2016-09-25: Ill-Fated Names

[robkelk]

Ill-Fated Names
A double drabble by Rob Kelk

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One of the residents at Appartements Mont-Royal Sud sat down beside her landlord, Cassiopée. "That looks good. I'll have it, too."

After ordering lunch, she asked, "Cassiopée, what is the derivation of your name? It almost sounds Greek."

The building manager sighed, then answered the question. "It's the French pronunciation of 'Cassiopeia', who was the mother of Andromeda in Greek myths. The character exists to boast that her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereids."

"I trust you don't have that amount of hubris. How was she punished?"

"Grahame and I don't have any children to boast about yet. As for the myth, Poseidon flooded her homeland and sent a monster to attack it, and the only way to stop it was to sacrifice Andromeda to the monster. But Perseus," Cassiopée hesitated for a moment, "killed the monster and took Andromeda as his wife."

"So she was another woman who was seen as existing to please men. My time was not a good one for people of our gender. I recognize the name Perseus; I'm not going to ask how that... man killed the monster, or maybe I should call it the other monster."

"Thank you for not asking, Medusa."

[robkelk]

Spoiling the climax...

Spoiler

In many versions of the myth, Perseus killed the Cetus by showing it Medusa's severed head. No wonder that Cassiopée doesn't want to tell Medusa that.