Defeat of Sybaris

The Blessing

Music was always playing in my house, the home of the Atkinson family. It was never quiet, which was good, reason being that I despised silence. Silence only appears after bad things happen. People stop talking whenever someone makes a big mistake and sound leaves the room as soon as something bad happens to someone. Widows voices become hushed and muted at the moment they find out their partner has passed away, and that kind of silence almost never leaves.

Death and misfortune bring quietness along with them, and that is why I despise silence.

The rest of my family seem to think in the same way I do. So music was always playing. If the radio wasn't on, someone in the house was humming a tune. Sometimes white noise would be enough to drown out the silence. The rustling of the leaves on the trees outside or the soft buzzing of the air conditioning.

Anything but silence.

Today my dad was playing guitar, something he had not done for a while. My dad was adequate at playing, however his singing was angelic. He was in possession of a voice so immensely beautiful that time seemed to stop whenever he sang.

He definitely knew. Every chance he got he sang. He hummed while he cooked, he sang along with songs on the radio and he sang while playing guitar.

My dad knew he had a pleasing voice and he wanted everyone to know, because he strongly believed that when something is beautiful, it should be shown to the world, not hidden in the farthest corner of the sock drawer. He believed that everyone should sing, it did not matter what, as long as they showed their voice to the world. He believed that everyone should be heard, because everyone was beautiful if you just opened your eyes and looked at the right things.

My dad always tried to see the beauty in everything. He was the kind of person who would be happy because of a sunset, but who wouldn't be? Sunsets are divine.

I love the way that the sky is filled with so many colours that you can not count the hex-codes anymore. Nothing comes close to the way the light hits your face in an entirely different way when twilight comes knocking at the door. In my opinion sunsets are perfect.

The only thing that could make a sunset better is music. Especially the music that my dad liked to play.

My dad wrote his own songs, and I knew each and every one of his songs. I loved to sing along with him while he was playing, and that is what I was doing right now.

My voice wasn't as menacingly bewitching as my dad's, but it was okay. My mom loved it when I sang. She thought my voice was just as heavenly as my dad's, but she just says that because she is my mother.

I would describe my voice as pleasing. It wasn't too high or too low, and I had a wide range. I didn't sing off-key, but my voice never seemed to fill the room as my dad's voice did.

I didn't mind. I enjoyed singing, so I always sang along.

As I was singing I was dancing through the room, something which I loved doing.

I stepped outside, still singing. It was excruciatingly hot outside, but the soft summer breeze and the copious amount of plants made the heat tolerable.

I left the garden on my bare feet. I didn't tell my parents I was leaving, but I assumed they were aware, because I always went to the same place when I left.

The small grass field behind my house was just over the hill that was at the backside of my garden. You had to crawl through the trees to reach that place, but it was definitely worth it when you arrived.

The length of the grass had changed significantly, probably because I haven't gone here in more than a week, and no one bothered to mow the grass here, due to the fact that the place was unreachable to lawnmowers and their machines.

Even here I could hear my dad playing guitar. I hummed along while dancing through the grass and the flowers. How I loved dancing.

Dancing was one of my favourite things, after the cooking of my mother and the singing of my father.

I danced everywhere I went. I danced on the street and while doing my chores. I danced whenever the chance presented itself to me and I adored it.

I started singing along to the music again. In some ways I think I got lost in the music sometimes. I couldn't help it, when I heard music I sang and danced, and that was just the way it was.

Today it was different. Even now I still have vivid memories of this experience.

This time I sang the sun started to shine brighter, the wind was blowing harder and the grass seemed to be dancing along with me.

Then a figure appeared before me. At first the figure was pure sunlight, and I had to look away, but the light faded and a young man stood before me. He had blond hair, blue eyes and tanned skin. He was someone you would call conventionally attractive.

Even though he was surprisingly muscular for his age, he had a soft and warm appearance.

He smiled at me and he introduced himself, 'I am Apollo.'

I looked at him with what apparently was a look of confusion, because he then explained with an insulted look on his face, 'Apollo, god of the sun, medicine, archery and music. I'm sure you have heard about me at school.'

I answered him, 'Actually I have not, sorry.'

'You haven't?' he questioned.

'No'

'Oh, well I am Apollo.' he told me.

I was wondering why, if he was a god, he would appear before me, a mortal who didn't even believe in the Greek gods.

As if he could read my mind he asked me, 'You are probably wondering why I am choosing to honour you with my presence, no?'

Good god, the man had an ego, not that I was surprised. I think I would obtain an ego too if I was a god.

Apollo continued, 'I am here, because I think you have a beautiful voice, and I want to bless you because of that, that is what gods do when someone is good at something that is in their field.' he explained, 'Well it's either that or we have a competition and that does not end well for your kind, ask Arachne or Marsyas.'

'Who are they?' I asked.

Apollo answered, 'It does not matter, child. Anyway, I do not have a lot of time before I have to tend to my godly obligations again.'

He lifted his hand. He said some words in Greek and he started to become incandescent again. The wind went crazy. The grass looked like the waves on the open sea.

Apollo turned normal again.

'How did you do that?' I asked him.

'That is none of your business, for I have to leave again. The sun won't drive itself, unless you want to hear my latest haiku?'

'No, but I want an explanation.'

He disappeared into the light of the sun after rolling his eyes and muttering a few words that should not be repeated.

I was left alone in the field behind my house.