Wings

A take on the story of Icarus

I began soaring low. I kept my flight path straight, and my pace was slow. It was my first time, so I was afraid, and rightfully so. This was the first time I had ever used my wings to fly, and I had no idea on what problems could arise mid-flight. I didn’t know if I could keep them cool enough for long flights or not, and I didn’t know if flying fast would break them. They were made of wax after all.

At least, partially. I made use of a few fans for propulsion, and a few thin strips of metal to hold things together. At the moment, things seemed to be working fine. The straps around my arms were holding tightly, and they were used for flapping, which would keep me moving upward while the fans kept me forward.

I flew above the tree line, watching as the lush green landscape passed under me. It brought a smile to my face. As slow as I was moving, the wings were working. All the time I spent working on them, and they work without problems on the first test. Obviously, I’m not checking their full capabilities yet, but that didn’t make this small victory any less sweet.

I kept this flight short and simple. It was just a test to see if they worked. But tomorrow would be the real test on how well they’d function in extreme conditions. And so, I returned home, smile never changing… My dream was becoming reality. I’d soon be able to fly to soar above the clouds, and reach Heaven.

…

 

The day came quickly, as the anticipation and excitement I felt made time seem to move in one big blur. The thunder outside roared. I was aware that it would rain today, and that was good. It would allow me to test the wings under more extreme weather conditions. I’d also be testing the speed with which I could fly.

I stepped outside, and headed towards the cliffs near my home. The wind was strong, and made for heavy resistance. In my mind, I started considering whether or not this was a good idea. But waved off the thought as being preposterous, as I may not get a chance like this again anytime soon.

I dove of head first and the fans sprung to life. The wind came up behind me and drafted my movement upwards, and before I knew it I was four times as high as I had been the day before. The wind proved to be useful in keeping me moving towards the clouds, to the point where flapping my wings wasn’t necessary.

Because I didn’t need to worry about keeping my arms moving to propel me upwards, I was able to reach down to the button pressed against me chest. After pressing it, I heard the fans grow louder, and I began to move even faster. Now the trees below moved in a blur of green, drowned out by the rain. The wind in my eyes made it hard to look forward, and I could feel my arms wanting to give in to the strain of holding them forwards.

I pressed on, ignoring the screaming pain, and once again I found myself smiling. The wings still held strong against the wind and rain, and in fact it was aided by them. And so long as I kept strong, I could still control them. A shout of sheer amazement escaped my lips as I soared higher and higher and higher…

To my left I noticed a small ray of sunshine, peaking through a break in the clouds. My eyes lit up, and all pain I felt was lifted as I had my destination in sight. I began to fly straight for the opening, noting that turning was harder than I expected, but nevertheless I had arrived at the breakthrough.

All thoughts left my mind, replace only by one. The thought of my dream, where I soar past the clouds and rise to the gates of heaven, where I could reconnect with my lost love after seventeen years. I broke through the line of clouds, and felt the warmth of the sun great me as the storm continued below.

Higher and higher and higher…

And then I stopped ascending. I didn’t notice at first, but when I flapped my wings, they seemed to have gotten lighter. At the time, I had thought of it as my overwhelming excitement allowing me to morph into a rhythm. But then I felt something touch my skin. Like a droplet of rain, only much hotter. When I looked to my side, I had been met with a chilling realization.

My wings were melting…

          At some point in rising toward the sun, the wax around the frame had begun melting, and it had done so quickly. Before I knew it, the wings had melted completely, and the wire frame had revealed itself. Before I knew it, I began falling.

I was in too much shock to scream, I had too many questions. Why did it turn out this way? Was I being denied entry? Was I to eager to attain my desires? Was I not worthy of entering Heaven? Why did I have the dream that I did?

As I fell past the clouds, I could vaguely make out the tree line below once again. It was coming at me fast, and it was only as I got closer that I think I had found my answers that I so desperately wanted.

Of course I couldn’t make my own wings to fly to Heaven. Man was never meant to ascend to that level, only angels were allowed. And there was only one way for me to become an angel, and only one way for me to get my wings. And so, as I neared the ground, my eyes had closed, and I began to pray.

For it is only in departing from this world that I will truly receive my wings.

Author's Note

This is story took a little while to write, but I feel really good about this one. I didn't think about how similar it was to the story of Icarus until a friend mentioned it to me.
I am open to any and all feedback, and I will use any criticism to improve on my future work.