Ghosts of the Meadow
2175 Words
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Over the wooden fence, Mila leads Aurelia, Hera, and Darius through the Asphodel Meadows. The surroundings look monochromatic, done by the depressing grey sky. Surely, there's a breeze that makes the place seem soothing but it isn't enough to quell the loneliness of the realm. Or perhaps, the soothing breeze just makes it even lonelier.
Hera is the last one to cross the fence. Darius helps her from the other side. Now, the four of them are on the dirt road.
“So,” says Darius behind Mila as she looks far to where the road stretches. “what's the plan, my lady? Find the dog?”
“Cerberus,” Aurelia corrects him with a light touch of her elbow.
“It's the same thing,” he argues.
Aurelia is about to say something when her sister says, “We're gonna ask the souls dwelling in this meadow. I can't sense where he is and we can't search every corner of this realm by eyes. This realm is infinite.”
“What?” Hera asks, confused. “How can something underground be infinite, my lady?”
“We're inside a dream.”
“Dream?” asks Darius. “What does that mean?”
She didn't answer and they notice she's staring at something in the distance. A carriage is approaching. Although far, the bells ring whenever the wheels run over the pebbles. The flesh of the horse is almost transparent. Its rotten guts are like noodles in a glass bowl. They sway easily as the horse takes steps. One could just walk if they want to go faster instead of taking a ride on this slow-moving carriage.
The coachman is dressed as a coachman should. He isn't ghostly like the horse but pale and his eyes are hollow, like for thousands of years, all he sees is the road.
Soon, they pass by Mila and the others. Giving way, they gaze at the carriage. There's a lady inside it. They thought she is staring at them through the window but no. To the far meadows, her eyes unblinking, she stares.
“Stop,” says Mila, startling the others.
As she commanded, the carriage stops. The horse turns its head to face her, the coachman with hollow eyes looks at her, and the lady looks annoyed when she breaks her stare just to look at Mila.
The speed of turning their heads matches their sluggish words. Aurelia stays close to her sister when she finds it unsettling that the horse also looks at them.
“What the hell?!” she whispers, holding Mila's arm.
“Shh,” Mila shushes before turning her attention to the souls. “Where is Cerberus?” she asks.
They answer with a slow, simultaneous shake of their heads. Then off they go to their never-ending ride with no reason for haste.
“My lady,” says Darius. “we're inside a dream?”
“Yes,” she answers, turning towards him. “our bodies should be lying in the forest right now. That's also why we can't use our powers or other abilities here. And Aurelia can walk.”
“I can—” Aurelia looks at her legs, moving them freely, realizing she's not using her powers to move it. “walk... again?” The smile on her face fades away. “Yeah...,” she mutters. “I guess it's only a dream.”
Mila holds her sister's hand, squeezing it. “Come on, let's go.”
“May I ask another question, my lady?” asks Darius.
“Go ahead.”
“If this is a dream, then the body of Cerberus shouldn't be here, right?”
“Cerberus is a creature and guardian of the Underworld. He can freely cross the three realms with his body and soul intact.”
They follow the road, asking every soul they pass by. All of them gave Mila the same head shake. The souls come from different places and different times. Some lived way before the Age of Immortality started.
“Are all of them are humans in the past, my lady?” asks Hera as they walk.
“Nope. Others are demigods. Only deities are excluded in this place. For us, there are only two ways to go: Elysium or Tartarus. At the moment of our birth, we have responsibilities to look after. Do it well, and your place in Elysium will be secured. Otherwise, suffer in Tartarus.”
“That's harsh,” says Aurelia. “At my condition, I'm gonna end up in Tartarus.”
“No, it's the result of your duty. And as the ruler of the Underworld and your sister, I won't allow that. And don't talk about that. It's disturbing me.”
“I'm just sayin'...”
Looking around, Darius remarks, “This place ain't good or bad... Weird.”
“That's Asphodel Meadows for you, my lord,” says Hera.
“Stay close, Hera,” he says, his hands on her back.
Mila's saga of asking the souls of the meadow, getting nothing but shake of their heads, continues. She looks more worried rather than frustrated every time she asks.
“What's wrong?” Aurelia asks.
“I'm asking too frequently.”
“I don't understand what's wrong about that.”
“I told you that this is a dream, right? It's a dangerous dream. These souls mustn't realize that I'm living or I will be consumed.”
Aurelia widens her eyes, knowing that her sister is in trouble. “That's—”
“But don't worry. I can tell if I've asked enough. I will stop before reaching that limit.”
“Then let me ask them for you when that happens.”
“No, the souls will instantly recognize that you're living. It's different for me since my aura is of the Underworld.”
They went on marching on the road and Mila asking every soul they pass by. The stare of the souls at her is getting longer and longer. They begin to suspect that Mila is living. By now, she has asked a hundred souls. It isn't enough. She got no leads.
A soul of an old woman who used to live at least three hundred years ago is walking toward them from the far end of the road. She wears an old-fashioned dress and holds a basket.
Mila prepares herself for another round of asking but expects the answer would be another shake of the head.
“Where's Cerberus?” she asks.
The hollow eyes of the old soul widen and say, “Are... you... living?”
Mila knew that she's in trouble. She continues walking with the others. “Where's Cerberus?” she asks no one. “Where's Cerberus?” she asks again, pretending to talk to the air. The old soul lets her be and she continues her walk too.
“That's it,” she says, sighing in defeat and horror. “One more question and I'm done.”
“So,” says Aurelia. “what are we gonna do now?”
“We're gonna wait it out until I can ask again—I think. But we can't afford to wait. Father is holding that powerful goddess for us. We can't waste time.”
“If only I could use Oracle's Eyes,” says Hera.
“It's okay, Hera,” says Aurelia. “We are all powerless here.”
“Yeah,” Darius adds. “I'm made to fight and I can't fight here so that makes me worthless.”
“You're still worthless in real life,” she insults.
“I'll teach you a lesson when we get out of here.”
“How about teaching her how to love, Darius?” Mila teases. Hera couldn't help but laugh.
Aurelia and Darius react richly, trying their best not to look flustered.
“Where the heck did that come from?” he asks.
“Yeah,” Aurelia adds.
“Nothing,” Mila giggles, understanding the look on their faces. They are begging her to stop teasing them. “Okay, let's just go.”
“To where?” he asks.
“I don't know. Maybe if we keep walking, we'll find something.”
“In short, we're out of options?” Aurelia asks.
“Couldn't put it better than that.”
As Mila had suggested, they walk without a plan. They are adding to the silence in the whole meadow except their footsteps. She thinks of breaking the silence.
“Are you guys fine?” she asks.
“Yes, my lady,” Hera and Darius answer.
“Yeah,” says Aurelia. “Why'd you ask?”
“Nothing. It's just I thought you guys would grow more impatient.”
“We understand what's going on. We're taking a walk so that you can ask another soul later as well as we might find some clues.”
“I hope father is doing alright up there.”
“He will be. He's our father. Nobody's stronger than him.”
“Yeah.” Mila smiles.
“How about you then? Are you worried?”
“A little bit. I want to get this done fast to see if Leo is alright.”
“He'll be alright,” says Hera. “I've seen the future where we will meet him.”
“You did?”
“Yes, my lady. I saw the future before we entered the Underworld. Although, it's hazy.”
“Thank you, Hera,” she thanks, hugging her.
“You're welcome, my lady.”
Mila holds her hand and Aurelia's with the other. Darius walks behind them. He can't see his place in them. So, he lets the girls show affection to each other—something that men are sometimes afraid to do.
With only him noticing, Aurelia gestures her hand for him to grab. Her attention is turned to Mila and Hera so that they won't notice. He grabs it and walks beside her.
“I still remember,” says Mila to Hera. “that time when I first met your brother.”
“Yeah, that time,” Aurelia joins. “you were so mad about Dad not being there when you were chosen.”
“Chosen for what?” Darius asks.
“For the third seats of Olympus Mons.”
“Oh, that.”
“Yeah,” Mila continues. “He's very brave when he tried to save me from the bullies but he didn't know I was fine on my own.”
“Nah, Leo saved those kids from you, my dear sister. If he didn't stop them, you would've sent them straight to the Underwor—”
“What do you think of me?” Mila argues. “I won't go that far!”
“You're my sister. I know you better than anyone. When you get so upset, you become so unreasonable.”
“I can control my anger, you know!”
“Yes, now, but at that time, you couldn't.”
“Geez...,” Mila sighs. “Alright, I admit it.”
“See?”
They laugh including Darius.
Hera is the first one to stop laughing to say, “I miss Leo's hugs.”
“He gives the best hugs,” Mila adds.
“The girlfriend and sister get along so well, huh?” Aurelia remarks.
“Of course,” Mila and Hera say at the same time, both smiling at her.
“Well, I'm not surprised.”
After a few seconds of the thought-to-be conclusion of the conversation, Darius says, “I don't know a lot about siblings and stuff... but uh... Leo is kinda the only person I was close to. He's like a brother.”
“You two were always together, after all,” says Mila. “More than I could be with him.”
“Yeah. I would always depend on him—something I hated and never have done before.”
“That's Leo,” says Hera.
“Yeah,” Aurelia supports. “the word ‘Dependable’ is made for him. I understand.”
“You're right,” says Mila, squeezing her hand a little bit. Aurelia squeezes back.
“How can someone be so dependable like that?” asks Aurelia. “That takes a lot of strength, right?”
“I think it's more than that,” Darius says.
“A strong will and the pureness of the heart,” Mila says. “You know... I like him for being a person like that for all of us but sometimes, I wish he could just leave everything to us, let us help him. He's taking all of the burdens and it hurts me as well as making me feel guilty.”
“Aren't we all?” says Darius, looking at her. “His power—it hurts him and I know this better than anyone. I've seen how he tried to hide it.” His eyes show the trueness of his words. Aurelia and Hera look at her the same.
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- Writer
