Mother is quite ruthless when it comes to the nightmarish Ancient Olympic Games. Well really, after father-the great wrestler in the whole of Olympia-died, mother claimed that we owed him too much. Therefore I am registered to compete in wrestling at the Games. I will need a trainer, or else I will not compete; I don’t know who is going to be my trainer because hiring trainers is an awful lot of money in Greece, which only leaves me with mother. Whatever plan mother is cooking up I am more than sure will fail instantly. Also with only men are allowed to compete in the Ancient Olympics in Greece- girls and unmarried women could attend, but not married women it is going to be highly unlikely to compete nevertheless win. But I guess I still have father’s trainer.
Today me and my friends: Thorax; Methodios and Nicholas were sitting at a bar in the gymnasium. Then for no reason at all Thorax started boasting about that he is going to win the Games because he is brick solid when it comes to wrestling. I got quite annoyed because as far as I know I am meant to boast about that I will win the Games because father was a great Olympian! When I mentioned this and lectured them why I have mentioned that, they all started mimicking and ignoring me. I don’t know why they are doing this to me as I only want to honour father’s name. If only they understand me. But I suppose they will never understand me. After all Thorax is brick solid whatever happens. I felt angry and I promised myself that I will train harder than father.
I go straight to mother’s grocery store after the rest of them go back to their trainers and once I arrive one question starts to boil up in my head: who is going to be my trainer? Before I ask her the question she quickly before greeting me said “Your trainer my son, is going to be your father’s trainer as it says on his will” And with that she hands me a document written with father’s finest ink and best handwriting saying ‘Olympicus, my son, will be trained by my own grateful trainer Pysidorus the great.’ After a few silent seconds I finally break it by saying “when shall I start training?”
This shocked mother and as if her heart skipped a beat, she gasped and coughed, until she caught her breath again. It felt as if I was going to lose her; so I ran to the kitchen even though I am forbidden to enter it, only if I have mother’s permission. Well I guess I do; as this is no game I am playing at but it is an emergency, to tell you the truth; Corinth is the only city in Greece that have so much ambulances, because there are so much emergencies and injuries. Then I remembered mother only loves cold water and she will never drink warm water so I bolted outside near the grocery store’s well that was sure enough cold as she always drinks from there. Once mother did catch her breath and take a glass of cold water she whispers, “You could start from tomorrow if you wish”
Then she winces in pain. I don’t know what to do next but finally I decide to put the closed sign on the wooden door and help mother up to her bedroom which is next door to mine. When I finish I bring her soup from the cooker she had already done in the morning, then I urge her to eat it and nurse her for the rest of the endless day. When I tuck her in to sleep, the way she used to do to me when I was young, she smiles and mumbles something I couldn’t work out till this day. I try telling her a story but instead I end up asking her why she was shocked when I told I’ll take the offer for Pysidorus the great to train me. In reply, I get a small laugh and she tells me, that she thought I will refuse the offer. Then as if by miracle she sits up and kisses my forehead. For a second, I try to remember the last time she did this; unfortunately it was 3 years ago when she comforted me as we heard that father died on a plane to England for a wrestling match.
I wake up the next morning to find that Pysidorus the great in front of me. Once I get up from my bed he instantly orders me to do 100 press ups. I couldn’t believe what I heard so I groan in disbelief and before I say another word Pysidorus has already started lecturing me why I shouldn’t groan on any training days and after a good old lecture of the Olympics he quotes a quote by the famous Aristotle “Learning is not child's play; we cannot learn without pain”
After 2 years, I was tougher and stronger than Thorax even Minos the strongest wrestler, thanks to Pysidorus the great. Not long left for the Olympics Thorax; Aurora (his sister) and Delias (Thorax’s mother) came to me and apologised for underestimating my abilities and I straight away forgive them as I believe in second chances. With all my friends encouraging me, mother giving me hard chores and Pysidorus the great challenging me every training day I felt stronger than ever. I even felt confident to knock down Minos. I have kept my word by training harder than my father. Then I promise myself I will win the Olympics.
In the first round I score 7 points. In the end of day 1 I have scored 45 points which is not bad for a beginner, but Pysidorus ordered me to do 1000 press ups without stopping and if I do stop I start all over again. By the last day I have scored 808 points in total and Pysidorus is grinning in a funny way! You will never guess who I competed last...yes it is Minos. At first I started to shiver and I was not sure if I could knock him down without hesitating; it is more likely he will knock me down, before hesitating. But when I look up at Pysidorus I see the same look of hope. So I take a step back and swing my whole body with my fist in the air ready to knock down Minos. But instead I lift my leg up in the air and kick Minos hard on his chest and with that he collapses to the wooden floor.
Before his head touches the floor I slid under his head to support his landing. The crowd cheers in pride and happiness and I can make out a smile behind the cigar in Pysidorus’ mouth. I slid softly from under Minos and help him to the medical room. Through the walls I hear the crowd cheering. I don’t face the crowd until I make sure Minos is fine as gold. Then Aurora came and told me I did the right thing because the Olympics are not about winning but about friendship and determination.
With that in mind I go and face the crowd who are cheering like mad, ravenous tigers wanting their share of the food. And then the judges decide I should be crowned a great Olympian like the rest of the victors which apparently come from the same family. The great chosen ones. Megalos.
