Putting on Heirs

Here is the third part of the fourth exercise. Again with the repetition. Only now, it is repetition of the structure, which is to say, some part of the story itself, rather than the words or rhythm is repeated, such as an action or event. I accidentally already accomplished this exercise in the story Raven. I anticipated the repetition technique. But, here is what I hope is another example of the repetition technique.

Heir

The wind blew off the sea. It was a cooling breeze, the man thought as he reached the top of a hill. The sea stretched out before him. he was unafraid. He carried with him a satchel for his belongings. He scanned the horizon, seeing no ships masts or sails. His eyes reached the shore again and saw across a green valley another hill. On top sat a town behind a tall wall, with watch towers. He adjusted the spear he carried in his hand. He had no fear. He would soon be vaulting walls much bigger than those, with sentries much more sinister, and foes much more dangerous. He noticed next to him an altar. Taking a few steps towards it, he saw it was an altar to Zeus. The could not even scare him.

He walked away, down the hill and into a gathering of people. Everyone craned their necks to see and hear and the little ones tugged at togas to get to know what the fuss was all about. he strode through the crowd till he reached a comfortable spot.

A bard danced about before them all. He sang a ridiculous and raucous song while throwing things in the air and catching them while all the people laughed. The act ended to shouts of pleasure, but then the man of everyone's attention became quite grave. He looked about , not menacingly, but worried that those within his confidence lacked something mortally important.

"Do you know?" His voice was slightly more than a whisper. Everyone hushed. "Do you know?" he asked again pleading from face to face all around him. Louder now, he asked them all again, "Do you know the beginning?" And the people looked around slightly confused. He said so all could clearly hear him now: "Do you know how ruled the great gods and whence they came and how majestic their power became? Do you know the truth of the matter of the immortal deities? Well, what are we teaching our young these days. Leave it to this old bard then.

From against a rock, he too up his lyre and with a chord strummed shook the revelry from everyone and brought worry and doubt. Another discord strummed and his hand continued in grand gesture pointing to the Olympians high upon their thrones.

"As many stories begin, so does this one: not where one might think. Not on the snowy clearness of Olympus, but everywhere and nowhere. Chasm ruled al and was it all. For none could chaos but Chasm. Chasm wrought the Earth in all her random holy mess and brought forth Earth's mothering wisdom. And Mother Earth then ruled the world in Chasm's place for now there was order from the abyss. And Earth's rule was fair of face and firm of figure and flowers grew in meadows made for maidens, while mountains crashed up and up and over it all Earth bore Heaven to worship her and she him, for without passionate Eros, all would be lost and potential would not be. And earth's equal, Heaven, gave to earth his seed and she then in her mighty wisdom she created children of power and of light. Many stories do her children have but only her own struggle concerns us now. For it is there where we find the fate of our own predicament.

"The youngest of all Earth's children, the most brave, the most clever, the most exacting; the one who was not afraid. It was he who stood up to the invincibility of his astral father.

"As for Heaven, he remained frightened of his children and so once each was born, he hid them deep in the caverns of earth. He could not bear their birth. And when Mother Earth could bear such suffering no longer, she riled her children. 'Who among you is not afraid? Who among you is mighty enough to wield this weapon of my creation, Who has the power to slice with my sharp sickle at the power of Father Heaven?' And only one among the many children of Earth, whether of her own making or from the loins of Heaven, stood forth and raised their voice in courage.

"'I shall,' stated bold Kronos. The strong-handed Titan took up the sickle and waited.

"And the time came when Heaven came down upon Earth, revealed himself and filled her deepest inner reaches and at that moment, hard hearted Kronos swung his blade, scattering Heaven's power across the Earth and sea and over the wide width of the world. And from them arose more tales of power, beauty, and love, which we must forsake for our most important of tales concerning us now. For from that strike onwards, Kronos ruled the world from the distant high mantles of the sky to the lowest, darkest crags beneath the land. With his power, he took fair eyed Rhea, his sister, to wife and showed his power through his divine offspring.

"But it was just those offspring who he feared. He grew timid when he heard, and remembered, the children of the mighty are also the greatest threat to the mighty. And so, not trusting his wife's dark recesses, he swallowed each offspring as its mother bore them. In a gulp each, he assured his place atop the world.

"And lo, how beautiful eyed Rhea suffered and tor at her hair and garments and grew weary and sad giving up her children to the mighty mouth of Kronos. She sought the wisdom of her mother and father, Earth and Heaven and they divined the future. When her broad shouldered son approached, heralded by floods and lightning strikes of pain, she snuck through darkness, hiding herself away from even the most penetrating vision. There she bore thunder wielding Zeus, in secret and safety. To her mighty husband she handed a rock, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and named him son, Zeus, and bold Kronos, he took the boulder up and right away devoured it whole, knowing his food sustained him in his power.

"But in great secret in the caves and gardens of Crete, there grew a boy who would challenge the mighty Kronos. The son of Heaven's son brought forth his rival power and with his mother's aid and knowledge he overthrew the tyrant Kronos and forced out each sibling in turn to be free and roam the land and sea and skies in freedom, pronouncing their own glory. Kronos could not stop allmighty Zeus. Coming to Kronos' aid were the rest of his siblings, the Titans, but they could only compete with these overpowering Olympians.

"After ten long years of suffering and strife, the immortal gods of Olympus prevailed, overthrowing their Titan forebears and tossing them forever into the abyss of Tartaros.

"And thus it comes to reality the Thunder bearing god became father of all and ruled if not beneficently or mercifully, than most certainly, justly over the wide earth. Remember forever that what we have can be taken away and give unto he whose plans never fail, whose all knowing and cunning have yet to miss their mark, the mighty, the powerful -"

"Bard!" came a shout from the audience. "Silver tongued Bard! the traveling man with the spears and satchel said, stepping forward. "Bard! Answer a searching man a question! In what direction did you say lies mighty Olympus? Remind me where I might find this thunder bearing Zeus!"

The bard faltered, began to speak, and then, just stood pointing in the direction of Mount Olympus, home of the gods.

"Thanks from a stranger, fair Bard," the man said and turned in that direction.

"Wait! Wait fine sir! What awaits you on the Olympic mountain? Do you travel to pray? To sacrifice? To divine your future? Surely you must have some purpose to your journey?"

The traveling man stopped, turned his head, and said over his shoulder, "I pray none to no one. I sacrifice to no one and so never sacrifice in vain. My future, I know already, Bard of sweet words. I lay claim to Olympus. I challenge the might of those gods. I am the heir to Zeus and I got to take my rightful throne. He can not stop me," he said facing forward. "I am not afraid."