March of Microanalysis Day 10
Microfiction Entry Day 10:
Cassandra’s advice was ignored. Typical, she thought, snake in hand.
Just like the Devil, Cassandra is a dog-whistle name, hinting at a larger story than the one shown here. In this case, Cassandra is a legendary character, a tragic Greek figure cursed by Apollo to always give truthful, great advice that would nevertheless always be ignored. Which is a nasty curse. Apollo was a jerk, no? Poor Cass was the one to tell the Trojans that Helen’s arrival probably wouldn’t work out well, and (I think) that the big wooden horse was not really a nice hostess gift. No one listened. Oh,well. What’s the worst that could possibly happen?
As for why she’s holding a snake, I think I tangled up a revisionist Trojan War with the actual historical one. Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Firebrand, if I recall, cast Cassandra as some snake-wielding priestess in Troy, watching the city go to hell because no one would listen to her as the voice of reason. Like most books I read in middle school, the images stuck in my brain a lot harder than more recent fare. There might be a case for prioritizing reading/literature in education for a certain age group. There has to be a reason why most people have such a resonance for books read in childhood/adolescence. Maybe that's when the brain is most able to take and shape and hold those words. But calculus can be taught any time, I’m guessing. The numbers don’t change as much. Let’s overhaul the entire education system, shall we? Who’s with me?
The original draft, which had too many words (I like it better though):
Cassandra’s advice circled the drain. Typical, she thought, snake in hand.
Through March, I'm posting a breakdown/analysis of the microfiction I posted on the corresponding day in February. This is probably only interesting to you if you care about the mechanics of writing, or if you know me personally.