondered if they still retained their souls.

Swallowing his fear, Asterion held his head high. “I accept your price, captain. Please. Grant me my wish.”

The sky cleared abruptly as the captain cackled in delight. “Excellent! A deal is a deal.” At a snap from her fingers a strange little blue creature crawled over, handing her a parchment and two pens in three different hands. “Now then to make it official sign here and we’re done.” After quickly scriving her own name on the page she handed it over.

His handwriting clumsy, but readable, Asterion signed on the dotted line. The parchment seemed to glow briefly, then faded to black. Ripping it from his hands the captain tucked it into her coat pocket.

“Very well, Asterion. At sunrise tomorrow you shall gain new life as a fair little human. And at sunset on the seventh day I shall return - on land or sea - to claim you when you have failed.” Her smile widened, revealing rows of jagged teeth laced with gold and sea glass.

“I won’t fail,” Asterion swore, rising to his hooves. With a bow, he went back to the rope ladder and descended, swimming back to shore before the dawn rendered him weak.

As the captain watched him go, her crew circled around with heavy heads. “I know, dearies. He has to learn on his own.”

Seven Days Later

Asterion’s tears fell in small, weak droplets at his feet as he wrapped his arms around his legs in a self-soothing motion. He had failed. The sun grew dimmer in the sky, and he sat on the beach alone with his misery. As he bowed into his arms the sea began to swirl again, and The Sea Witch appeared once more.

This time Asterion simply waited on the shore, refusing to make the swim. From the mists came a rowboat manned by two portly twin sailors, with the captain in front. As they reached shore she leapt down, striding over to Asterion with her arms outstretched.

“What happened, my poor snowflake? Did your man fail to notice your sweet charms?”

“Theseus didn’t even look at me. He fought some foolish battle with Pirithous and decided he made a better partner.” Wiping his face, he glared at her. “You knew leaving me weak would make me less desirable to him. That’s why you took my strength. If I had been able to fight like Pirithous I could have won his heart!”

Clicking her tongue, the captain replied, “My dear Asterion, if all you needed was strength to win his heart you could have done it without signing a contract.”

“He would never love me as a monster!”

“Then he could never love you.” The captain’s eyes sparked with silver, her gaze silencing the quivering boy before her. “You pathetic mortals never understand - people may like you for your qualities, but they can never truly love you without your flaws.” Leaning over him, her hair slid under his chin, forcing him to look up at her. “If I just made everyone perfect there would be nothing left to truly love.”

Asterion could only sob softly, his eyes filling up again with tears.

Turning her back to him, the captain snapped her fingers. “A deal is a deal, Asterion. I have no need for a weakling, so back you go.” As the sun touched the horizon Asterion began to grow, his head and horns appearing once more over his hooves and tail. His tears grew fat and continued to fall on the darkening sand. “Come. Our ship is needed elsewhere.”

Reluctantly, Asterion rose up from the beach and followed his new captain towards the small dinghy, rubbing his eyes. He knew not what future lay before him - but having already lost Theseus, he cared very little for what might come.

As if reading his thoughts, the captain’s head turned ever so slightly. “Your heart will harden, young bull. Don’t worry. I’ll keep you so busy you’ll forget that foolish mortal in no time. Now, be a dear and row us back - the twins here could use a rest.”

With a heavy heart, he replied, “Yes, captain.”

And with her new crew in tow, Captain Ursula returned to her ship.