Give a classical myth a new twist
We read, among the other myths accumulated in Greek lore, that of Narkissos and Echo. In it, Narkissos sees his own reflection upon the surface of the waters for the first time. [Many ancients had no idea what they themselves looked like.] He is so impressed by this presumed other that he stares into his reflection under every possible light, imploring it to fellowship with him. Meanwhile, a woman in love with him (Echo), has been placed into a horrible estate: she can only speak the words another has just spoken aloud. She is in love with Narkissos, and can only use his words of self-love to call out her love to him.
The myth is both wrought with some ingenuity, and frought with silly oversights.
Here is my retwisted version:
Narkissos, seeing his reflection, knows he cannot see himself through another's eyes. So he stares day after day, from sunset to sundown, into his reflection, straining to come to a conclusion as to whether he could ever catch the eye of another.
Echo, who is the other his heart senses is out there somewhere, and aspires to catch the eye of, is under a curse, to only be able to repeat the last said words of others. She sees Narkissos, but he doesn't see her ever, as he worries day and night that he could never catch her eye, and tries in vain to imagine how he looks through another's eyes.
Everytime he rises and begins anew to come to a conclusion in the matter, he sees he looks just fine, from his own viewpoint, and starts off saying, "You are beautiful in my eyes", then thinks to himself, "but would I be so in hers?", just as Echo repeats, "You are beautiful in my eyes!" - but then he sighs and tells himself that he only hears her telling him this very thing in his wishfull thinking.
