"Icarus"

by Doc Cathode

Daedalus was a thinker and an inventor. The king considered Daedalus a great treasure, so he locked him away. Such a mind cannot be held by an ordinary prison; Daedalus found a way out. From wax and wood and string and feathers, he made wings. Daedalus and his son, Icarus, prepared to fly away. Over and over the father told his son not to fly too low, or the sea would take him, and not to fly too high, or the sun would melt the wings.

Daedalus flies the middle way, but Icarus loses himself in the exhilaration of flight. At first, it was just a bit higher, then he wants a bit more. He is still low enough. The sun will not hurt him. Daedalus shouts nervously. Icarus ignores him. Perhaps he can dare the heights just for a moment. Yes, just an instant in the heights, and then he shall return to safety. Icarus climbs higher. Daedalus shouts.

Just a moment and then he will descend to the middle way. Just a moment — what is that? Icarus climbs higher. He looks back at his father. How did he get so far away? Beneath his father, the world is changed. Icarus can see things others can only see on maps. He climbs higher.

There is a confusion of noise. Icarus looks about and sees that he has frightened a flock of birds. He smiles. It is not a grand accomplishment, but it is his. He is the first person in all the world to startle birds by flying too close. He realizes he is also the first to have flown this high. Icarus looks up. The clouds beckon. He climbs higher.

Every foot, every inch higher is an achievement. He is the first! He looks down. His father is but the barest speck. Then everything is lost to sight. Everywhere Icarus looks, there is a dense fog. For a moment, he is too stunned to move. He is flying within a cloud! No mortal has ever done this before. How much higher can these wings carry him? How high does the sky go? Icarus climbs higher.

He glimpses open sky above him. He rises. Icarus is the first mortal to look down at the clouds. It is a new world here. The sun is closer. Icarus peeks at it through his fingers. He sees the wax on his wings beginning to soften. He considers descending. But for what? Who would believe this? His father would surely break the wings. How could he live, bound to the earth after this? Icarus climbs higher.

Now, it is a race. How high can he go before the wings fall apart? The sun is his enemy. It will win in the end, but Icarus defies it. Higher and higher he climbs. He looks down. He cannot see his father. He cannot see the flock of birds. He looks up and sees the air waiting for him. Icarus climbs higher.

He leaves feathers behind him. The wings begin to bend. He falls.

As he falls, Icarus feels no regret. He thinks only of how high he flew. No other man has ever done what he has. He does not fear death. Even this is an accomplishment. No other mortal has ever died this way. He has seen things no one else has seen. He has traded his life for this flight. He finds it a good trade. As the sea approaches, Icarus feels no fear, only joy.