The god named Jupiter came to the mountains often. I, like all the other nymphs, loved having him around. He was a playful god, full of laughter and mischief, and nymphs would never miss a chance to be with someone like that.
His jealous wife, Juno, would search the mountains for Jupiter, hoping to catch him out playing in the glades and waterfalls with us. Whenever Juno came close to finding Jupiter, I interfered. I started an animated conversation between the two of us, distracting her until Jupiter and my fellow nymphs had gotten away. When Juno realized my ploy to stop her from finding Jupiter, she lost her temper. While distracting her from Jupiter and the nymphs had always been a task I could tolerate, in this …show more content…
He prowled through the woods on the hunt for deer, gazing through the bushes with an intense stare. Morning sunlight shone through his hair, making it glow like pure gold. I had to go talk to him. With Juno keeping Jupiter out of the woods out of jealousy, we never saw anyone but other nymphs. It was lonely and boring, and I would not let the opportunity to talk to this boy slip away. I began slinking through the woods after him, dodging behind trees and bushes, keeping out of sight whenever he would turn toward me. I took a breath, steeling myself to leap from behind a tree, and start a conversation with the golden-haired boy. I thought of what to speak of first: his skills in hunting? His golden hair? His striking eyes? It was overwhelming to even think of speaking to someone of such beauty. I was so awestruck that it took many minutes of following him silently for me to remember my curse. My heart sunk as it hit me that I would never have that conversation with him; I would never speak with him properly at all.
It took just that one moment of mourning for the beloved I would never have for me to make a mistake. My arm brushed a low-hanging branch. Its leaves rustled, and the boy whipped around. I lunged behind a tree and froze, hoping I hadn’t been caught. He heard a melodic voice call out, “Who’s here?” Remaining behind the tree, I called back his last word.