November 19, 2023 • 42 mins
In this episode of the Cool Zone Media Book Club, Margaret reads James the story of what happens when a Palestinian orphan runs into conflict with three Greek gods.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Call Zone Media.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Book Club book Club, book Club.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
That's the you gotta do it too. It doesn't work.
Speaker 4 (00:12):
I have to do my apologies. No I thought you
to think. Okay, it's try, it's give me one more time.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Club Club Club club Club.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
It's the Cool Zone Media book Club, the only book
club run by Cool Zone Media book Club.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
The only book club that all your book clubs but
to us.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah, that's right, and only people our age will get
that reference.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Oh god, Yeah, that's crushing because it's all yeah. No,
because you think of the Internet as like basically a
new thing, and then you're you're becoming a boomer.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Yeah yeah, I remember when I used a fourteen point
four kps mode.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Yeah, it's doon the whole dial tone. Noise will be
lost in a generation, I know.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Well that's no noise, new mes, no new noise. Musicians
will be able to exist.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Yeah, tragedy, humanity has been stripped of that.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Yeah, well, it specifically excludes trans women from public discourse
if we get rid of noise bands.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Yeah, it's it's uh, it's transphobic.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I've told this story probably before on air, but one
time I went to go play one of my own shows,
and I play like synthpop, but it's just me and
I'm alone. I'm a trans woman. So I show up
with this like synthesizer and all this gear to this
bar and someone looks over and goes, oh, I didn't
know there was a noise show tonight.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
No, I'm just stereotyped. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you fit
the Yeah, yeah it's yeah. Good on you for confounding
that stereotype. Mugget.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Yeah, I'm your book club host Margaret Kiljoy and I
have a rotating it could happen here guest hosts, and
today I have James James Stout.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Yeah, I am happening here today on on this podcast.
That's right. The book my first time on the book
Club podcast.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Well, I'm excited to have you on for this one.
This week, we are going to be reading a story
that I'm really excited about. I don't want to spoil
it too much, but I I don't normally like stuff
with Greek gods in it, but I really like this story. Okay,
(02:33):
that's my Yeah, that's that's my hook.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
Yeah, Okay, I'm ready to I'm ready to have that
stereotype confounded as well as a type of guy that
likes Greek goats.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
It tends not to be a type of guy.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
That I enjoy. Happy that the author is not that
type of guy.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
No, that author is no type of guy. Sonya Suleiman
writes short speculative fiction inspired by Palestinian folklore. Her work
has appeared Yeah. Her work has appeared in Arab b
Lid Quarterly, Balladi Fantasy, Faia Magazine, Zeno Cultivars, Stories of
Queer Growth, Sees the Press, and Lackington's Magazine. Her stories
(03:10):
have been nominated for a Pushcart, Lammy and Best New
Weird Awards. In her spare time, she curates the Read
Palestinian Specfic Reading List. Her first collection of short stories,
Munira and the Moon, Stories inspired by Palestinian folklore, is
available wherever books are sold. You can find her on
(03:31):
social media at Sonia Suleiman, which is s O n
I A s u l A I m A n
and her website is her name dot com.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yeah, yeah, no, yeah, I feel like switch here.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Yeah yeah, this is exciting. Good what a timely choice
as well?
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah, yeah, totally. This story is called Hondala, the Olive,
the Storm and the Sea, The Little boy raised an
umbrella over his head and looked out over the sea.
His clothes were tattered, loose stitches of what had been
a carefully sown tunic in pants. His hair was like
a bird's nest. His feet were torn and blistered. The
(04:18):
rain swept down in sheets that shimmered and waved across
land and sea alike. The boy walked on down a
long winding road of stones and sticks. It climbed limestone, bones,
and terraces with trees of flame and broken. He stopped
to look at these, his face to the fires, his
back to the sea. Water and fire wared together, and
(04:39):
the sky was brightened by the flashes of lightning coursing
through the clouds that hung low like a shroud on
the land. It was half light, either dawn or dusk.
The weather was wrong and unnatural. The boy looked on
with ageless eyes and a face that had the freshness
of only ten years under the sun. He went where
his tired feet directly to him. If there were three
(05:01):
gods following his step, that was not his concern. They
could offer him no blessing he did not already possess.
If they chose to throw obstacles in his path. He
would climb over them, step by painful step. He had
faith not in gods, but in himself. These gods were
not the fates, but it wouldn't matter if they were.
(05:23):
He would defy them too. It wasn't that he was
proud that he thought himself special from the rest of humanity.
He defied because he had to survive. One of these
gods ruled the sea, while the other claimed all the skies,
and the third said to hold the honor of embodying
the virtue of wisdom. He had been ten for a
(05:43):
very long time now. He was ten years old when
he was born, and at the same moment he lost everything.
He fled his home. He had no choice and became
a refugee. He would remain ten years old until he
returns home again. Some fine day, the rain would end
and he would grow up. He grimly carried on, allowing
(06:03):
joy to steal in despite the harrowing path of his
tender feet. Now, let me tell you something before we
go any further. It's an old story that you should
keep in mind when you hear about this boy's adventure
with the gods. In the old days, a city rose
to look down at a rich land and a deep
and dark sea. They used to believe it was the
(06:26):
first of all cities, but that wasn't true. The residents
only wanted to believe they were the first to solve
the problems and create more that we call civilization. And
although that city was thriving in their king, a man
who was also a snake, had created many firsts that
were the bedrock of their way of living. They had
no patron god. Don't ask why they needed one. The
(06:48):
story doesn't say. It comes from a time when everyone
had a patron god, and so it was only natural
that in the first of all cities they yearned for
a god to complete them. It was all very neat
first city, first customs, first marriages, and first patron simple, elegant,
and way back when the gods that came to that
(07:09):
city were eager to compete with each other, two came forward,
an uncle and a niece. Poseidon would have been an
excellent choice for the young city that would one day
rule much of the known world through the might of
its navy, but unfortunately for him, he was the butt
of this story. The national narrative pranked the god. They
(07:30):
said he gifted the city with a salt water spring useless.
Someone must have clapped weakly at the spectacle. He wasn't
very happy with the reception of his miracle and flooded
part of the surrounding countryside just to show them. Athene
was not an agricultural goddess, but a patron of heroes
and technology. Nevertheless, it was fitting that she should win
(07:51):
the national narrative, drove on by what had already happened.
She was already the city's patron when the so called
contest began. But it would be inconvene to acknowledge that
she was already the city's patron, and it would make
the story complex inelegant. So Athena gifted the city with
something that was not really hers, to give a new
(08:11):
kind of tree. The tree was a wonder the olive
it provided fuel and food. It would be the companion
to the engineers, blessed by the goddess, lighting their endeavors
and greasing their mechanisms. Wondrous indeed, So what does this
have to do with the raggedy orphan and his umbrella.
(08:32):
He was in danger of becoming a symbol, a symbol
around which a national narrative would be built. If you like,
you could say that it was this peril that drew
the gods to him in the first place. Among these
gods there were two brothers and a daughter, Posidon an Athene,
but also Zeus. The three drew up short when they
saw the boy, the boy with a face like the
(08:55):
risen sun, invisible and ethereal. The gods were everywhere and nowhere,
all at once, and so for the present they were
invisible to the boy. And do you know what else
is everywhere and nowhere, all at once and present?
Speaker 3 (09:12):
I is it capitalism?
Speaker 2 (09:14):
It is capitalism. And here's some ads for some stuff
probably don't need. And we're back a child, said Zeus.
(09:40):
Of course, if we endow this mortal with blessings and
observe how their fate is changed by them, we will
at last know which of us grants the best of blessings.
Let this adventure be how we settle our dispute. I
would prefer bloodshed. I could make your grizzled beards run
red if I must set Athene, who peeked, was not
feeling a especially filiole towards her father and uncle. In
(10:02):
that moment, my darling, said Zeus, always so quick to anger.
It's what I love about you, my sweet Besidon only
nodded his head, and these gods took the form of
three travelers, which was very like them. They often disguised
themselves as mortal travelers whenever they wanted to test humanity.
Beside It and Zeus wore gray suits with their hatsats
(10:23):
on their head, their kafias flapping in the wind as
it swept in off the sea. Athene walked beside them,
her long thobe trailing in the dirt of the road.
It was richly embroidered, a regal testament of her own
mastery of technology and art, united in silk and velvet,
boy said Zeus, it looks like hard times have fallen
(10:45):
upon you. Where are your parents, your family, your friends?
I'm alone, said the boy. We would like to do
something for you, said Poseidon. Would you accept some gifts
from strangers? The boy thought for a moment, Well, I
don't have anyone else to give me gifts anymore, he said,
But what's in it for you? Athena smiled, charmed We
(11:05):
can't decide who among us can give the most the
best gift, so we decided to give them all to
you and see what happens. See what happens, asked the boy.
You don't need to be wary of these gifts, said Zeus.
They are true blessings. You could say that there are
none more direct and purer than the gifts we have
to share with you. What do you say? It's strange,
(11:28):
said the boy. Why are you choosing me? Are you
taking pity on me because I'm an orphan and alone?
You say you're not taking advantage of me, But you
wouldn't just admit it if you were. That doesn't make
any sense. But on the other hand, there can't be
any harm in listening to what you have to say
to me. Are you sure you are a child of
but ten years? Asked Poseidon. Maybe these gifts of yours
(11:49):
would do more harm than good. How would I know
that they would be of any use to me?
Speaker 3 (11:53):
The boy did not let up.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Zeus held up a hand. You are alone and poor,
and you have the nerve to argue with your benefactors,
and at your age too. Athena tilted her head. It
is as you say. You could just listen to what
we have to say on this matter before you accept
our gifts. Taking the initiative, Athena stepped forward and began
her case. The goddess walked over the side of the outcropping.
(12:18):
She made a divot in the soil, and the sapling
grew out of it. The tree that matured before their
eyes was gnarled and squat clutching the rocky soil with
tenacious roots. It rapidly expanded, becoming a sunshade where none
had been. It was an olive tree. I'll tell you
what the real gift is. It's the one that is
projected of your own accord in the centuries of your wandering.
(12:40):
A symbol of resistance and persistence, its oil provides you
with an inner light to hope in the darkness of
the many days and nights to come. This light will
be lit from generation to generation on those special days
when you celebrate, and the joy of this light will
shine from many lamps of dazzling colors. Its wood will
be made into rosaries that you can use to count
your days, the days of exile until they end. Their
(13:03):
marbled beauty will be the joy of your craftship and artistry.
The tenacity of this tree inspires and nourishes your inborn
stubbornness refusing to be uprooted and refusing to die. It
is a bastion of strength and resilience, the boy replied
to the goddess. You're offering me a symbol of what
I already have. How will this symbol help me return home?
(13:27):
That is all that matters to me. Memories of festivals
and joy in my homeland may bring me some comfort
in this lonely road. It's true, yours is an enduring
and sensible gift, I suppose, But is that enough for you?
I have a feeling that isn't what you really want
out of this contest? Or does winning matter so much
to you that you don't care If I'm not exactly
enthusiastic about your offer. Let me be clear. It's a
(13:49):
symbol of what I already am, and I'm in danger
of becoming a symbol myself. So a symbol of a symbol,
isn't that ridiculous on some level? But you aren't a symbol,
said Athene. You're a real child, orphaned and dispossessed. This
is the material reality, and I recognize it. I sympathize
with your plight. Can't you see that you care?
Speaker 3 (14:11):
Said the boy?
Speaker 2 (14:12):
But why what's in it for you. How young to
be so cynical, exclaimed Athene. Has the world taken such
a toll on you that you're no longer a child
in mind? Truly, this is a pitiful situation, and that's
the problem, said the boy. I don't need your pity.
I need an ally, and that means you will have
to give up something, some of your power and position,
(14:34):
to repair what is broken, to bring the world back
into tune. Only then, when I can go home again,
will I be able to grow up. I want to
be an old man one day and have a new
generation to protect and guide as best I can with
what little wisdom I have. By then, you're trying to
barter with a goddess. The goddess shook her head. It's unbelievable.
(14:57):
The Goddess's gift had multiplied over and over into a
grove of olive trees, stately and fruitful, stood a short
distance away. In her fury, the goddess rushed at the trees.
She screamed a war cry and hacked off their limbs
with her spear. They sheared off, thrown in all directions, helplessly,
falling to the ground, still screaming, she glared at the
(15:17):
twisted trunks, and they erupted into flame. The wood was
devoured from the inside out. The branches crackled as the
inferno spread, setting the grass alight. She hadn't broken a sweat,
and the whole grove was destroyed, a smoking heap of ruin.
Greasy black clouds of smoke spread up into the sky.
I didn't want to do this, but I had to.
(15:39):
You're so obstinate. See what you've made me do. The
boy looked on at the glare from the fires. He
took a step toward the blaze, his hands unlocked and seeking.
Then he tucked them back behind him and turned away,
his face thrown into shadow. Yes, you can cry about
the destruction you've caused, said the goddess. Nothing will the
(16:00):
trees back. I made you do nothing, you chose to destroy.
All I did was question you, said the boy. You
are the one who couldn't stand a child asking you
to account for your behavior, So you've made everything worse.
The boy pointed at the rapidly blackening trees. Those were
living beings, blessings like you said. They deserve better than this,
(16:21):
and so do I. I think we're done here, said Athena,
you've refused my blessing, so I leave you with a
curse instead. It's easy for us blessing and cursing as
we please. That should be a lesson to you not
to push your weight around, She laughed, lightly cruelly. She
walked back to stand with her father and uncle. Her
face was reddened, and she trembled with fury as she
(16:43):
tried in vain to calm herself. It was so unseemly
to be made so angry by a pathetic orphan. As
you may have guessed by now, the gods are petty
and volatile, for all their supposed agelessness, perfection and wisdom.
The weaker their opponent, the more galling it is to
find their power shrugged off and ignored. They can't stand
(17:04):
to be made a mockery of most of all, and
the power difference between Athene and the boy was so stark.
All of her pride was surfacing in the ugliest and
most transparent ways. Beside us. Stepped up and leaned in
close to the boy, throwing out his arm. He took
in the vast, deep dark Mediterranean beyond and said, wherever
(17:25):
my waves break upon the shore, there you will be.
The world will be open to you a network of
sea roads, from sea to ocean to arterial rivers. Just
think of all the places you will stand because of
this gift of waters. All of the winds in the
four directions will open for you. Currents will drive you
on ever on to meet peoples, and the vast bosom
(17:46):
of the earth. It all awaits to welcome you. The
greatest of all adventures lies at your feet. The far
horizon is my gift to you. The space between you
and that threshold will allide. You, who seem like the
risen sun, will be destined to see further and further shores, islands, continent, worlds,
(18:07):
a dizzying array of experiences and ventures. These worlds will
break open and be generous to you with their bounty
of sensation. If you do not find safe harbor here,
there's always somewhere else, Other minds to know, other scenes
to see. The sea roads are your inheritance. The boy
rubbed his chin. That may be, that may not be.
(18:30):
I have traveled many sea roads and met many mines
and places on this dark earth. The boy lifted a
foot with its bruises and blisters. It seems to me
that I already have your gift. But it is a
strange sort of blessing. It is as I thought, there
is good and bad that comes mixed into it. I
will not always be welcome, and I will often be tired, beaten,
(18:50):
and hungry alone. Poseidon did not know what to say,
so he turned his back on the boy and stood
leaning on his trident, staring pensively out over the waves.
The waves roiled and surged, and slowly the sea was rising.
Before he knew it, the boy was staring down a
great wall of water. The god turned toward him. His
(19:11):
empty hand reached out and struck the boy across the face.
To the god's astonishment, the boy was not thrown to
the ground by the blow the strike of a god.
He took it, And as he took it, the boy
also turned and threw all of that force right back
at Poseidon. This time the god was so shocked, so unprepared,
(19:31):
that he faltered you, he stammered. His divine face was
red and dark, with the beginning of a bruise. Behind him,
the wall of water, a tsunami that would easily have
snuffed the life out of the little boy. Gently dissipated.
It was an unnatural sight, but then it was an
unnatural tsunami. He the god continued to splutter, this time
(19:54):
turning to Zeus, his brother. He struck me, This mortal
dared strike out at a I demand justice. I returned
to the strike you made, said the boy. He was
still scruffy, his face marred by streaks of mud. The
cheeks were sunken, but showed absolutely no sign of the
god's strike. Everyone witnessed it. You were going to kill me,
(20:18):
thinking I was easily broken. The gods stared down at
the boy. Somehow, Poseidon was growing even more enraged by
the minute. Then the god broke into sobs. He fell
to his knees and reached out to Zeus, imploring him
and James. You know who else is always there when
you fall to your knees and reach out to implore them?
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Sorry, this is very bleak?
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Is it?
Speaker 3 (20:43):
The goods and services to support this poke?
Speaker 2 (20:45):
That's right, all of them, respond to penitent at listeners.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Yeah, that's right. If you're really down, you're looking to
reach out to.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Uh, yeah, we allowed to. I think that's the one
we call name anymore. Because they got mad that Robert slanted.
Just bleep that out.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Hereah, listener, is up to you to imagine what we
have leaped out, and we're back. He struck me, repeated Poseidon.
(21:30):
He struck me on the face. He he bruised me.
Zeus stood still, allowing his brother to twine his arm
around his leg, his other arm out stretched, the hand
reaching out to touch Zeus's beard. It was a formal petition,
a supplication. Zeus could not deny the request, even if
he had wanted to, justice, said Poseide empathetically. I demand justice.
(21:54):
He struck a god, said Athena, playing the impartial role
of wisdom. It is your place to judge God's and men.
Of course, she had completely forgotten her offer to settle
her dispute with her father and uncle by cracking their
skulls open. Now she was the very ideal of a
fili old daughter and niece. I witnessed it, and you
can see the bruise as well as I. I'm a child,
(22:16):
and you're a god. You struck me, and so I
struck you back. You're a little snake, hissed Athena. The
holy olive trees still smoldering on the hillside, and You
don't talk like you are ten years old. You don't
act like you are ten years old. If you were
allowed to roam free, there isn't a god who wouldn't
live in terror of your venomous behavior. You would contaminate
(22:40):
other mortals with your impiety and endanger all Olympus. This
is incredible, said the little boy. Yet somehow I am
not surprised. Don't ask me how that can be. Zeus
frowned and stepped out of his brother's hold. We have
another matter to settle first, said Zeus, raising his hand
to quiet his brother and daughter. We have yet to
(23:00):
determine which of us can provide this child with the
best of blessings. Zeus left Athenis side and stood in
front of the little boy with the threadbare clothes. He
gave a wan smile and placed his hand on the
boy's shoulder affectionately. The child looked impassively on the paternal gesture.
My gift to you is the storms and their rains.
When the opening rains come, the year will roll, and
(23:22):
the land will come back to life.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
For you.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
Take a look at the wetness that comes down from heaven,
even in their graves, even the dead will be refreshed
by the gathering rainwater that will come from my storms.
Unlike the lands of other peoples and places where canals
and irrigation make the land prosperous and fruitful, your land
will rely on the heavens to bring a drink of fresh,
clean water to the hills, man and beast, in every
(23:46):
green thing will be refreshed. The boy fixed Zeus with
a glare. I know it's rude to interrupt, he said,
what you speak of is not a gift you're giving me.
It's a reminder of what I've lost. And believe me,
I don't need a reminder. The land is always with me.
I am part of it. Do you understand it does
not belong to me, but I belong to it. As
(24:08):
for your storms, where I've been and where I'll go,
they can be really bad, cold and harsh and painful.
I can't see what's so much like my home being
gently watered by the rains and the hurricane and the tornado.
In that case, said Zeus, all I can offer is
a love for the land. I have that too. How
can I not love the land that gave me my
(24:28):
life and sustains me even in exile. It's really frustrating
how those who have the most power are so deficient
in common sense. Then a love for the scent of
water on the earth, bleeding and always to be remembered
wherever you roam. And how is that going to help
me get home?
Speaker 3 (24:46):
Said the boy.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
You've watched the other gods offer me symbols and find
things as far as mixed blessings are concerned, and still
you offer something even more useless to me, all the
while saying you are my benefactor. Zeus raised his hand.
It shook, his face worked, and he lowered his hand
with effort. Fine, since you have spurned the help and
friendship of all of us, let us see to the
(25:09):
matter of your distasteful and divisive nature. Beside In and
Athena nodded together as they stood side by side on
the shore. A great storm bled into the skies above,
overshadowing the thick smoke from the olive grove. Livid lightning
ran through the clouds and struck down at the land
and sea. It is time for justice to rain down,
said Athena, divine, perfect justice, which belongs only to the gods.
(25:34):
What are you going to turn him into a snake,
of course, said Athena.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
What else.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
I'm not going to turn him into anything. Zeus paused,
What did you say you were? He asked, I'm just
a boy. How can you be a boy if you
have defied time itself and remained ten years old for decades?
As it seems from the way you argue with us,
I'm included out and excluded in, was the response from
the boy. A lot of people want me to disappear,
(26:03):
but I won't. You're impossible, said Zeus in wonder. There
were no hints of malice in his voice. A mortal
who is beyond my he looked, ask and set beside
h An Athena. He shook his head and muttered again.
He can't exist. He doesn't exist, said Athena beside, and
looked at the other two, and then nodded slowly. There
(26:23):
never was such a boy, There never will be. Storm
Clouds spread and curled darkly through the skies. Black plumes
of smoke and tongues of flame made the sky look
like the end of days had finally come. The grove
of olive trees through abundant light, a horrid light, a
sickening glow. It was all wrong, But it was what
(26:44):
the gods had done to nature all because a small
boy defied them. It was piteous, is what it was
that nature should have to suffer along with this little
exiled orphan, as if the burning of the trees, the
rising of the waves, the churning of the skies could
wipe away his little life. But this little boy was tenacious,
like the roots of those olive trees. He could ride
(27:07):
the current and the wave. He could endure the bluster
and the reins of the storm. The boy had evaded
a great peril without even trying. He had avoided becoming
a symbol and becoming fossilized. In a national narrative, there
would be no songs sung about the boy and the
three gods who strengthened him, and of course the people
that he represents a lot of gifts to give this
(27:29):
orphan a kind of cosmic charity or a joke. Perhaps,
Let's see what happens if we drop an inheritance on
the impoverished, See if their personal responsibility could lift them up,
or if the fates decide whether the boy goes home,
whether the boy grows to be a man. Someday the
boy got up from where he sat on the limestone
outcropping and looked at the three gods.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
I need.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
I want to grow up, he said after a moment.
I've been ten years old for decades.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
Now.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
When can I go home?
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Do you even know?
Speaker 2 (28:02):
It's not up for you to decide when I get
my homecoming. Even if the fates themselves came down to
me and told me I couldn't ever grow up, that
I'd be as I am forever, I wouldn't believe them.
Only I can bring myself home, and only I can
fulfill my hopes and dreams. As for your gifts, there
isn't one that I don't already have. They are my birthright,
my inheritance as a human being, the right to persist,
(28:25):
to live, to long, to return. The gods were not
quite done with him, though immortal and ages little exile,
said Athena, growing resplendent and warlike, throwing off her disguise
to reveal herself to be the protector of cities, the
patron of heroes. Indeed, she's shone in her bronze armor.
The crest of her helmet waved as she tossed her head,
(28:46):
and the aegis writhe sensually on her breast. I recognize
in you a hero. Maybe the best gift to you
could be my patronage. I have been a patron of
many heroes in my time, Diomedes, Odysseus, and others. She
held out an ivory hand to the boy and was
sure to take his hand this time, but the boy
(29:07):
simply looked at it and then up to her divine face,
so beautiful and perfect. I'm just a boy. I want
to grow up. I want to be happy and to
grow old, and to be loved and to love. Just
let me be to walk the path that I have
to walk, and don't get in my way with promises
and pity. I can do it. I have faith in mice.
(29:28):
He looked then at each of the gods, looked them
right in their immortal and ageless faces. He was bold, unimpressed, uncowed.
I know where I've walked with these two feet of mine,
And even if I can't see where I'm going because
of all this haze of smoke and cloud and rain,
it is my path to take. I have no need
for your blessings or your curses. They are of no
(29:50):
use to me. The greatest of the three Zeus frowned
and tore the sky with one of his thunderbolts. His
eyes grew flinty when he saw how the boy seemed
neither afraid nor surprised. His face darkened, and he looked
the boy up and down with contempt. There was surprise
in the god's livid face. The only thing holding him
(30:10):
back was the shame of losing his temper to such
a lowly Being alone, poor, forgotten by everyone, almost unmade.
He couldn't allow himself to incinerate a mortal in front
of his daughter, in front of his brother. There were
so many words that pressed against the barrier of his
own teeth clenched tight. Who do you think you are?
(30:31):
It was Poseidon speaking the words that were blocked by
Zeus's rage. Inwardly, he was somewhat cooled by the thought
that he shared the dishonor the disrespect with his niece
and his great brother, who lords it over everyone. But
he could put on a show for his own self
respect and for the sake of appearances. Ignored, he only
stewed in his resentment. He could keep heroes from their homecoming,
(30:54):
but not hold the attention of this one little child.
He was irrelevant to the boy, and that burned in
his chest. The boy started to walk away from them,
not looking back even for a moment. His dirty little
hands were clutched together behind him, determined to continue on
and meet what lay before him wherever he roamed. He
did not want to fight with the gods. He just
(31:15):
wanted to be on his way, for each step brought
him closer to coming home, and once he returned home,
he could grow up. Athena had said he was a hero,
he didn't feel much like a hero. He was just
a child and a poor living being trying to survive
on this changeable earth. Was that what a hero was?
These days? Strange times, hard times in the world of
(31:38):
human beings. When a child has to become a hero,
Every hero needs a patron, cried the Great Goddess after him.
The boy continued to walk away through a field of
waving grasses, green and lush, On and on he walked
as if he didn't hear her at all, neither sulky
nor hesitant. His path would be struck by himself alone.
(32:00):
He would bring his own world back into tune in time.
One way or another, he would find his way home.
He kept his back turned to the gods. Are you
not afraid to walk on alone? Cried out Athena in
her glory? Are you not overly proud to spurn our blessings?
Have you not heard the tales of those who defy
us the gods? The boy stopped at a cluster of stones.
(32:25):
They were arranged in a rough line, like pillars or
the monuments of prehistoric builders. On these sentinels were laid
smaller stones. They balanced simply. Some had lost their balance
or had been disturbed. They lay in small piles all
around where they had fallen or been thrown. He recognized them.
They were set there by the ancestors to witness their
(32:46):
rights of visitation at some long lost shrine somewhere along
the horizon. The stones who had served to testify on
the day of judgment. Let the Great God know that
they had been dutiful on humble pilgrims. Among the stones
were off rains of water and food, strips of cloth,
and other talismans. Among the bric a brac was a
red umbrella. He walked over and unhesitatingly lifted it and
(33:09):
tucked it up under one bony arm. He may have smiled.
He is the boy who will grow up.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
The end. That was really sweet. It was beautifully written
as well beautifully read, if I may say so, but
really like ye, that delivered a lot more than expecting
from a story about the Greek god, right exactly.
Speaker 4 (33:34):
Yeah, but like I think it's really like when you
read fiction from people who have lived different existences from you,
which is everyone. Yeah, but it's specifically like you know,
in the framing of this is as a Palestinian author,
I think like you can see those perspectives reflected like
inherent in the work.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
Yeah, and I thought it was. That was a very
cool illustration of that.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Yeah, No, totally. And I just I love the like
I love a story that clearly reflects something that's happening
in the world without losing that it's a story like
this is like what folklore like comes from, you know,
Like this is what I love so much about it
is that it's like now you're taking these like familiar characters,
(34:22):
doing something interesting with them, talking about something that's happening now,
and doing it in a timeless way.
Speaker 3 (34:27):
Like Yeah, No, that was beautiful. I'd see.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
It was really really nice. People can't see this being
an audio medium. I got my blanket. I'm like, Margaret's
reading me a story.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
It's what a nice work afternoon.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Oh yeah, it should be like we should pitch like
get your cup of tea. Li'sten the cool Zone media.
Speaker 4 (34:48):
But yeah, I was just reflecting on that. I got
some fancy tea recently. Yeah, they go advertise with us
fancy tea people and send me free tea and as
market your shit me into a proper brit Yeah. I've
just yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, well that then it wouldn't
have to.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
Be good T. We just do to have sef to
have a high volume of it.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Right, and it'd have to be prepared in very specific
ways that don't make any sense to me.
Speaker 4 (35:12):
Yeah, well that would be yeah, but you'd have to
have a pseudo religious commitment to preparing it. Only that way,
it's a reflection of your status in society.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
Yeah, exactly. I guess a good yeah, yeah, good essay
by Georgia.
Speaker 4 (35:23):
Well on T the people can read, Oh all right,
all right, but yeah that's it's called I think it's
called on a Nice cup of Tea.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Yeah, yeah, I I really, I just I like this
story and I like, well, I'm gonna plug the stuff that. Well,
first I'm gonna I'm going to reiterate that Sonya Suliman
can be found on social media s O N I
A s U l A I M A N and
(35:51):
her website is the same thing dot com and if
you just google her you'll find her a bunch of stuff.
But also I asked her what she would like to plug,
and she said, I would like to plug. This is
not a border reportage and reflection from the Palestinian Festival
of Literature, edited by Adaf Suif and Omar Robert Hamilton.
It's an anthology of the first ten years of the
(36:11):
Palestinian Festival of Literature. Haymarket Books and Verso Books are
also offering free books on Palestine. At this time, I
would urge you to join the Boycott, Devestment and Sanctions movement.
Details are available in Boycott, Devestment and Sanctions by Omar Bogatti,
one of the free books from Haymarket. And also this
is me now, Margaret speaking. If you all google more
(36:35):
about the BDS movement, be careful because much like searching
for abortion, you know, like if you search for abortion,
you get all these like fake Google results for people
who are anti abortion.
Speaker 3 (36:46):
Yeah, crisis pregnancies.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
And yeah, there's the same thing happens to the BDS movement.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
Yes with BDS.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
Yeah, there's Israeli propaganda that would like you to believe
that boycott in a genocidal government is anti Semitic and
it's not.
Speaker 4 (37:06):
Yeah, I no, Like I didn't think we Yeah, they
got people fucking boycotted South Africa doing the apartheid. You know,
when when when a state wants to use your money
to bomb little children, it's fine to choose to not
give them your money if that's your thing. Yeah, Like,
if you that's not your bag, then that's okay.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
Actually we're here to tell you that that's okay.
Speaker 4 (37:28):
Yeah, but what a beautiful story, and like what a
it's a nice way. I don't know, Like recently, I've
just been on one about the American the way that
the American media reports on foreign affairs, and like people's
identities pop up like a blip into into our media diet,
right into into our timelines and therefore into our existence,
(37:51):
and then they disappear and then something else happens and
we're blindsided by a conflict, right because our media hasn't
been covering developments, culture, the existence to that country for
a long time, and like a way to honor and
other people's existence, to keep them present, to engage more
meaningfully than arguing with someone who's already decided what they
(38:15):
believe on this topic, which seems to be most people
at this point. It's like to engage with literature, to
engage whose folklore, tradition, culture, not in an appropriative way,
but like in a respectful way.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
Yeah, like you've done today, Margaret. Thanks.
Speaker 2 (38:29):
Yeah, read it. Read books by people with different experiences
from you. I think that reading a ton of fiction
from around the world, and not as much as I
would have liked to, but as a child, I think
it's set me up on the right path. And then
just here at the end, I want to say that
if you are listening to this feed on it could
happen here. I'm murdered Kiljoy. I am host of a different
cool Zone media show called Cool People Who Did Cool
(38:51):
Stuff that comes out every Monday and Wednesday on its
own feed, and you can hear me tell nonfiction stories
about history and James. You are the host. If you're
listening to this on the Core People Did Call Stuff feed,
you can hear James, Ah, yeah, you can pitch your
own show.
Speaker 3 (39:09):
Yeah, it could happen here.
Speaker 4 (39:11):
It's a podcast about how the world is falling apart
and some people who are putting it back together. Sometimes
on the subject of putting it back together, can I
plug a thing? A thing I like to do is
engage in mutual aids. I think we should allls do
makes the world better and our lives better as well.
(39:31):
But specifically a way I like to do that is
to help people arriving at the southern border of the
United States who are detained in open air concentration camps
by the Department of Homeland Security. The Department Homes and
Security would like you to think they're not detained. That
isn't true. It's going to be very cold the week
we're recording this, and very wet and therefore extremely dangerous
(39:53):
people who are not provided with shelter, food, water, or
anyway to warm themselves by the government. As in every
situation where the government fails, the community has stepped up
to fill that gap. Thousands, tens of thousands actually of
people have passed through our southern border this year alone,
since May, and.
Speaker 3 (40:12):
Those of us who have been helping.
Speaker 4 (40:13):
Are tired and broke and very much committed to continuing
to help, but we would like your help, and the
way you can do that is with your wallet by
going to link tour so l i n k t
r dot e E. That's link Tree, but they've broken
it up for the ee. Yeah clever, aren't they little bastards.
(40:35):
So link tour dot ee slash border Kindness so l
i n k t r dot e e slash b
O r d r k i n d n e
s S. And we will use your money to buy
things like the Pikachu one seed that we gave to
our little kid yesterday who was called Yeah, who was
(40:56):
living the dream in their Pikachu one c Afterwards in
running Aroun I played football with them for a while yesterday.
Speaker 3 (41:04):
I think the Pikachu wants is probably donnature. I don't
think we brought tops.
Speaker 4 (41:08):
You know, people, you know it's it's in every situation,
like every humanitarian crisis is caused by governments and ameliorated
by anarchists and quakers. It seems so lots of people
have been cooking lots of vegan food for lots of
hungry people, and you can help.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Us hell yeah, all right, Well, we will see you
all next week on the cool Zone Media book Club
book Club, book Club, book.
Speaker 3 (41:32):
Club, book Club, book Club Club.
Speaker 1 (41:40):
It Could Happen Here as a production of cool Zone Media.
For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website
cool Zonemedia dot com, or check us out on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
You can find sources for It Could Happen Here, updated
monthly at cool zone Media dot com slash sources. Thanks
for listening.
Call Zone Media.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Book Club book Club, book Club.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
That's the you gotta do it too. It doesn't work.
Speaker 4 (00:12):
I have to do my apologies. No I thought you
to think. Okay, it's try, it's give me one more time.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Club Club Club club Club.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
It's the Cool Zone Media book Club, the only book
club run by Cool Zone Media book Club.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
The only book club that all your book clubs but
to us.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah, that's right, and only people our age will get
that reference.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Oh god, Yeah, that's crushing because it's all yeah. No,
because you think of the Internet as like basically a
new thing, and then you're you're becoming a boomer.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Yeah yeah, I remember when I used a fourteen point
four kps mode.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Yeah, it's doon the whole dial tone. Noise will be
lost in a generation, I know.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Well that's no noise, new mes, no new noise. Musicians
will be able to exist.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Yeah, tragedy, humanity has been stripped of that.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Yeah, well, it specifically excludes trans women from public discourse
if we get rid of noise bands.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Yeah, it's it's uh, it's transphobic.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I've told this story probably before on air, but one
time I went to go play one of my own shows,
and I play like synthpop, but it's just me and
I'm alone. I'm a trans woman. So I show up
with this like synthesizer and all this gear to this
bar and someone looks over and goes, oh, I didn't
know there was a noise show tonight.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
No, I'm just stereotyped. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you fit
the Yeah, yeah it's yeah. Good on you for confounding
that stereotype. Mugget.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Yeah, I'm your book club host Margaret Kiljoy and I
have a rotating it could happen here guest hosts, and
today I have James James Stout.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Yeah, I am happening here today on on this podcast.
That's right. The book my first time on the book
Club podcast.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Well, I'm excited to have you on for this one.
This week, we are going to be reading a story
that I'm really excited about. I don't want to spoil
it too much, but I I don't normally like stuff
with Greek gods in it, but I really like this story. Okay,
(02:33):
that's my Yeah, that's that's my hook.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
Yeah, Okay, I'm ready to I'm ready to have that
stereotype confounded as well as a type of guy that
likes Greek goats.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
It tends not to be a type of guy.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
That I enjoy. Happy that the author is not that
type of guy.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
No, that author is no type of guy. Sonya Suleiman
writes short speculative fiction inspired by Palestinian folklore. Her work
has appeared Yeah. Her work has appeared in Arab b
Lid Quarterly, Balladi Fantasy, Faia Magazine, Zeno Cultivars, Stories of
Queer Growth, Sees the Press, and Lackington's Magazine. Her stories
(03:10):
have been nominated for a Pushcart, Lammy and Best New
Weird Awards. In her spare time, she curates the Read
Palestinian Specfic Reading List. Her first collection of short stories,
Munira and the Moon, Stories inspired by Palestinian folklore, is
available wherever books are sold. You can find her on
(03:31):
social media at Sonia Suleiman, which is s O n
I A s u l A I m A n
and her website is her name dot com.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yeah, yeah, no, yeah, I feel like switch here.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Yeah yeah, this is exciting. Good what a timely choice
as well?
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah, yeah, totally. This story is called Hondala, the Olive,
the Storm and the Sea, The Little boy raised an
umbrella over his head and looked out over the sea.
His clothes were tattered, loose stitches of what had been
a carefully sown tunic in pants. His hair was like
a bird's nest. His feet were torn and blistered. The
(04:18):
rain swept down in sheets that shimmered and waved across
land and sea alike. The boy walked on down a
long winding road of stones and sticks. It climbed limestone, bones,
and terraces with trees of flame and broken. He stopped
to look at these, his face to the fires, his
back to the sea. Water and fire wared together, and
(04:39):
the sky was brightened by the flashes of lightning coursing
through the clouds that hung low like a shroud on
the land. It was half light, either dawn or dusk.
The weather was wrong and unnatural. The boy looked on
with ageless eyes and a face that had the freshness
of only ten years under the sun. He went where
his tired feet directly to him. If there were three
(05:01):
gods following his step, that was not his concern. They
could offer him no blessing he did not already possess.
If they chose to throw obstacles in his path. He
would climb over them, step by painful step. He had
faith not in gods, but in himself. These gods were
not the fates, but it wouldn't matter if they were.
(05:23):
He would defy them too. It wasn't that he was
proud that he thought himself special from the rest of humanity.
He defied because he had to survive. One of these
gods ruled the sea, while the other claimed all the skies,
and the third said to hold the honor of embodying
the virtue of wisdom. He had been ten for a
(05:43):
very long time now. He was ten years old when
he was born, and at the same moment he lost everything.
He fled his home. He had no choice and became
a refugee. He would remain ten years old until he
returns home again. Some fine day, the rain would end
and he would grow up. He grimly carried on, allowing
(06:03):
joy to steal in despite the harrowing path of his
tender feet. Now, let me tell you something before we
go any further. It's an old story that you should
keep in mind when you hear about this boy's adventure
with the gods. In the old days, a city rose
to look down at a rich land and a deep
and dark sea. They used to believe it was the
(06:26):
first of all cities, but that wasn't true. The residents
only wanted to believe they were the first to solve
the problems and create more that we call civilization. And
although that city was thriving in their king, a man
who was also a snake, had created many firsts that
were the bedrock of their way of living. They had
no patron god. Don't ask why they needed one. The
(06:48):
story doesn't say. It comes from a time when everyone
had a patron god, and so it was only natural
that in the first of all cities they yearned for
a god to complete them. It was all very neat
first city, first customs, first marriages, and first patron simple, elegant,
and way back when the gods that came to that
(07:09):
city were eager to compete with each other, two came forward,
an uncle and a niece. Poseidon would have been an
excellent choice for the young city that would one day
rule much of the known world through the might of
its navy, but unfortunately for him, he was the butt
of this story. The national narrative pranked the god. They
(07:30):
said he gifted the city with a salt water spring useless.
Someone must have clapped weakly at the spectacle. He wasn't
very happy with the reception of his miracle and flooded
part of the surrounding countryside just to show them. Athene
was not an agricultural goddess, but a patron of heroes
and technology. Nevertheless, it was fitting that she should win
(07:51):
the national narrative, drove on by what had already happened.
She was already the city's patron when the so called
contest began. But it would be inconvene to acknowledge that
she was already the city's patron, and it would make
the story complex inelegant. So Athena gifted the city with
something that was not really hers, to give a new
(08:11):
kind of tree. The tree was a wonder the olive
it provided fuel and food. It would be the companion
to the engineers, blessed by the goddess, lighting their endeavors
and greasing their mechanisms. Wondrous indeed, So what does this
have to do with the raggedy orphan and his umbrella.
(08:32):
He was in danger of becoming a symbol, a symbol
around which a national narrative would be built. If you like,
you could say that it was this peril that drew
the gods to him in the first place. Among these
gods there were two brothers and a daughter, Posidon an Athene,
but also Zeus. The three drew up short when they
saw the boy, the boy with a face like the
(08:55):
risen sun, invisible and ethereal. The gods were everywhere and nowhere,
all at once, and so for the present they were
invisible to the boy. And do you know what else
is everywhere and nowhere, all at once and present?
Speaker 3 (09:12):
I is it capitalism?
Speaker 2 (09:14):
It is capitalism. And here's some ads for some stuff
probably don't need. And we're back a child, said Zeus.
(09:40):
Of course, if we endow this mortal with blessings and
observe how their fate is changed by them, we will
at last know which of us grants the best of blessings.
Let this adventure be how we settle our dispute. I
would prefer bloodshed. I could make your grizzled beards run
red if I must set Athene, who peeked, was not
feeling a especially filiole towards her father and uncle. In
(10:02):
that moment, my darling, said Zeus, always so quick to anger.
It's what I love about you, my sweet Besidon only
nodded his head, and these gods took the form of
three travelers, which was very like them. They often disguised
themselves as mortal travelers whenever they wanted to test humanity.
Beside It and Zeus wore gray suits with their hatsats
(10:23):
on their head, their kafias flapping in the wind as
it swept in off the sea. Athene walked beside them,
her long thobe trailing in the dirt of the road.
It was richly embroidered, a regal testament of her own
mastery of technology and art, united in silk and velvet,
boy said Zeus, it looks like hard times have fallen
(10:45):
upon you. Where are your parents, your family, your friends?
I'm alone, said the boy. We would like to do
something for you, said Poseidon. Would you accept some gifts
from strangers? The boy thought for a moment, Well, I
don't have anyone else to give me gifts anymore, he said,
But what's in it for you? Athena smiled, charmed We
(11:05):
can't decide who among us can give the most the
best gift, so we decided to give them all to
you and see what happens. See what happens, asked the boy.
You don't need to be wary of these gifts, said Zeus.
They are true blessings. You could say that there are
none more direct and purer than the gifts we have
to share with you. What do you say? It's strange,
(11:28):
said the boy. Why are you choosing me? Are you
taking pity on me because I'm an orphan and alone?
You say you're not taking advantage of me, But you
wouldn't just admit it if you were. That doesn't make
any sense. But on the other hand, there can't be
any harm in listening to what you have to say
to me. Are you sure you are a child of
but ten years? Asked Poseidon. Maybe these gifts of yours
(11:49):
would do more harm than good. How would I know
that they would be of any use to me?
Speaker 3 (11:53):
The boy did not let up.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Zeus held up a hand. You are alone and poor,
and you have the nerve to argue with your benefactors,
and at your age too. Athena tilted her head. It
is as you say. You could just listen to what
we have to say on this matter before you accept
our gifts. Taking the initiative, Athena stepped forward and began
her case. The goddess walked over the side of the outcropping.
(12:18):
She made a divot in the soil, and the sapling
grew out of it. The tree that matured before their
eyes was gnarled and squat clutching the rocky soil with
tenacious roots. It rapidly expanded, becoming a sunshade where none
had been. It was an olive tree. I'll tell you
what the real gift is. It's the one that is
projected of your own accord in the centuries of your wandering.
(12:40):
A symbol of resistance and persistence, its oil provides you
with an inner light to hope in the darkness of
the many days and nights to come. This light will
be lit from generation to generation on those special days
when you celebrate, and the joy of this light will
shine from many lamps of dazzling colors. Its wood will
be made into rosaries that you can use to count
your days, the days of exile until they end. Their
(13:03):
marbled beauty will be the joy of your craftship and artistry.
The tenacity of this tree inspires and nourishes your inborn
stubbornness refusing to be uprooted and refusing to die. It
is a bastion of strength and resilience, the boy replied
to the goddess. You're offering me a symbol of what
I already have. How will this symbol help me return home?
(13:27):
That is all that matters to me. Memories of festivals
and joy in my homeland may bring me some comfort
in this lonely road. It's true, yours is an enduring
and sensible gift, I suppose, But is that enough for you?
I have a feeling that isn't what you really want
out of this contest? Or does winning matter so much
to you that you don't care If I'm not exactly
enthusiastic about your offer. Let me be clear. It's a
(13:49):
symbol of what I already am, and I'm in danger
of becoming a symbol myself. So a symbol of a symbol,
isn't that ridiculous on some level? But you aren't a symbol,
said Athene. You're a real child, orphaned and dispossessed. This
is the material reality, and I recognize it. I sympathize
with your plight. Can't you see that you care?
Speaker 3 (14:11):
Said the boy?
Speaker 2 (14:12):
But why what's in it for you. How young to
be so cynical, exclaimed Athene. Has the world taken such
a toll on you that you're no longer a child
in mind? Truly, this is a pitiful situation, and that's
the problem, said the boy. I don't need your pity.
I need an ally, and that means you will have
to give up something, some of your power and position,
(14:34):
to repair what is broken, to bring the world back
into tune. Only then, when I can go home again,
will I be able to grow up. I want to
be an old man one day and have a new
generation to protect and guide as best I can with
what little wisdom I have. By then, you're trying to
barter with a goddess. The goddess shook her head. It's unbelievable.
(14:57):
The Goddess's gift had multiplied over and over into a
grove of olive trees, stately and fruitful, stood a short
distance away. In her fury, the goddess rushed at the trees.
She screamed a war cry and hacked off their limbs
with her spear. They sheared off, thrown in all directions, helplessly,
falling to the ground, still screaming, she glared at the
(15:17):
twisted trunks, and they erupted into flame. The wood was
devoured from the inside out. The branches crackled as the
inferno spread, setting the grass alight. She hadn't broken a sweat,
and the whole grove was destroyed, a smoking heap of ruin.
Greasy black clouds of smoke spread up into the sky.
I didn't want to do this, but I had to.
(15:39):
You're so obstinate. See what you've made me do. The
boy looked on at the glare from the fires. He
took a step toward the blaze, his hands unlocked and seeking.
Then he tucked them back behind him and turned away,
his face thrown into shadow. Yes, you can cry about
the destruction you've caused, said the goddess. Nothing will the
(16:00):
trees back. I made you do nothing, you chose to destroy.
All I did was question you, said the boy. You
are the one who couldn't stand a child asking you
to account for your behavior, So you've made everything worse.
The boy pointed at the rapidly blackening trees. Those were
living beings, blessings like you said. They deserve better than this,
(16:21):
and so do I. I think we're done here, said Athena,
you've refused my blessing, so I leave you with a
curse instead. It's easy for us blessing and cursing as
we please. That should be a lesson to you not
to push your weight around, She laughed, lightly cruelly. She
walked back to stand with her father and uncle. Her
face was reddened, and she trembled with fury as she
(16:43):
tried in vain to calm herself. It was so unseemly
to be made so angry by a pathetic orphan. As
you may have guessed by now, the gods are petty
and volatile, for all their supposed agelessness, perfection and wisdom.
The weaker their opponent, the more galling it is to
find their power shrugged off and ignored. They can't stand
(17:04):
to be made a mockery of most of all, and
the power difference between Athene and the boy was so stark.
All of her pride was surfacing in the ugliest and
most transparent ways. Beside us. Stepped up and leaned in
close to the boy, throwing out his arm. He took
in the vast, deep dark Mediterranean beyond and said, wherever
(17:25):
my waves break upon the shore, there you will be.
The world will be open to you a network of
sea roads, from sea to ocean to arterial rivers. Just
think of all the places you will stand because of
this gift of waters. All of the winds in the
four directions will open for you. Currents will drive you
on ever on to meet peoples, and the vast bosom
(17:46):
of the earth. It all awaits to welcome you. The
greatest of all adventures lies at your feet. The far
horizon is my gift to you. The space between you
and that threshold will allide. You, who seem like the
risen sun, will be destined to see further and further shores, islands, continent, worlds,
(18:07):
a dizzying array of experiences and ventures. These worlds will
break open and be generous to you with their bounty
of sensation. If you do not find safe harbor here,
there's always somewhere else, Other minds to know, other scenes
to see. The sea roads are your inheritance. The boy
rubbed his chin. That may be, that may not be.
(18:30):
I have traveled many sea roads and met many mines
and places on this dark earth. The boy lifted a
foot with its bruises and blisters. It seems to me
that I already have your gift. But it is a
strange sort of blessing. It is as I thought, there
is good and bad that comes mixed into it. I
will not always be welcome, and I will often be tired, beaten,
(18:50):
and hungry alone. Poseidon did not know what to say,
so he turned his back on the boy and stood
leaning on his trident, staring pensively out over the waves.
The waves roiled and surged, and slowly the sea was rising.
Before he knew it, the boy was staring down a
great wall of water. The god turned toward him. His
(19:11):
empty hand reached out and struck the boy across the face.
To the god's astonishment, the boy was not thrown to
the ground by the blow the strike of a god.
He took it, And as he took it, the boy
also turned and threw all of that force right back
at Poseidon. This time the god was so shocked, so unprepared,
(19:31):
that he faltered you, he stammered. His divine face was
red and dark, with the beginning of a bruise. Behind him,
the wall of water, a tsunami that would easily have
snuffed the life out of the little boy. Gently dissipated.
It was an unnatural sight, but then it was an
unnatural tsunami. He the god continued to splutter, this time
(19:54):
turning to Zeus, his brother. He struck me, This mortal
dared strike out at a I demand justice. I returned
to the strike you made, said the boy. He was
still scruffy, his face marred by streaks of mud. The
cheeks were sunken, but showed absolutely no sign of the
god's strike. Everyone witnessed it. You were going to kill me,
(20:18):
thinking I was easily broken. The gods stared down at
the boy. Somehow, Poseidon was growing even more enraged by
the minute. Then the god broke into sobs. He fell
to his knees and reached out to Zeus, imploring him
and James. You know who else is always there when
you fall to your knees and reach out to implore them?
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Sorry, this is very bleak?
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Is it?
Speaker 3 (20:43):
The goods and services to support this poke?
Speaker 2 (20:45):
That's right, all of them, respond to penitent at listeners.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Yeah, that's right. If you're really down, you're looking to
reach out to.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Uh, yeah, we allowed to. I think that's the one
we call name anymore. Because they got mad that Robert slanted.
Just bleep that out.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Hereah, listener, is up to you to imagine what we
have leaped out, and we're back. He struck me, repeated Poseidon.
(21:30):
He struck me on the face. He he bruised me.
Zeus stood still, allowing his brother to twine his arm
around his leg, his other arm out stretched, the hand
reaching out to touch Zeus's beard. It was a formal petition,
a supplication. Zeus could not deny the request, even if
he had wanted to, justice, said Poseide empathetically. I demand justice.
(21:54):
He struck a god, said Athena, playing the impartial role
of wisdom. It is your place to judge God's and men.
Of course, she had completely forgotten her offer to settle
her dispute with her father and uncle by cracking their
skulls open. Now she was the very ideal of a
fili old daughter and niece. I witnessed it, and you
can see the bruise as well as I. I'm a child,
(22:16):
and you're a god. You struck me, and so I
struck you back. You're a little snake, hissed Athena. The
holy olive trees still smoldering on the hillside, and You
don't talk like you are ten years old. You don't
act like you are ten years old. If you were
allowed to roam free, there isn't a god who wouldn't
live in terror of your venomous behavior. You would contaminate
(22:40):
other mortals with your impiety and endanger all Olympus. This
is incredible, said the little boy. Yet somehow I am
not surprised. Don't ask me how that can be. Zeus
frowned and stepped out of his brother's hold. We have
another matter to settle first, said Zeus, raising his hand
to quiet his brother and daughter. We have yet to
(23:00):
determine which of us can provide this child with the
best of blessings. Zeus left Athenis side and stood in
front of the little boy with the threadbare clothes. He
gave a wan smile and placed his hand on the
boy's shoulder affectionately. The child looked impassively on the paternal gesture.
My gift to you is the storms and their rains.
When the opening rains come, the year will roll, and
(23:22):
the land will come back to life.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
For you.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
Take a look at the wetness that comes down from heaven,
even in their graves, even the dead will be refreshed
by the gathering rainwater that will come from my storms.
Unlike the lands of other peoples and places where canals
and irrigation make the land prosperous and fruitful, your land
will rely on the heavens to bring a drink of fresh,
clean water to the hills, man and beast, in every
(23:46):
green thing will be refreshed. The boy fixed Zeus with
a glare. I know it's rude to interrupt, he said,
what you speak of is not a gift you're giving me.
It's a reminder of what I've lost. And believe me,
I don't need a reminder. The land is always with me.
I am part of it. Do you understand it does
not belong to me, but I belong to it. As
(24:08):
for your storms, where I've been and where I'll go,
they can be really bad, cold and harsh and painful.
I can't see what's so much like my home being
gently watered by the rains and the hurricane and the tornado.
In that case, said Zeus, all I can offer is
a love for the land. I have that too. How
can I not love the land that gave me my
(24:28):
life and sustains me even in exile. It's really frustrating
how those who have the most power are so deficient
in common sense. Then a love for the scent of
water on the earth, bleeding and always to be remembered
wherever you roam. And how is that going to help
me get home?
Speaker 3 (24:46):
Said the boy.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
You've watched the other gods offer me symbols and find
things as far as mixed blessings are concerned, and still
you offer something even more useless to me, all the
while saying you are my benefactor. Zeus raised his hand.
It shook, his face worked, and he lowered his hand
with effort. Fine, since you have spurned the help and
friendship of all of us, let us see to the
(25:09):
matter of your distasteful and divisive nature. Beside In and
Athena nodded together as they stood side by side on
the shore. A great storm bled into the skies above,
overshadowing the thick smoke from the olive grove. Livid lightning
ran through the clouds and struck down at the land
and sea. It is time for justice to rain down,
said Athena, divine, perfect justice, which belongs only to the gods.
(25:34):
What are you going to turn him into a snake,
of course, said Athena.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
What else.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
I'm not going to turn him into anything. Zeus paused,
What did you say you were? He asked, I'm just
a boy. How can you be a boy if you
have defied time itself and remained ten years old for decades?
As it seems from the way you argue with us,
I'm included out and excluded in, was the response from
the boy. A lot of people want me to disappear,
(26:03):
but I won't. You're impossible, said Zeus in wonder. There
were no hints of malice in his voice. A mortal
who is beyond my he looked, ask and set beside
h An Athena. He shook his head and muttered again.
He can't exist. He doesn't exist, said Athena beside, and
looked at the other two, and then nodded slowly. There
(26:23):
never was such a boy, There never will be. Storm
Clouds spread and curled darkly through the skies. Black plumes
of smoke and tongues of flame made the sky look
like the end of days had finally come. The grove
of olive trees through abundant light, a horrid light, a
sickening glow. It was all wrong, But it was what
(26:44):
the gods had done to nature all because a small
boy defied them. It was piteous, is what it was
that nature should have to suffer along with this little
exiled orphan, as if the burning of the trees, the
rising of the waves, the churning of the skies could
wipe away his little life. But this little boy was tenacious,
like the roots of those olive trees. He could ride
(27:07):
the current and the wave. He could endure the bluster
and the reins of the storm. The boy had evaded
a great peril without even trying. He had avoided becoming
a symbol and becoming fossilized. In a national narrative, there
would be no songs sung about the boy and the
three gods who strengthened him, and of course the people
that he represents a lot of gifts to give this
(27:29):
orphan a kind of cosmic charity or a joke. Perhaps,
Let's see what happens if we drop an inheritance on
the impoverished, See if their personal responsibility could lift them up,
or if the fates decide whether the boy goes home,
whether the boy grows to be a man. Someday the
boy got up from where he sat on the limestone
outcropping and looked at the three gods.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
I need.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
I want to grow up, he said after a moment.
I've been ten years old for decades.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
Now.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
When can I go home?
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Do you even know?
Speaker 2 (28:02):
It's not up for you to decide when I get
my homecoming. Even if the fates themselves came down to
me and told me I couldn't ever grow up, that
I'd be as I am forever, I wouldn't believe them.
Only I can bring myself home, and only I can
fulfill my hopes and dreams. As for your gifts, there
isn't one that I don't already have. They are my birthright,
my inheritance as a human being, the right to persist,
(28:25):
to live, to long, to return. The gods were not
quite done with him, though immortal and ages little exile,
said Athena, growing resplendent and warlike, throwing off her disguise
to reveal herself to be the protector of cities, the
patron of heroes. Indeed, she's shone in her bronze armor.
The crest of her helmet waved as she tossed her head,
(28:46):
and the aegis writhe sensually on her breast. I recognize
in you a hero. Maybe the best gift to you
could be my patronage. I have been a patron of
many heroes in my time, Diomedes, Odysseus, and others. She
held out an ivory hand to the boy and was
sure to take his hand this time, but the boy
(29:07):
simply looked at it and then up to her divine face,
so beautiful and perfect. I'm just a boy. I want
to grow up. I want to be happy and to
grow old, and to be loved and to love. Just
let me be to walk the path that I have
to walk, and don't get in my way with promises
and pity. I can do it. I have faith in mice.
(29:28):
He looked then at each of the gods, looked them
right in their immortal and ageless faces. He was bold, unimpressed, uncowed.
I know where I've walked with these two feet of mine,
And even if I can't see where I'm going because
of all this haze of smoke and cloud and rain,
it is my path to take. I have no need
for your blessings or your curses. They are of no
(29:50):
use to me. The greatest of the three Zeus frowned
and tore the sky with one of his thunderbolts. His
eyes grew flinty when he saw how the boy seemed
neither afraid nor surprised. His face darkened, and he looked
the boy up and down with contempt. There was surprise
in the god's livid face. The only thing holding him
(30:10):
back was the shame of losing his temper to such
a lowly Being alone, poor, forgotten by everyone, almost unmade.
He couldn't allow himself to incinerate a mortal in front
of his daughter, in front of his brother. There were
so many words that pressed against the barrier of his
own teeth clenched tight. Who do you think you are?
(30:31):
It was Poseidon speaking the words that were blocked by
Zeus's rage. Inwardly, he was somewhat cooled by the thought
that he shared the dishonor the disrespect with his niece
and his great brother, who lords it over everyone. But
he could put on a show for his own self
respect and for the sake of appearances. Ignored, he only
stewed in his resentment. He could keep heroes from their homecoming,
(30:54):
but not hold the attention of this one little child.
He was irrelevant to the boy, and that burned in
his chest. The boy started to walk away from them,
not looking back even for a moment. His dirty little
hands were clutched together behind him, determined to continue on
and meet what lay before him wherever he roamed. He
did not want to fight with the gods. He just
(31:15):
wanted to be on his way, for each step brought
him closer to coming home, and once he returned home,
he could grow up. Athena had said he was a hero,
he didn't feel much like a hero. He was just
a child and a poor living being trying to survive
on this changeable earth. Was that what a hero was?
These days? Strange times, hard times in the world of
(31:38):
human beings. When a child has to become a hero,
Every hero needs a patron, cried the Great Goddess after him.
The boy continued to walk away through a field of
waving grasses, green and lush, On and on he walked
as if he didn't hear her at all, neither sulky
nor hesitant. His path would be struck by himself alone.
(32:00):
He would bring his own world back into tune in time.
One way or another, he would find his way home.
He kept his back turned to the gods. Are you
not afraid to walk on alone? Cried out Athena in
her glory? Are you not overly proud to spurn our blessings?
Have you not heard the tales of those who defy
us the gods? The boy stopped at a cluster of stones.
(32:25):
They were arranged in a rough line, like pillars or
the monuments of prehistoric builders. On these sentinels were laid
smaller stones. They balanced simply. Some had lost their balance
or had been disturbed. They lay in small piles all
around where they had fallen or been thrown. He recognized them.
They were set there by the ancestors to witness their
(32:46):
rights of visitation at some long lost shrine somewhere along
the horizon. The stones who had served to testify on
the day of judgment. Let the Great God know that
they had been dutiful on humble pilgrims. Among the stones
were off rains of water and food, strips of cloth,
and other talismans. Among the bric a brac was a
red umbrella. He walked over and unhesitatingly lifted it and
(33:09):
tucked it up under one bony arm. He may have smiled.
He is the boy who will grow up.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
The end. That was really sweet. It was beautifully written
as well beautifully read, if I may say so, but
really like ye, that delivered a lot more than expecting
from a story about the Greek god, right exactly.
Speaker 4 (33:34):
Yeah, but like I think it's really like when you
read fiction from people who have lived different existences from you,
which is everyone. Yeah, but it's specifically like you know,
in the framing of this is as a Palestinian author,
I think like you can see those perspectives reflected like
inherent in the work.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
Yeah, and I thought it was. That was a very
cool illustration of that.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Yeah, No, totally. And I just I love the like
I love a story that clearly reflects something that's happening
in the world without losing that it's a story like
this is like what folklore like comes from, you know,
Like this is what I love so much about it
is that it's like now you're taking these like familiar characters,
(34:22):
doing something interesting with them, talking about something that's happening now,
and doing it in a timeless way.
Speaker 3 (34:27):
Like Yeah, No, that was beautiful. I'd see.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
It was really really nice. People can't see this being
an audio medium. I got my blanket. I'm like, Margaret's
reading me a story.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
It's what a nice work afternoon.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Oh yeah, it should be like we should pitch like
get your cup of tea. Li'sten the cool Zone media.
Speaker 4 (34:48):
But yeah, I was just reflecting on that. I got
some fancy tea recently. Yeah, they go advertise with us
fancy tea people and send me free tea and as
market your shit me into a proper brit Yeah. I've
just yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, well that then it wouldn't
have to.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
Be good T. We just do to have sef to
have a high volume of it.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Right, and it'd have to be prepared in very specific
ways that don't make any sense to me.
Speaker 4 (35:12):
Yeah, well that would be yeah, but you'd have to
have a pseudo religious commitment to preparing it. Only that way,
it's a reflection of your status in society.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
Yeah, exactly. I guess a good yeah, yeah, good essay
by Georgia.
Speaker 4 (35:23):
Well on T the people can read, Oh all right,
all right, but yeah that's it's called I think it's
called on a Nice cup of Tea.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Yeah, yeah, I I really, I just I like this
story and I like, well, I'm gonna plug the stuff that. Well,
first I'm gonna I'm going to reiterate that Sonya Suliman
can be found on social media s O N I
A s U l A I M A N and
(35:51):
her website is the same thing dot com and if
you just google her you'll find her a bunch of stuff.
But also I asked her what she would like to plug,
and she said, I would like to plug. This is
not a border reportage and reflection from the Palestinian Festival
of Literature, edited by Adaf Suif and Omar Robert Hamilton.
It's an anthology of the first ten years of the
(36:11):
Palestinian Festival of Literature. Haymarket Books and Verso Books are
also offering free books on Palestine. At this time, I
would urge you to join the Boycott, Devestment and Sanctions movement.
Details are available in Boycott, Devestment and Sanctions by Omar Bogatti,
one of the free books from Haymarket. And also this
is me now, Margaret speaking. If you all google more
(36:35):
about the BDS movement, be careful because much like searching
for abortion, you know, like if you search for abortion,
you get all these like fake Google results for people
who are anti abortion.
Speaker 3 (36:46):
Yeah, crisis pregnancies.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
And yeah, there's the same thing happens to the BDS movement.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
Yes with BDS.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
Yeah, there's Israeli propaganda that would like you to believe
that boycott in a genocidal government is anti Semitic and
it's not.
Speaker 4 (37:06):
Yeah, I no, Like I didn't think we Yeah, they
got people fucking boycotted South Africa doing the apartheid. You know,
when when when a state wants to use your money
to bomb little children, it's fine to choose to not
give them your money if that's your thing. Yeah, Like,
if you that's not your bag, then that's okay.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
Actually we're here to tell you that that's okay.
Speaker 4 (37:28):
Yeah, but what a beautiful story, and like what a
it's a nice way. I don't know, Like recently, I've
just been on one about the American the way that
the American media reports on foreign affairs, and like people's
identities pop up like a blip into into our media diet,
right into into our timelines and therefore into our existence,
(37:51):
and then they disappear and then something else happens and
we're blindsided by a conflict, right because our media hasn't
been covering developments, culture, the existence to that country for
a long time, and like a way to honor and
other people's existence, to keep them present, to engage more
meaningfully than arguing with someone who's already decided what they
(38:15):
believe on this topic, which seems to be most people
at this point. It's like to engage with literature, to
engage whose folklore, tradition, culture, not in an appropriative way,
but like in a respectful way.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
Yeah, like you've done today, Margaret. Thanks.
Speaker 2 (38:29):
Yeah, read it. Read books by people with different experiences
from you. I think that reading a ton of fiction
from around the world, and not as much as I
would have liked to, but as a child, I think
it's set me up on the right path. And then
just here at the end, I want to say that
if you are listening to this feed on it could
happen here. I'm murdered Kiljoy. I am host of a different
cool Zone media show called Cool People Who Did Cool
(38:51):
Stuff that comes out every Monday and Wednesday on its
own feed, and you can hear me tell nonfiction stories
about history and James. You are the host. If you're
listening to this on the Core People Did Call Stuff feed,
you can hear James, Ah, yeah, you can pitch your
own show.
Speaker 3 (39:09):
Yeah, it could happen here.
Speaker 4 (39:11):
It's a podcast about how the world is falling apart
and some people who are putting it back together. Sometimes
on the subject of putting it back together, can I
plug a thing? A thing I like to do is
engage in mutual aids. I think we should allls do
makes the world better and our lives better as well.
(39:31):
But specifically a way I like to do that is
to help people arriving at the southern border of the
United States who are detained in open air concentration camps
by the Department of Homeland Security. The Department Homes and
Security would like you to think they're not detained. That
isn't true. It's going to be very cold the week
we're recording this, and very wet and therefore extremely dangerous
(39:53):
people who are not provided with shelter, food, water, or
anyway to warm themselves by the government. As in every
situation where the government fails, the community has stepped up
to fill that gap. Thousands, tens of thousands actually of
people have passed through our southern border this year alone,
since May, and.
Speaker 3 (40:12):
Those of us who have been helping.
Speaker 4 (40:13):
Are tired and broke and very much committed to continuing
to help, but we would like your help, and the
way you can do that is with your wallet by
going to link tour so l i n k t
r dot e E. That's link Tree, but they've broken
it up for the ee. Yeah clever, aren't they little bastards.
(40:35):
So link tour dot ee slash border Kindness so l
i n k t r dot e e slash b
O r d r k i n d n e
s S. And we will use your money to buy
things like the Pikachu one seed that we gave to
our little kid yesterday who was called Yeah, who was
(40:56):
living the dream in their Pikachu one c Afterwards in
running Aroun I played football with them for a while yesterday.
Speaker 3 (41:04):
I think the Pikachu wants is probably donnature. I don't
think we brought tops.
Speaker 4 (41:08):
You know, people, you know it's it's in every situation,
like every humanitarian crisis is caused by governments and ameliorated
by anarchists and quakers. It seems so lots of people
have been cooking lots of vegan food for lots of
hungry people, and you can help.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Us hell yeah, all right, Well, we will see you
all next week on the cool Zone Media book Club
book Club, book Club, book.
Speaker 3 (41:32):
Club, book Club, book Club Club.
Speaker 1 (41:40):
It Could Happen Here as a production of cool Zone Media.
For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website
cool Zonemedia dot com, or check us out on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
You can find sources for It Could Happen Here, updated
monthly at cool zone Media dot com slash sources. Thanks
for listening.
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Robert Evans
Garrison Davis
James Stout
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Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
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Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.