This Is Me #8

Odysseus

Chapter 1

There was once a boy who looked at the heavens and stood in awe. He wondered what it would be like to gaze these celestial bodies, to reach out and touch them, to fall into them. His dreams were filled with what he would experience when he finally stood face to face with these giants.

The boy grew into a man and he remembered his dream. The man built a vessel that could take him into space. There were those around him who mocked him. They told him his vessel could not endure the harsh environment he wanted to traverse.

The man paid them no heed. He knew of the dangers and had prepared for them all.  His ship was sleek and air tight and the route it would take had been all planned out. The last concern was time's pull on his aging body and mind, and for this, the man had concocted a sleeping potion. This would allow his body to rest and his mind to dream, free from time, while his ship would bring him closer and closer to his goal.

Upon finishing his preparations, the man celebrated the start of his journey with some wine. The man decided he would celebrate all day and all night instead of resting, as he expected the next months, even years, to be filled with sleep. After many of hours of merriment, the bottles of wine had been exhausted, yet the man still craved more. His eyes wandered all over his house, searching for more drink.

The man finally stumbled into his study and caught a glimpse of the sleeping potion he had concocted. In his drunkenness, he had forgotten all about his plans and his dreams, choosing to indulge in this moment instead. Seeking yet more pleasure from the drink, he drank the sleeping potion. Even when his eyes became heavy and his body would no longer respond, he had no notion of the mistake he had made; and in his study, he slept for many, many years.