Philoscifi

Phil Safari is no more, shattered into a million pieces. Will a hero emerge from the ashes, and will it be in time? Find out in this second chapter of the Safaris

I woke up with a start to find myself in an unfamiliar bed… completely naked. My mind struggled to recall the whirlwind of events of the last 48 hours, and as memories flooded in, I groaned and collapsed on the pillow.

Was it all real or just a dream? It all seems so hazy. Wrapping the blanket around me, I tiptoed to the window and took a peek outside. I appeared to be in a small cabin in the woods of a veritable winter wonderland. Snow a foot thick blanketed everything as far as the eye could see, and more hurried to join its brethren on the forest floor. We weren’t in Kansas anymore, that’s for sure. But what about the crazier parts?

Licking my lips, I whispered hesitantly, “Athena?”

“Yes, child?” Lo and behold, there she was, right beside me. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

“So, you are real then?”

“A rhetorical question, is it not?”

“So it’s all real. Did we, uhhh…”

“What? ‘Do it?’” Athena asked bemusedly. “No. Phil is too much of a prude. He wouldn’t even look at you as he disrobed you. He meant well, but groping blindly is far worse than looking if you ask me.”

“Oh…”

“Does that disappoint you?”

“What? No, of course not! I mean…”

Athena laughed, and I felt my face flushed red with embarrassment. “Peace! I mean no harm, although I can be a little mischievous sometimes.”

“So, where is he now?” I asked nonchalantly, fighting to regain my composure.

“He went to buy some food.” Athena gestured around the cabin littered with cereal bar wrappers and empty cans, “As you can see, he didn’t exactly prepare for an extended stay, much less with two people.”

“Athena, you’re the goddess of wisdom. Tell me - what should I do?”

She sighed. “Everyone’s been asking me that since ancient time. I can’t tell you that, child; you must decide for yourself. That is the blessing and burden of free will.” Athena paused, cocking her head. “I must go; he is returning. Gnothi seauton - that is the only advice I can give. Know thyself, and you’ll know what to do.”

And with that, she disappeared as I heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock.

Phil lumbered in and froze in entryway when he saw me.

“Oh, you’re awake.” He quickly looked away and said hurriedly, “Uhhh, I didn’t see anything, I swear! And I wouldn’t have done it except you passed out before we got here, and you are the drenched, so –”

“Take it easy! I know; it’s okay.”

I laughed disarmingly, and this put Phil more at ease. “You hungry? I hope sausage and eggs are okay. The selection wasn’t very good –”

“That sounds great.”

I got dressed while he cooked, and we talked for awhile at the breakfast table. Well, Phil talked, and I struggled to keep up. He talked about the gods and his supposed powers and role in the great struggle ahead. It was a lot to process, and my head was spinning by the end of it.

What should I do? I racked my brain for several minutes without success, and then I remembered Athena’s last words. Know thyself. As I thought back to my past experiences, I suddenly knew what to do - what I had always done for as long as I could remember. “Soo… where do we go from here?”

“‘We?’ We aren’t going anywhere. You’ve done plenty already; I can’t ask you to do anymore. This is my burden, my responsibility.”

“Dammit, Phil, I’m not a damsel in distress; I don’t need a white knight! I can help you. Can’t I at least try?”

Phil winced and turned away, visibly hurt.

I let out a long drawn-out sigh and swung around the table to sit next to him. “I’m sorry. I appreciate you trying to protect me, but I want to help. How about a compromise? Let me help you these next few days, and you can decide at the end if you’ll let me continue. How’s that sound?”

Phil pondered this for a few seconds and then slowly nodded.

“Great.” My mind raced as I struggled to formulate a plan. “I noticed you brought a lot of books and videos but not much else. What’s that about?”

“Well, this trip was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Those are all the books and movies that people said that I should read and watch, but I was always too busy helping others. Since I don’t have to worry about that anymore, I got nothing but time now.”

“I see. The Fountain, Blade Runner, Siddhartha…do I detect a particular theme here?”

“Yeah, I guess they all having something to say about the meaning of life. I was too busy following someone else’s plan that I never really thought about it for myself.”

“Alright. How about we start with this one?” And so began the most remarkable and stimulating discussions of my life.

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