Hey Little Songbird-A Hadestown Story

Word to the Wise/His Kiss, The Riot/Transition V

Persephone left her husband with questions to think over. Hades finished his cigar and his tumbler of bourbon and brooded over what he was going to do next.
Orpheus was a naive fool who let his wife slip away due to his own carelessness but somehow he had touched one of Hades's nerves, a nerve that reached the heart he thought had become numb long ago.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He got up to open it and let in three old women, who greeted him with "what ya gonna do now?"
"Come in," Hades told them, "Have a seat."
He sat back down in his black armchair. The three old women perched on the edge of the white sofa across from them. They helped themselves to cigarettes and liquor from Hades's stash.
"Gotta think quick; gotta save face," said the first one, a grossly fat black woman with white streaks in her hair and a deep, rough voice, like a man's.
"On one hand, it won't look good if you tell those kids no," croaked a stocky woman with light brown skin and rust colored auburn hair, "Sweet little Eurydice won't last long here and then there's the baby."
"On the other hand, letting them go will make you look sspinelessss and weak," hissed a gaunt, sallow skinned white woman with threads of silver in her chestnut hair, "What'll they think if you let sssome nobody pussh you around."
"Damned if you, damned if you don't," The three said in unison.
"Here's a little snippet of advice."
"Word to the wise."
"Men are foolsss. Men are frail."
"Give them a rope and they'll hang themselves."
Hades continued to think over his decision until it came to him
Devil take this Orpheus, he thought, Nothing makes a man more brave when a woman holds his hand and smiles at him. There's only one thing to be done: let him lead her away, under one condition. He cannot turn to look her. Let him trust that she is following him. She's out of sight and he's out of his mind.

"Send for Mr. Hermes," he instructed the three old women.

Orpheus waited for Hades's decision. Eurydice had explained to him that time was worked differently in Hadestown: one could never be sure of how much of it has passed. Neither of them were certain of how long they had been there.
"We'll know after we leave," Orpheus said, "And we can go to the doctor to see how far along the baby is."
He went over to answer the door to the suite where he had been reunited with Eurydice. Mr. Hermes walked in with grave look on his face.
Eurydice got up from the sofa and walked over to see what was going on. Her face lit up to see him.
"Mr. Hermes," she said, "It's so nice to see a familiar face."
"It's nice to see you too, Ma Belle," Mr. Hermes replied, "Mr. Hades sent me to speak to you both. He decided to let you go."
Orpheus and Eurydice breathed a sigh of relief as if several tons of worries had been removed from their shoulders.
"There's just one thing though. You'll have to walk."
"We can walk," said Orpheus, "I know the way, that's how I got here. We'll go back the way I came."
"It won't be that simple. He's the thing: Hades said that you have to walk in front and she has to walk in back. If you turn around to check on her, then you'll lose her forever. She'll have to trust that you know the way and you have to trust that she's following you."
Orpheus offered his wife's his hand.
"Eurydice, I know the way. Trust me."
Eurydice took his hand.
"Then let's go."