How To Be Turned Into A Bowl Of Stew Or A Pepper

A long time ago, the stories of gods disguising as peasants asking for hospitality from a stranger was common. If they were rejected, the person rejecting the god would be punished. If they let the god in, they would be rewarded. This kept the greeks on their toes and always accepted a stranger in fear it was a god in disguise. After all, nobody wanted to be turned into an apricot for rejecting one. As time went on, though, some people forgot about those stories and firmly rejected strangers without a second thought. One of those people who still believed in the gods was Leila. Leila loved to sing and dance and made quite a fortune from magnificent performances in the town square. One morning in the fall, Leila woke up in a good mood. She had folded her red velvet bedsheets, put on a new satin shirt with glittering blue sequins, and poured herself a glass of orange juice. She went upstairs and put on a silky black skirt, when she heard a knock at the door. Leila sauntered downstairs and slid on matching turquoise socks to the door.

On the other side of the door stood a girl. She had dirty brown hair and blue eyes. Taking one look at Leila, with long curly black hair, brown eyes, and sparkly makeup, the girl smiled, revealing chipped teeth. She and Leila exchanged names and then the girl, Lilly, kindly asked for hospitality. Leila hesitated, and then nodded. Maybe this was a goddess. She thought. I'll do the nice thing and let her in. If she is a goddess, I will be rewarded, and if she's not, I'll make a new friend.

"Of course, come on in." Leila chimed. Lilly strolled inside, looking in awe at all the fancy paintings and gem encrusted lamps. Leila realized she was not a goddess and instead she got a friend. Leila soon came best friends with Lilly and used part of her money to build Lilly a nice, slightly smaller, mansion like hers across the street. From then on, Leila always accepted a stranger who usually turned out to be a future friend.

As the rest of fall, winter and spring flew by, Leila became friends with Lilly, Gabby, Desteni, Anna, Sophia, and Ellen. All who were strangers asking for shelter. The seven girls passed on the word to give hospitality to a fellow stranger. They could convince everyone. Almost. Leila's neighbor, a forty year old woman named Molly, had two boys who were Leila's age. Molly would invite in a stranger, but her boys wouldn't. When Anna knocked on their door and the older boy answered, introducing himself as Paul, Anna began her speech, fluffing her azure scarf and matching headband.

"Yesterday, we saw a poor kid kicked from your house and into the road. I advise you to let him in next time, because you don't know if they are a god or not." Paul stared at her.

"Hey Greg, come here!" he called to his brother. Both boys looked at Anna like she was insane.

"The gods don't do that stuff. Why would they when they could be feasting and having fun somewhere else?" Paul snickered. Anna left, feeling defeated.

As the weeks passed and the summer sun rose up and fried the road, Nellie had left to go shopping and Greg and Paul were home. Greg was about to bite into an olive when the door rattled. Greg dropped his olive in surprise, and his fluffy cat slurped it off of the floor. Greg sighed, slid out of his chair, and ambled to the door. Two girls wearing cloaks were sitting on his doorstep. Their shadowy faces were obscured by hoods. The one on the left looked up. Wearing a magenta hood, her face had a pinkish tint. Next to her, in a cobalt hood, her friend looked at her, and then Greg.

"Shelter please?" she rasped. Greg shut the door. Another rap at the door made him call Paul downstairs. Paul and Greg opened the door. The two girls still hadn't moved, but Magenta Hood had whacked the door with a stick. Paul scowled.

"Get out! Shoo! Got somewhere else! We don't want you!" Cobalt Hood picked at a weed.

"Why not?"

"Because why do you think?!" Greg exploded. "You are peasants! Disgusting street rats! Magenta Hood and Cobalt Hood are unwanted here! Who wouldn't turn you away?!"

Both girls stood up.

"Who wouldn't turn us away?" Magenta Hood asked Cobalt Hood.

"Maybe the greek gods." Cobalt Hood answered. In a blinding flash of light, both girls flung back their hoods and pulled off their cloaks. Cobalt Hood looked directly at Paul.

"I'm not called Cobalt Hood." She grinned.

"I'm the goddess Astraea." Astraea had a waterfall of auburn hair, and dark green, smoky eyes. Paul froze.

"Whoops," he gawped.

"Whoops indeed." Magenta Hood wisped. "I'm Harmonia." Harmonia had short dirty blonde hair and a woven basket of shimmering candy in her hand. Both boys backed up.

"Well, it would be sad to tell their mother that they were turned into lizards, but we have to go soon and help Leila and her gang with welcoming strangers." Harmonia chattered.

"I know, let's just not turn them into lizards." Astraea mused. "How about that one," she pointed to Paul. "Becomes stew, and that one," she pointed to Greg. "Becomes a jar of ground pepper." Harmonia clapped her hands, and pulled out a lollipop wand. Astraea frowned at Harmonia's love for candy. Then, she took out her silver star wand. With a quick wave, the goddesses swished their wands and Greg and Paul were gone. In their places were a bowl of stew and a glass jar of ground pepper. Then, Harmonia heard a jolly lady humming a song. Molly sashayed into the house with her groceries, singing a song off- key.

"Hey, ho! I hear the goddesses comin' up the street, dressed as filthy peddlers! Invite them in or you might turn out to be a pillow stuffed with feathers! Astraea will turn you into a balloon and fly you into the sky with her stars, and Harmonia with add your new candy form to her basket!"

"That's true." Harmonia smirked from her hiding spot behind the lace curtains so she wouldn't be seen by Molly.

"So is the line about me. I love turning rude children into balloons, watching them float away, and pop on my stars." Astraea agreed from a nook behind the bookshelf. Molly kept singing.

"I hear the goddesses go whoosh bang! Another rejecter a pot of clay! Pheme will turn you into a jack-in-the-box any day! And you know what I hear, Enyo unleashing his angry wrath, I say!" Molly finished her song. "Where are my boys! Boys! Boys! I'm hungry and you need to make lunch! Paul! Are you jumping off your bed again? Please tell me where you are and you didn't bump your head. Greg? Honey, if you are stuck in the toilet for the last time, get out right now!" When she got no answer and her stomach rumbled, Molly looked down and saw Paul the stew and Greg the pepper on the floor. "Oh! Paul must have made me some stew!" Molly grabbed a spoon and sipped some stew. "Very bland." she commented before picking up the jar of pepper. "Greg and Paul must have made me the stew and put some pepper on the side before they left to go play soccer with Eric, Will, and those other boys. How sweet!" She chirped. Astraea and Harmonia quickly slipped out the window and left Molly's home. The goddesses quickly left thank you gifts for Leila and her friends for encouraging people to give hospitality strangers, and began flying back home.

"Wait!" Astraea blurted.

"What is it?"

"The boys who Paul and Greg played soccer with," Astraea said, an idea coming to life. "I wonder how well they handle strangers asking for shelter." Harmonia nodded.

"I think we should find out."