He was a phantom of mythological proportions. Spoken in hushed, reverent tones, legends of his daring adventures passed from father to son. He was larger than life, strong beyond measure, wiser than all the elders. He was a god.
He was also a lie.
A hero of tall tales whispered to lackadaisical children, he was an ideal to aspire to, yet never attainable.
Generation after generation clung to the fables, yearning toward perfection, toward this paragon of manly virtue.
Until the lie unraveled.
Questions were finally raised. Doubts picked at long-festering grief. The rarefied champion was no deity, only stories of a mere mortal raised to an unreachable pinnacle by lessor beings searching for meaning to their mediocre existence.
The fairytale was laid bare.
Thin spiral notebook 
Love the passage from he was a god to he was a lie. Bam!
And that damned meaning we’re always searching for come to screw it all up. Stupid meaning!
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I’d like to think all of these tales have a good grain of truth to them.
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I love your response to this prompt (stopping in from S3P today). I’ve seen many men, women, and yes, empires succumb to the same fate. I can’t help but feel bad for the person whose life is so empty he (she) relies on such an intricate web of lies.
Wonderful writing here 🙂
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And that is how empires fall…
you write really well, well done!
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It’s sad that our unrealistic expectations build up and tear down. Love the part about “searching for meaning to their mediocre existence.”
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Unfortunately, it seems some people’s mission in life to tear down heroes – no matter what, who or why. Realism sucks.
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And to think, this happens so often. Nice write!
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It will happen again, I bet. Just like your title says-we need heroes.
I like this piece a lot. I’ve read it several times and there is much food for thought here. Great piece of writing, Tara!
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Good piece. Interesting take on the prompt!
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anyone who gets that big, always falls
great strength in words, partner
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