Written by Tanvi Das
As I fall in a deep endless abyss,
Everything around me was pitch black,
I break down as it is my family I miss,
Suddenly, deep down, I see a crack.
I land on my feet; as I regain my posture,
I look around and see the river Styx, flowing away.
The place was an evil and lone mixture,
On the river, I saw a boat sway.
I went to the boat, sitting there with an oar was the helm,
Wearing a black cloth covering his body head and face,
It asked me to sit, in it’s dry voice, and said, ”welcome to the Underworld Realm”,
When I asked if I was dead, “you were, for many a days”.
When I asked who it is, “You all call me the Grim Reaper, carrier of the dead souls”,
“You are being taken to Hades, King of the underworld, as you will be sentenced to eternal life in here”.
The rocks along the riverbank shake, as the giant Cerberus, in his duty, angrily howls,
The souls trying to escape the underworld cower back in fear.
I reached the other side, there a bridge of jades connected to a dark hall,
The grim Reaper bid goodbye and steered away to bring other souls here.
As I enter the huge dark room lit with only candles, the doors, on the entrance, falls.
In front of me, I see, Hades and Persephone, his wife so dear.
“Welcome to the underworld, place and prison for souls, for eternity.”
Persephone sits quietly with a pomegranate in her hand, a parrot on her shoulder,
She spoke up, “Here you will find perpetual peace and serenity”
The room suddenly got darker and colder.
I was sentenced, as I roam in the garden of Persephone, Beautiful but strange,
The subterranean and white birch trees floating in air like lemures.
The air was cool and damp, the colorful luminous flowers, in a beautiful way, were arranged.
There was a dining area, made of human femurs.
In the middle was The Pomegranate tree, emanating a sweet tart smell,
The monkeys jumped from one tree to other,
The bats, on the tree branches were resting well,
I went to the Elysium, my final place, as I did not want the sirens to bother.
I entered the huge hall, lit brightly, people talking and smiling,
I didn’t know where to find anyone I knew,
Came to me, a couple, who took, in me, a liking.
They hugged me and said, ”We are finally blesses to get a child like you”.
As they said it, I got a terrible vision of a car wreck,
In there were three bodies, dad, mom and me.
The other car had the couple, who, to save me and my family, had slammed the break.
My parents are severely injured and are in the hospital, the vision makes me see.
“Your parents have lost you, we know it is painful for them dear,”
“But from now you are our child, we will never let you go.”
I was teary-eyed with a mix of emotions, as they pulled me near,
“Even though we are incarcerated here, we are still a happy family, you know.”
I prayed silently to give peace to my parents who lost me, as others prayed for their families,
Then we all went to do our chores in hell, the couple, now my parents, came with me.
We, in memory of my parents, planted two trees,
Even though it was hell, nobody though incarceration is so peaceful there, as It should not be.
