by Tony Folden
The Flight of Icarus
By Tony Folden
Published by Tony Folden
Copyright Tony Folden, 2013
Airship image courtesy of Shaddam89 Copyright 2012-2014
Icarus’ airship, an old wooden yacht with a large canvass balloon attached, hangs amongst the clouds, quietly drifting along the open sky. Icarus, a young, lithe but muscular boy, lies on his back on the deck, his left leg folded over his right in a figure four. He rests his journal on his bent knee, writing as he watches the clouds coast along beside the ship.
Entry 1028
I like flying. I like lying on the deck of my airship looking up at the clouds just a few feet above. It’s peaceful up here. It gives me time to think, to remember conversations with my father. This very airship was the last thing he built before he died. We would sail over Crete Island and over the maze that Grandpa built. Building things seems to be a family trait. I’ve made some modifications to the airship over the last couple of years. I don’t need to stand at the helm anymore and watch for mountains. I got rid of the pedal cranks and the blades they spun for lift. I built a kind of canvas balloon and modified a blowtorch that connects near the opening. I just have to open the valve, heat up the air, and I’m soaring higher than we ever did with the blades that Dad created.
Icarus takes a break from his writing. He stands, places his journal in his pocket and walks over to the bow of the ship. He can see Crete in the distance. Icarus crosses back over to the helm and pulls a lever releasing air from the large canvas balloon. The airship sinks slowly toward the island. Icarus retrieves his journal and continues his writing.
Dad would fly us over the island, over the funhouse maze, and he’d say, “Look there, Icarus! It took your grandfather 5 years to complete that maze.” Of course he had help. He didn’t do it all by himself. Minos rules the island these days. After the war, the chemicals they used caused deformities. The chemicals made people look like monsters. It turned them into something less than human. Minos captured some of them and kept them in the maze. He uses the maze as a prison. He puts people he finds guilty of crimes in the maze with the monsters and feeds them to the monsters. Arianna, Minos’ daughter, she doesn’t like it anymore than I do. I’m headed to pick her up and fly her to our spot. It’s the only place left after the war that still has vegetation. I love spending time with Arianna. I’m 16 now. No one lives to be much older than 30. Except Minos. Minos is 35. I’m not sure how he’s managed to live so long. Both mom and dad died before they were 30. Mom died when I was young. I don’t have many memories of her. She got the sickness from the chemicals. Dad didn’t want her to become one of those things so he helped her pass quietly in her sleep. Dad died just a couple of years ago. Doctors can’t treat common illnesses like they used to. We just don’t have the technology anymore. There wasn’t anything we could do. I have to believe he’s in a better place now. Both of them.
Icarus looks over the side of his airship again. He’s just a few hundred feet from Crete. He sees Arianna. She’s looking up at him, waving her arms and smiling from ear to ear. Icarus shoves his journal back in his pocket and runs over to the helm to release more air. As the ground gets closer he gives a blast of fire into the open hole of the balloon. He gently lands the airship on the ground. He runs to the edge of the airship and scales down the ladder. Arianna runs toward him with her arms open. They wrap their arms around each other, hugging tightly.
Icarus inhales deeply letting Arianna’s scent consume him. Arianna finds his lips with hers. After a long intense kiss, she places her hands on his chest and gently pushes him away. With a coy smile she playfully bites her lower lip. “We’ve got plenty of time, Icarus. My dad will be busy all day.”
Icarus leans in to try to steal another kiss. Arianna keeps her hands on his chest holding him at bay. Icarus smiles.
“Okay, I’ve got the blanket on my ship. Did you bring the goodies?” Arianna springs away from Icarus and skips over to where she was standing before. She picks up a basket and flashes her flirtatious smile.
“I’ve got them all right here.”
“What kinds?” Icarus smiles and reaches for the basket. Arianna giggles and runs away.
“You’ll just have to wait and see.” She runs toward the ship with Icarus laughing and following close behind. She reaches the ladder. Icarus helps her up. Once on the deck, Icarus again pulls her close and kisses her. At the same time he opens the valve on the blowtorch lifting the airship off of the ground. Arianna drops the basket and wraps her arms around him. The ship slowly rises into the air.
*****
Arianna lies on the deck. Her eyes are closed, her body drinking in the sun. Icarus sits on far side of the deck leaning against the bulkhead. He continues his journal entry.
Arianna always smells so good, like lavender and pumpkin. She won’t tell me where she gets those scents. Neither of them grows in the wild anymore. At least I haven’t seen any, and I have the best view of anyone. Her lips are always so soft. She’s the best kisser. Of course I don’t have anyone to compare her to, but I can’t imagine anyone kissing any better than she does. I would kiss her all day if she would let me.
Icarus looks up from his writing. Arianna lies on the deck in just her bodice and briefs. She runs her fingers through her hair and pulls it up to let it splay over the deck exposing the soft curve of her neck. Icarus smiles.
Arianna loves to soak up the sun. I love to look at her. Every inch of her body is perfection. I think today I will ask her to marry me. How could I not love her? How could I not want to spend the rest of my life with her? Yes, today is the day. I have the ring that I made especially for her. I have to say I’m pretty proud of my design. Diamonds are hard to come by, but I did manage to cut some colored glass to resemble a precious stone. I took apart Grandpa’s old watch that Dad gave me and used some of the gears to make a setting. I hope she likes it.
Icarus pulls the ring from his pocket and rolls it between his finger and thumb. Arianna turns to look at him again with her flirtatious smile. He quickly puts the ring back in his pocket along with his journal hoping she didn’t see it. He smiles at her, her stockings and boots lying beside her. He stands and looks over the edge of the ship. The cave is close. Icarus walks over to the helm to let out some of the air from the balloon. Arianna sits up and leans back, propping herself up on her elbows. The balloon begins its descent.
The gaping mouth of the cave opens towards the sky. The airship has plenty of room to slowly glide down into its depths. The cave remains vertical for several hundred feet. Icarus must be carefully maneuver the ship perfectly to avoid colliding with the walls once the cave turns horizontal. There’s no lift inside so he has to continuously work the levers to heat the air and let air out. Arianna helps by turning the crank that powers the string of lights that run along the bottom of the balloon. The strand of lights illuminates the cave as the ship glides through the open air. Icarus can hear the pounding of the waterfall in the distance. A gentle spray dampens their faces as the ship gets closer. Up ahead the cave opens wide. Small holes in the ceiling allow sunlight to sprinkle over the grass and flowers and bounce boldly off of the waterfall. Icarus finds their spot and sets his ship down in the huge open field next to the lake.
*****
Icarus and Arianna sit on a blanket near the lake with the ship looming behind them casting a soft glow from the string of lights. Sunlight peppers the lake, reflecting off of the mist from the waterfall, making a rainbow arc over the water. They feed each other spiced pumpkin bread.
“This is delicious!” Icarus exclaims with a mouthful of bread. “Where did you find a pumpkin? I haven’t seen any since I was a kid.”
“Oh, they’re around,�
� Arianna toys.
“Better yet, how in the world did you make it?” Electricity stopped working after the war. Batteries are too difficult to build. Only the most skilled can create a power source like the one that runs the lights on the airship. They are beginning to dim even now. The crank only powers them for about 30 minutes.
“Daddy has a farm. That’s what he’s doing today.”
“Your father is farming?”
“Not exactly.”
“What do you mean not exactly?” Now Icarus is curious. How could a man as impatient as Minos have the patience to farm?
“Not all of the people he imprisons go to the maze. Some of them he puts to work on the farm. He’s there today inspecting the fields.”
“Well, what other kinds of goodies do you grow there?”
“Did we really come here to talk about my father’s farm?” Arianna stands up in front of Icarus and slowly unlaces her bodice. Icarus swallows hard as he watches her nimble fingers move deftly along the laces. His heart begins to pound a little faster and blood rushes to his face. He can feel his it turning red. He is mesmerized. He can’t take his eyes off of her. The bodice falls at her feet. All of her flesh is exposed except for what her bra and briefs cover. Icarus remains frozen, starring at her. “Come on, let’s go for a swim,” she giggles as she turns, trotting towards the lake, removing the rest of her garments. Arianna dives into the water. Icarus is still sitting on the blanket, hypnotized. “Are you coming in or not?”
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Icarus snaps out of his trance. He quickly stands, disrobes, and runs for the lake. He dives into the water and swims as fast as he can to Arianna. They embrace and kiss passionately as their bodies bob softly in the wake. Icarus looks deeply into Arianna’s eyes. It is at this very moment that he realizes that he will do anything for her. She splashes water in his face.
“Catch me, if you can,” she calls to him as she swims away from him towards the waterfall. Icarus swims after her. Arianna climbs up on a ledge directly under the waterfall. Icarus watches as she pushes back her wet hair, letting the water beat down upon her body. He climbs up after her, embracing her and letting himself be engulfed by the cascading water. Slowly, they move behind the waterfall. Icarus gently lays Arianna on her back and slides his wet body upon hers as the light from the airship fades.
*****
A single ray of sunlight shines down on the blanket from a hole in the roof of the cave. Icarus lies sleeping as Arianna lies next to him, enjoying being in his presence. Most of Icarus’ clothes lay in a bundle next to the blanket. Arianna notices a book sticking out of one of his pockets. She quietly reaches for it being sure not to disturb him. She pulls it from its confines and opens to a random page.
Entry 247
Dad and I just finished walking through the maze. It took us a little longer today. He’s been getting weaker. I hope it’s not the sickness. He keeps telling me that he’ll be fine, but I know. I can see it. He doesn’t have the strength to pedal the airship anymore. I got to fly it today.
Arianna flips through a few more pages to an almost empty page with just one entry. The page appears water stained.
Entry 333
I had a funeral for Dad today. I haven’t seen him for more than 5 days. I’m sure he’s dead. I’m on my own now.
Tears well up in her eyes. A teardrop falls on the page matching the existing stains. She flips through more pages.
Entry 645
I saw the most beautiful girl today. I was flying over Crete Island and there she was, lying in a field just soaking up the sun. I didn’t want to fly too close. I was afraid she might see the shadow of the airship and it would wake her. Maybe I’ll see her again tomorrow.
Entry 646
I can’t seem to get her out of my head. I flew back to the spot where I saw her yesterday. This time I got closer. I made sure not to make any noise as the ship coasted above her. I was so close I thought I might be able to reach out and touch her. She’s so beautiful. I almost fell out of the ship I was leaning over the edge so far. I thought for sure she heard me.
Arianna smiles as she remembers that day. She had heard a noise from above. At first she thought it was a bird and paid it no attention. Then she heard the distinctive sound of a young man’s grunt. She slowly opened one eye looking up into the sky above her. She had seen Icarus leaning over the edge of his airship. For some reason she didn’t feel startled or afraid. She just closed her eye and let the briefest of smiles cross her face.
Icarus stirs next to her, pulling her from her thoughts. Quickly she places the book back into his pocket without being discovered. The ray of sunlight has slowly moved across them and is now covering just the top edge of the blanket. Arianna trails her fingers along Icarus’ naked chest, “It’s getting late. I should get back home before my father notices I’m gone.”
Icarus moans softly under her touch. A smile creeps across his face, “Ok, but I want to show you something first.”
“What is it?”
Icarus sits up and reaches for his book. Arianna feels a slight panic. Did he see me reading his book? He sets his book aside and reaches deeper into his pocket. He pulls his closed fist from the pocket as a smile lights up his entire face, “I made this myself. It’s a symbol of how much you mean to me.” Icarus takes Arianna’s hand, places his fist in her hand and opens it, covering the ring between their palms. He looks deep into her eyes. His love for her is tangible. She can feel it in his gaze; in the way he is touching her. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Arianna.” Icarus slowly slides his hand away from hers to reveal the ring. Tears of joy stream down Arianna’s face. “Will you marry me?” She throws her arms around him, unable to contain herself any longer.
“Yes,” she says softly in his ear. “Yes, I will spend the rest of my life with you.” She squeezes him as tightly as she can, afraid that if she lets go he will disappear. The sunlight no longer covers them. Arianna dries her eyes and puts on her ring. She reaches her hand out into the sunbeam. The light reflects off of the cut glass scattering a sparkled reflection high across the ceiling. “It’s so beautiful!”
*****
Back on the ship and out of the cave, Arianna sits on the deck admiring her new ring. Icarus watches as she turns it this way and that, the sunlight glinting off of every facet. His timing could not have been more perfect. This day could not have been more perfect. He opens his journal.
Entry 1029
I did it! I asked her to marry me. She said ‘yes!’ I am the happiest man on Earth! I asked her in the Cave of Ys. That’s what we’ve decided to call it. Arianna says Ys was a mythological paradise built below sea level. A king had built it for his daughter, but Minos didn’t build this place. She just thought the name described it perfectly, our own little piece of paradise away from the rest of the world.
Icarus looks over at Arianna. She smiles back at him with all of the love of the world. He smiles, feeling like he could walk on air. In fact he was. He looks into the sky and inhales deeply. He can still smell just a hint of lavender and pumpkin. He couldn’t be any happier than at this very moment. Just then a loud pop and a rush of air pulls him from his daydream. The front of the airship pitches forward. It hangs in the sky at a slight angle. Arianna grabs hold of the helm to keep from sliding forward. Icarus manages to grab hold of the bulkhead to keep from being thrown to the deck. He looks up to see the rear of the balloon has been breached. Air is escaping quickly and the ship is plummeting towards Crete. Down below he sees Minos and his guards. One of them has a bow and arrow poised. Icarus can hear Minos say something. “Don’t shoot again! My daughter is on that ship!”
Icarus runs to the helm and opens the valve to the blowtorch. Nothing happens, the ship continues to drop towards the island. He opens the valve more and more until it is wide open. He manages to slightly slow the descent, but not quite enough. The ship crashes to the island, the front of it splinters on impact. Both Arianna and Icaru
s are thrown to the deck. The canvas balloon slowly deflates over them. Minos’ guards are ready when Icarus and Arianna climb down from the ship. They quickly grab Icarus and pull him aside. Another guard ushers Arianna over to her father, “Did he hurt you, my dear?”
Icarus struggles against the guard’s grip, “I would never hurt her. I love her!”
Minos looks at his daughter with surprise, “Is this true?” Arianna doesn’t know how to respond. If she lies, her father might throw him in the maze. If she tells the truth, he may kill him. Icarus struggles against the guards and manages to pull free. One of the guards brings the broad side of his weapon down hard against Icarus’ head. Icarus drops to the ground. Arianna races to his side. Minos is furious. He walks over to his daughter, grips her by the elbow and attempts to pull her to her feet. She pulls away from his grip. Minos growls, “You dare defy your father?”
Arianna hovers over Icarus. He reaches up to stroke her face. Minos has had enough. He shouts to his guards, “Take him to the maze!”
“No!” Arianna protests, but to no avail. Two guards pull her from Icarus as the other guards take him into custody. Tears roll down Arianna’s face as the guards carry Icarus off to the maze. He’s not afraid. He knows the maze like the back of his hand. He will escape. Then all he has to do is fix his ship and then he and Arianna can fly away together, away from her father’s rule. They can live together in Ys.
The guards open the door and throw Icarus into the maze. He stumbles and falls to the ground. The door swings with a metallic creak and slams shut behind him. The sound echoes through the maze. It’s dark now. The sun won’t be up for several hours. There’s no use trying to find his way around tonight. Not with those monsters roaming the corridors. Icarus sits curled up next to the door waiting for daybreak. He hears the guards beat against the door and laugh. It jolts him. She scoots away from the door and tries to close his eyes, but every little sound startles him. Eventually he falls asleep.