HRVST, Ch. 17: Hope Does Not Equal Hubris
HRVST, Ch. 17: Hope Does Not Equal Hubris
There are no myths of restored lost loved ones, because hope does not equal to hubris.
There was a god who made living machines but he could not restore lost loved ones.
Hephaestus, the master builder, known as Vulcan, created living machines, automata for his workshop, a factory for the Gods.
His creations included guardians such as Talos, a warrior made of bronze who may have served as a bodyguard for a Phoenician princess, Europa, against kidnappers, or as a protector of the island of Crete against invaders.
Aphrodite, Hephaestus’ wife, outdid her husband when it came to creation.
There was an artist whose art inspired the love of his life with the help of a goddess. Pygmalion, king and artist, retreated into his art, sculpture, resigned to a celibate life.
One day he made his ideal out of ivory. It was so real to him that on a feast day in honor of Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and love, he wished for a wife who looked like his ideal. When he returned home, ideal turned real, cold ivory to warm lips, Galatea.
Aphrodite heard a lonely king’s silent wish.
The Gods were not alone in this ambition for creation.
Daedaelus, who lost his son to hubris for flying with wings too weak for the sun, brought life to his statues, by infusing them with a blood made of quicksilver. But he never dared more. He could make many things but he could not remake the past and bring back his son.
Hope does not inspire cautionary tales, no warnings against defying the gods and nature. Hubris opens the door to scales being rebalanced by the powers-that-be.
There are no myths of restored lost loved ones, because hope does not equal to hubris.
Luna, South Aitken Basin, Shackleton Crater, Hyperion
“My boy, how are you feeling?”
“I can talk now. We both can talk,” Alberto nodding at Zephyr, “parts of it are coming back. Everything else is kind of there. It’s all on the tip of my mind.”
“It’s alright, son, it will come back. You will come back. And you, my dear? How are you doing? I trust you had a good rest. I like these rooms as well, pure energy.”
Necker spread his arms as if to gather an armful of light from the air.
“Yes, Yes Mr. Necker, I did, thank you,” Zephyr was taking in the solarium, “it’s all very beautiful, I’ve been to many places, I mean in the Verse but it’s beautiful here.”
“I understand, one minute, the Verse, and all of its expectations on how things work, replaced by a place. A place that has been here for billions of years. We’re just borrowing it for a little while and making the best of it.”
Necker smiled. A piece of the moon turned into a kingdom.
Trays were brought in.
“Ah, breakfast, or brunch in your case. The trip up the well, however you do it, can take it out of you, even if you did it as a stream of information.”
Alberto looked over at Necker. He had questions. Necker looked back and nodded.
“It’s alright, son. We’ll get to it. Your first meal of the day here. In fact, your first meal ever as a corporeal ever, … for both of you. No need to warm up bottles or make airplane sounds with a spoon. Not in a long time.” Necker looked down. He remembered how it was, bottles of formula and milk, down the well on Earth, when family conversations were gentle monologues recited to a baby.
A long table rose from the floor and table setting for three was prepared. Necker sat at the head of the table, it was his table after all, and he raised a glass to Alberto and Zephyr.
“It’s good to have you back, son. And it’s wonderful to have you with us, my dear. I could not ask for more. We had prepared some family favorites prepared.”
Alberto raised his glass, he paused a moment, sipped and the cool fresh sweet water opened a door that was locked for a long time. He looked over at Zephyr, gave a small nod to reassure her, she did likewise and sipped. Her eyes widened, and she sipped again. They raised their glasses in Necker’s direction.
Someone walked in, “Excuse me, Sir, pardon the interruption, this couldn’t wait.”
“Yes, what is it?” Necker, looked up from his plate, and waited for more. The staffer, hands clasped, looked briefly in the direction of the main window and back at Necker.
“We have more news about Grissom.”
Necker’s small smile flattened. He put down his glass, and pushed away from the table.
“Alright…,” He turned to look at Alberto and Zephyr, “Excuse me, some work to do. You two enjoy yourselves. Tour the rest of the open spaces, both of you. If you need anything, someone will be nearby to assist. I’ll see you again later at dinner.”
Necker turned to his staffer, “Alright. Let’s see what this is and why you need me.”
Necker walked out of the Solarium, the staffer followed right behind him.
“What do you think that was about, Alberto?”
“I don’t know,” That was on his mind, he didn’t know, “that’s just it. Let’s take a look around.” He rose, and walked over to take Zephyr’s hand, “let’s find out what I know.”
Zephyr took another sip, marveled at the glass, and put it down to follow Alberto.
They walked into a long curved corridor. Across from them was was a long curved clear wall, floor to ceiling, and more light. It was not the filtered golden light of the Solarium which bathed the peaks of Shackelton. It was a view of something that felt familiar to Alberto, somewhere in the back of his mind, and it was something Zephyr lived in versions of abstractions.
Next to the clear wall was an airlock which hissed open.
The lock spoke: ALBERTO NECKER, ZEPHYR SPRING, WELCOME TO HYPERION. THE NEXT WALKING TOUR OF GRACE IS BEING PREPARED.
Alberto and Zephyr stopped looking at the view, smiled, and looked at each other.
This was not a simulation.
There, under nestled within the crater which on its exterior received blistering electromagnetic fury turned into an eternal crown of light, was not darkness.
A forest on the moon.
“Let’s go.”
NOTES
1
artistic portrait of a marble aphrodite, art by alessio albi 8 k ultra realistic, marble, gold, heart, women, classical art, textureg, trending on artstation, 4 k, hyperrealistic, focused, extreme details, unreal engine 5, masterpiece
2
closeup black and white photo from the surface of the moon, cinematic film still, glowing landing lights on spaceship landing on, stars and space in the background, fog and dust
3
mysterious glowing white domed sci-fi building, Ivan Shishkin and Greg Rutkowski