Brittany Manchisi Short Story

Baby Hebe’s Blessing A Story of the Creation of Dimples On a dark and stormy night, high above the clouds, Zeus stood with both feet planted firmly in the ground on the highest tower of his castle of shimmering gold. From the top of Mount Olympus, the tallest mountain in all of Greece, Zeus was ferociously hurling thunderbolts causing chaos down below on Earth. Many people were frightened by the loud, mean growl of the thunder, but Zeus’ children Eile, Ares, and Eris weren’t the least bit scared. The children always dreamed about the possibility of someday becoming as mighty and powerful as their father. However, Hebe, the youngest child of Zeus, was ashamed of the disturbance her father’s powers caused. While the other children “oohed” and “ahhed” over their father’s skills, Hebe always ignored them and continued playing in the garden. She played quietly and peacefully, entertaining herself with the everyday nature around her. When Zeus finally became exhausted from creating the tremendous show he had put on for his children, he promised them that he would continue where he left off the following day. “When do we get to try our very own powers?” asked Eris, the tomboy of the foursome. She’s always trying to be tough like her brothers and never show any hesitation to try something dangerous. “Someday soon,” Zeus answered, “I would love to begin your lessons quicker; however, your mother doesn’t seem to agree. You’ll get a chance, even if we have to bend the house rules,” he chuckled. As each child walked one behind the other, in single file just like baby ducklings heading down the long spiral staircase, they all chattered about the memorable moments of their father’s demonstration of strength and power. “Did you see how scared the mortals were when daddy threw down the last bolt of lightning? I hope when I get older, like him I will have a fierce effect on people,” said Ares, the always rough and mischievous son. He always considered danger exciting and would often pull pranks on his other siblings, just to get attention from his parents. “After what dad did, he’s my hero. His storms are always dangerous and crazy; I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Eile. With Eile’s creative and clever side she always seemed to analyze a situation completely before developing a final opinion. As the children reached the final steps, Hera called to the children with a troubled expression in her voice. “Where were you for so long and what could you three have possibly been doing?” The children looked at each other uneasily; they all knew well enough that their mother entirely disapproved of letting the young children observe violent behavior. Ares came up with a lie that was not as believable has he planned. “We were playing in the garden with Hebe. She looked lonely so we decided to help her catch butterflies.” “I highly doubt it,” Hera said. “Look at her,” she said as she pointed to the window. “I have been watching Hebe as she was playing happily by herself for hours from my window.” Hera was immediately onto her children. Although she and her husband had discussed and argued about these issues several times before, Zeus still showed the children his dangerous deeds. Hera always had the philosophy that children should be nurtured, loved, and cared for. She avoided talking about the violence and hatred going on in the world. But every time she talked to Zeus about the situation, they could never seem to agree. No matter what Hera would say Zeus was not going to change his mind. Hera just couldn’t understand Zeus’ side of the argument. Zeus became aggravated and decided to whisk the three oldest children away to the tower immediately. “They can’t be children forever, he thought, they must learn to develop their own individual powers.” As each child began to understand the basic lessons of distributing nature, they began to cause storms, darken clouds, and push wind. The following evening, at the same time, the children perfected their task and Zeus decided to teach them more advanced lessons. The children all wanted to tell their mother about their accomplishments but of course they held back and continued to keep their secret. Their mother would be furious if she knew the children had learned the full force of their powers. Each day the children did not want their lessons to end; they would drag their heels as they descended down the staircase. Hera quietly waited for them, completely aware of what had been going on. Her face had a tired and worn expression, exhausted from the stress and worries in her life. She whispered to the children to take their little sister who was cuddled in their mother’s arms. They each remembered the feeling of being so close to someone they loved so much. Although all three of them longed for that feeling again, they didn’t dare to speak their mind because they were sure they’d be considered childish. Hera told them to wait out in the garden as her parents had an “adult discussion.” The children knew that the outcome would not be good and did not challenge her request. When the door shut behind them, the house was filled with silence. Hera stared at Zeus and Zeus immediately filled with regret. Although both Hera and Zeus were filled with rage neither of them raised their voices. “This has come too far,” Hera began, “We’ve discussed this before, and violence is not the right way to raise children. They already are exposed to the full potential of their powers. Are they mature enough to have this responsibility?” “It was never my intention to put violence into their lives,” he began, thinking over his choice of words thoroughly before he spoke, “From the moment I was born, my parents believed that whatever powers I had, good or bad, were a privilege. I was exposed to my power at an early age and I began to enjoy the power and strength it gave me. I never meant to hurt anyone; I just wanted to share the experience with my children. When I saw the smiles on my children’s faces I couldn’t stop instructing them. I wanted to obey your rules, but I believed that teaching them their powers was the right thing to do.” Hera was shocked at the well intentions of her husband. She had never understood the reason why and began to accept her husband’s perspective. Zeus hoped to bring his daughter, Hebe, out to try out her powers for the very first time. Hera eventually gave in and decided it was fair for all the children to have equal and undivided attention given from their parents. Zeus arranged that the following day he would take his baby to the large tower. The children were allowed inside after the decision was confirmed. Hera and Zeus gathered the children all together and shared the news that the oldest three will spend the day with their mother, while Hebe spent the day experimenting with her powers. The following day as they were climbing the long dark staircase, Hebe began to regret agreeing to come along with her father. She eventually found enough courage to tell her father how wrong she thought it was for her brothers and sisters to be bringing harm into the world. “I don’t want to follow in their foot steps this time,” she stated, shaking her head in disapproval, “If I’m going to learn how to use my powers, I want to use them safely.” Zeus tries to teach her everything he knew, but nothing satisfied her. Zeus become extremely frustrated, but refused to give in and risk giving up the opportunity of sharing his childhood memories with her. As Zeus demonstrated his most powerful power, throwing lightning, Hebe thought of a brilliant idea. “I won’t throw scary bolts of lightning; if they frighten me they will definitely frighten the young babies down on Earth. However, I won’t mind throwing tiny sparks. They are pretty and mostly harmless.” Zeus considered this; although it wasn’t exactly how he pictured the lesson, he agreed. Zeus surprisingly enjoyed the experience with his youngest daughter, creating memories that would last a lifetime. Hebe enjoyed creating tiny sparks, but she did not want to put her powers to waste. After a discussion with her mother, the goddess of fertility, Hebe decided she would direct the sparks to land gently on newborn babies who are born to mothers who believe it is important to always be gentle, kind, and nurturing to their children. Hebe’s spark leaves a precious dimple on their chin, a sign of her tiny finger blessing them with a pure and innocent mark of eternal love and kindness. .

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