The Hero

When he was an infant lying at his mother's breast, she told him tales of adventure, of epic journeys across unexplored lands and uncharted waters.  She told him of mighty battles, of monsters slain, of mountains climbed and demons conquered.  She gazed at him and he saw in her eyes a world of challenge and achievement.  He returned her gaze and was affected by her enthusiasm and sense of wonder.

Her friends said to her "you are wasting your time talking to him, he is only newborn, he cannot understand a word you are saying".  But the mother only smiled at them. She knew he could somehow understand her.  What they didn't realise is that these stories had cultivated in him a lifelong empathy for others, an ability to listen without interruption, an interest in what others had to say without having to reply or verbally engage with them.

When he was a young boy, he longed to be a mighty adventurer, riding a big white horse and saving his people from the fire of the dragon or from the plundering hordes from the north lands.  But he had been born with a slight physical disability and he was unable to play football with his friends or run in the races at school.  His darling mother suggested that he join the local archery club where he excelled at this unique sport which requires patience and mental agility.    His mother told him softly that sometimes when you can't do something that you would really like to do, the universe points you in a different direction and you must be open to this change of course.   Because he couldn't play football, he learned to be a top archer but also derived much enjoyment from this sport.

When he was 16, a lovely young girl came from afar with her family and joined the archery club.  They immediately had an understanding between them and they laughed and chatted whilst both practicing for the county finals.    

In time they married.  They were very happy together and they knew their future lay with one another forever.      They had 2 little children and their family was complete.

However when the smallest child was 2, he contacted a rare blood disease and died.  The man and his wife were inconsolable.      They could not even talk to one another.  The woman took the other child and returned to the faraway land from where she came. The man plunged into a deep depression and he could find no joy in anything.  He loved his wife and child with all his heart and he mourned deeply for his son who had died.  He struggled to remember his mother's words about the universe sending him in a certain direction and he decided that he would find his wife and be with her no matter what.

He set out to find her with no money in his pocket and he roamed about in strange lands, hearing strange languages that he didn't understand, as he begged for food and shelter.  He found work on farms and in factories all the time holding the image of her and the child in his head. He became ill and was hospitalised for one month but he recovered and became stronger in his resolve to find them.  He was beaten by thugs and laughed at by locals but he moved forward all the time knowing that he would never give up no matter what price he paid. 

And then one day he came to a village and he recognised the name from her conversations when they were young.    He asked for her and people became suspicious because he was bedraggled and unkempt.    He swam in the local river and bought himself some clothes and paid a visit to the barber where he had a haircut and his beard shaved.  He still wanted to look well when he encountered his wife and child.   This was out of respect for her.

He found her on a small farm where her grandparents lived.  He heard her voice before he saw her and his heart jumped.     He walked up to her and they could not speak.   He knew he would die if she rejected him.    But she smiled and she wept.   His little daughter came running over shouting "daddy, daddy" and his heart nearly burst with joy.   He knew that somehow they would work things out and they could be together again.  This would take time but he was a empathetic listener and he would gaze upon her and she would understand how much he cared.

He gave up all ambitions of being a heroic adventurer, of fighting battles, of slaying dragons. He decided he just wanted to be an ordinary, decent man who does the right thing.
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This is a story I wrote for a short story competition when I was about 16. I got third place and won 2 cinema tickets.   I came across it last week when I was going through a scrapbook.  My photo is of a front cover of Homer's Iliad.

I hope you enjoy the story