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From the writer's desk: Hello, there! What you are about to read is inspired by a true life story. The original names have been withheld but the places and facts maintained to make this piece more pleasurable while addressing a real-life issue.
Remember when Icarus attempted to fly for the first time? In the story, his father, Daedalus, made two wings with some feathers from different types of birds on the planet Earth, both big and small. On that fateful day, Daedalus glued the feathers to his arms with beeswax.
Daedalus went on to instruct Icarus not to fly too close to the sun to avoid melting the wax or too close to the water to avoid getting the feathers wet. But Icarus would not heed this warning. He flew so high and deep into the sky. Soon one…no two…oh, a thousand feathers came falling off his body.
Pixabay
Slowly and quickly, he came flying down with the speed of light until he crashed and died.
Sitoabasi had read this story when she was only 9 years old. She thought of how foolish young Icarus had acted.
“If only he had listened to his father's warning,” she muttered while placing the book on the carrel.
Young Sitoabasi spent the entire day thinking of all the different ways Icarus's fate would have been changed.
🤔 If Icarus had flown so low, his feathers would have gotten wet. He would need a lifesaver or the ability to swim to save himself from drowning.
🤔 If he had flown somewhere midair, his arms would have gotten tired as well. He would have given in to weariness and would crash terribly.
“Maybe Icarus was destined to die that way,” She said with a huge sigh.
It is 7:45 PM on a Sunday in South-East Nigeria. 16-year-old Sitoabasi is lying on the biggest couch in the living room. She has her headset on and is currently scrolling through her playlist to select the next song to listen to.
She settles for “Stan” by Eminem ft. Dido.
There is a big jotter lying beside her. She picks it up to continue journaling her experience. She was only halfway done jotting down the conversation she had with her dad and mom the day before when her brother walked into the room.
He stopped right into the middle of the room and turned back to Sito.
“Senior, I want to turn on the TV. Would it distract you?”
“No, you are free to do so. I'm not reading, just journaling.”
He picks the remote lying on the centre table, presses a few buttons and the LG 32" Full HD LED TV floods the room with so much light. Sitoabasi's eyes follow him while he positions himself on the other side of the couch. It is his favourite spot in the room.
He picks up her legs and places them on his lap. She teases him about always treating her as if she were his girlfriend or wife and he retorts, “Why wouldn't I when you are the only family I have besides mom and dad?”
They both laugh. She returns to journaling while he fixes his gaze on the TV.
Sito writes about how they had talked at length about all the family's businesses scattered around Nigeria and Ghana—some she was aware of and others she never knew about. That evening ended with her parents telling them about their proposed stakeholders meeting at Lagos on Monday and their plan to after Sunday service.
Just then, the news flash unsettled them.
Another crash! But it wasn't Icarus. It actually involved people she cared so much about. Her parents…Their parents.
Thank you for reading. ❤️
Special thanks to @patjewell for this interesting contest
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