I make no appointments or excuses for my actions as I move about in the velvet night, making my selections as they suit me. Neither does my sickle know remorse as it cleaves though the silver cord that holds you to your worn body. I laugh with pleasure as I release you into the night to ride my stygian gondola across the river of blood to see those who came and passed as fireflies in the long night of eternity.
Visit now, those who could not escape their fate, stranded for a time by their own disbelief. They were fools! Oh, you wish not to join them? Ha! I make haste. Like a raven who flies with a piece of meat from a war-torn battlefield, I light the grand tunnel of passage with my brass lantern filed with burning brimstone. Ha, ha! Gaze into the blackness of the sockets where once my eyes shone brightly and see if you can read my mind.
You are offended?
Well, so be it-that changes nothing. I am the one
who should be offended, but then, I have long since
grown accustomed to that. I am the friend whom no
one embraces. I offered you comfort with the caress
of my ivory hand, yet you wanted none and were
repulsed by me. So what? I take it all in stride,
and miss not a stroke with my ebon paddle.
Ah! But it matters not. Come with me, my confused friend, as we cross the divide into the depths of the underworld. Isn't it grand? Yes! There is a Hell! Enter the chamber of a billion doors and know that none are yours. Oh my! Hear the wolves beckon call beyond those portals? What self imposed suffering! Musical, isn't it? Fools! Yes, hear the vain discord of a billion self-confessed and tormented souls as they sing out their pain as somber music that flows though the endless night.
Ah, but you wince? No, fear not, this fate is not for you, my friend. Think of all the choices that you made in life and wonder if this is a surreal nightmare, created by some sick delusion. No, it's not. They made their own beds, and now, they have to lie in them. They made bad choices and followed a fool unto their destruction.
Is all of this really happening? Yes, it is! Just look at your arm and see the squirming maggots eating away on it. Is that real? Sure it is. Watch your fingers falling away one by one like petals from a rose as your flesh dissolves into their bellies.
But fear not! Soon, your sorrows shall fade away, and then all at once you will feel engulfed, warm and protected. There is something better for you, as you made the better choice. Soon, I, the shadow of death shall no longer hover about you, but it matters not, as my chore is almost finished, and there are others waiting for me. See? The far shore is in sight, and I shall carry you to your proper destination.
What next? Oh, look ahead as soon, you shall know joy and happiness, all your desires fulfilled. Your restoration is at hand! However, in time, you will grow tired of all that and again seek chaos, for that is your nature.
On that day, you shall feel yourself pushed from your warm place of succor. You will open your eyes and see a bright light and many people milling about. Then, for a while, you will be the focus of attention, the center of it all. Sure, you'll cry tears of anguish at the shock, but you'll get used to your condition. Yes, the only thing constant is change. But that is all right!
Soon, you will come out of your illusion into the there-and-then and find yourself small and vulnerable in arms of another person whom you don't really know but somehow do. Then, your tears will cease as you hear your new heart beating for the first time. What then? Oh, don't worry, my friend, as this too shall pass, and I, Charon, shall be waiting for you.
