The Myth of Sisyphus

Scene: The Endless Climb – Jessica and Sam Discuss The Myth of Sisyphus

The ocean was a low whisper in the distance, waves rolling in steady and unbroken. The lantern between them flickered, casting long shadows over the whiskey glasses on the table. Jessica sat with her legs stretched out, the weight of the night pressing against her shoulders. Sam leaned back in his chair, the well-worn pages of The Myth of Sisyphus lying open beside him.

Jessica smirked, tilting her head toward the book. “Alright, tell me. Why do we have to imagine Sisyphus happy?”

Sam took a slow sip of whiskey. “Because the alternative is unbearable.”

Jessica exhaled a quiet laugh. “That’s bleak.”

Sam shrugged. “It’s Camus.”

Jessica rolled her glass between her fingers, staring at the lantern’s flame. “So we’re all just pushing a rock up a hill forever, knowing it’s gonna roll back down?”

Sam nodded. “That’s life.”

Jessica huffed. “Sounds like a cruel joke.”

Sam arched a brow. “Only if you believe the point is reaching the top.”

Jessica’s fingers tapped against the glass. “You think the struggle itself is the meaning?”

Sam smirked. “I think the struggle is life.”

Jessica exhaled, shaking her head. “So what, we’re supposed to just embrace the fact that everything we do is temporary? That no matter how hard we fight, it all resets?” She glanced at him. “That doesn’t seem like something you’d buy into.”

Sam studied her. “You’re looking at it like it’s punishment.”

Jessica scoffed. “What else would you call it?”

Sam tilted his head. “An opportunity.”

Jessica frowned slightly.

Sam leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “Sisyphus gets to keep climbing. He gets to keep pushing. That means he’s still in control. The gods gave him a meaningless task, but the moment he accepts it, it stops being meaningless. He owns it.”

Jessica’s jaw tightened slightly.

Sam nodded toward her. “You think your fight against Vanguard ever really ends?”

Jessica swallowed, looking away. “No.”

Sam didn’t let up. “You think you’ll ever reach the top of the hill?”

Jessica exhaled. “No.”

Sam sat back, sipping his whiskey. “Then you better find a way to be happy pushing the damn rock.”

Jessica let out a quiet breath of laughter. “You make it sound so easy.”

Sam smirked. “Didn’t say it was easy. Just said it’s the only choice that makes sense.”

Jessica stared at the whiskey in her hands.

Maybe he was right. Maybe she had spent too much time looking for an ending, when the truth was, there wasn’t one. She could burn Vanguard to the ground, erase every trace of the people who made her, and the fight would still go on.

Maybe it wasn’t about winning. Maybe it was about choosing to push the rock anyway.

Jessica glanced at Sam. “And you? You found a way to make peace with the climb?”

Sam smirked. “I have good whiskey and interesting company. It’s not a bad way to pass the time.”

Jessica chuckled, shaking her head. “Guess there are worse ways to live.”

Sam raised his glass. “To the climb.”

Jessica clinked hers against his.

And for the first time in a long time, she didn’t need to reach the top.