The Day Everything Changed
The day she opened the box was the day everything changed. Guilt overwhelmed her and left a bitter taste in her mouth the very moment she lift the lid and black smoke surrounded her. She knew nothing would ever be the same.
Ever.
She could still recall the day gods had made her. First was the shape. The blacksmith god Hephaestus made a beautiful female body of gold and ivory, using dazzling emeralds to make her eyes and rose petals for her soft lips. But the body was lifeless, a silent sculpture, and Hephaestus couldn't do any more. So Zeus, a mighty king of all gods, breathed life into her. Aphrodite, goddess of beauty, gave her that special charm which made her smile so sweet, her gaze so magical, her moves so graceful. Goddess of wisdom, Athena, gave her clothing and taught her how to weave. But Hermes, who was the master of all tongues and the gods' messenger, gave her two gifts: the one was speech - she started twisting her tongue and shaping her thoughts into words, delighted she could suddenly do that. The other gift was curiosity, a gift of a fatal kind. This girl had to know absolutely everything. She wondered how Aphrodite's golden hair felt under her fingers, so she touched it. The goddess flinched and frowned in disbelief. She wanted to know why Hephaestus was crippling, so she asked him: 'How come you're walking so funnily?'
He didn't answer. Either he didn't hear her or he completely ignored her. She had to know that, too.
'Why aren't you answering?' she asked Hephaestus.
'Curse you, Hermes' Aphrodite snapped, 'what did you do to her?'
'Oh, don't worry', Athena grinned, 'all this has a purpose. And Hermes has just completed it.'
She wanted to ask what that was supposed to mean, but Athena waved her hand a little and her mouth shut as if tied with invisible thread.
'But you did put a bit too much', she mumbled and Hermes just smiled mischievously.
She thought she was finished, but they had one more gift for her. It was a wooden box with interesting ornaments on it, handed by king Zeus himself. He locked his stormy eyes with her; she couldn't figure out what was hiding behind them. And she was too scared to ask.
'She shall be named Pandora', Zeus announced, his voice strong and loud like thunder, 'for the many gifts she has received from many gods.'
Pandora. It's a nice name, she thought.
The gods left as Hermes gently took her hand and they started floating towards Earth. Pandora noticed he had wings on his shoes, just like the ones on strange little creatures flying around them in the sky.
'What are those flying creatures?' she asked him, 'Their songs are so beautiful.'
'Those are birds, Pandora.'
'How come they can fly and I can't?'
Hermes laughed. 'I assume you'd like to try.'
'Well, I would. They seem .... so happy.'
'Maybe it's better for you to stay on the ground. Well, at least once we land.'
Pandora tilted her head. 'Are you happy?'
'Me?' he raised his eyebrows. He was amused, but also caught off guard. 'What a ridiculous question! Of course I'm happy. I'm a god. I'm all powerful, I can do whatever I want. I... I have everything I want. I can fly, for Zeus' sake! And...'
He stopped talking. Then, more to convince himself rather than to convince Pandora, he muttered:
'I am happy.'
But the birds weren't the only thing that caught Pandora's attention while they were still in the air. She kept glancing at the mountains, clouds in all kinds and shapes, people that looked so tiny from her point of view, endless golden fields, deep oceans rich in all shades of blue, horses sprinting in large groups. Everything was right there, not for her to reach, but to admire and praise its beauty.
'Earth seems like a good home,' she said, 'I think I already love it.'
'Good', Hermes responded, 'but maybe you won't be so thrilled about it soon.'
'How soon?'
He shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't really care about Earth's fate that much. 'Very soon, I suppose.'
That's so sad, Pandora thought. Why does something so beautiful have to be destroyed or changed so much she won't like it any more? It's perfect, so wonderful, so strong. Maybe Hermes was wrong. Pandora was sure Earth would bare with whatever was going to tear it down and come out just as it was. The moment they landed, Pandora felt real, not like a thought or a plan the gods had any more. A real woman feeling the grass on her toes and wind on her face.
'Look for a man named Epimetheus', Hermes advised her, 'he'll take good care of you, he'll love you. You'll be happy with him. And by no means lose the box.'
Pandora forgot she was even holding it all through. Her eyes widened with a new spark of curiosity.
'Can I open it?'
'On no account!'
Hermes winked and flew away, leaving her without an answer. So Pandora started wandering around the world, asking people about Epimetheus. It was more of a careless stroll than a search, since she would stop time to time to explore the nature, study the animals in the woods, talk to other women in several places and enjoy the art humans started creating. It was still raw and far from perfect, but Pandora loved it. It was pure passion, pure emotion, free from all rules and prohibitions.
Finally, she found him. Epimetheus wasn't like gods, but he wasn't like the humans either. He was taller, stronger, and he had certain power that Pandora couldn't quite figure out. When she first saw him, he was watching the birds build their nests. She sat next to him on the ground and he didn't mind. He just looked at her and asked her an unusual question.
'Do you think I should name them swallows or sparrows?'
Pandora stared at him. Who was this man to give birds names? But she looked at the birds carefully and thought: they do look like swallows.
'Swallow. I think that's a good name.'
Epimetheus lay down on the grass and Pandora followed his example.
'What's your name?' he asked her.
'I'm Pandora.'
'Pandora. Nice to meet you. I'm Epimetheus.'
She got up rapidly, excited she finally found the man she was looking for.
'No way!'
'What?' he laughed, 'It is my name.'
'No, not that! Epimetheus, I've been searching for you for so long time. The gods told me to. They said you would love me and I'll be happy.'
It seemed like Epimetheus didn't find it odd that a woman he had never met in his life came up to him and told him they were destined to love each other. He just smiled softly.
'Well, why don't we find out if that turns out to be true?'
Soon she fell in love with him. Aphrodite's blessing made her easy to love, so the feeling was mutual. As time passed, she settled in Epimetheus' home as his bride, with a wide smile on her face. He was a good man, so kind and gentle to everyone, and he shared her passion for Earth's beauty.
But no matter how happy she was with Epimetheus, thoughts of the box she had brought started crippling in her head more and more often. This wasn't Hermes' curiosity gift. This was an obsession, slowly growing and descending into madness. She had to know what was in the box. Hermes told her not to open it, nor to lose it, too. Which meant there was something of great importance inside. She would sit in front of the box and stare at it for hours. Her hands ached to open it. She started hearing little voices in her head that would try to convince her to open it. She dreamed about opening it. Epimetheus would ask her if everything was all right, since he noticed how shaky her hands were and how pale her skin was.
'I'm fine', she'd say forcing a smile. 'I'm just having trouble with sleeping. Don't worry about it, dear.'
But thoughts of the box were haunting her, all the time, never letting her catch a break. One night, when the moon was glowing brighter than ever, Pandora couldn't sleep. Her eyes wouldn't stay closed, her mind wouldn't rest. She got up, soaking in cold sweat, and started sneaking around the house like a thief. All her instincts were leading her feet towards one thing.
She had put it in a small room upstairs in order not to go there, since she hated small rooms. That wasn't stopping her from going anyway. Only half aware of what she was doing, she opened the door and kneeled in front of the box as if it were a tiny god she's forbidden to worship. Her mind was racing, the voices screaming again and everything telling her:
Open the box. Open the box. Open the box.
So she did.
Everybody knows how the story goes.
Pandora opened the box and regretted it quickly. She released all kinds of illnesses, pain, miseries and misfortunes for humanity. She destroyed her beloved Earth, she made it shattered and broken. For the rest of her life she was trying to make up excuses for what she had done and justify it. However, what was done, couldn't be undone. It was Pandora who opened the box. And no matter if she denies it or drowns in the ugly truth, it's the reality no one would ever escape. It was her fate all along, that's why the gods had made her. She was always meant to be the one to change everything. Pandora never realized it, but maybe the world has become like this because the only thing that didn't get out of the box fast enough before she closed it - was hope ...