The Gay Icon Classics of the World (7 page)
If Falleron thought his life would be happy and complete in Rome with his new lover Laudius, he was sadly mistaken. Laudius was married to an ugly shrew of a woman
who gave Laudius reason for his frequent travels. The villa was much smaller than Falleron had anticipated but his biggest problem was Laudius' wife who ruled their home with an iron fist. Falleron was banished to the slave quarters, which had lower standards than Falleron had at home.
Falleron made the best with what he had and focused on his studies. He quickly made a name for himself at the gymnasium and study halls. His wit and talents were talk about by many scholars, writers, and philosophers. He was often invited to parties and gatherings and, of course, he included Laudius in these functions. He knew not to bite the hand that fed him. The one key advantage Falleron had was that Laudius' wife conscious of her limited beauty and even more limited demeanor, never ventured from the villa, giving Laudius the luxury of taking Falleron. Falleron and Laudius were the toast of Rome. Falleron even ventured to match wits at gala functions with such poets as Martial and Ovid, to the amusement of others.
Life became idyllic and dreamlike for Falleron and, dare it be said, love and admiration grew between Laudius and Falleron. Some years later, Laudius' wife died of what we know now as lead poisoning, but was then an unknown causes. Rumours spread that Falleron had killed her; Falleron joked that some concoction was created to make unfavoring wives favorable by death.
Falleron quickly moved into the main villa and was able to throw his own lavish parties. Yes, all went well for at least a decade. Falleron was never mentioned without Laudius. Falleron saw Laudius, despite his lack of beauty, for what freedom and grandeur he had brought to Falleron's life. Laudius was given the honor of preferred merchant.
All this came to a sad end upon Laudius' sudden death. Falleron had fallen into a deep, deep, sorrowful mourning, unheard of by anyone. At the entombment of Laudius next to his wife in the valley of nobles, Falleron' wailing and crying echoed from the burial chamber throughout the city. When the crowds had parted and the burial ceremony had ended, Falleron stayed at the foot of the tomb inconsolable. Servants from the home would bring food, but Falleron refused to eat. He refused to wash. He fell into a delirium for days. At the top of the Valley of Nobles, Roman soldiers were making nooses to hang several Christians. They heard the wailing below, but continued with their duties. The Christians were hung without ceremony; however, the footmen were under orders to leave the corpses to hang and rot. The juries knew that their Christian victims would become Martyrs to other followers, and therefore wanted to deny these bodies a burial. Soldiers were to guard the hanging corpses day and night from those who would try to recover the bodies for burial.
The guards worked in rotation and one night, a guard heard a feeble, ghostly voice from below. At first, the guard was able to ignore it but something in the voice seemed so familiar. Keeping an eye on his duties, the guard scaled down the wall to the valley of
Nobles to see a semi-conscious, filthy boy near death. The guard cleared away the dirt with a rag and spit and saw it to be Falleron. The guard was Ibsen. Ibsen stared into the glazed eyes of Falleron as he poured him wine from his travel sac. Throughout the night, he brought Falleron to consciousness with words from their past. Falleron asked for some food, and Ibsen, obedient as before, scaled the tall wall back to his post to retrieve some.
He returned to see Falleron wailing once again at his lost love. Ibsen fed Falleron and held him until daylight came upon them. They reconnected in a way that previously evaded them in their youths, with equal respect and understanding. Ibsen had spent all his life serving the army but made no great name for himself. He was still quite simple minded, but he was happy.
As the time passed, and unbeknownst to Ibsen, the Christians were attempting to take down their hanging brethren, but Falleron was noticed one of their shadows in the sunlight and screamed out. Ibsen scrambled up the hill but it was too late. One of the three corpses was cut from the noose. Ibsen fell like a baby onto the floor and cried, knowing that he would be put to death once his relief captain found out that Ibsen had failed him. To his astonishment, he felt the hand of Falleron. Ibsen explained his failure to Falleron and that he would surely be put to death. Ibsen returned to crying on the floor in the fetal position. Falleron sat next to Ibsen and thought a minute. Ibsen called out to Falleron, breaking his thought and angering him. “What is it?” Ibsen said. “Falleron, all
my life I have obeyed you, but my one final request is for once, you obey me.” Ibsen asked for a kiss. The request was so out of context and so childlike that Falleron knew that Ibsen' love was pure unchanged and unaltered after all these years. Falleron refused. Falleron did have a plan, but he knew Ibsen wasn't smart enough to think of it. He and Ibsen scaled down the hillside back to Laudius' tomb. Together, they pushed the heavy tomb cover open to reveal the rotting corpse of Laudius. They dragged the body to the hilltop and strung it up to replace the missing Christian corpse.
The replacement guard knew nothing of the switch and relieved Ibsen of his watch duty. Ibsen followed Falleron back to this villa. Ibsen was amazed at such grandeur. Falleron upon entry, turned to Ibsen and said “Now, Ibsen, this is your home and I will obey you just as you have obeyed me forever” Falleron did as he was told and placed a kiss on the lips of Ibsen. “ Rome leaves bad memories for both of us, I want us to return to Greece,” said Ibsen. The two returned to Greece and remained happily together forever.
Niac, eleven generations descended from Abraham, looked upon earth and beast, and saw them as his own. Two strong sons were born to Niac, Halo and Marr. When these two had come of age, Niac divided his estate between his sons, and so it was for them to work land and to work beast. To Halo went the soil, to furrow, plant, and harvest, and to Marr went beasts of burden. The family fed well as both brothers prospered in their labours.
Both sons strove harder and harder in their works, each struggling to win the praise of their father. One night, a vision came to each brother. To Halo came a dream of a great feast after the fall harvest, and Niac shouted his praises to all those gathered there, for the bounty Halo had brought in was great. To Marr came a vision of the same autumn banquet, except Niac sang the praises of Marr, and not of Halo, for Marr had brought in 400 fatted calves, and twice as many lambs, with more besides. Each brother thus sought to compete with the other, in order that he might gain the greater glory. However, no such praise came from Niac, and so the brothers' competition continued.
Before long, Marr felt that managing his beasts of burden was far more trying than Halo's task of tilling the fields, and Marr resented his father's gift, boiling with jealousy over Halo. Marr then wooed the beautiful Aliesha, hoping that her beauty would bring him the favour of Niac. But still no praise came from Niac. This made Marr very angry, and in his anger he forced the innocent Aliesha to perform his labours, and to manage the beasts of burden. Thus this marriage became founded upon disdain, and not love.
Halo, upon seeing such a lovely girl be so subjugated, felt sadness in his heart, and often brought her fruit and water to nourish her while toiling in the dry, hot grazing fields. “Oh Halo,” Aliesha would weep, “You are so kind and gentle. I am a fool. I should have married you instead of your brother. I know that one day your heart will be won, and the one who wins it will be the luckiest of all.”
As Halo consoled Aliesha, Marr's anger grew even greater. Marr wanted to punish Halo, and so after both Halo and Aliesha had left the fields, Marr yoked his beasts of burden. Whipping the animals mercilessly, he drove them over all of Halo's fields, trampling or scattering all that was on the field, leaving it desolate. So Marr cruelly destroyed his brother's harvest, a week and a day before the great autumn feast.
On the eve of the feast, Marr presented to Niac a thousand freshly slaughtered lambs, and five hundred fatted calves. This was even more bountiful than the vision from his dreams, and he was confident that he would earn his father's praise. Halo presented his father with only four bushels of wheat and two sacks of potatoes, but nothing else had he to offer for the feast. This puzzled his father, and he asked Halo, “How hast thou produced such poor yield, my son?”
I am sorry, dear father,” Halo responded, “my fields, though dry, were still bringing forth in plenty every manner of grain, fruit, and vegetable, when lo, not two weeks past I arose at first light to discover all my fields, trampled and torn by angry hooves!” At this point, Marr interjected, seeking to avoid blame for his brother's fields. To his father Marr
said, “Halo should have tended to his fences, father, guarding against trespassers as I have done with my pasture of animals. A man is not wise, who does not guard his wealth against strangers.” Niac agreed with this advice, and left his son, Halo, with his misfortune, inquiring no further. Niac then announced that he would thus praise his son Marr for the bounty of his beasts. At this, Halo fled to his ruined fields, and wept bitterly.
God, seeing the sorrow of Halo, spoke to the beautiful and innocent Aliesha through her reflection in a stream. As Aliesha sat by the streambed, washing her hair, she saw her reflection in the water illuminate, and a voice spoke to her, asking her to seek out the pitiable Halo and to console him in his grief. Aliesha, though she dearly wished to help Halo in his misery, was afraid that if her husband were to discover her, he would visit further ruin on both of them. She thus asked her reflection if one from the blessed realm might be chosen, for she knew that the sorrow of Halo was so great that only the music of heaven could restore his weeping soul. She then noticed in the reflection of the water an angel bearing a large golden harp. As she lifted her eyes upward, the harpist descended on translucent wings, to land before Aliesha. Knowing that she and Halo shared a bond, but not able to go to him, she anointed the harpist in her own perfume and pedals.
So the harpist, upon revealing itself to Aliesha and receiving her anointing, was sent by God to alleviate the woes of Halo. As the harpist approached Halo he began to sing and strum his harp, creating beautiful music that washed over Halo, so that he instantly forgot all his misfortune. The harpist's voice surpassed the music of his harp, filling Halo with joy. Halo fell immediately in love with the harpist. Aliesha, viewing the
pair from a distance, saw the care disappear from Halo's face, to be replaced with elation, and was herself happy that her gifts and that of God's messenger were so well received.
Meanwhile, from the feast, Marr listened to Halo's joy-filled voice, speaking to the harpist, and heard faintly the plucking of a harp. Coming upon the pair in Halo's field, Marr could only hear the voice of his brother, while that of the harpist remained silent. He drew very near to the harpist, hoping to hear even a whisper, but none was forthcoming, for the ears of sinners could not hear the spiritual words that came from God's emissaries, their ears having been deafened by sin. Just as a river is dammed by a build-up of wood and stone, so does sin block the most beautiful music from the ears of sinners.
Nevertheless, Marr was eager for the praise of this handsome harpist, believing still that Marr himself was most worthy of all praise for his bounty. He stood and announced his station before the harpist, thinking this would prompt the harpist to laud him. But the harpist made no sound, even ceasing his dextrous strumming on his harp. Marr again attempted to solicit the harpist's praise, describing his accomplishments, and all the wealth and plenty he raised, but it was to no effect. Feeling defeated and angered by this anonymous harpist, Marr swore before God, his wife Aleisha, and all of mankind that if no song or music was heard from this harpist at his father's feast that Marr himself would slay the harpist.
Marr then advanced on the harpist, attempting to force him back to the feast so
that he may perform in praise of Marr. In desperation, Halo cried out in God's name, beseeching the heavenly Lord to save the harpist. God heard his cries, and through one of his heavenly servants, spoke to Halo. God spoke unto Halo and told him to pull from his plants and flowers all that was necessary to build a wreath, that this completed wreath would signal the completion of Halo's union with the harpist. Upon gathering the plants and flowers, he need only encircle the harpist and himself in the wreath, and lay a kiss upon his beloved harpist before sleeping. With the sealing of their lips, God would seal their union and ensure their eternal protection.
Halo, upon receiving these instructions, made no delay in carrying them out. Travelling many miles through his trampled fields to gather the necessary plants and flowers, after many long hours, Halo had gathered enough for a wreath that signified his bond with the harpist. He then journeyed back to the feast of his father, which was drawing to its end. Grabbing the harper's hand, he lead him to a small clearing near his fields, a small area just out of sight of the feast. After encircling the harper and himself in the wreath, he and the harper lay beside each other. So exhausted from his journey to gather flowers for the wreath, Halo quickly fell asleep, forgetting God's last command to kiss the harpist.
Meanwhile, Marr's anger continued to grow. Although his father had heaped praises upon him at the feast, the harpist never uttered one word of praise. And now, as Marr looked around, he noticed the absence of both the harpist, and his brother, whose defeat he had wanted to gloat over. Marr left the feast in search of his brother, suspecting that he had taken the harpist from the feast to deprive Marr of being praised,
being spiteful in defeat. Marr's wife, Aliesha, thinking that Marr sought to harm his brother, secretly followed her husband. Before long, Marr reached the small clearing, where he found Halo and the harpist, lying in a fast embrace, surrounded by a beautiful assortment of flowers. Suddenly overcome with rage, Marr unsheathed his sword and slew both Halo and the harpist where they lay. In a final outburst of anger, Marr kicked both bodies until their battered forms both lay outside the golden circle of the wreath.