An short for BeKindRewrite’s InMon challenge. One of my darker characters decided to philosophize a bit. I should probably preface this with a tongue-in-cheek disclaimer, so here it goes: The views and opinions in this snippet are those of the character and do not necessarily represent those of the author.
Personally, I know very little of astrology and so far as I am aware, there is no star of Melinoe, much less an errant star (planet). Melinoe is, however, a minor figure in Greek mythology, a nymph of the underworld associated with ghosts, nightmares, the moon, and madness. Cheery stuff.
I was born under an errant star. So are many great men, their restlessness driving them to fame. But it is said that men born under the ascendancy of Melinoe’s star are destined for great madness, or for the bringing of death, or both together
I have heard it said that there is no fate, that we make ourselves. It may be so, for as I look back, every step I have taken was a choice made freely. Every time I took a life I had clear reason, a purpose. If I knew nothing of star-wheels and prophecies I would never think twice. And yet, I was born beneath the influence of Melinoe’s wandering light.
Which begs the question: Am I an unwitting slave to cosmic patterns? If so, the blood on my hands is blood on the stars. They are the murderers and I am but their tool. Is that why some stars are tinged with red?
If not, if I have done these things of my own will, have the stars, since before my birth, been following me?
jubilare 
June 19th, 2014 at 8:53 pm
my roots go down, down, down
June 20th, 2014 at 7:35 am
Eh? I fear I don’t get it.
June 23rd, 2014 at 10:44 am
eating chicken justification
[as I look back, every step I have taken was a choice made freely. Every time I took a life I had clear reason]
June 23rd, 2014 at 10:47 am
It is possible that my brain just isn’t making the right connection, but I am failing to understand you point/meaning. :(
June 23rd, 2014 at 10:57 am
Maybe he’s a vegetarian and is saying that the character in your piece did have free choice, but killed people anyway and somehow justified it each time, the same way we justify killing chickens for food. (I’m just guessing here. I think Bob’s intentionally being very vague and is trying to confuse you.)
June 23rd, 2014 at 12:13 pm
I don’t think Bob is trying to confuse me (though I could always be wrong).
If he does mean what you suggest, then I wonder if he read the piece with a different slant, and if so, I’m curious to know more about that slant. ;)
June 23rd, 2014 at 12:32 pm
Nah, I was only teasing. He’s just sharing some of his own writings. ;)
June 23rd, 2014 at 12:36 pm
Ah, so it is you who is trying to confuse me? You are shooting a sitting bird! ;)
My brain is full of holes and I lose many things through those holes so… if I have read what he is quoting, the wording has long-since fled. :P
June 23rd, 2014 at 6:22 pm
Ha ha! I meant I was only teasing when I said he’s deliberately trying to confuse you. But I didn’t know that his comments were writings he was sharing until he emailed me and told me.
June 23rd, 2014 at 7:57 pm
Ach, silly Bob. I work best when people are straight-forward with me. :)
June 23rd, 2014 at 5:25 am
The philosophical (some would say scientific or theological) question that is troubling your character is an ancient one and still unsolved it seems to me. Well-written. Is he an unwitting slave to things that can’t be changed or controlled? Are we all?
That would be an interesting theme in the kind of story you’ve written.
June 23rd, 2014 at 9:04 am
It is a complex question, with many ramifications. I am not sure if it will be a question in the story, though. I am not writing a Greek tragedy, made more poignant by the inevitability of fate. Rather, the choices the characters make would, I think, lose their impact if there was a question as to whether or not the choices were truly theirs.
No doubt there will be some references to the stars and fate, though, considering the melting-pot of cultures I am dealing with. :)
June 23rd, 2014 at 10:34 am
Ooh, dark! I like this: “If so, the blood on my hands is blood on the stars.” Lovely work.
June 23rd, 2014 at 10:41 am
Thanks! :) And thank you for reading and commenting.
June 23rd, 2014 at 5:09 pm
Very nice work. I enjoyed it. I’d like to know more about the blood on his hands. My changes to Villainy have been made. Check them out whenever you get a chance. And thank you for pointing out those things.. Lucy
June 23rd, 2014 at 7:50 pm
Thank you!
If I ever get my darned WIP finished and published, you might learn more about that than you want. :P
I will!
June 23rd, 2014 at 8:08 pm
“The blood on my hands is blood on the stars.” That there is one of those lines that should be an instant classic.
Intriguing thought at the end, too. I always love it when you join in!
June 24th, 2014 at 6:31 am
Yeah, that was one of those bits that seems to write itself. I just hope it eventually fits naturally into something a little more fleshed out than this. If inspiration ever strikes, feel free to steal it. ;)
Thanks! That was the thought that sparked my writing this. I love InMon, but my muse is fickle.
June 23rd, 2014 at 9:32 pm
[…] Jubilare […]