The Star of Eleusis
Once upon a time, in the quiet town of Eleusis, nestled amid thick forests and flowing rivers, lived a young boy named Eros.
Eros was different from the other children of Eleusis. He had an inexplicable fascination with the night sky. While others slept under the blanket of darkness, he would stay awake, marveling at the celestial ballet unfolding above. His obsession was a subject of curiosity for some and ridicule for most, but for Eros, the night sky was his sanctuary.
One night, as Eros was watching the sky, he saw a tiny flicker at the corner of his sight. A small star in the vast sky resonated with throbbing light. Eros did not understand; he had never seen this star before. But compelled by curiosity, he decided to observe it.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Eros noticed, gradually, the star was growing brighter and descending towards the earth. No one else seemed to notice this strange phenomenon. Perplexed and excited, he started sharing his observations with the townsfolk of Eleusis. As expected, his claims were dismissed, his excitement met with scorn.
Undeterred, Eros decided to track the star's progress hoping to find answers. His meticulous observation led him to calculate that the star seemed to be on a path leading straight to the forbidden forest that lay beyond the periphery of Eleusis. No one from the town ventured into that forest because of the strange tales associated with it.
But Eros' determination overpowered his fear. He packed his bag, kissed his mother goodbye, and under the cover of darkness infiltrated the forbidden land. The forest was as frightening as the tales; it was wild, ominous, and teeming with sinister silence. But the star's light was his guiding light, pushing him deeper into the heart of the unknown.
As Eros was losing hope, he finally reached a clearing where the star’s light was firmly fixed. The spot was barren, except for an ancient stone pedestal at its center. Just as Eros reached the pedestal, the star descended from the heavens with blinding speed, illuminating the forest with its radiance.
Eros shielded his sight, but there was a magnificent transformation. The star had now taken a physical form. It shimmered, pulsated, but did not blind. It was beautiful, almost hypnotic, and floated above the pedestal as if it was its final resting place.
Suddenly, the star morphed into a beautiful woman. She had silver hair that flowed like a waterfall, eyes as deep as the night sky, and a smile as warm as the morning sun. She introduced herself as Astria, the celestial queen, who had been imprisoned in the form of a star by a jealous god. She thanked Eros for liberating her and granted him a wish.
Eros, with humility, asked Astria, “Give the town of Eleusis wisdom to respect the mysteries of the universe, and the courage to question the known.”
Astria granted Eros' wish. That night the town of Eleusis was filled with the brightest celestial light. The next day onwards, the town became a hub of wisdom, with the people beginning to respect and study the mysteries of the cosmos, just as a young boy had done.
Eros was hailed as the hero of Eleusis, his obsession no longer ridiculed but respected. He taught his townsmen about the cosmic wonders, and Eleusis became a beacon of knowledge, the star of Athens, a town lit with the light of wisdom bestowed upon it by a celestial queen.
And as for Eros, he went down in history as the boy who dared to cross the forbidden lines, who dared to question, to observe, to explore and ended up liberating a celestial queen. The Star of Eleusis had chosen him, but Eros chose knowledge, proving to all that sometimes, just sometimes, reaching out to the stars is not an absurd notion, but a journey of wisdom.