Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece

When love comes late it comes like a tornado. Poor Echo’s whole being was swept up by her feelings for this impossibly beautiful youth. Nothing, not even the horror of Hera’s curse, had ever caused her heart to hammer so violently inside her. The blood pounded and surged in her ears. It was as if she was swirling in the centre of a great cyclone. She simply had to take a closer look at this lovely youth. If she felt such tumultuous passions swirling inside her at the sight of him, then perhaps it was in the nature of things that he would feel the same at the sight of her? Surely that must be so? She crept forward, hardly daring to breathe. With each step she found herself more and more thrilled until she was quivering and trembling all over with excitement. The stories of love at first sight that she had heard sung all her life were true after all! This beautiful boy would be bound to return her love. Cosmos and creation would not make sense otherwise.

Of course, you and I know that Cosmos and creation make no sense at all and never have. Poor Echo was about to discover the truth of this.

Whether it was her pounding heart or the cry of a bird, something made the sleeping Narcissus open his eyes just as Echo drew near.

His eyes met hers.

Echo was a pretty nymph, lovely in fact. But it was only her eyes that Narcissus saw. That look again! That haggard, hungry, haunted look. Those needing, pleading eyes. Ugh!

‘Who are you?’ he said, turning away.

‘Who are you?’

‘Never you mind. That’s my business.’

‘That’s my business!’

‘No it isn’t. You woke me.’

‘You woke me!’

‘I suppose like all the others you’ve fallen in love with me.’

‘Love with me!’

‘Love! I’m fed up with love.’

‘Up with love!’

‘It’ll never happen. Never. Go away!’

‘Never go away!’

‘I don’t care how much you wail at me. I hate the sight of you.’

‘The sight of you!’

‘Stop it, will you? Just don’t!’ cried Narcissus. ‘Go away!’

‘Don’t go away!’

‘You’re driving me crazy.’

‘Driving me crazy!’

‘Go away before I do something so desperate …’

‘So desperate!’

‘Don’t tempt me, now.’

‘Tempt me now!’

Narcissus picked up his hunting sling and loaded it with a stone. ‘Go. Just go. I’ll hurt you if you don’t. Understand?’

‘You don’t understand.’

The first stone missed her, but Echo turned and fled before Narcissus could reload and try again. As she ran he called out after her.

‘And never come back!’

‘Never come back,’ she cried.

She ran from him and kept running until she fell weeping to the ground, her heart bursting with grief and shame.

The Boy in the Water

Narcissus watched her go. He shook his head angrily. Would he never be free of these silly wailing people and their whining, clutching madness? Love and beauty! Words, just words.

Hot and thirsty from all the stress and drama he knelt down to drink from the stream. He caught his breath in astonishment when in its waters, he saw the loveliest face he had ever laid eyes upon, the sweet and surprised face of a most beautiful young man. He had golden hair and soft red lips. Narcissus recognized with a thrill that the youth’s beguiling and loving eyes had the hungry, needy look he had always found so repellent in others. But the very same expression on the gorgeous face of this mysterious stranger made Narcissus’s chest swell and heart thump with joy. It must mean that the glorious creature in the river felt the same way as he did! Narcissus leaned down to kiss the lovely lips and the lovely lips came up to kiss his, but just as Narcissus lowered his face, the stranger’s features broke into a thousand dancing, rippling pieces until he could see them no longer and Narcissus found he was kissing nothing but cold water.

‘Stay still, lovely one,’ he breathed, and the boy seemed to whisper the same to him.

Narcissus raised a hand. The boy raised his hand in reply. Narcissus wanted to stroke the boy’s lovely cheek and the boy wanted to do the same. But the face fractured and dissolved the moment Narcissus got close.

Again and again each one tried.

Meanwhile, in the bushes behind them, Echo – fired and strengthened by her great love – had returned to try her luck again. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard him say:

‘I love you!’

‘I love you!’ she called back.

‘Stay with me!’

‘Stay with me!’

‘Never leave me!’

‘Never leave me!’

But when she came closer Narcissus turned with a snarl and hissed at her –

‘Go away! Leave us alone. Never come back! Never, never, never!’

‘Never, never, never!’ wailed Echo.

With a savage roar Narcissus picked up a stone and hurled it at her. Echo ran and tripped. Narcissus then grabbed his bow and would surely have shot her dead had she not scrambled to her feet and disappeared into the wood.

Narcissus looked anxiously back to the stream, frightened that perhaps the marvellous boy had gone. But there he was – a worried and flushed look on his face – but as beautiful and loving as ever and with a wonderful gleam in his deep blue eyes. Narcissus lay down again and brought his face closer to the water …