Echo’s Song

Echo, nymph of mountain cliffs,

Who lived to nurture nature’s gifts,

Told many stories of deceit

‘Til Hera cursed her to repeat

Words.

One day she found a golden lad

Whose features drove her loving mad.

But all her tries to woo the boy

Proved fruitless and did quite annoy

Narcissus.

For he, himself, did care for most.

Of his own beauty, he did boast.

Once he looked into in a pool,

Narcissus saw a perfect fool,

Himself.

He did not sleep, nor drink, nor eat,

Afraid the image might retreat.

And on the night it did, he wept.

His faithful vigil must be kept

Forever.

Poor Echo, trapped in bitter pain

To see her love in love in vain,

Stood guard by him at water’s edge

And kept her own repeated pledge

To love.

Entranced, he withered all away,

‘Til the day Zeus came to say,

"Echo, nymph of clever wit

It hurts to see you sadly sit,

Forlornly."

No words of comfort could be said.

Zeus knew she’d stay ‘til he was dead.

He vowed to bless the dying youth."

By early dawn she saw the proof:

Flowers.

Even now, the nymph survives

In mountain cliffs where nature thrives,

And golden flowers she does spread

And thus her lover is not dead.

Remember,

Echo answers when you call.

She lingers, waiting, watching all,

Especially lovers, if true, then she,

Can play with mortals, knowing he

Still lives.

))=((1))=((

Slow up, kid. You should be lying down.

I can’t. I’ve got to get there now. I climb through the twisted metal and step over the icy remains of my father’s car. As I step forward, I hear the crunching under my feet and, when I look, I see chips of glass sparkle like red diamonds in the flashing light. Is that blood mine?

Miss, you’re hurt. The police officer’s tone is firm this time.

No, I shake my head. No, it’s not me.

Strong arms grab mine and stop my forward progress. Panic seizes me and I struggle to free myself. A second officer pins my arms to my side and I hear a scream that sounds like my voice.

Take it easy, kid! I hear the words. They sound muted and distorted, like they’re coming from inside a hallow tube. I force my brain to focus on what’s going on around me.

Can you see the wound? asks one of the officers.

It’s a laceration on her head, says another.

I’m fine, I insist. Let me go.

We need to keep her quiet.

Can we get her to sit down? The ambulance will be here soon.

I turn to look down the road. Just a little further. I could walk it if they’d let me go.

An officer turns me to face him. He speaks slowly, as if to a child.

We’ve notified another unit to check the address you gave us. They’re already there and I’ll let you know as soon as we have information. The words are meant to sooth me, but they don’t. I become aware of the activity around me. I look at the police officer who’s clutching my shoulders, forcing me to face him. At least sit in the car where it’s warm until the ambulance gets here. Will you do that?

I squint to see his face, which is a silhouette against the red and blue lights flashing behind him.

Echo is it?

I nod.

Where are your parents?

Out of town.

Do you have a number?

I nod again and say it automatically. My eyes return to the wreck of my father’s car.

Check for the registration, I hear the first officer say and the second disappears.

You said you got a message? he probes gently.

Yes, I say. It was posted on my blog.

What did it say?

I look at him. What did it say? I try to force my mind to work, but it’s seized up. I shrug.

When was it posted? he prods.

I don’t know for sure. I jumped in my dad’s car as soon as I saw it. I didn’t check to see the time because I had to get there. There’s was so much snow and ice. I thought I could handle it and I’d make it if I hurried... My voice is going higher and getting louder and now the words are tumbling out one over another. I can’t control them.

I thought I could make it. I thought I could be there before... A sharp stab of guilt grips my throat and closes it up. I force myself to swallow.

It’s not my fault, I gasp. I didn’t do it on purpose...

It’s okay, kid. Take it easy. Take in some deep breaths, he says.

I try to, but my heart is beating so hard there’s no room for air. The words keep coming.

I swear I didn’t do anything wrong. You can’t blame me.

No one is blaming you, kid, says the officer. His voice is soft.

I feel warm tears fill my eyes and spill down my frozen cheeks. When I look up, I can see black shadows move behind him, men lifting pieces of debris and taking measurements. I can barely hear the officer talking above the soft din of confusion that surrounds us.

I didn’t start it, I say again, more to myself than him. It was the kids at school.

What school? he asks.

Mountain Lake High.

))=((

I came to Mountain Lake High school last August. It was my last year of high school. Mountain Lake was a brand new school, built tall with huge windows and lots of chrome. It had the advantages of all forms of high tech and the town was proud to say that every student had their own computer. That made it perfect for me. I loved the internet.

Our family moved around a lot, so I was used to starting all over. Every move meant loss, loss of stuff, loss of friends, and even loss of identity. I’d learned I could be a new person whenever we came to a new place.

That’s why I was excited when we moved to Mountain Lake. This time was going to be different from any time before. My Dad had a job that would allow us to settle down. My mom didn’t have to work anymore, and I’d finally have a permanent home.

Mountain Lake was my last chance to be one of the popular kids. I wanted everyone to like me. That goal became especially important to me on the first day of school. That was the morning I saw Nic.

It was an unforgettably perfect day. The sun was shining, a cool fall breeze was brushing my hair away from my face and I could still smell the wet from last night’s rain. We were early. Marisa had shown me a shortcut which cut off ten minutes of our walk to school. We preferred not taking the bus. It gave us more time to talk.

Marisa was my new best friend. More than that, she was my first best friend. She’d adopted me the day my family moved in that summer. We hit it off immediately. She was naturally shy and looked a little mousy, but she was nice. She liked to hear me talk and tell her stories. She even teased me about talking too much. She was afraid to say much. But gradually our friendship seemed to help bring her out. When we were together, I noticed that she started talking more.

That morning, she’d been going on about math class. She hated math and heard that the teacher she was assigned to was tough. That morning I noticed the brilliant pink roses that grew along the sidewalk in front the houses next to the school. They were huge blooms that were so fragrant I could smell them in the air. I hardly heard what she was saying and nearly bumped into her when she suddenly stopped.

She was in mid-sentence as we turned into the school grounds. When I looked to see what had stopped her, I saw Nic.

He was the most perfect boy I’d ever seen.

He was leaning on a column outside the main entrance, tall and slender, with a chiseled face and beautiful, long hair that curled around his jaw.

I froze.

Who is he? I asked.

Nic, she whispered.

Who?

Nicolas Shurstar. He’s the captain of the football team.

Wait. You know him? I asked.

Marisa nodded. Practically my entire life, she said. Her cheeks were a bright crimson color.

I turned back to look more carefully at Nic. He was watching people climbing the steps to school, casually nodding to everyone who greeted him, which was everyone. Some of the girls giggled as they passed by him. He would have caught my eye without Marisa’s riveting attention. He would have caught any girl’s eye.

You’re in love with him, I teased and I forced myself to squelch the base guitar that was suddenly pounding in my chest.

Marisa didn’t say a word, just glanced at me with huge brown eyes and swallowed hard.

Go say something to him, I said.

Her eyes opened even wider and she shook her head.

Have you ever talked to him before? I asked.

No, never.

Never?!

She shook her head again.

Do it now. I didn’t mean it to sound like a dare, but I couldn’t believe she’d never spoken to him.

She shook her head so hard her hair flew off her shoulders. No!

Yes, I said, trying to encourage her. You can do it.

Marisa looked at me with a half-smile. It was as if she were asking my permission to try. I grinned back and nodded and put my hand on her back and pushed her forward. She actually took two steps and I thought she might go through with it. But she stopped, put her head down, turned and walked back to me. She giggled so hard Nic looked in our direction, which just