Aly Hampton
Peggy Davis
Mythology
30 OCT 2012
Wide Awake
Alexander jerked awake. The room was dark and
silent. His hand instinctively reached next to him and he brushed against
Desdemona's leg. He had been having the most vivid dream. He was standing in his
parent's living room and it looked exactly as it had the last time he'd seen
it.
"Hello Alexander," a woman's voice murmured.
"Hel..loo..." he responded. He stepped back and tripped over an ottoman. The dream was so real he could feel the texture of it. The lady in green smiled slightly.
"This isn't so much a dream as a... what do you mortals call it? Out of body experience?"
"If that's the case then what is it you want? You've been hanging around in my head for the last week."
"Straight to the point, I like that about you. It's part of the reason I've chosen you."
"Chosen me for what, exactly?"
"You're it. You're the one that can save the world. There's just a few tests you must pass in order for me to fix things."
"Me? Why me? I'm not even a very good person. I have like three unpaid parking tickets in my glove box right now and I used to cheat on my geometry tests. I'm pretty sure I hit a squirrel with my car last week. I think you've got the wrong guy."
The lady in green laughed. "In the grand scheme of things Alexander, those don't matter so much. You, Alexander, are a true warrior. You can choose to make your heart and your mind work together when necessary, not against each other as so many mortals do." She paused and her face took on a melancholy look. "My children have been a disappointment to me the last few hundred years."
"Your children?"
"Don't you realize who I am? I'm the Creator. The Be-All-End-All. Mother Earth. God. Gaea. Whatever name you choose to give me, I am it."
Alexander's eyes widened and his mouth made an O of surprise. "But... you're a chick."
Her eyes blazed and she suddenly seemed to fill the whole room.
"You arrogant child! Why is there this persistent belief that the power of life comes from a man? It is an asinine idea! Who gives birth? Is it a man? No! This is yet another factor into your self destruction! You have lost the true path. In your arrogance you forget the old ways. You have brought this upon yourselves! Year after year, you humans pump garbage into the air and water! There are entire villages that are starving and instead of helping them, you are constantly finding new ways to kill your brothers and sisters! You ungrateful, selfish humans are destroying what I have made for you and neglecting to realize and appreciate the true value of life. And like naughty children who break their toys, I am taking them away."
Alexander dropped to his knees unwillingly as the lady in green forced him down before her.
"You will undergo a series of trials, Alexander. If you pass I will give you the power to rebuild your world. But if you fail, the destruction will continue. One by one the remaining survivors will die until everyone you have ever loved is gone. Then I will wipe the slate clean and start over."
"This new world will be a fresh start. It is my will that you take from this experience the knowledge that life is precious. There must be balance in all things to maintain harmony with your environment. If you take care of me and give me the respect that is my due, I will in turn take care of you." She drew in a breath and shrank back to her previous size. "I will continue coming to you in your dreams. Doubt me or disregard my instructions in anyway and it's, what is the phrase? Game over. No more extra lives."
The room began to fade away and Alexander could feel himself on the edge of waking.
"Wait!" he yelled. "When’s this going down?”
He knew in his heart something big was coming but he wasn't sure what exactly. He went to the window and looked out into the night. As he turned to go back to bed he noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. A woman, a nurse from the look of her clothes, was stumbling down the street. A child was running from her, clutching his arm and screaming at the top of his lungs. Blood dripped off the nurse and the boy.
"This is only the beginning," a voice inside Alexander's head whispered.
Two weeks later found Alexander and Desdemona standing on the roof of a Wal-Mart staring into a mass of over two hundred creeps.
"This is your first task," the lady in green had told him in his dreams the night before. “You must be willing to sacrifice Desdemona in order for you to rescue the other survivors trapped in the store."
He had wrestled with the idea all night and morning. Alexander had been tempted to bundle her up and push on in the other direction, but his conscience reminded him of the selfishness of that act. Save one person? Or attempt to rescue the entirety of humanity? He gulped and gave his girlfriend a shaky smile.
"Let’s go," he whispered. They opened the door to the air duct and crawled into it. The inside of the building was quiet and empty as far as they could tell. They lowered themselves onto the nearest shelf. As Alexander’s feet touched the metal there was a brief sound of shuffling footsteps and the click of a gun cocking.
Minutes later a young blonde woman was hugging them both and crying at the same time while a tall, exhausted looking man stood quietly off to the side.
"I'm so glad to see you!" she cried. "I'm Danae and this is my brother Daemon."
At that moment the creeps that had been milling around outside finally burst through the windows and doors, interrupting the introductions. Alexander glanced at the two women and with reluctance and a sinking heart he picked up Danae and started running. He could hear the pounding footsteps of Daemon running behind them.
"Alexander?!" Desdemona screeched as she struggled to keep up. "Alexander where are you going?" Alexander gripped Danae tighter and never looked back.
Once they had cleared the parking lot and skirted off into the surrounding woods they stopped to catch their breath.
"I knew you'd come," Danae finally said. Alexander was still winded and looked at her quizzically.
"Gaea comes to me in my dreams. She told me a man would come and rescue us and that she had plans for all of us."
"Gaea huh? I just think of her as the lady in green. She's been messing with my head for a month. I'm not so sure how I feel about her."
Danae giggled. "Don't you know Alexander? You're the defender of mankind."
Daemon managed to crack a smile. "She talks to me sometimes too, though not as often as Danae. She mostly repeats herself. 'You are the guardian. Protect them.'"
That night found the trio in the back of an abandoned Volvo station wagon with the doors locked. As soon as he shut his eyes, Alexander fell into a deep sleep. His dreams were always the same. The lady in green came to him in his parent's living room but this time Danae was there with him.
"The second of your tasks," Gaea said, "will be to defeat The Evil One in my name. You will find The Evil One on the far side of the Lake of Morae. Just remember Alexander that you have promised to follow all my instructions without question. If you fail there is no second chance."
The next morning Alexander, Daemon, and Danae started the arduous trek hundreds of miles west to the Lake of Morae. Gaea remained uncomfortably silent throughout their journey. Once they reached the gray beach of the Lake of Morae they discovered an old fishing boat washed up into the rocks. They paddled their way across the cold, choppy water and came upon a large building surrounded by mismatched fence posts and barbed wire. It looked as if it had once been a military base.
Danae grabbed Alexander's hand. "Whatever is in there, you can fight it. I believe in you."
As they scanned the beach for a place to abandon the boat a voice called out, “They’re here!” a voice called out. Another voice, farther away responded,
"Bring them in! She'll want to see them!"
Daemon let out a shaky breath and looked directly at Alexander,
"Gaea warned me about this place. Alexander, you have to remember your task. Don't let your emotions sway you."
Before Alexander could respond a weight landed in the boat, the attached rope used to drag them ashore.
Two large men swooped in on Daemon and Danae and eyed Alexander warily.
"He's not as big as I thought he'd be," the one on the left said to the other.
"Yeah I know. Well, whatever," he shrugged. "She just asked for him, let's take the other two downstairs until we figure out what she wants."
Alexander walked between the two men up to a door that said “AUTHORIZED PERSONEL ONLY” in large block letters.
"In there," the one on the right motioned.
The door swung open and sitting in a chair by the window was a woman holding a baby.
"Hello Alexander." It was Desdemona, her face and arms covered in scars.
Alexander eyed her warily. Part of him was relieved to see she had made it. The rest of him was afraid of what that meant.
“Come and see your son,” she said sweetly, turning the baby to face him. Alexander was immediately repulsed. The child was a creep, or at least appeared to be. His eyes were almost entirely black and he had the gray death pallor the others did. There was even blood dried in the corners of his mouth.
“What is that thing?” he whispered. Before Desdemona could reply the child latched onto her arm and nibbled forcefully for a few moments. When he pulled away there were small bite size pieces missing from his mother’s flesh.
“This is Than, he’s the new beginning. If we’re going to make it in this world, we have to adapt.” The child looked up at Desdemona as she spoke and cooed. “See? He’s like them but he’s still human too. I was pregnant when you left me to die, did you know? But I’m rambling,” she paused.
“I somehow managed to fight my way through the herd of creeps, after being bitten all over, of course. I don’t know how, but I didn’t die. Then a few months later I found this place and had Than.”
Gaea’s voice whispered in Alexander’s ear. “You must destroy them. They will bring about the death and destruction I spoke of before.”
“This little guy is our hope,” Desdemona continued. “If we can become them, but still retain our humanity, then the few like Than will be able to rule what’s left of this world.”
As soon as she finished speaking Alexander reacted. He walked over to Desdemona and drew a blade from within his sleeve. In a fluid movement he wrenched her head back and slit her throat. He turned and grabbed Than, careful to keep his arms away from the mouth and opened the window.
“You are not my son!” he screamed and threw him into the water below.
Gaea appeared to Alexander in the room, dressed in green as always. “I’m very proud of you,” she said. “Only two tasks remain. The next is that you lead these people. They need to be instructed in my ways and taught the new way of life. I will return to you at this time next year and deliver your final task.”
The winter brought about several changes, most importantly the birth of three daughters to Alexander and Danae. Uncle Daemon was charged with their care as the parents educated their new people and solved disputes.
On the girls’ first birthday Gaea came to Alexander for the final time. She had chosen to appear before the entire community on this occasion. She assumed her full size and towered over the humans.
"Hello Alexander," a woman's voice murmured.
"Hel..loo..." he responded. He stepped back and tripped over an ottoman. The dream was so real he could feel the texture of it. The lady in green smiled slightly.
"This isn't so much a dream as a... what do you mortals call it? Out of body experience?"
"If that's the case then what is it you want? You've been hanging around in my head for the last week."
"Straight to the point, I like that about you. It's part of the reason I've chosen you."
"Chosen me for what, exactly?"
"You're it. You're the one that can save the world. There's just a few tests you must pass in order for me to fix things."
"Me? Why me? I'm not even a very good person. I have like three unpaid parking tickets in my glove box right now and I used to cheat on my geometry tests. I'm pretty sure I hit a squirrel with my car last week. I think you've got the wrong guy."
The lady in green laughed. "In the grand scheme of things Alexander, those don't matter so much. You, Alexander, are a true warrior. You can choose to make your heart and your mind work together when necessary, not against each other as so many mortals do." She paused and her face took on a melancholy look. "My children have been a disappointment to me the last few hundred years."
"Your children?"
"Don't you realize who I am? I'm the Creator. The Be-All-End-All. Mother Earth. God. Gaea. Whatever name you choose to give me, I am it."
Alexander's eyes widened and his mouth made an O of surprise. "But... you're a chick."
Her eyes blazed and she suddenly seemed to fill the whole room.
"You arrogant child! Why is there this persistent belief that the power of life comes from a man? It is an asinine idea! Who gives birth? Is it a man? No! This is yet another factor into your self destruction! You have lost the true path. In your arrogance you forget the old ways. You have brought this upon yourselves! Year after year, you humans pump garbage into the air and water! There are entire villages that are starving and instead of helping them, you are constantly finding new ways to kill your brothers and sisters! You ungrateful, selfish humans are destroying what I have made for you and neglecting to realize and appreciate the true value of life. And like naughty children who break their toys, I am taking them away."
Alexander dropped to his knees unwillingly as the lady in green forced him down before her.
"You will undergo a series of trials, Alexander. If you pass I will give you the power to rebuild your world. But if you fail, the destruction will continue. One by one the remaining survivors will die until everyone you have ever loved is gone. Then I will wipe the slate clean and start over."
"This new world will be a fresh start. It is my will that you take from this experience the knowledge that life is precious. There must be balance in all things to maintain harmony with your environment. If you take care of me and give me the respect that is my due, I will in turn take care of you." She drew in a breath and shrank back to her previous size. "I will continue coming to you in your dreams. Doubt me or disregard my instructions in anyway and it's, what is the phrase? Game over. No more extra lives."
The room began to fade away and Alexander could feel himself on the edge of waking.
"Wait!" he yelled. "When’s this going down?”
He knew in his heart something big was coming but he wasn't sure what exactly. He went to the window and looked out into the night. As he turned to go back to bed he noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. A woman, a nurse from the look of her clothes, was stumbling down the street. A child was running from her, clutching his arm and screaming at the top of his lungs. Blood dripped off the nurse and the boy.
"This is only the beginning," a voice inside Alexander's head whispered.
Two weeks later found Alexander and Desdemona standing on the roof of a Wal-Mart staring into a mass of over two hundred creeps.
"This is your first task," the lady in green had told him in his dreams the night before. “You must be willing to sacrifice Desdemona in order for you to rescue the other survivors trapped in the store."
He had wrestled with the idea all night and morning. Alexander had been tempted to bundle her up and push on in the other direction, but his conscience reminded him of the selfishness of that act. Save one person? Or attempt to rescue the entirety of humanity? He gulped and gave his girlfriend a shaky smile.
"Let’s go," he whispered. They opened the door to the air duct and crawled into it. The inside of the building was quiet and empty as far as they could tell. They lowered themselves onto the nearest shelf. As Alexander’s feet touched the metal there was a brief sound of shuffling footsteps and the click of a gun cocking.
Minutes later a young blonde woman was hugging them both and crying at the same time while a tall, exhausted looking man stood quietly off to the side.
"I'm so glad to see you!" she cried. "I'm Danae and this is my brother Daemon."
At that moment the creeps that had been milling around outside finally burst through the windows and doors, interrupting the introductions. Alexander glanced at the two women and with reluctance and a sinking heart he picked up Danae and started running. He could hear the pounding footsteps of Daemon running behind them.
"Alexander?!" Desdemona screeched as she struggled to keep up. "Alexander where are you going?" Alexander gripped Danae tighter and never looked back.
Once they had cleared the parking lot and skirted off into the surrounding woods they stopped to catch their breath.
"I knew you'd come," Danae finally said. Alexander was still winded and looked at her quizzically.
"Gaea comes to me in my dreams. She told me a man would come and rescue us and that she had plans for all of us."
"Gaea huh? I just think of her as the lady in green. She's been messing with my head for a month. I'm not so sure how I feel about her."
Danae giggled. "Don't you know Alexander? You're the defender of mankind."
Daemon managed to crack a smile. "She talks to me sometimes too, though not as often as Danae. She mostly repeats herself. 'You are the guardian. Protect them.'"
That night found the trio in the back of an abandoned Volvo station wagon with the doors locked. As soon as he shut his eyes, Alexander fell into a deep sleep. His dreams were always the same. The lady in green came to him in his parent's living room but this time Danae was there with him.
"The second of your tasks," Gaea said, "will be to defeat The Evil One in my name. You will find The Evil One on the far side of the Lake of Morae. Just remember Alexander that you have promised to follow all my instructions without question. If you fail there is no second chance."
The next morning Alexander, Daemon, and Danae started the arduous trek hundreds of miles west to the Lake of Morae. Gaea remained uncomfortably silent throughout their journey. Once they reached the gray beach of the Lake of Morae they discovered an old fishing boat washed up into the rocks. They paddled their way across the cold, choppy water and came upon a large building surrounded by mismatched fence posts and barbed wire. It looked as if it had once been a military base.
Danae grabbed Alexander's hand. "Whatever is in there, you can fight it. I believe in you."
As they scanned the beach for a place to abandon the boat a voice called out, “They’re here!” a voice called out. Another voice, farther away responded,
"Bring them in! She'll want to see them!"
Daemon let out a shaky breath and looked directly at Alexander,
"Gaea warned me about this place. Alexander, you have to remember your task. Don't let your emotions sway you."
Before Alexander could respond a weight landed in the boat, the attached rope used to drag them ashore.
Two large men swooped in on Daemon and Danae and eyed Alexander warily.
"He's not as big as I thought he'd be," the one on the left said to the other.
"Yeah I know. Well, whatever," he shrugged. "She just asked for him, let's take the other two downstairs until we figure out what she wants."
Alexander walked between the two men up to a door that said “AUTHORIZED PERSONEL ONLY” in large block letters.
"In there," the one on the right motioned.
The door swung open and sitting in a chair by the window was a woman holding a baby.
"Hello Alexander." It was Desdemona, her face and arms covered in scars.
Alexander eyed her warily. Part of him was relieved to see she had made it. The rest of him was afraid of what that meant.
“Come and see your son,” she said sweetly, turning the baby to face him. Alexander was immediately repulsed. The child was a creep, or at least appeared to be. His eyes were almost entirely black and he had the gray death pallor the others did. There was even blood dried in the corners of his mouth.
“What is that thing?” he whispered. Before Desdemona could reply the child latched onto her arm and nibbled forcefully for a few moments. When he pulled away there were small bite size pieces missing from his mother’s flesh.
“This is Than, he’s the new beginning. If we’re going to make it in this world, we have to adapt.” The child looked up at Desdemona as she spoke and cooed. “See? He’s like them but he’s still human too. I was pregnant when you left me to die, did you know? But I’m rambling,” she paused.
“I somehow managed to fight my way through the herd of creeps, after being bitten all over, of course. I don’t know how, but I didn’t die. Then a few months later I found this place and had Than.”
Gaea’s voice whispered in Alexander’s ear. “You must destroy them. They will bring about the death and destruction I spoke of before.”
“This little guy is our hope,” Desdemona continued. “If we can become them, but still retain our humanity, then the few like Than will be able to rule what’s left of this world.”
As soon as she finished speaking Alexander reacted. He walked over to Desdemona and drew a blade from within his sleeve. In a fluid movement he wrenched her head back and slit her throat. He turned and grabbed Than, careful to keep his arms away from the mouth and opened the window.
“You are not my son!” he screamed and threw him into the water below.
Gaea appeared to Alexander in the room, dressed in green as always. “I’m very proud of you,” she said. “Only two tasks remain. The next is that you lead these people. They need to be instructed in my ways and taught the new way of life. I will return to you at this time next year and deliver your final task.”
The winter brought about several changes, most importantly the birth of three daughters to Alexander and Danae. Uncle Daemon was charged with their care as the parents educated their new people and solved disputes.
On the girls’ first birthday Gaea came to Alexander for the final time. She had chosen to appear before the entire community on this occasion. She assumed her full size and towered over the humans.
“Here is your final task,” she decreed.
“Alexander, it is my will that you sacrifice one of your daughters to me,” her
voice echoed ominously.
“No way! I can’t!” he instantly replied. “You can have me if you’re bent on taking someone. My daughters are the future of this place you crazy lady! They’ve been raised to honor and respect you just like you asked, so just go ahead and take me, but you can’t have them.”
There was a long pause while everyone in the crowd held their breath and waited for her reaction. Suddenly, Gaea smiled and warm sunshine fell on them all.
“That was the correct choice! You have truly learned something from all of your hardship. You are right, Alexander. Your three daughters will shape and control the fate of humanity. Without all of them there would be no future for mankind. You have proven yourself very noble young Alexander. Do not forget what you have learned and your people will prosper.”
The lady in green receded into the clouds and a rainbow burst out of the sky. Alexander put his arm around Danae and his daughters and smiled.
“No way! I can’t!” he instantly replied. “You can have me if you’re bent on taking someone. My daughters are the future of this place you crazy lady! They’ve been raised to honor and respect you just like you asked, so just go ahead and take me, but you can’t have them.”
There was a long pause while everyone in the crowd held their breath and waited for her reaction. Suddenly, Gaea smiled and warm sunshine fell on them all.
“That was the correct choice! You have truly learned something from all of your hardship. You are right, Alexander. Your three daughters will shape and control the fate of humanity. Without all of them there would be no future for mankind. You have proven yourself very noble young Alexander. Do not forget what you have learned and your people will prosper.”
The lady in green receded into the clouds and a rainbow burst out of the sky. Alexander put his arm around Danae and his daughters and smiled.
Annotated
Bibliography
Berens, E.M. Myths and Legends of
Ancient Greece and Rome. n.p.: Project Gutenberg, n.d.
eBook
Collection. Web.
22 Sept, 2012.
·
In ‘Wide Awake’ Alexander and the other
survivors must recreate the world from chaos and destruction, which is seen
repeatedly throughout the Greek creation mythologies.
·
This source came from Project Gutenberg and
the book is used as a generalized handbook of information regarding the gods
and goddesses of ancient Greece and Rome.
Hesiod. Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns,
And Homerica. n.p.: Project Gutenberg, n.d. eBook
Collection.
Web. 22 Sept. 2012
·
The role of Demeter as the aggrieved mother
earth who punishes humans is the main plot in ‘Wide Awake’.
·
The source came from Project Gutenberg and is
one of the principal sources of Homeric myth.
Homer. The Illiad. Trans. E.V.
Rieu, New York City: Penguin Books, 1960. Print.
·
The Illiad is a
heroic tale illustrating the strength of those determined to fight for what
they believe in. The tale of Alexander does the same as he fights his way
towards restoring his world in hopes of surivival.
·
E.V. Rieu was a well known translator of
several other ancient mythologies, such as Jason
and the Golden Fleece, and was recognized by The Royal Society of
Literature for his contributions to the literary world.
Homer. The
Odyssey. Trans. E.V. Rieu. New York City: Penguin Books, 1946. Print
·
‘Wide Awake’ is loosely based on the story of
Odysseus and his arduous journey home.
·
E.V. Rieu was a well known translator of
several other ancient mythologies, such as The
Pastoral Poems, and was recognized by The Royal Society of Literature for
his contributions to the literary world.
Petsko GA: The walking dead. Genome Biology 2011. 12:108.
·
This article discusses the use of zombies in
popular culture to illustrate the fear mankind has of its own destruction and
the impossibilities of them being scientifically created. If, according to
this, there is no medical confirmation of how they come to be, for the purpose
of ‘Wide Awake’ this shows that it must be from an outside, supernatural force.
·
This source came from the BioMed Central
website, a collection of scholarly medical and scientific journals.
Plato, and Benjamin Jowett. The
Republic. n.p.: Project Gutenberg, n.d. eBook
Collection. Web.
2 Oct. 2012.
2 Oct. 2012.
·
Plato directly references the concept of the
three fates and names them. Alexander’s daughters at the end of the story are
representative of the moerae and Plato’s interpretation of helping direct faith
by wisdom is used.
·
This is a public domain source found on
Project Gutenberg and Jowett was a professor of Greek and theology at Oxford
University.
Powell, Barry B. Classical
Myth. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998. Print.
·
The text book expounds on the meanings of the labors of Heracles
as well as the definition and purpose of the three fates.
·
Barry B. Powell is a Professor of Classics at The University of
Wisconsin-Madison and specializes in Homeric myth.
The Twelve Labours of Hercules, Son of
Jupiter & Alcmena. n.p. Project Gutenberg, n.d. eBook
Collection. Web. 22 Sept. 2012.
·
The myth of Heracles, a hero forced to
complete labors as a form of atonement for past transgressions, is one of the
main themes of the story of Alexander. He must complete the tasks Mother Earth
sets before him in order to restore the planet.
·
This source comes from Project Gutenberg and
is a well documented interpretation of the Heracles/Hercules story.
Works Consulted
Berens, E.M. Myths and Legends of
Ancient Greece and Rome. n.p.: Project Gutenberg, n.d.
eBook
Collection. Web.
22 Sept, 2012.
Hesiod. Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns,
And Homerica. n.p.: Project Gutenberg, n.d. eBook
Collection.
Web. 22 Sept. 2012
Homer. The Illiad. Trans. E.V.
Rieu, New York City: Penguin Books, 1960. Print.
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans.
E.V. Rieu. New York City: Penguin Books, 1946. Print.
Petsko GA: The walking dead. Genome
Biology 2011. 12:108.
Plato, and Benjamin Jowett. The
Republic. n.p.: Project Gutenberg, n.d. eBook
Collection. Web.
2 Oct. 2012.
2 Oct. 2012.
Powell,
Barry B. Classical Myth. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998.
Print.
The Twelve Labours of Hercules, Son of
Jupiter & Alcmena. n.p.
Project Gutenberg, n.d. eBook
Collection. Web. 22 Sept. 2012.
