October is the month when Our dear Hephaestion died, we have decided to write or picture our Tributes annualy to commemorate him and celebrate his entrance into immortality.

Here is my contribution for 2011.

And there he was, lying on his side of their bed, his body sullied by illness, had the appearance of an empty carcass; his eyes, once bright and full of life, were clouded and lifeless; his hair, once combed and perfumed, was now dirty and matted.

A man, who used to live in the open air and enjoy music, was now lying in the dark and in silence. This same man, who had always been loved, rested there loveless and alone because he had lost his Moon and his days had become a succession on moonless nights, with no one to guide him, to comfort him, to love him…

Because the great king had lost the only man who had always loved him by what he was; because Alexander had been left alone, with only his memories for company, memories of better times spent together with Hephaestion; because the Macedonian ruler had lost the one who made him think twice before acting; he had lost his support and his conscience, his blood and flesh, his reason to go on living …

Hephaestion was so much to him that he felt empty the very same moment that Hephaestion's soul left his body, he felt hollow because his heart had become heavy with pain and grief and it didn't want to say goodbye, he knew that the biggest part of his heart died with his Phai; the smaller one remained beating because Alexander had given it to Hephaestion a long time ago to keep it safe and he knew that his Phai would take care of it, even being in the afterworld.

Alexander turned round to see at his Generals trying to get him back to life, and he wondered why they couldn't understand there was no more life if he couldn't share it with his beloved; it was useless to walk the earth with only one half of your heart and soul, it was just existing and not living what he was doing, he was just waiting for the right time to depart and look for his beloved.

He had once promised Hephaestion that he would never die before his right time arrived but it was a promise he would break soon, he no longer was interested in being a king, he had just wanted to be Hephaestion's lover forever and having reached to that decision, he left his soul fly and look for its mate, that was already smiling at it as soon as the blue eyed man saw his beloved king cross to find him.

Good bye.

"Goodbye" doesn't mean forever,

it is just a "see you soon",

because I know between lovers

goodbye doesn't mean we are through.

Love is the only feeling

that can cross between worlds,

because it is the best communion

of two bodies and one soul.

If Atropos cuts my thread of life

before she cuts the golden one,

I'll be happy, my love,

because you'll be the one alive.

But don't feel sorry for me when I die,

goodbye is never the real end,

it is just a time between times

until we two reunite again.