I am not guilty anymore

This story of Medusa actually makes me feel angry. It depicts the world we live in now. Look around! The world is sick. A prime example is that we hopelessly witness Epstein and his accomplices go unpunished for their unspeakable crime of rape. Those monsters are untouchable, above the law, like powerful divine figures. Where is the so-called justice? Why do victims get punished for the crimes they have not committed? Without doubt, there must be so many victims worldwide who have been silenced, ostracised, forced to be pregnant, and, as a result, who suffer a lifetime of emotional, physical and mental distress while blaming themselves for the crime that has forced upon them.

Medusa was a beautiful girl with long hair, shining like gold and blue eyes that sparkled like stars. She was no ordinary girl; she was chosen as priestess by Athena. Clearly, Medusa met all the requirements the Goddess had been looking for: a beautiful virgin girl, unspoiled beauty. Yes, she was incredibly beautiful. Who could blame Medusa for being proud of her looks and enjoying the envious glances people threw?. Whenever she was among others, they admired her eye-catching beauty. Who wouldn't? I wish I had such an absolute beauty. But her beauty was a deadly curse. Poseidon, the powerful sea god who was labelled as a womaniser, couldn't let Medusa go untouched. He had to conquer her. Medusa knew that Poseidon was interested in her. Despite her two sisters' warnings about him, she didn't take it seriously and played along—maybe a little flirtatiously—whenever she came across Poseidon. She was young and too confident, leading her to believe that she could handle Poseidon. She thought she was in control of the situation between them. Oh, how wrong was she! When this kind, gentle, bearded Poseidon took her to the temple of Athena, he was a different man—no longer soft touch or charming, but aggressive and predatory. Medusa, sensing uneasiness, started running away from him as fast as her legs could carry her. But Poseidon, with his athletic physique and incredible strength, grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him violently. She screamed in pain. His eyes burned with insatiable, animal-like desire as he slapped her onto the cold marble floor, ripping her clothes like a wolf tearing its prey.

Medusa pleaded, crying, "Please! Poseidon, let me go. You are supposed to be a God, a mighty God. Please!” But it was no use. Realising she could not break the grip of the demon inside him, she bit his fingers hard—those that had pushed into her mouth. She tasted the salty, dark, slimy blood dripping onto her lips. Poseidon was furious not only from the pain but also humiliated by being bitten by a little girl. He showed no mercy. After he satisfied his need, he left, leaving her lying naked and unconscious on the marble floor, stained with a mixture of blood and sweat. When she regained consciousness, the sun was setting, smearing the sky in red. She realised she was alone, feeling her tears roll down her swollen face. She wanted to scream, but her jaw locked in pain. The last thing she remembered was his punches to her face and his heavy weight on top of her. She tried to get up and slid on the pool of sticky blood trickling down between her thighs. She was no longer a virgin, contaminated. She didn't mean for this to happen to her. "Why didn't I listen to my sisters? I sniggered at them and told that they were wrong and jealous. How was I so stupid?" Medusa regretted. Now she had to act quickly before anyone saw her. She gathered the torn pieces of her clothes scattered around to cover herself and got up, although her legs shook and her knees were unstable.

'Medusa! You are a sinner, and I have to punish you.' The voice that sounded like Athena smacked her eardrums, momentarily deafening her.

Medusa looked around to locate where Athena's voice came from. The gust of wind blew, blowing away her ragged clothes that covered Medusa, revealing bits and bobs of her naked body. Medusa felt humiliated and exposed; she sat embracing her naked body with her arms, trembling in fear.

'Dear Anthena, my mighty and generous Goddess! Please forgive me. I have never envisaged this. It wasn't my fault. It was Poseidon. He raped me against my will.'

'I have watched you. You are the one who lured Poseidon. Your flirty smile, your voice, and your body language were explicitly suggested. You stupid girl, there is nothing but an eternal punishment that you need to endure. Poisonous snakes will replace your beautiful, silky blond hair, and from this very moment, anyone who sees you, even a quick glance, will turn into a lifeless stone. Be proud and enjoy your cursed, deadly beauty." Athena's calm but forceful voice reverberated, hitting and bouncing off the pillars that supported the temple, even after the Goddess disappeared into thin air.

"Please! My Goddess, don't go! Don't leave me here!" Medusa sobbed, smearing her face in a mixture of tears and snot.

Now, Medusa ran away from the world and lived in a lonely cave, hiding. She was not a girl anymore. Although she was regarded as more of a serpent than a human being, she was now a woman, mature and wise. She acknowledged that the corrupted world that was ruled by powerful, unjustifiable divines in favour of misogynistic views and that she couldn't fight against the wrongdoings and crimes committed by those powerful entities. Sometimes she was so angry that Poseidon had neither been punished nor faced consequences for his dirty crime. She wasn't angry, but she was so sad. She watched a lone spider hanging from its web and rats crawling along the stony wall. They were like imitating her life, ostracised and cursed, running away from the world.

Medusa's deep thought was disrupted by a faint sound at the far end of the tunnel: Medusa, after the curse, had a superpower. She could feel the vibration that travelled from far away through the air. Again. Some intruder was in the tunnel to claim her head, so they became heroes. 'She sighed in despair. 'I am an unworthy, deprived creature with no intention of harming people.' But she had to retaliate; she would get killed. It wasn't a power game when she had to kill. It was an act of defence. When she was raped, no one stood by her. No one gave her a shoulder to cry on. Anyway, hypothetically, somebody trying to help her would have been turned into a solid rock. Athena's curse was extremely cruel but clever. By then, the vibration of the sound disappeared, although she felt uneasy; even the snakes on her head were unusually alert, and she felt something was different.

She waited and waited, but there was nothing around her. By this time, she and the snakes loosened their guards and fell asleep, snoring peacefully. The intruder, Perseus, equipped with various magical items bestowed by the powerful Gods and Athena, beheaded Medusa.

That was it!. Even as the story continued with semigods and gods using her head to defeat and kill their enemies and became heroes, the spirit of Medusa, imprisoned in her mortal body, finally escaped. Like star dust, her spirit floated out of the long tunnel into the dawn that shyly brought a beginning of a new day. Medusa, before melting away into the sky, into nothingness, whispered: 'I am not guilt

y anymore.'