will-of-the-whispers

[will-of-the-whispers]

Word Count: 695

An Echo of Narcissus

Among a range of mountains, there are many beautiful sights and scenes. Yet in only one of them does he exist, and he is by far the most beautiful sight of all. He lays by the creek, absent-mindedly watching as dragonflies dance in spirals and pirouettes. See the way the sunlight glints off of his deep blue eyes? Is it a reflection? Or is it he who glows like the rising sun? This light dances through the stretching boughs of trees, its dappled touch like Midas on the dew-covered grass. If you listen carefully, you may be able to hear the ancient pines yawning their greetings into the soft, warm breeze. In their branches, birds sing of the new day, of warmth, and of peace. The world begins to come alive as more and more voices join the song until it seems like the sky itself is singing in harmony. Beneath the trees, patches of daffodils bask in splotches of golden light. They exude the smell of the sweet nectar that drips down their petals as they turn their heads to the sky, whispering merry gossip to the bees that land in their golden embrace. Near them, crystal-clear water rushes over rocks in a small stream. It is cold, but not a frigid, shivering cold that stings to touch. Instead, it is refreshing, like the ocean on a summer’s day. Cold, but no less pleasant. It makes a shushing noise, as if to calm any who wander across it on their journey. Hush, it says. There is peace here.

Small fish swim through the stream, and as they swish to and fro, light beams off of their sterling scales in a platinum dance. They flicker through the reeds, sending ripples through the water that distort the reflection of the young man above. He is beautiful in every way, but the image in the water is even more so. The reflection is perfect. Its smile is warm like the first day of summer, and its eyes glisten like the full moon gleaming off the deep blue sea. Compared to his reflection, the man is nothing. He leans down to the water’s surface, his heart aching at the knowledge that this barrier must keep them apart. “I will never leave you,” he whispers. “You are everything to me, and more.” The reflection utters the same words back, and he is lost in love’s tight embrace.

The young man stays in that place by the creek, gazing with beguiled wonder into those endlessly beautiful eyes. As the sun sets beneath the undulating mountain range, he laments that he can no longer see his love, though he can still feel its smooth, cold skin on his fingertips. For moments, when all goes quiet, he fears that the heavenly figure has vanished, but then the sun returns and he is greeted by that same perfect smile. Day turns to night. Night turns to day. All the same, he stays by his lover’s side, enraptured by its gaze. As the first hint of frost begins to curl its way through the grass, it covers the young man’s heart in a chilling blanket of ice. Why, when he looks in the creek, does he see his love staring back at him from gaunt sockets? Why have his once full and shaped lips become parched and split? The birds do not sing anymore, for they are all gone. They could wait no longer for the man. The flowers have long since withered and decayed, falling back into the ground from whence they came. All is still. All is quiet. There is only the rushing water that splits the air, still nagging for its perfect silence. 

When snow begins to fall, it covers the body lying half-submerged in the creek with a white sheet.

Then, come spring, the snow melts. The birds return, singing of their journeys, and the flowers bloom once more. Where the young man was, there is now nothing but a lonely daffodil leaning over the stream. In its reflection, there is no more or less beauty. There is only that very same daffodil. Perhaps that was all there ever was.

[will-of-the-whispers]

Hey, I'm Will. My pronouns are he/him.

This is my little corner of the internet where I post things from time to time. I like to write, so I'll probably put some of that here, but I'll likely be talking about things as well.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a good day :)