By Pip
(Written for The Small Tapestry Winter 2009)
It is very dark. It’s hard to tell if your eyes are open or closed. From in behind you a chilly wind bursts against your body, wrapping its frosty wisps around your fingers and coil around your toes. The hollow sounds of the gales echo around this dark landscape as your eyes slowly begin to adjust the darkness.
You are standing before the gaping mouth of a cave entrance, just visible thanks to the moon slowly beginning to rise. Another burst of wind whips up behind you. Dead leaves smack against the back of your legs before twisting off into the hole. The wind roars through the caves tunnels in the distance. Prepare yourself, for you are about to enter the Underworld. When you are ready, enter the cave.
Using the rocky walls to steady yourself as you enter the cave, the wind begins to grow hasher, pushing you forward, urging you to go faster. Scrambling as fast as you can, the tunnel suddenly turns a sharp left. Rushing around the corner the wind suddenly stops. It’s quiet and dark again.
Advancing down the corridor, using the wall to feel your way forward, you start to hear a strange sound. Growling. Is it Cerberos? Pushing your fear aside, you continue down the corridor, the noise slowly growing louder into a roar. What is this sound?!
Finally you see the tunnel a head opening into a cavern and you suddenly realise what the sound is – it’s a waterfall. Entering the cavern, you finally see the magnificent waterfall tumbling down from above. The river slowly flows away from you. This place doesn’t seem familiar – a different part of the Underworld.
Approach the river. There is a boat tied to the edge, but no ferryman… where is Charon? After considering the situation, you climb into the boat, find the oars and push off from the edge. The river is flowing easily, so you don’t need to paddle hard. Up ahead you see a very old sign, falling off its hinges. As you pass it you read ‘Acheron River’.
Suddenly you feel full of sorrow. You give up paddling and close your eyes. You think of all the sad things that have happened to you in your life – people you have lost, betrayal, disappointment, depression, unhappiness… what’s the point? Why must these things happen? It’s not fair. A hand touches your shoulder gently, and you find you cannot turn around. A deep voice says ‘Life is not meant to be fair. It is your challenge. Do not let the sorrow drown you.’
You feel determined again, and pick up the paddles and start paddling faster. Another sign is coming up – ‘Cocytus River’. As the river turns you suddenly feel even more depressed then before. So much that it wells up inside you and you hear yourself start to howl in lamentation. Crying, weeping, grieving for yourself. The deep voice says to you ‘Do not lament for what you have lost. All you need is yourself and even when you think you have, you will never lose yourself.’
Wiping your eyes, you hear your howls reduce to a tremor and you push yourself further down the river. You worry when another sign slowly approaches, but you prepare yourself for the next rush of emotions. ‘Phlegethon River’. You turn the corner of the river and gasp in fear – the river is made of fire! Panicking you try to paddle backwards, but the river pushes you forwards. The hand rests on your shoulder again and says ‘Fear is your worst enemy. It holds you back. Face your fear and when you look back, the lion will be but a kitten.’ Taking a deep breath, you nervously grab the paddles and push the boat forward into the towering, licking flames. The heat pushes against you, but you paddle onwards. Covering your face to protect yourself, you wait for the flames to eat you… but nothing happens. You slowly uncover your face and find yourself calmly floating down the river with another sign approaching. ‘Lethe Pool’.
Pool? Why are you in a pool? You feel confused. Where are you? Who are you? Who is holding onto your shoulder? You strain to remember where you are going. A voice speaks to you from behind ‘If ever you forget what you are doing, where you are going or who you are – remember this: what ever happens is meant to be, the direction you are heading is where you are going, and who you are is who you are suppose to be.’ You are slightly unsure of this, but decide that you are obviously suppose to be here and continue down the river.
A sign approaches and you read ‘River Styx’. Suddenly you remember why you are here – and you hate the reason. You hate everything. Yourself. Your life. This boat. Why the hell did you drag yourself down here? This is ridiculous! The hand leaves your shoulder and you spin around angrily to face however has been talking to you.
Hades stares back at you and your anger melts away to be replaced by fear. Time passes between you until you finally takes the paddles from you and directs the boat to the waters edge. ‘You are not meant to be here yet, but you faced the challenges of the dead and from this you will learn how to live. Leave now.’ You leave the boat and find yourself in a more familiar area of the Underworld, like you have been here before. Another boat sits at the water edge, guarded by a ferryman. You decide this is not the time to go for another ride, and look around the area for an exit.
A tunnel beckons you, and you welcome the opportunity to put the Underworld behind you. You climb up through the dark tunnel, feeling your way around in the dark, squeezing through tight holes, and scrambling to keep standing on the slippery soil.
Finally light pours through the exit ahead of you and you leave the tunnel. It is day time! The sun shines high above you and you feel safe and warm. You sit on the beautiful, fresh grass to relax. Stay here as long as you wish to contemplate what you learnt from the Underworld. When you are ready, the door behind you will bring you back to the every day world.