“In Greek mythology, Icarus was the son of Daedalus, famous for his death by falling into the sea when he flew too close to the sun, melting the wax holding his artificial wings together.” – Wikipedia entry
The Guy and Icarus, wings not melted, boy not drowned.
ICARUS
Looks like a good day for flying.
THE GUY
You sure about that?
ICARUS
Absolutely. The sun’s out. Gonna be a beautiful day.
A pause.
THE GUY
You do know what happens, don’t you?
ICARUS
When?
THE GUY
When you fly.
ICARUS
Oh. You mean the…
And Icarus makes a gesture that indicates a boy falling to earth.
THE GUY
Exactly.
ICARUS
Oh, of course I know about that. It happens all the time.
THE GUY
All the time?
ICARUS
I fly every day. I wake up, take one look at a clear blue sky, strap on my wings and head straight for the sun.
It’s just part of the territory, being myth. Being doomed to repeat your defining mistake for the sake of history.
But you know, there’s always a moment – right before I take the leap into the air – that I think to myself, “Not today, Icarus. Don’t do it today. You know what happens, nothing will be changed, the wind will sting your face and the water will feel like blades against your skin and the sight of the earth rushing towards you….
“It isn’t worth it today.”
But I’ll always look up at the sun. And I’ll see how magnificent it is. How… unashamed it is to shine. To radiate. To illuminate…
And I know I’ll be there, too. For that second before I turn to my right wing and see the first feathers drop below me, I’ll be a piece of that illumination. I will be one spark of radiance among millions.
It’s enough.
So I fly.
THE GUY
The wind’s picking up.
ICARUS
Perfect day to fly.
Icarus moves offstage, eyes toward the sky.
The Guy watches him go, and we hear from everywhere, suddenly, the flapping of wings. The Guy watches Icarus (unseen by us) lift off the ground and into the sky, flying up up up towards to sun.
Then, from far away, we hear a laugh. Joyful. Complete. Fulfilled.
Then, slowly, feathers begin to trickle to the ground from above, around the Guy, falling at his feet.
The lights go down.
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4 comments:
this is rather stand-alone-y.
sorry my comments aren't more intellectual. i liked this one though.
i LOVE this one
How many days have you ended up drowning in?
...like love...we try and try and try hoping that eventually in the not so distant future it finally works and we're swept away to new places we've never seen...certainly is discouraging at times, but as long as we keep believing that someday it'll all fall into place...that's why we keep on keepin on....one day at a time...
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