Mirage

 

Long, long ago when gods and goddesses walked the earth among men, two of these deities walked across a great desert, searching for a certain nymph called Mirage (it was rumored that this nymph had been chased to this barren land by Pan, son of Hermes and the goat-legged god of nature). One was Apollo, god of the sun, archery, prophecy, and music, and he was used to heat, as he experienced it every time he drove the chariot of the sun for Helios. The other, however, was Dionysus, god of wine and parties, he, unlike his half-brother, was used to plenty to drink, whenever he wanted it.

 

“Brother,” said Dionysus to Apollo when they had traveled for miles without the slightest hint of water to be heard or seen anywhere around them, “You may be able to go much longer than I without drink, being used to the heat of your chariot, but I cannot go so long. Let us stop here and drink a bit of this wine I brought, for I am parched.”

 

But Apollo only replied, “Brother, if we drink your wine now, we shall be thirstier than before, and we shall have nothing left to drink.”

 

Dionysus reluctantly agreed after much persuasion, and the two continued on, following the trail through the desert, looking all about for the Mirage.

 

Unknown to the two searchers, Hermes, father of Pan and god of speed, thieves, and tricksters, watched them. Hermes wore his winged golden hat and sandals, his cape of magic tricks, and a charm of invisibility. Hermes, perched atop a pile of rocks set by the path in his honor, watched his half-brothers walking with annoyance. “Hermes, my boy,” he murmured to himself, “you know your son did not do this thing, but here your brothers stand, believing the tale. Put on your Thinking Cap, and come up with a way to disabuse them of this idea.” And so saying, Hermes reached into his cloak, and pulled out a small cap, which he put on in place of the winged hat.

 

“Did you say something, Apollo?” Dionysus asked suddenly. Apollo stopped and faced the god of wine, so Dionysus explained, “I thought I heard you speak.”

 

“I did not speak. It is your thirsty mind playing tricks on you,” Apollo snapped.

 

“That’s it!” Hermes exclaimed to himself, “Mind tricks! Thank you, my brother, I knew you would help me in my need.”

 

“Surely you heard that!” Dionysus told Apollo.

 

“Yes, I heard it,” Apollo admitted reluctantly.

 

“If this is the work of thirsty minds, perhaps you will drink,” Dionysus wheedled.

 

Hermes was poking through the things in his cloak, and finally found what he was looking for, a pouch of pictures. Hermes sorted through the pictures until he found one that suited him, and tossed it onto the road ahead of the gods.

 

“Very well,” Apollo agreed, “We shall drink,” then suddenly he exclaimed, “And when we reach that oasis up ahead, we may refill the skin.”

 

Dionysus looked up at the road, and seeing trees and the glimmer of water on the path up ahead, he readily agreed. Within moments, the gods had drained the wineskin.

 

They set off again, hurrying towards the oasis. But no matter how quickly they walked, or how far they seemed to go, the oasis still looked the same distance away. Hermes chuckled quietly to himself, flying behind the two. Finally they stopped to rest.

 

“There is something strange about that oasis,” Dionysus told Apollo confidently.

 

“Perhaps it seems no closer because we were heading in the wrong direction,” Apollo offered, pointing to the left of the path, but Dionysus only looked confused. “We were walking along the path, but the oasis is over there,” the god explained.

 

“Oh,” Dionysus nodded, and the two turned off the path.

 

Once again the oasis came no closer, and in no time the gods were well away from the path, and quite lost.

 

“What shall we do?” Dionysus asked Apollo, for he was very thirsty once more, and now they had nothing to drink.

 

“Hahaa, hahaa!” Hermes laughed, dismissing the invisibility charm. “Now, perhaps, you will not find fault with the son of the Great Hermes! What you have seen is but an illusion, which I call a mirage after the nymph you foolishly went in search of.” And with that, Hermes took to the air, and flew straight up to the clouds, while the two gods watched.

 

So if ever you are in the desert, in great need of something to drink, and you think you see an oasis off in the distance, think twice before heading towards it, for it may simply be the god Hermes, playing a trick on you, as he did to his half-brothers.

End