You have all heard the phrase "never fly to close to the sun." This phrase relates to a Greek myth: the story of Icarus and Daedalus. For those of you who have read this story, you have most likely always heard it from a third-person perspective or a first-person perspective. Today, I bring you a new, second-person perspective story based on the story of Icarus and Daedalus In the format of a journal entry.

February 4, 192 B.C.E,

The morning was bitter cold, and the wind was harsh and frigid. The moment I stepped outside the inn, the frigid air bit into my cheeks like some immortal parasite. There was no snow at all, but it was cold enough to make up for it. I was beginning to wonder if Crete would ever defrost.

This was the worst time of year, not that any other time of year was much better. Of course, who am I to judge the weather. Many of the villagers look forward to the meager spring warmth just around the corner, so they ignore the frigid temperatures as much as physically possible. Even without that to look forward to, they still wouldn't listen to me, no matter how small the matter.

  The reason they will never listen to me, Andreas the humble innkeeper, is because I am associated with the man named Daedalus, who had suddenly disappeared after the death of his beloved son. He also became known as an untrustworthy demigod, mainly because the villagers believed he was responsible for the winged men who had appeared in the sky several days ago.

I, for one, know that part of that is true. I mean, I was there the whole time. Friendship is one mind in two bodies, the old saying went. The man conjured up the greatest ideas and could execute them perfectly, as if he was born to do exactly that. Others saw Daedalus as a crazy, corrupt psychopath, whereas I saw him as a hero. That is the reason people avoid me so. People these days just can't accept people with opposing opinions. Those who would make contact with me would simply ask, “How, in any way, is Daedalus a hero?”

Daedalus created the minotaur’s labyrinth for King Minos a few years ago. It was meant to house the unearthly beast known as the minotaur, hence the name. Believe it or not, annually, the beast received offerings of maidens and youths to eat. This was what the labyrinth was for: to make sure none of them made it out alive. When a man, Theseus, escaped the labyrinth alive instead of impaled on the minotaur's horns, King Minos became very upset. When he learned that Theseus had vanquished the minotaur, he became furious. He wanted the maze to be inescapable for both humans and minotaurs alike. Because of this recent development, Minos locked Daedalus and his son, Icarus, in a tower. He believed it was Daedalus's fault. They eventually escaped, but they were still imprisoned on this miserable island.

Daedalus was determined to get himself and his son off of this island, no matter the cost. That is a hero in my eyes. He had what seemed like unlimited determination and drive. I remember him attempting to bribe the merchants who would travel to the island to barter, only to come back disappointed, his shoulders sagging as he trudged back to the inn, where I invited him and Icarus to stay after escaping the tower. I could never understand why an inn was needed on this island. Nobody came, and nobody left, other than merchants.

“There has to be a way, Andreas,” He had told me, sitting bent over in his chair, staring desperately at the floor, as if it was going to provide a solution. I smiled sadly at him, enjoying his company and thinking about the limited solutions that were left.

He looked over at me and asked, “How do you manage to stay so positive?”

“I know that, someday, this will all end,” I replied. “When King Minos no longer controls the land and the sea.”

Suddenly Daedalus leaned back in his chair, posture restored. A look of understanding was painted on his face.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Minos may control the land and sea,” he said, “but he does not control the air. I will try to escape that way." And with that, he rushed out the door.

That night he returned to the inn, where I was waiting anxiously for him to elaborate on his new plan.

“Not now. Come to the shore with me tomorrow and I’ll show you,”  he said. I was terribly disappointed, but I went along with it anyway. Curiosity can be a killer.

The next morning, we walked down to the beach, Icarus running as he chased a large toad hopping along the rugged beach. Daedalus led me to a small hole in the rock nearby. He gestured for me to peer inside, and I did.

Inside, there were two pairs of beautiful, feathered wings. Their skeleton was made of hardened wax, and seagull feathers were lightly pushed into it. The larger feathers were tied on.

I stood there and gazed at them for a few minutes.

“Are you planning on flying out of here? That won't be an easy task,” I said to him. He picked up a pair of wings and studied them.

“Yes, it won't be easy, but it is possible. Soon I will fly all of the innocent people off of this island, so they can be free of all evil this island holds. King Minos does not deserve them."

“That’s a very optimistic choice, my friend, but I will stand by you nevertheless,” I told him, considering how lonely it would be without him there. He must have sensed my sorrow, as he put the wings down, faced me, and placed his hands on my shoulders.

“I knew you would. I will come back for you, my friend, I promise you that. No man deserves the torment of this island."

“And I thank you, but what if you don’t make it back? What is something happens?” I replied.

“Have faith in me, Andreas. I see a world beyond this island where all people are free of pain and suffering. I am determined to make it there. If I don’t make it, you will learn from my mistake and continue the search for a viable way off this island.

“Are you really willing to risk all of that?” I asked.

“If it saves all of these innocent people, including you and my son? Yes. I'd do it in a heartbeat.”

They were finally prepared for the expedition. Daedalus and Icarus stood on a large cliff, looking out into the wild, lonely sea. The white feathers on their wings blew gently in the wind. I saw Daedalus pat Icarus on the shoulder and wave back at me. I waved in reply just before they took flight.

I saw them jump and disappear behind the cliff face. For a moment, I thought the plan had failed. But, moments later, I saw them shoot into the sky. 

It was marvelous. The two of them soared like eagles, freely drifting in the wind. They made a loop and soared back over the island, people looking up from their work and gazing at them as they passed overhead. How wonderful that must feel, I thought. Then they turned back and began their flight to freedom.

“I will come back for you, Andreas!”  Daedalus yelled as he flew by. While this statement was being said, Icarus, floating slightly above Daedalus, began to drift upwards. Then, he frantically beat his wings, rising faster and faster. Daedalus turned his head and saw his son's silhouette rising higher and higher into the sky.

“Son! Stay close to me! Your wings will melt if you fly too high!”  He yelled as he tried to reach Icarus.

But Icarus was too far out of reach. He seemed to feel free, as if nothing could go wrong ever again. He rose so high his figure became merely a small dot in the sky. Then, after a few seconds, the dot slowly became larger and larger, until all of Icarus’s features were in full view.

He was falling. The feathers on his wings were scattered all across the sky, no longer attached to the wax skeleton on his back. His scream echoed across the sharp cliffs of the island. Daedalus flew as fast as he could after his son, but he was too late. Icarus plunged into the water at an amazing speed. At this moment my mind was racing. Did he live? Was it all a trick? What if he drowned? What would Daedalus do?

Daedalus dipped down to the sea and searched for his son's body. He eventually discovered it and flew back up to the ledge where they had first taken flight. Tears were streaming from his eyes, and I knew what had happened. I held my head in my hands and began to weep with him. I was constantly thinking of ways that would have prevented his son’s death, but I came up with no solutions. It was his choice. He decided to disobey his father's orders. But he was such a bright and spirited boy.

The following day, Daedalus and I buried Icarus on the same ledge that had sealed his fate. We placed a small ring of stones around the grave, along with what remained of Icarus’s wings. We hammered a sign into the ground nearby that said: Here lies Icarus. May he rest in peace.  After that was done, Daedalus told me that he needed some time to himself, so I returned to the inn alone. An hour later, I heard a loud succession of flaps nearby and ran outside.

It was Daedalus. He was flying away. He was flying away from all the misery this island had caused him. He was flying away to a new life, without me or anyone on this island.

To this day I still await his return. Some believe he will never come back, but I will never give up hope that my friend is still out there, waiting for the right time to come back and take me to a new beginning. I will dare not defy Daedalus’s strength and confidence. Even when his son was taken from him, he showed strength that I could have never conjured. When hope begins to fade, he would be there to make a promise that would never lift from the mass of burdens piled on his back:

“You will make it off this island. Maybe not sooner or later, but you will. I will make sure of that.”

I still believe that all of those burdens he voluntarily put on his shoulders still weigh his spirits. The man I knew would never abandon the ones he loved. The man I knew would never leave innocent people at the hands of a monster. The man I knew would come back.

And so I wait. He will come back. It’s just a matter of time.

Side by side or miles apart, a friend will never leave your heart.