Day Four: The little inventor.
Hephaestion had always shown, since his very early days as a baby, signs of his uniqueness. The baby had been a very wished one but he had arrived unexpectedly, as if he had himself made his appearance in this world, when he wanted or when he was really prepared to face this physical world that frightened him at the very beginning of his existence.
As regards his physical appearance, he was completely different to his elder brothers, while the other three boys were blond, Hephaestion's hair was brunette with some shades of bronze and copper. His brothers had bright and round green eyes like emeralds while he had big and almond-shaped eyes like sapphires. They had been chubby and short children while Hephaestion had a lean body and he was quite tall for a boy of his age.
At five, his curiosity had grown too much, the same curiosity that had made him live through a near death experience by nearly drowning in the lake but, that in the positive side had made him found Sotiris, his she wolf pet three years ago and it had also made him live many other adventures in the years to come.
His parents saw with delight how his independence grew hand in hand with that moving curiosity and his quick intelligence. The little boy was like a sponge, always ready to learn and investigate and all that was driven by a strong will and a firm determination to get what he wanted. Some could see that as stubbornness but even being young, he was able to keep it in control.
However, he was the most merciful and generous boy that had ever lived on the big farmhouse and its surrounding areas. He was always ready to help anyone in need and offer his comfort; he did not mind sharing his own things with anyone who had less than he did. Sometimes his generosity went to the extremes and he was left with nothing for himself but he had always said that he was sure that the gods would provide him with what he truly lacked in his times of need. No one knew why little Hephaestion had such a strong connection with the gods, especially with Hephaestus and his beautiful wife Aphrodite, but it was not unusual to find him talking to them. He was used to retelling them his day activities, his wishes and even his secret dreams … dreams that included travelling to far away exotic lands, meeting interesting people, living adventures and many other things.
Another characteristic that called everybody's attention was Hephaestion's eidetic memory. The boy could remember by heart everything that he had seen or listened, even if it had been once, and then, when asked about that he could retell it, up to the tiniest details.
His father Amyntas tried to encourage him in practicing this gift as much and often as it was possible. The brave warrior could already see his little Hephaestion as a great asset to the Macedonian Army because he would be the perfect man to send in recognition missions and at drawing the so important and necessary maps. He could not wait to see Hephaestion join the Army and fight next to him and his other three sons.
Therefore, Hephaestion's childhood days were filled with many adventures that shaped the little one's mind and forged his strong character.
Everyone who saw the event develop would remember that day. The little boy woke up early as every day to have breakfast with his mother and the loyal Sotiris by his feet. His father was not there because he had been summoned by king Philip to the royal palace.
Mother and son shared some honey-sweetened milk and many slices of freshly baked bread. No one in the house could understand how Hephaestion could eat so much without gaining any extra weight. His mother said that it was possible because the boy was in constant movement since the very moment he got up until he went to bed again.
After eating such a hearty breakfast, the boy's stomach was full; consequently, the little brunette was more than happy so much so that he decided that he would help his mother in the garden because she was going to prepare the furrows and flowerbeds to be sowed as spring would be coming soon.
Five –year-old Hephaestion was on his knees with a little spade in his hands and Sotiris next to him with a tiny bucket hanging from her mouth. The little one was looking at his mother's garden but anyone who looked at his eyes could see that his sight was not completely there; those cyan eyes had a look in them as if they were able to peep beyond the things until they reached their inner core.
"What are you doing son?" lady Amyntoros asked after looking at his son so quiet for long minutes.
"I am seeing" Hephaestion replied seriously.
"And what are you seeing?" she asked again.
"Your garden, mother" he replied simply.
"What can you see in it, it is almost bare of flowers and trees in this time of the year" the mother explained quietly.
"That is like that because you are just looking and I am seeing it all in bloom, look at the rose bushes and the different colours of their growing buds, there are pink, red, orange and white and look at those tiny flowers in the branches of the apple and plum trees, there will be lots of fruits this year" Hephaestion said
"I think the strong sun has heated your head badly, you must be feverish if you can see all of hat in such a deserted garden" her mother said worried and approaching her son to take him inside the house.
"I am not feverish, touch my forehead, it is fresh" little Hephaestion said a bit angry.
"If that is true, why are you describing things that are not visible, son?" she asked more worried than before.
"Because you don't always have to use your eyes to see; you can also see with your inner eye, that one that is connected to your imagination and so you can wish that those images you have can come true" Hephaestion replied.
"By sweet Aphrodite, you are such a dreamer, my son" lady Amyntoros said giggling.
"I am not a dreamer, I am a thinker and I will be a soldier like papa and my elder brothers" Hephaestion announced proudly.
"You can also be a teacher and stay away from danger, you can teach future soldiers and … " the mother was interrupted by the little boy.
"No, mother, I am a thinker, a constructor and a soldier. I am going to live my adventures in the flesh; I don't want to dream about exotic lands, places and people. I want to conquer them, to see them with my own eyes and to meet them; I don't want to listen about them through other people's lips" Hephaestion replied fervently.
"You dream big, my boy" the woman said while kissing her boy's forehead, and she secretly discovered that it was fresh as the little one had said before.
"The gods had given me lots of dreams and I am going to make them all true" he said totally convinced of his own capacity to carry out such a great feat.
"Of course, I believe you, Hephaestion. Your strong will is the most important of your many attitudes towards life" she said seriously.
" I know, mother. By the way, why don't we plant a new tree there and we move …" the little boy began to speak enthusiastically.
Mother and son spent the whole day working in the garden. They stopped only to have something to eat and drink and after that, lady Amyntoros gave her son a thorough bath in spite of his son's protests that he was old enough to do it alone. His loud protests fell in deaf ears, his mother, not only bathed him thoroughly, she also massaged the lithe and slender body with sandalwood oil, a treat that would be enjoyed by the little boy and that he would go on enjoying in his youth and adult age, especially as a foreplay activity before making love with his life partner.
The young brunette fell asleep immediately after his bath and he did not wake for some hours. Lady Amyntoros checked on him frequently because it was strange that he was so quiet, however, she knew he was fine because his face showed a tiny smile in his pinkish lips and his eyes were quickly moving beneath his eyelids, showing that he was in deep sleep and dreaming peacefully.
She was washing some vegetables in the kitchen when she saw little Hephaestion appear, the boy still had a sleepy and dreamy look in his cyan eyes and she smiled at seeing him so rested. The boy climbed up a high chair and stood on it to reach a jar with honey and nuts cookies.
"What are you doing, little man, with that cookie jar?" the mother asked smiling widely.
"I am very hungry, mama" little Hephaestion explained seriously.
"And why those cookies and not some slices of white bread?" she asked again, knowing the answer already.
"Because they are so delicious and I need more strength now" the boy explained again, looking at her with a determined look in his clear eyes.
"And why do you need more strength, son? Are you planning any adventure in the dark? Because if you were, I am telling you that you are not going near the garden until tomorrow" she said, a bit too serious for Hephaestion's liking.
"No nothing to do with that, mother. I had a lot of beautiful dreams while I was napping and I need to draw them before I forget them" he said, biting a large chunk of the sweet treat.
"What are your dreams about this time, son?" she asked curiously because her youngest son had always had the strangest ideas while sleeping.
"Different things but mainly about some devices to use at war so they can help papa and my brothers to win more battles for our king" he replied proudly as if he could already see them using them in their next war.
"What a pity!" his mother said sighing loudly.
"What is a pity, mama?" Hephaestion asked curiously.
"It is a pity dreaming only about things that can kill and bring chaos and death" she replied sadly.
"But they can also save many lives if they use them well" Hephaestion said.
"May be you are right" she said and left a long sigh out.
"Don't be sad, mama, I also dreamt about beautiful things too" he said and looked attentively to his mother's face.
"Can you tell me about them?" she asked, a tiny smile gracing her reddish lips.
"I can show you but first I need scroll and pencil to draw, many of them, mama" the boy said while taking the stool back to the table and sitting on it again.
When the boy finished eating his three biscuits, his smother had already come back and she had brought with her all what he needed. He immediately began drawing and sketching different things on different scrolls but all at the same time. He left the one he was working on to take the next one and added some details and then he took back another to colour them.
Lady Amyntoros sat next to him and saw fascinated how her son was covering the different and many scrolls with very detailed and complicated drawings depicting various devices. In a moment, she stood behind him and looked over his shoulder, the quality of the drawings was really good and his ideas were quite innovative and modern. The little boy was showing a real skill at drawing and designing those devices.
The young Hephaestion worked on his scrolls for many hours until he finally dropped asleep onto one of his latest scrolls. Lady Amyntoros gently took the pencil the boy still had in his little hand and took the scroll from beneath his cheek and she marveled at the artistic drawing of her garden. It looked like the one they had started to design that very same day but she could also see in it all the flowers and fruit trees in bloom as if spring had already been there to let the boy see how the garden would be in the next months.
Lady Amyntoros took that scroll and hugged it against her chest, feeling pride and happiness for her little one that had been able to capture the magic and innocence of nature among the horrors and sins of war. She promised herself that she would be there to encourage her little son not to lose his connection to the artistic side, especially the one that would hold his heart in times of war and sadness. She also promised herself to show the drawings to her husband as soon as the General was back home. She knew that her General would put that talent into a good use and if his son became a cartographer or an engineer, he would be far away from the battlefields and, in that way, he would not encounter any danger that could cut his life too soon. That did not mean that she was not worried about her husbands and his elder sons, but Hephaestion had always been a bit more special than the rest and whenever someone asked her why that was like that, she only tended to say "Because he is Hephaestion" as if his only name were an answer on its own.
Drawings and sketches would be a constant in Hephaestion's life, not only in his childhood but also in this youth and adult years.
The brunette, once a boy and now turned a Macedonian General, designed not only was devices but also bridges and constructions for the new cities his king founded in their way to the East. However, he would never forget the first garden he designed with his mother a warm autumn day. He would always considered it a treasure, even though he had never found that special scroll until years later, when his mother had died and he found it inside a special chest his mother had where she kept her most precious things and, from that moment on, it became one of this most treasured possession.
To the guest reviewer on chapter 3: thank you so much for the lovely comment, it really warmed my heart!