Megaira

"Alecto! The earth has opened! We need to tighten security. The criminals must not escape!” Megaira warns. The snakes on her head hiss loudly. Ferociously, she flaps with her bat-like wings while she hits around with her ​​whip. An earthquake measuring 9.5 on the Richter Scale, split the ground open, North West of Athens. The energy released was so fierce that the resulting gap extends to the dark under world, deep in the earth. A gaping black hole appears. There the Erinyen, goddesses Alecto, Tisiphone and Megaira, guard the evil ones. They watch over people, giants and monsters that got in disgrace. The culprits are now able to escape from the wrath of the goddesses. The gap in the earth crust is their chance. “I'll warn Tisiphone,” Alecto replies. With her dog-like legs she hastes to the other side. She simultaneously uses her wings so she can move even faster. She has to hurry. They have to guard Tartaros, their part of the under world. No-one is allowed to leave Tartaros. An after shock of the quake follows and the earth opens up even more. The Erinyen spit fire and blood from their eyes. With might and main they try to stop the criminals and creatures from leaving. With burning torches and whips with metal hooks, they fight them off. The culprits suffer even more when the goddesses torture their brains. Again and again they are reminded of the horrible things they did. Their brains are kept occupied. Tortured repeatedly, in an effort to stop them from thinking about escaping. “We have to drive them in a corner!” Megaira cries out loud. “Far away from the earth's gap!”

In the meantime there's also a lot of commotion in the upper world. The earthquake is one of the strongest in the history of the world. Fortunately the European Seismological Centre registered the unusual strong activity in the earth's crust. They were able to warn people in time. Nevertheless there's panic all around. Many houses and buildings have been levelled to the ground. Roads are impassable. Everywhere the earth has split open. Cars and buildings swallowed by the earth, disappeared in gaping black holes. Water sprays from the ground. There are fires all around. The city of Athens burns and is destroyed. The contingency plan is put in place immediately. The first rescue workers are analysing the disaster. Within hours after the first quake hit they perform reconnaissance flights with helicopters. Megaira sniffs. “There's more work to do for us sisters!” She shouts. “More crimes than ever before will be committed in the upper world. One of us has to go up to torture those who are guilty of such misdoings. We cannot handle more culprits down below in these circumstances. We have to continue our work upstairs. The first person to get our attention is a man called Andreas. He' s big and strong. What's more, he's evil. He robs lots of shops and businesses. During one of his robberies he raped a woman brutally. On another occasion he shot a man to death. The police doesn't have the time nor the men to do anything at the moment. Reason enough for us Erinyen to do something!”

“You go up Megaira,” Alecto says. “Tisiphone and I will restrain everybody down here. We can always ask for assistance from other Gods if necessary. Go quickly, before it is too late!”

Megaira claps her wings, takes a run-up and flies through the earth crack to the upper world. With her telepathic powers she immediately tries to reach Andreas. It' s not difficult to find him. His sick, criminal soul is an open book to the mighty goddess. Andreas is just resting after committing his umpteenth robbery when he hears a voice in his head. It is a lilting voice with high tones. It drives him crazy. He yells out in his sleep.

"Damn. What the hell?" He shakes back and forth in his bed. He presses his hands against his head. Then the murders he has committed flash by in his head. Again and again with the sound of gunshots clearly audible. Then he wakes up. But it continues. He runs back and forth, shouting and screaming. "Stop, stop!" Megaira is satisfied with her torments. "I'll get you Andreas. For now you're not rid of me." She jumps out from her hiding place. The snakes on her head move wildly and lash out to Andreas. He remains rooted to the ground.

He almost gets a heart attack by the sight of the monster in front of him. Half bat, half dog and then those snakes! "Ha!" Megaira barks at him. "Now you stand with your mouth full of teeth for sure! Where are you with your trigger happy hands? Well?" She looks at him angrily with bloodshot eyes. Andreas has recovered from the initial fright and wants to go off with a spurt. However, it fails. He has no free will any more. The goddess is now in control of his body and soul. The snakes blow ominously. "There's only one way to get rid of me," Megaira continues. "You'll have to perform some good deeds. If I am satisfied with them, I'll leave you alone. "She moves her big stately wings up and down. Meanwhile she torments the spirit of Andreas again and he screams. "Good, good! Stop it, please! Tell me what to do!" Exhausted, he falls down on his knees. "First you bring back all the stuff you stole and you apologize for the unnecessary suffering that you have caused. Then I'll take you to the woman you have raped and I will allow her to hit you with my whip with metal hooks." She shows him the whip. Andreas groans at the mere thought of it. "Finally, you become a volunteer and you will at least for a month help with the search for survivors and hand out food, water and clothing. Got it!" Andreas nods. As long as he's freed from the tormentor. "Then I would quickly get to work," says Megaira. "And remember! I hear and see everything!"

Andreas reluctantly begins his first task. After a few days he has returned all the stolen stuff and apologized. He gets not much chance to sleep peacefully. Megaira continues to torment him with his past in his dreams. "So, now I'll take you to that woman," she says when the first task is done. She grabs him between her legs. They fly over the ruins of the city. Andreas feels sick. There's not much left of the strong giant. Suddenly Megaira lets him go and he plops down at the feet of the woman he raped a while ago. She's also among the telepathic influence of the goddess. She gets the whip of Megaira and she begins to lash out to Andreas. After twenty lashes with metal barbs, pieces of skin hang from Andreas' back and he's bleeding profusely.

"Mercy, mercy," he begs. “Please have mercy!” "Will you never do it again?" Megaira asks, looking at him intently. Her eyes spitting fire. "No! I swear!" Shouts Andreas. "Never again!" "Well, you better not!" Megaira warns him. Magically all the wounds on the back of Andreas disappear. "Now you go and volunteer." She orders him. With her magical powers she sends him in the right direction. Megaira is satisfied. There is still a long way to go in the upper world. "Luckily Alecto and Tisiphone manage it down below so far," she thinks. "It's tempting fate but I must continue on earth." What follows is a violent after shock and the ground vibrates. This time no new cracks form in the earth. Megaira sniffs in the air with her dog-like nose. She seeks telepathic contact with her ​​next prey for a suitable punishment.

Patricia Shannon