Akiva Mattenson February 26, 2010

Mrs. Weiner 9H1 Wiki Olympics: Myth

Part I

The letter lay open on the desk. A flickering fire, emanating from

a slowly diminishing candlestick, illuminated the room with an intimate

light – just strong enough to disperse the shadowy darkness. The youth

reached for his spectacles and gripped the lifeless sheet. As he read it

quietly to himself once more, a pallet of emotions danced across his

face – fear, anxiety, and excitement….

The letter invited him to study in the Sublime Academy. Now,

this academy was more than a school of excellence. The Sublime

Academy was a restricted and private school limited to gods alone.

There, they studied all fields of education. From the time he was a

small child, he had desired to engage in debates and philosophical

discussions with the great gods and goddesses. Once every ten years,

a mortal was chosen to join the ranks of the most highly astute

individuals, and this year, that man was he. Though still relatively

young, twenty-three, Limbus was an erudite and cultured patron of the

arts. No doubt, he had much to learn, but he was quite deserving of

such a prestigious honor. The memorandum describing his admission

had been received the previous night, and he had already completed

packing for the long journey. As the letter has stated, a god by the

name of Hysteria would accompany him to his new accommodations.

The dispatch approximated his time of arrival as 7:15 p.m.

 Slowly, Limbus rose from his chair and drifted towards his

window. He peered through the pellucid panes, hoping to catch a

glimpse of the stranger who would escort him away from his mundane

community. He strained his eyes but in the darkness of the asphalt

below, he could not make out any shapes. As he wandered back to his

chair a cold zephyr swept through the room, sending a slight shiver

down his spine. He gazed at the wooden clock in the far corner of his

haphazard closet. The time read 7:25. Limbus was growing impatient.

He began to question the entire endeavor – should I go? Was this all a

hoax? Suddenly, from the corner of his eye he saw a flash of white light

descend from the heavens. The light dazzled him, and when he

regained his vision the streets had returned to darkness. Curious

regarding the events that had just transpired, Limbus descended the

stairwell. When he arrived at the door, a man was standing directly in

front of him. He was dressed in a long white robe, resembling the linen

tunic of the ancient priests. His eyes were a deep blue, an ocean

surrounding the bridge of his nose. He possessed a flowing, argent

beard that tapered off near his chest. His face was seasoned and worn

down by many years of study, and his wrinkled temple displayed a

man parted from his youth.

“The name is Hysteria. Pleased to make your acquaintance,” he

said with grace and just a touch of ostentation.

 “Uh…hello,” responded Limbus. “I’m Limbus. Well then…I guess

you are here to take me to the academy? Is this correct?” Limbus was

flustered and slightly intimidated by the overbearing presence of

Hysteria. Nonetheless, he tried to regain his composure and gather his

belongings for the journey. Once he had accumulated his luggage,

Hysteria directed him to the chariot, where he aided Limbus in

transferring his cases into the rear compartment. Though he

attempted to maintain a serious presence, Limbus broke out in a

slowly widening smile.

Hysteria questioned, “Alright then, are we ready?” Limbus

nodded in response. With that, Hysteria grasped the reigns and

whipped them across the backs of some indiscernible animals. In a

burst of fiery brightness, the chariot was launched into the sky. Limbus

could hardly contain his excitement, and as his town grew smaller and

smaller becoming a mere dot, Limbus envisioned his new home in the

heavenly spheres.

Part II

The chariot glanced off a small patch of pebbled dirt and skidded

along the remainder of the road. Eventually, Hysteria was able to

regain control of the vehicle and slowly bring it to halt. Hysteria

descended from the driver’s seat, which had preserved an indentation

of his posterior, and unloaded Limbus’s belongings. Ahead, the

academy could be seen with the clarity of a glass goblet. Its gleaming
pediment overflowed with depictions of the Gods and their heroic acts.

Directly below this magnificent display was an ornately decorated

frieze colored with emerald and alabaster patterns. Calligraphic

lettering littered the ionic columns, describing the goal of the

academy: To cultivate intelligence amongst the intelligent. Limbus

stared at the magnificent structure in awe and amazement, while

Hysteria, appearing as an obsequious servant, collected the last of

Limbus’s bags. They approached the overwhelming golden gateway

that lead into the courtyard of the school. After announcing their

presence, Hysteria and Limbus watched as the gates slowly drew open.

This was Limbus’s first glance at his new accommodations. The men

dressed in pristine togas that folded over the curves of their body with

precision and an element of perfection. They all boasted bald heads

with a few scraggly white hairs ascending from their scalp, and each

one was perpetually engaged in the practiced art of stroking his long

beard. Limbus was suddenly questioned by Hysteria, who was now

many paces ahead of him.

“This is the mortal wing of our building. Are you impressed?”

Limbus nodded and responded, “Yes. Most definitely so.

However, I am curious to visit your quarters, or perhaps to visit the

central study hall?”

Hysteria chuckled quietly to himself. After a brief pause, he said, “Of

course my eager protégé.”

 Hysteria released his hold on Limbus’s bulging luggage and left it

in the capable hands of one of the local attendants. Then they

continued through the mortal wing, entering the residence hall. A

voluminous bookshelf covered the entire back wall of the threshold.

The floor was tiled with a beautiful mosaic that created the likeness of

a visibly older man with locks of flowing golden hair.

Hysteria pointed to the man’s face. “That is our principal,” he declared.

“He used to be the wisest man in the skies. Sanguine, that is his name,

dominated the realm of philosophical thought for centuries, but he fell

with the murder of his beloved mortal lover, a student at the academy

for two decades. They used to share in intellectual conversation, but

with his passing, Sanguine has never been quite the same.

Nevertheless, we all afford him the highest level of respect, and his

heartwarming aura never fails to delight.”

With the conclusion of Hysteria’s short history lesson, a stentorian

voice overtook the building. “The gallery is now open shortly for your

eating and discussing pleasure.”

Hysteria turned to Limbus, who wore a puzzled expression on his face

and said, “Now let us dine

On fine cheese and wine.

For though Gods live in shrine,

For the physical they pine.

Just an old poem I learned from my mentors at this very academy

many moons ago. Regardless, its words speak the truth; so, let us

enter the gallery and delight in food, drink and the food of the mind.”

Limbus looked on at Hysteria. He still could not fully comprehend this

man’s convoluted personality, but he didn’t let himself dwell on the

matter. Limbus followed Sanguine obediently through numerous

corridors and passageways, eventually reaching a garnished wooden

door with silver knobs. Upon Hysteria’s entrance, many of his

contemporaries, gods and mortals alike, bowed before him. With each

step, the crowd dispersed, allowing him to pass. The marvel added to

Limbus’s growing curiosity about his escort. He looked about the room

and noticed the gods he had only heard about in childhood stories –

Zeus, Dionysus, Apollo…. Their clean-shaven faces displayed

youthfulness but their eyes portrayed years of developing age and

wisdom. Hysteria continued to march forward, always receiving bows

or some other mark of respect, until he arrived at the front of the

room. Thereupon, he took a seat upon the cold, stone couch that

seemed to conform to his shape. Limbus remained in the middle of the

room, assuming that his position near the head would be undesired.

Hysteria raised his glass, and with a silent nod, he sipped of its liquid.

His gesture appeared to signal the beginning of the meal, and with it,

the masses lay upon their couches awaiting their meals. Limbus

located an empty couch and lay down upon it. Soon a few other
personalities approached his area and decided to sit there as well. One

was a God and the other a mortal. The god introduced himself as

Excessus, a close friend of his escort, Hysteria. The fellow mortal chose

to remove himself from the pervading conversation, and he closed his

eyes, hoping to sleep amongst the cacophony. Finally succumbing to

his desire, Limbus asked Excessus regarding Hysteria.

“He didn’t tell you? So typical of him…always trying to appear

humble before the new students. Well, if you must know, He is

Sanguine’s apprentice – when Sanguine descends his post, he will be

the successor. Hysteria is the most beloved, as well as the wisest

intellectual here.”

Hysteria’s curiosity could not be contained. “And what of you? Do

you serve some role of importance in the edifices of this place?”

Excessus heaved a deep sigh.

“I am just another student here, like you. Well, other than my

immortality of course.”

“And your intelligence? What have you to say for yourself in that

area?”

“Hysteria tells me that if given a few more years, I might reach

the level of expertise and prudence he has achieved. So, I suppose

that is good news.”

Limbus smiled at him as he groped at his plate for another grape. The

mortal had fallen into a deep sleep long ago and had begun snoring

quite loudly.

He said, “I wish I could achieve the greatness and humility of that man.

I wish to be him. Thus shall be my goal over my stay here. Perhaps one

day I will be his apprentice.

Following this brief encounter, Limbus rose from his coach and

wandered back to his room.

Part III

Though the room was filled with a pall of darkness, a silhouette

could be seen maneuvering the leaves of an old volume by the light of

a glimmering fire. Every few moments a page was turned, but in the

main, the room was quiet. The fire illuminated only one corner, while

the rest of his quarters were plunged in darkness. The shadow

adjusted his glasses and quickly cocked his head to the left. The

momentary fear subsided, and he returned to his reading. This was

Hysteria, and the ten years following Limbus’s entrance had been

bleak and solitary.

Limbus had, despite Hysteria’s best efforts in opposition to the effect,

achieved academic excellence and philosophical genius. The same

residents who once bowed before Hysteria now flocked to Limbus for

advice. Even Sanguine had abandoned Hysteria, renaming his

successor as Limbus. While Limbus was adorned with the glory and
honor of a king, both Hysteria and his friend Excessus were forsaken.

They regressed to their room each night with a feeling of emptiness

growing inside their chests. They longed for the grandeur they had

once possessed and would go to great lengths to secure there past

posts. They were determined to supersede Limbus with a display of

superior knowledge to the masses. So they spent their years engaged

in everlasting study, attempting to surpass Limbus and end the

composition of his undeserving paeans. However, though they studied,

they could not defeat Limbus in a bout of knowledge. By this point,

they had squandered a decade in the pursuit of their goal without

reaping anything remotely resembling a reward.

Hysteria closed the tome in which he been engrossed and laid

his head against the dimly lit wall. Excessus had fallen to rest while in

the midst of his reading, leaving Hysteria to his own devices. The night

had already past and the early morning hours were passing ever so

slowly. Hysteria began to contemplate to himself. Why have I wasted

my time involved in such a fruitless activity, Hysteria thought I have

lost ten years of my existence in the pursuit of knowledge. And what

have I gained? Nothing. Regardless, I know that in my erudition, I

would never devote such precious amounts of time to this cause.

There must have been something out there that has plagued me…and

there was. That nuisance, Limbus, has destroyed my life and

condemned me to a lifetime of perpetual study. I must make him pay. I

must make him suffer too. He must also lose everything he has…. He

must.

Hysteria donned a sick smile, and quietly laughed to himself.

Eager to begin the destruction of Limbus, Hysteria quickly stormed the

halls in search of Sanguine. Upon arriving at his office, Hysteria found

him sorting through pages of old notes like a gravedigger in an ancient

catacomb.

“I have a question to ask of you,” declared Hysteria. Sanguine rose

from amongst the haphazard debris. His face was drawn and had aged

since their last rendezvous, a decade ago.

“Ah, my old apprentice…what is your question?”

“I wish to leave this building and descend to the mortal world.”

“And why should I assume your cause is pure? How do I know you

don’t wish to meddle with the natural world that has been established

there?”

Angered filled Hysteria’s glossy, azure eyes, but he managed to

maintain a calm presence. “I was once your apprentice. Have you

forgotten so quickly? Your values are mine; your thoughts are my

thoughts. I would never stray from the path of the just, from your

guidance and eternal wisdom.”

Sanguine was pleased this pledge of allegiance, and in his newly

gained elation, he granted Hysteria his wish.

Soon Hysteria would descend upon the face of the mortal world and

subject its inhabitants to a cruel torturous treatment. He would have

his revenge

Part IV

Upon arrival in his golden chariot, he sought out the location of

Limbus’s city, where he would implement his plan. First he gained the

trust of the city’s inhabitants. Then he proceeded to plague the city

with his sickness, his madness. He changed their personalities – made

them work perpetually. They could not escape the evil to which he had

subjected them. They would forever be engaged in study, seeking the

highest echelons of academic excellence. From these men and women

would descend many people who we call today “Honors Students.” The

rest is history.

-- Akiva M.