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Icarus MAG
I am free! The feeling is incredible, like nothing I have experienced before. I have nothing to compare it to, except what a bird must feel: the height, the wide blue sky all around, the dark ocean below. The freedom. At this moment, I would gladly give anything to fly like a bird forever. I never want to land.
I fly in great looping circles and experiment by tipping my arms left and right. I fly lower and lower, skimming my hand in the water. My father shouts to me, warning me of the dangers: the mist will dampen the feathers in my wings, and they will go limp. I laugh from sheer delight, but obey and return to him.
The sun is hot on my back and the breeze holds me aloft in a cocoon of warmth. I am content for the first time since Minos imprisoned us in the labyrinth. The heat above entices me, and I climb a little higher. My father does not notice, so I fly even higher. The sun grows warmer. It is wonderful. Down on earth, it is so cold. But up here, I am warmer than I have ever been. I float on the breeze, resting my arms.
I hear my father shouting my name, and I look down. He has a look of terror on his face, but I do not know why.
Suddenly, I find myself slipping lower, away from the heat. I flap my wings, hoping to rise again, but I can not. The sun has melted the wax that hold my wings together. I continue to fall; there is nothing I can do.
I rush past my father in a freefall, and he shouts my name. I reach out to him and he grips my fingers, but I slip from his grasp. I am frightened. The ocean swells up beneath me, larger and larger. It looms closer.
In a second I am swallowed up. The last thing I see is my father looking down in terrible sadness, calling my name. But the ocean snatches his voice away from me, and I see no more.
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This article has 19 comments.
I 4got 2 say Im a mythology freak ;D
its amazing how you use greek mythology to make an interesting story with ur touch!!! when i started reading of the feathers i wuz thinking it was the story of Icarus and his father being liberated from the maze..... no wonder it got chosen for the magazine!!! Excellent job I felt like I was flying for a second there ;D
i totally loned this, u can really help people tp empathise with the whole story.
(i was almost crying lol)
When you mail in, what adress do you send the story too? Sorry, I'm a little confused about that.
And will you have a higher chance of getting published if you physically mail your work as opposed to sending it in online?
This is really impressive, I've never heard a retelling of this story so vivid. Even though it is a little sad, I think the last two paragraphs are the best. It isn't over descriptive and cheesy like alot of thing on this sight are.
but I have a question.
How long did it take the editor people to read your thing and post it online? I've submitted 2 or 3 things, but it's takin' forever.
Yes, I do too (the dreams). I'm glad you liked my retelling, and I'm glad (sort of) that you were so sad at the end...it means that I successfully conveyed the emotions that I wanted to. :)
I am so happy that this made it into the magazine!
Don't forget to vote, please! :)
This was a thrilling retelling of the story of Icarus. I loved the description of flying but was broken-hearted when Icarus fell into the ocean (although I already knew his end).
I have dreamed many times about flying, but I never get far off the ground.
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