DIVINE » l. valdez

xxxix

walk the thinnest line to get me back

When Hina opened her eyes she stood on a river bank. It was unlike any other she had seen: polluted water caressing a bank of grey soil, wilting grass lining its surface.

The water below was almost black in colour, clouded with grey foam and littered with broken trinkets and other objects. A baby rattle floated along, tangled in the ribbon from a graduation cap. 

Hina wished her heart had sunken into her chest. The void feeling made her feel worse. In place of her rapidly beating heart was a dead silence that echoed in her ears.

In the distance, a figure approached steering an old battered boat. As they neared, Hina noticed the sunken greyed skin, and wiry limbs poking out from a meticulously pressed suit.

"Charon," she whispered, her voice sounding far too loud in her ears. The silence of the Underworld amplifying everything.

"Coins for passage?" he asked, his voice like someone who had swallowed sandpaper. A boney hand extended towards her, beckoning her to step forward.

Hina knew she should have been happy. She was free from the gods, she could stay in Elysium forever, or choose rebirth. At the back of her mind, Hina knew she couldn't bare to see her friends again in Elysium, to face them as the coward she was.

She had done nothing to help fight, she was a scared little girl trapped in her mind, bearing a curse that wasn't hers to carry.

She could forget it all. Go to the river Lethes and let her past wash away forever. Yet it seemed like an easy way out. To simply let the world go on turning, to let the gods continue their chaos.

Suddenly, a gold coin materialized in her hand, Charon taking it quickly. "Lucky you," he graveled, summoning Hina onto the boat.

It rocked dangerously as Hina stepped onto the wooden ferry, murky water sloshing around. "Why is it so polluted?"

Charon gave Hina a twisted smile, paddling the boat away from the river bank. His bones cracked and popped as he steered them down the river Styx. 

"Welcome to the junkyard of human miseries. Lost hopes and dreams end up here, you have discarded so many yourself."

 Hina bit her lip, watching as Charon steered the boat around broken toys and other trinkets.

On the opposite side of the river, a towering black tent stood. 

"Ready for your judgement?" Charon asked, his eyes following Hina's gaze.

The closer they got, Hina began to make out three figures standing in the opening of the tent. The figure in the middle was taller than the others, a white crown sitting on his head. A white glow enveloped his body, dowsing the river in a dim light. 

"Hina Ito."

The voice pounded in her head, the man's mouth not moving. Hina stumbled to the back of the boat, her hands flying to cover her ears.

The boat slowed to a stop, bumping into the crumbling bank. Reluctantly, Hina stepped off, her shoes hitting the grass but leaving no mark. 

The three figures drilled into her with their gazes. They were the judges. 

Behind her, the river bubbled, murky water deteriorating the river bank. The judges swiftly turned to look, as Charon shifted uneasily in his boat.

"What was that?" Hina demanded. A swirling whirlpool developing downstream. 

The three judges frowned.