The archive of the forgotten

The tale of falling: Icarus revisited

Come and see that come and see. Please grant your attention to the young man before you on the stage. Look at me, the boy with  tears in his eyes and pain in his heart. The boy you all now far too well. Tonight as the sun sets and the nightwinds of great windgod Aiolos, the amphitheatre sounds empty and alone. But even with these winds and the lonely theatre I am happy you are here. The sun lights up my honey ember eyes. I welcome you all here in the theater, Young or old, wise or foolish you will always be welcome with me. I am going to tell your my story. The myth that most of you all know, or might think you know. There are many versions but none is told by the boy himself. Get ready for the real story of Icarus, the beginning, the middle and especially the death that will always be remembered. But did it all really ensue that way? Welcome to the story of the fall.

On my right my friends and families, on my left Helios, Apollo and death. Shadows of their excistence have come here to the story, the myth of self-confidence. I invite my Father to the stage. We are all here. We can begin

The beginning

I have never seen a boy more beautiful than mine. My son, touched by the sun, gifted the beauty of apollo and aphrodite combined. What a beautiful boy he was. My son, my only son, my beautiful son with hair golden and copper like the sun. His eyes were made of gold, honey and ambrosia and concealed with the green beauty of the forest. There was no one resembling my Icarus. His name means follower but nothing couldn't be more wrong. He was a natural leader. When he was young he would lead his friends into the forest and there they would have a world of their own where they are the Gods and no one could control them. 

My Icarus has grown so much. I remember the day I met him. I was looking for wood for a hypotetical fly machine, the first of it's kind (I must say that it didn't work) I heard a laugh. A laugh of a baby. So of course I went to investigate. There he was birds were sitting on the basket, deers are looking at it and wolves are howling at it. As soon as I walk up to it they cramble and the baby starts to cry. I pick it up from the beautifully weaven basket. I cradle it, he opens his eyes and the golden eyes enchant me as he starts to laugh again. I have never seen a baby with long golden locks. But Icarus you were the first.

The years flew by as you grew up to be a genius, a genius with a knack for mischief. My dear Icarus, I cannot tell the world enough about your mischief we would need one of your friends for that. Don't try to hide your smirk Icarus! I know that smile all too well and I absolutely cherished it everytime I saw it. Even when it was a smile because he made my newly invented objects explode again. Altough he liked to raise hell he was always brought up very strictly. He knew I wasn't his real father but he did not care a bit, neither did I. Because I have a son, I have a sun.

I remember one time when he was standing in front of a statue of our king. He was standing on the pedestal of the statue as he was telling his friends the myth of Perseus. The hero that had defeated medusa. He was telling it as if he himself had done it. He had such charisma, everyone who would see him would like him. Many people were in love with him. And he didn't mind that but he did not believe in love. He wanted to become either a genius inventor like his father. Alone for all time, marry a godess or become a real hero and see the world. 

A real hero, that is what I wanted to be but I wanted to be so much more. Everyday I ran through the field hoping I would finally succeed to fly with all the sparrows and the sun. I wanted everything that a parent warns you about. I was that kind that would jump off cliffs to try and fly. I knew all the winds, I knew how aiolos made his winds, I knew where zephyrus came from and when. I knew all about it, every month I tried a new way of flying and sometimes it would work. For three second. But that freedom for two second, what wouldn't I give for that? Why was I made to fly?

I lead my friend to the stage. He looks at me with tears in his eyes, why did you have to go he asks. I smile and place him on the center of the stage.

Icarus how do you begin to understand icarus. My name is Polites, Icarus best friend. We first met at school. School had officially started when he came into the room, singing and wearing a bright blue chiton while all of the boys are wearing white chitons. He also had a necklace made of shells which he covered with gold and he had a sunflower in his golden copper hair. We all knew this boy wasn't normal. And that is exactely how he turned out to be. already late to the first day of school? Icarus nodded very happily. He was about 12 years old just like we were, and he was so strange!? he leapt onto the teachers stage and took a bow. Icarus! he said with his voice that always sounded like a melody Pleasure to meet you! And indeed it was. We were with seven people in our class, all whom became the closest friends with dear icarus. I have so many memories of us, looking at the sun laying on the beach near the big fire with so much wine we could pass out at any moment. And icarus, he would tell us to close our eyes or look at the stars and than he would narrate our adventures, flying between the stars.

This book is a rewrite of the beautiful myth of Icarus.  The icarus story is one of my favourite myths ever. I love the original version but my version is hopefully going into other things. I want to make the book about being different, hope, love, self-hatred, geniality and giving up