Storytelling for Week 2: Selfia

The Birth and Death of Selfia

A man and a woman spent many years together madly in love. As great as their love was for each other, however, they found themselves unable to conceive a child. After several years of trying, they began to fear that, while their love was great, it was also barren. They decided to seek counsel from the doctors, and they were told that before the passing of six moons, they would find that which they did seek.
Five month passed and they discovered that what the doctors had told them was true! They had been blessed and the woman was with child. They rejoiced for many days, throwing grand parties and inviting countless friends. One friend, who was known for his futuristic insight, took it upon himself to offer the happy couple with sound advice for the new child. The child was to avoid the new coming technology and social media. If the child were to be exposed to these trends, the child would surely only find destruction.
The child was born a girl, and she was named Selfia. Many years passed, and Selfia grew up to be a very lovely girl. The parents had a love for her even greater than the love they had for each other. Many boys in her class found her to be lovelier than any girl they had seen, but she rejected the prepubescent declarations of love they offered her.
Selfia's thirteenth birthday was fast approaching, and she had but one wish: to receive an iPhone and join her friends in the exploration of the lands of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Such magical places these places seemed in her head, so she pleaded day and night to receive the key that would unlock the door to these lands. Her parents’ great love for their only daughter was so great, that they agreed to this request, despite what the wise friend had said. On Selfia's thirteenth birthday, she received the iPhone 5S.
Immediately, Selfia began to explore Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but of these, she loved the land of Instagram most. She took pictures of everything around her, every time of day. Once, she accidentally held her iPhone backwards, but when she realized her error, she witnessed the most beautiful human she had ever seen! Who was this girl who she saw on her phone? She tried turning the phone backwards again, and when she looked at the picture, the girl had the same curios look on her face. Selfia knew this girl was just as interested and excited as she was.
Many days passed, and Selfia spent most of her time trying to discover who this girl was. The people of Instagram all agreed that this girl was beautiful and fascinating, and this flattered Selfia to know she had discovered such an amazing girl. However, it frustrated her to not know who she was or how they could be together. She knew she was meant to be with her. When Selfia was happy, the girl was filled with glee; when Selfia was sad, the girl showed sorrow on her face. Even when Selfia would purse her lips and hold out two fingers, the girl would mimic this expression.
Selfia was devoted her life to finding this girl. She traveled all over the world, and everywhere Selfia went, the girl seemed to follow. As Selfia traveled, though, she spent more time searching Instagram than she did monitoring her heath. Her body began to deteriorate, and she transformed from the loveliest girl to one that was most wretched to look at. The girl of Instagram stayed with her for all of Selfia’s years, and when Selfia was on her deathbed, so was the girl. Though she never did find the girl, Selfia knew that her love for her outmatched even her parents’ love for each other.
 
Author's Note: This story is an adaptation of the story Narcissus, which can be found in Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4). It is a fantastic story and a fantastic way to find out where the term "narcissist" comes from! Basically, Narcissus is a super handsome dude, who sees his reflection in a pool of water and falls in love with it. He ends up turning into a flower in the end. It is interesting how he did not know he was looking at his own reflection; he was so convinced that there was a person in the water. He was completely in love with himself and totally detached from reality. I wrote a more modern adaptation, but I tried to keep the language sounding old. Also, I hope no one is offended by my condemnation of "selfies". It was just a fun little story, and the harm came from Selfia's obsession with taking selfies. If you've taken some in the past, I don't think you're a horrible person.  

Narcissus by Caravaggio. Web Source: Wikipedia

Work Cited
"Narcissus" translated by Tony Kline, from Ovid's Metamorphoses (2000). Web Source: Un-Textbook