School is one of my least favorite places to be.

I loved writing, but

once they put me in a classroom

told me to write less than two pages

less than 500 words

or in less than 24 hours

I had to find a way to save myself.

I made one decision.

They couldn't cage me.

I did just enough "work"

to get a good grade.

But the finished product was more than that.

It was like

I broke some imaginary rule

like somehow they were expecting it to be

more formal

more normal

more serious

less serious.

But that wasn't specified.

So they couldn't tell me no.

My new motivation was this

breaking away from the normal.

Choosing something I actually cared about

not necessarily something easy.

But loving it

made it easy.

Vlakas of Volos

    The Greeks knew many heroes. Strong men who could lift mountains, challenge Gods, and overcome all-but-impossible challenges. But no story is quite like that of the young Vlakas. He is often recognized as an intelligent fool, solving difficult problems, but creating more in the process because he did not think things through. It is impossible to tell whether he created or solved more problems in his lifetime.

    Vlakas’ mother, Queen Ananasa of Volos, never told him who his father was— only that if he had the strength to find him out he would know someday. Ananasa had a younger son, Sofos, but he had been born to a different father,  the current king of Volos. Vlakas loved his younger brother more than almost any other person and took him many places, though he often had to protect him. Vlakas grew up trying to uncover who his father was. He searched out monsters, thieves, and other dangers to try to build and prove his strength. By the time he was twenty, more than half of Greece had probably heard rumors about him.

    One night, Thymos the King of Serres lost his only son and heir, Polytimos, to a vicious tribe of mermaids. Angered, the King thought and thought about how he could avenge his son. It was then that he thought of the now-famous Vlakas. He prayed to the gods for the youth’s assistance. Nemesis, the goddess of revenge, came to answer him. His mission pleased her, and she told Thymos that she knew of a sure way to convince Vlakas to help.

    Using her knack for convincing and persuasive words, Nemesis told Vlakas’ father to reveal himself to his son. He agreed, deciding that after all that Vlakas had done, he was finally worthy to know his parentage.

    Vlakas happened to be traveling toward the general direction of Serres when he stopped by the side of the path to rest. In a dream, Morpheus, the God of dreams, came to him and told him that Vlakas was his son. Morpheus also said that he needed to go directly to Serres and find the king. Then he was to do whatever task Thymos needed him for. Vlakas, shocked by the revelation and wanting more than anything else to honor his father, quickly accepted and traveled the rest of the way to Serres.

    When he got there, King Thymos was waiting for him, and impatiently let a day pass for Vlakas to rest and replenish before he sent him away again on his quest. In the morning Thymos told Vlakas what to do.

    He explained how Polytimos had been hunting in the forests by a small village near the pool of Dakrya when he was murdered by a small tribe of mermaids living there. A villager had sent a messenger to Thymos to inform him of his son’s death, and said that the one who specifically committed the deed was the Queen, Oneira. Thymos wanted revenge.

    “Vlakas,” he said, “You are known throughout all of Greece for your feats. I am but a man, and Oneira is immortal. If you can find a way to just capture her and bring her back to me, you will receive any reward that you wish for at my hand.”

At this point, Vlakas was not just driven by a desire to please his father. His heart was now set upon the riches that he could get by completing the quest. He accepted and told Thymos that he would decide on the payment after his mission was complete.

Taking nothing with him except his cherished younger brother, Vlakas left on foot to find the pool of Dakrya. He wished that the mermaid Queen wasn’t immortal, because it was usually easy to kill something. But capturing it? And then bringing it back? That was much more difficult. He  had never traveled the road before, and many dangers awaited him. Eventually it was not so much a road as a path. And after a while it was not really even that anymore.

The first night as he laid down to rest, he was woken by someone breathing very loudly in his ear. He quickly grabbed his knife and spun around, only to see his frightened brother. But as he looked up he saw why. They were encircled by black, snarling wolves. Without thought, Vlakas faced the first one he saw and started killing it with his bare hands. He only realized he had made a mistake when he heard Sofos cry for help. Throwing the wolf he was wrestling down, he ran to help his brother. When he had him free they ran to safety. The wolves never caught up to Vlakas, as strong and fast as he was, so he continued his journey.

For a few nights he slept peacefully and was not bothered by anything in the forest. He soon let his guard down. But one day as he was walking he came upon a group of creatures with the torsos of men and the bodies of horses. Centaurs. Realizing he was almost out of food, Vlakas figured he could take some from the centaurs. He devised a path to get around them so that they wouldn’t see him but failed to realize that centaurs do not rely wholly upon their sense of sight. Just as Vlakas reached out to grab a piece of food, a voice behind him said, “You know, you could just ask.”

Startled, Vlakas drew his sword and turned to face whoever had spoken. Of course it was a centaur. The centaur repeated his sentence and Vlakas stared at him blankly. Sofos was nowhere in sight. Vlakas finally asked for food and directions to the pool of Dakrya, wondering briefly where his brother had run off to.

After providing food, the centaur guided Vlakas back to the path and told him he had to follow the guide to a network of tunnels.

“If you find the way out of the tunnels,” he said, “the pool of Dakrya is just a mile east, near the village.”

“Who is the guide?” Vlakas asked.

The centaur just chuckled and left him standing in the middle of the path. Vlakas turned to ask another question but the centaur was gone. He had no idea how to find this “guide”, but he followed the path for a while.

It was just getting dark when Vlakas was suddenly grabbed from behind and dragged a few feet. He lashed out just in time to see a flash of sharp white teeth and pale skin. Then another one dashed for his arm. They were vampires. Any normal human could have been subdued by just one, but even two were not quite a match for Vlakas. Not having time to draw his sword, he used his surroundings  to evade the attackers. Climbing trees and ducking behind rocks, he was able to buy enough time so that he could finally use his swordsmanship skills to fend off the vampires for long enough.

As he saw the first slice of light appear, Vlakas dropped his sword and ran, hoping that if nothing else, he would find the guide who was supposed to help him before the vampires found Vlakas. As the daylight grew brighter, he slowed down, and eventually dared to look back. No one. But now that it was light, Vlakas was ready to sleep.

Just starting to close his eyes, he suddenly didn’t feel tired anymore. All of his fatigue was gone, replaced with a burning adrenaline. He didn’t know why, but he had an overwhelming desire to find the mermaid and capture her to avenge the son of Thymos. He jumped up with his newfound energy, but found himself face to face with a woman he had never seen before.

He had no idea whether to run, fight, or just see why she was here. He wouldn’t have to make that decision, however, because she spoke first.

“Come with me,” she said, an odd laugh in her voice.

Vlakas looked around and tried to figure out if there were any better options. Unfortunately, he was mostly lost, and there was nothing to do but follow the strange woman.

“Good,” she said immediately after he had made the decision. “There is no way to the path alone.”

Puzzled, Vlakas was about to ask her what she meant, when she quickly turned around and stopped, her lip curling into a smile that looked more like a sneer.

“We’re here,” she announced, and they dropped into darkness.

Vlakas had expected a long fall, but within a second his feet were touching the ground again. It felt damp and smelled of fresh soil and rotted vegetation, and when his guide spoke again, her words echoed around his head.

“Welcome to the tunnels.”

A light flickered from a torch that she now held in her hand.

“I am Nemesis. And by the end of the week I can promise that Polytimos’ blood will be paid for. And you, young Vlakas, shall have your just rewards.”

With that, she gave him the torch, laughed again, and disappeared.

Only seconds later Vlakas was knocked out by a meaty hand.

He heard his father’s voice saying something he couldn’t quite make out, and in swirls of darkness a blurry head and cloaked body formed. Random images swam around the man’s form.

“...hard times ahead of you. You will need these gifts. The silver rope has the ability to subdue magic, and with the black mirror you will have the power to manipulate your image to appear as if it is in a different location. The net must be used for the mermaid, with precise timing. We shall meet when you are finished.”

When his eyes next opened, fires swam around him and the sounds of clinking metal and steam crashed around his ears. His body was stiff but he was unbound and sat in a surprisingly hidden corner.   He looked down to see the gifts he had heard about in his dream shimmer and appear beside him. He quickly hid them within his clothing.

Just as he was about to get up and turn a corner, a giant eye found him. With a bellowing groan, the hideous monster raised a glowing white rod and came for Vlakas.

Vlakas dodged the cyclops and grabbed a chunk of sharp steel to defend himself from the rest. Injuring a few and causing one to drop to the ground with a severed neck, he found the exit and plunged into the dark tunnels once more. Roars and clanks followed him, and he used the faint light of his pursuers to find his way through another opening, where he saw blue sky.

Clambering out of the small hole, he rolled a large rock over the opening so he would get a head start if they tried to chase him. East, the centaur had said. By now Vlakas was very much wondering where Sofos had gone, but he knew that there was no turning back now.

There would have been no way to know which way to go during the daytime if he hadn’t seen the smoke of the village Thymos and the centaur had mentioned. He headed towards it and got there without any trouble. But he still didn’t see the pool of Dakrya. He didn’t necessarily know who to go to for directions this time, so he wandered into the streets and greeted the first person he saw.

It was a man. And, Vlakas  realized, it was his brother, Sofos. Apparently during the encounter with the centaurs, he had gone off somewhere else to find food, and remembered hitting his head. When he woke up he found himself at the village. He said that a sorceress and daughter of Hecate had brought him there. Vlakas thought it was odd, but right now his mind kept drifting back to the rewards King Thymos had promised.

“Sofos, you seem safe at least here. Wait while I complete my quest. When I have the mermaid I will return to you.”

Sofos nodded and said he knew where to find the mermaids. He led him outside the village and pointed to a grove of trees.

“I will go no further, brother,” Sofos said, and turned back.

Without another word, Vlakas set off towards the pool of Dakrya. He didn’t really think about how he was going to capture the mermaid, but he knew that all you had to do to get a mermaid’s attention was sing to her. It was dangerous though, because if she could lure anyone close enough with her beauty, they could be dragged down and drowned.

About halfway to the pool Vlakas was stopped by a magic wall.

“Go no further,” commanded a girl’s voice behind him. He turned to face her, but she was not there. The voice continued.

“I am Froura, daughter of Hecate, Guardian of Oneira and her tribe in the pool of Dakrya. And if you dare to venture beyond this wall I will make sure you have no power to influence any of the mermaids.”

Vlakas realized that this must have been the sorceress who brought his brother to the village. But now she was barring his way. Impatiently, Vlakas huffed and strode forward, glad to find that there was no longer a wall blocking his way. But as soon as he crossed the threshold of where it had been before, he was attacked by Froura. She descended upon him and pinned him down for just long enough to touch his throat with her finger.

Just as quickly as she had come she was gone. Vlakas did not know what had happened. He grunted. Well, tried to grunt, but no sound came out. He soon realized that Froura had taken his voice with her magic. He had no idea what to do, and nightfall was descending quickly.

That night his father came to him again in a dream and reminded him of the gifts he had, and in the morning Nemesis was waiting for him. She gave him an enchanted dagger and told him that the only way to get his voice back was to tie up Froura and steal it back by slitting her throat with it.

“You will find her easily,” Nemesis instructed him. “I will take you back when vengeance has been made on Oneira.”

Vlakas saw the sorceress lying at ease in a hammock, sure that no one had the power to harm the mermaids now. Quickly, he threw the silver rope that his father had given him over her and wrapped it until she was tightly bound. She tried to use her magic but it had been taken away by the rope.

Without a thought of her life, he slit her throat and felt his voice return back. There was now no way she could try to follow him back or try to recapture Oneira when he got her. He cried out triumphantly over her now dead body and ran back to the pool of Dakrya and knelt by the edge.

Starting softly, he sang the most emotional love song he could think of in hopes of drawing Oneira from the pool. In just a few minutes he saw her, and he knew it was her. She was beautiful beyond any woman he had ever seen, and he instantly fell in love with her. Luckily for him, Oneira had had the same feelings when he first started to sing to her.

But Vlakas knew he must bring the mermaid back to King Thymos, and as beautiful as she was, his lust for gold took over. He said goodbye to her and told her he would be back soon. Oneira submerged and Vlakas waited until he was sure she wouldn’t see him. He positioned the net so that he could drop it on her at any time, then he hid behind a tree with the black mirror.

Again he started singing, and swift as lightning Oneira  was above the water. Before she could see that Vlakas was gone, though, he dropped the net on her and pulled her out of the water. The magic net would keep her alive and protect Vlakas from her power, but the mermaid queen was hurt and angered by his betrayal. She glared at her captor with loathing and swore that he would pay. But by now Vlakas had only eyes for what awaited him at the completion of his task.

He forgot about meeting his brother back at the village, and went directly to where Nemesis was waiting for him. She took him up in a black chariot and in seconds they were in Serres.

Proud of his accomplishment, he carried the angry queen through the king’s halls and finally to Thymos himself, who  ordered her to be sent to prison chambers immediately. King Thymos rewarded Vlakas with all of the riches he wanted, but tortured the immortal Oneira every day.

Nemesis had finished paying for Polytimos. But now she had a different victim. With every whipping, burn, or bruise she was given, Oneira swore a curse on Vlakas.

Vlakas was already in deep grief by now. The very same messenger who had brought the news of Polytimos’ death told of how Sofos had tried to follow Vlakas back and in the process was brutally killed by cyclopes.

But even with that plaguing him, Vlakas was still cursed for his cruel betrayal of Oneira’s love. He would fall in love with every woman he saw, but every woman alive would despise him more and more for every token of love he gave her.

Soon, the famous, rich hero of Greece could not stand it. He freed Oneira but took his life the very same night. His soul could have gone to Elysium for that very last deed, but he refused it and chose to mourn forever over his fate in the fields of Asphodel.

(Totally not a jab at school or this assignment.)

(Also couldn't find my final draft. This is the rough draft.)

When Homework Becomes Excessive

To a parent, it might be a familiar situation: finding a distressed teenager buried behind a large pile of books to one side, a computer on another, and possibly a few notebooks, typing away with tired eyes while the clock to the side ticks past midnight. This sight is common in the homes of children and high-schoolers today, and has been for quite a while. However, the debate still continues, some calling for more homework, others begging for less. While homework can be beneficial in many situations, pressure for more only leads to lower test scores, stress, and lack of quality learning. 

One fact should be placed on the table immediately. More homework does not equal better test scores. This is not to say that doing homework does not improve grades— on the contrary, it is shown by a widely-used Duke University study that those who did homework had better standardized test scores. That same study, surprisingly, also supports the crucial fact that there is such a thing as too much (Fuglei, 2013). One study measuring homework loads internationally and another study on Spanish students agree that after a certain threshold, usually about two hours for high school students, the quantity of homework does more damage than good. Rubén Fernandez-Alonso, PhD reported specifically in the latter study that “when kids reported having more than 90 to 100 minutes of homework per day, scores declined” (Weir, 2016). The international study reached the same conclusion. The best solution seems to be offered by the “10-minute rule”, in which first graders have 10 minutes of homework per day, second graders have 20, and so forth (Wilde, 2016). Any more than that, and everything backfires.

No one benefits from exceeding the homework limit. Teachers, parents, and, most of all, students are harmed in more ways than one. He agrees with an oft-cited rule of thumb that students should do no more than 10 minutes a night per grade level. Both the National Education Association and National Parent Teacher Association support that limit. Beyond that point, kids don't absorb much useful information, Cooper says. In fact, too much homework can do more harm than good. Researchers have cited drawbacks, including boredom and burnout toward academic material, less time for family and extracurricular activities, lack of sleep and increased stress. "At all grade levels, doing other things after school can have positive effects," Cooper says. "To the extent that homework denies access to other leisure and community activities, it's not serving the child's best interest.” Children of all ages need down time in order to thrive, says Denise Pope, PhD, a professor of education at Stanford University. "Little kids and big kids need unstructured time for play each day," she says. Certainly, time for physical activity is important for kids' health and well-being. But even time spent on social media can help give busy kids' brains a break, she says. Robert Pressman, PhD, and colleagues recently investigated the 10-minute rule among more than 1,100 students, and found that elementary-school kids were receiving up to three times as much homework as recommended. As homework load increased, so did family stress, the researchers found (American Journal of Family Therapy, 2015). Many high school students also seem to be exceeding the recommended amounts of homework. Pope and Galloway recently surveyed more than 4,300 students from 10 high-achieving high schools. Students reported bringing home an average of just over three hours of homework nightly (Journal of Experiential Education, 2013). On the positive side, students who spent more time on homework in that study did report being more behaviorally engaged in school — for instance, giving more effort and paying more attention in class, Galloway says. But they were not more invested in the homework itself. They also reported greater academic stress and less time to balance family, friends and extracurricular activities. They experienced more physical health problems as well, such as headaches, stomach troubles and sleep deprivation. "Three hours per night is too much," Galloway says. But hold on, it’s not just the kids who are stressed out. “Teachers nowadays assign these almost college-level projects with requirements that make my mouth fall open with disbelief,” says another frustrated parent. “It’s not just the kids who suffer!” “How many people take home an average of two hours or more of work that must be completed for the next day?” asks Tonya Noonan Herring, a New Mexico mother of three, an attorney and a former high school English teacher. “Most of us, even attorneys, do not do this. Bottom line: students have too much homework and most of it is not productive or necessary.” Garfield has a very clear homework policy that she distributes to her parents at the beginning of each school year. “I give one subject a night. It’s what we were studying in class or preparation for the next day. It should be done within half an hour at most. I believe that children have many outside activities now and they also need to live fully as children. To have them work for six hours a day at school and then go home and work for hours at night does not seem right. It doesn’t allow them to have a childhood.”