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Lethe Runs Deep

Charon had recently traded in his boat for a jet ski, much to the chagrin of the spirits waiting on the shore for passage to Hades. When he was in a particularly good mood, he’d do tricks.

He liked the roar of the engine, the feel of the smooth plastic on the worn ivory of his fingers, and the pure paradox of a modern machine in this, the most stagnant of places. That was a paradox in itself; death was change, and yet the land of the dead never did seem to change.

He revved the engine twice to grab the attention of the crowd. “Bet you’ve never seen this one before!” He pushed the jet ski to max speed down the river Lethe, culminating in a forward barrel roll that splashed the entire crowd with dark water. He grinned as their eyes seemed to unfocus and sat back on his machine. All he could do anymore was grin, anyway.

He too was stuck in a cycle of stagnation, no matter how he tried to break it.

He revved the engine again, and the crowd turned toward the river. “Bet you’ve never seen this one before!”

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