Orpheus: A Modern Greek Tragedy

By Tom Bont

Otis Chambers is a struggling writer with a two book deal on his desk. He desperately needs some help with writer’s block, so he goes to Greece, the wellspring of inspiration. There, he finds a statue of Orpheus, the Greek demigod who’d charmed women and nymphs, even the gods and rocks, with his music and songs. Being that he’d also taught an entire civilization to write, there could be no better inspiration for Otis, but touching the statue lands him in the hospital, and when he wakes up, he finds his ex-wife, Emily, at his bedside, a flame that had never gone out. When he gets back to writing, he soon learns his words carry the power of Orpheus over women who read his books, which he uses to boost his career...and his sex life. His harem and fame grow exponentially, but Emily is unaffected by his newfound charms. As he juggles his fan girls and tries to win Emily back, he learns too late how all Greek tragedies must end.

• Language: English
• Publisher: TWB Press
• Release date: Mar 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781944045609

Tom Bont

Tom Bont is the author of Howlers: Lupus Rex and Transplanted Yankee: Lest All My Balderdash Be Forgotten, as well as scores of short stories, essays, and articles in various magazines and other online portals. Tom is a United States Navy veteran, has a degree in computer science from Louisiana Tech University, and lives in north Texas with his family. Even after 26 years of marriage, he still spends as many hours as he can on the dance floor with his wife. You can catch him at www.TomBont.com, on Twitter @TomBont, or the DFW Writers’ Workshop.

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Orpheus – A Modern Greek Tragedy

By

Tom Bont

Copyright © 2019 by Tom Bont 20198

Published by TWB Press at Smashwords

All rights reserved. No part of this story (e-book) may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or book reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidences are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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Edited by Bobette & Terry Wright

Cover Art by Terry Wright

ISBN: 978-1-944045-60-9

By Tom Bont

I stumbled through the woods, the concierge’s warning an echo in my head. Otis. Be careful. The statue of Orpheus is...well, it’s been known to change those who touch it.

I’m familiar with the story. For those of you who aren’t, Orpheus, son of Apollo and Calliope...the latter being the muse of eloquence, was an ancient Greek hero reputed to charm anyone and anything, including plants and rocks, with his lyre and song. He had even introduced writing to the Greeks. His amorous strings and joyous songs attracted many women, especially the Wood Nymph Eurydice, and they fell madly in love. On their wedding day, she was bitten by a venomous snake and died. Orpheus’s grief and sorrow played out in the saddest music ever heard by humans and gods. Finally, with the help of his father, he descended to the underworld to beseech Hades to release Eurydice back to him. He played his lyre and sang so sweetly all hell stood still, and Hades agreed to reunite the lovers, but with one stipulation.

She could follow him out of hell, but he could not look back at her until they both reached the light of the living world. If he did, he’d lose her forever. Along the way, Orpheus could not hear her footsteps behind him. He became worried and doubtful of the gods, and yes, just as he entered the light he did look back, but too soon,