(Odysseus tells this story after his encounter with the Cyclops; therefore he is still telling the story to Naussica's father.)
"My men and I were riding on the rough waves of the cold sea. I could feel Poseidon's rage already take over my ship. Suddenly the waves gave a bash to our ship. My men were panicking, for the ship was diving completely off course.
After the rage of the waves was over, we saw an island approximately 50 yards away. Looking at the map, we discovered it was the island of Leolocri.
'My men, do not be afraid," Said I. "We are low on goods, so this island is a blessing from the gods, for we can land on the island in hopes that we shall be able to stock-up!'
My men and I got off the ship to search around for civilization. After a few minutes of observing our surroundings, we spotted a fairly large castle hidden by the trees of the forest.
'Aha, gentlemen!' Said I. 'We shall go and seek help from the people who live in this castle. I pray they are kind to strangers.'
We strode up to the entrance and pounded on the door in haste. When the door opened, an intriguing man stood at the doorway.
"Please good sir," We said, as we explained to him our goal to take what we needed of food and other equipment we would have to survive on.
The man smiled suspiciously without showing his teeth, but told us his name was Dilusion and invited us into his home.
For many days we were treated as royalty though it appeared, at the meals we would eat heartily while the other men living in the castle that Dilusion introduced us to wouldn't even touch the food, but rather just have pleasure in watching us. But the only unpleasantry was the smell of dead animals throughout the castle.
I felt we overstayed our welcome, when the men of the castle showed to be monsters, as they put my men in cages with a trance only a vampire could master.
I escaped from the vampires with the help of Athena's bold courage and strength to help me, though I knew they were on my tail. As I dashed through the hideous castle, I quickly thought of tactics to outsmart the vampires and free my men.
I came upon a room which resembled a small work office. It had a writing desk and many books. In the corner of my eye, I saw a thick book that was dedicated to identifying the monsters of the world. Hurrying, I flipped to the section about vampires. The test said, 'Vampires are children of the night, who feast upon blood, which may come from a human or animal.'
I thought to myself that that explained the unbearable smell of dead animals throughout the home. They must have been feeding upon their herds for years and haven't licked the sweet, metallic taste of human blood for ages. That must be why they have imprisoned us against our will!
I skimmed down the page until the word 'kill' forced me to read on. It was a list of how to kill a vampire. The list contained a cross, garlic, a wooden stake, and exposure to sunlight.
I came up with a clever idea. Hermes came to my rescue once again to consult me. He also brought me a molu to help me overcome the vampire trance.
I took a pen and paper and wrote a suicide letter. With the pen still in my hand, I swiftly cut my wrist, just enough to make my letter believable, but not enough for any serious injury. I watched the blood fall onto the letter. My 'last words' on the letter were that I'd rather kill myself than have these immortals have the pleasure of sucking all my blood. Leaving the letter in the hallway, where I was sure they would find it, I scurried through the castle in stealth to look for a place to hide.
I ran into what looked like a bedroom that no one currently occupied and hid under the bed. It was very unobservant of me to not realize it was nighttime outside. Of course it was, the vampires were only active at night and slumbered in their cold coffins in the day. I assumed their 'beds' were in the basement, where the curtains were shut tight to leave the sun to never shine through the walls of this bloody castle.
Waiting for the day to come was agonizing, for I didn't know what was happening to my men, or for anything else for that matter. Eventually the sun rose into the unoccupied room where I hid. I was quite certain that the monsters found my suicide letter for there was no commotion indicating that they were still searching for me.
They were all sealed tightly in their coffins as I snuck into the basement. Quietly, I opened all the curtains in the basement windows, as quite as a humming bird would prick into a flower.
There was a catch. Though the sunlight shown through the cellar, I still needed to magnify the light.
I scanned the basement and my eyes glowed with joy as I spotted a huge reflective mirror. I almost skipped to the mirror in excitement but controlled myself, as I pulled the mirror from its position on the freezing stone wall. I positioned the mirror in such a way to the windows that the whole room might have resembled the brightly lit room at the end of the dark tunnel.
This was my moment of triumph. As quickly as a lion pouncing on its pray, I skillfully and urgently opened all the coffins, containing the blood thirsty beasts.
Watching them burn made me see how a person's disadvantage can truly be a benefit to another.
Viewing them suffer for longer than I intended seemed cruel. I needed to complete the task at hand. I freed my men, or at least the ones who had not yet met the fate of the vampires. I also stocked up on the goods that the dead immortals left us. I had seen enough, as had my men. We packed up the ship and sailed away as vigorously as possible to try and forget the danger upon Leolocri and continued our journey towards Ithaca.
