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From Thames to Lethe

Jennifer Marie Theresa Spencer

        The sky fell in a dark manner over the castle creating an eerie aura. All was silent and still as the wind moved the trees in a swaying motion. Charity woke up with a start on the ground perhaps fifty feet away from the Tower of London. She pushed her hands against the cold dirt pulling herself to her feet. Frantically looking around her, she momentarily forgot who she was. The taste of metal filled her mouth and as she bit down on something hard. Taking her fingers she pulled out a golden coin covered in blood.
     “Why is there a coin pushed between my teeth! I cannot remember how I ended up here or why this is happening.” Staring up at the castle before her she exclaimed, “I have lived there!
    That was my home. My name is Lady Cole and something dreadful happened inside those stone walls”.
    She studied her ripped gown and saw splatters of blood near her shoulders and chest. Holding out her arms she saw dark blue bruises lining up from her wrist to her elbow.
    “What happened to me here?”
    Trembling from the cold, she walked farther down the road towards a familiar river. It looked like a bottomless pit filled with thick black water. The reflection of the moonlight gave it a ghostly glow. As the bare trees fell overhead beckoning one to come closer.
    Charity rubbed her arms to rid the chill from her body as she saw a silhouette of a man alongside a boat.
    She waved her arms frantically, “Sir! Over here!” Still the man did not move but stared ahead at the river before him. Still she screamed, “Do you not see me? I am Lady Cole! I beg you sir to assist me!” Running over the mounds of rock and dirt she tripped over stuck branches and pushed the loose strands falling out of her bun behind her ears. Still she ran towards the only living aspect around her. Her chest ached and her breathing became heavy. She clutched her hand to her heart as she fell in front of the man. The ground was moist as she looked up and realized she was near the river bank. Staring at the man, she realized he was in his later years with a heavy gray beard. He wore a black overthrow with long sleeves that matched with the dark sky. A rope tied around his waist with black pants and boots.
    Hastily she lifted herself up and stood face to face with the man with the piercing blue eyes. She exclaimed in an exasperated manner, “Sir, have you not heard me calling for assistance?”
    He lifted up one of his old hand as if to silence her, “My child, you should know that if you called for any other being, it would be in vain. No one besides me can hear you.”
    “Well of course no one else can hear me; you are the only breathing person around here except for the cold bodies I see!”
    He chuckled and said, “Judging by your gown you must be either a lady amongst the court or one of the king’s pleasures.”
    “I will not be talked to with such hostility. I am Lady Cole, a woman amongst the court of King Henry VIII. I do not know why blood spatters my gown but I intend to return to my rightful place”, she then lifted up her gown and started walking.
    “You will not get far child! You do not belong in such a kingdom no more. Your mannerism is telling me you are confused and losing your head” he then waited for her response.
    Her green eyes held fire as she replied and marched up to him, “I do not belong in such an institution as the damned sir. If you would excuse me, I will go to my waiting maids.”
    She watched as his eyes changed for just a moment, perhaps a flicker of pity?
    He then sighed, “My dear, it is not your mind you have lost, though it would have been lost in that same process I suppose. You were under the King’s wrath. Judging by the splatter on your gown around the shoulders and the bruises that plague your arms...you were executed.”
    She stepped away and put her hand to her hand. Then realizing where her hand was, she dropped it in an instant. Memories started rushing back to when she was staring remembering her dear family to the poundings on the door; the fear in her heart as they grabbed her and pulled her into a boat towards the tower. The damp and cramped conditions of the cell and the odors of feces and deteriorating bodies filled her senses. Then her walking up to the guillotine hearing the cries and cheers of the people, her head laying on the stone block and the swiftness of the wind upon her neck...
    She stated in a barely audible whisper, “I remember now. How is this possible? Am I not acceptable by the lord?” She grabbed the corners of her gown and sat on the ground as if traumatized.
    The old man walked silently towards her and said, “If you do not remember, you wished to punish the accuser who sent you to the guillotine. Perhaps this is the reason why you are no other than in Purgatory as they say. I am Mathias Loncastre, the chosen oarsman to transport you towards Hades Rivers” he then held out his hand.
    However, she just stared at him in utter confusion. Her eyes kept darting from him towards the black waters of Thames. Finally after a minute she responded, “I was to be beheaded to make way for a lady such like myself to become Queen of England. I did not choose the fate of being of the King’s moment’s desire but it happened. Why am I to be punished for his undeserved power? My death should have brought me towards the sky to forget about past misfortunes rather than dwell into the cold caves of the underworld!”
    The oarsman sighed in exasperation and shook his head. His hands fiddled with a rock tied on an old rope around his neck, “I cannot begin to fathom why I was chosen to lead the dead into darkness. Believe me, I held a life before this and my revenge became the death of me. I will explain all your questions until your skin turns blue.” His eyes crinkled in amusement as Charity just gave a stern look. All turned serious as he replied, “Perhaps it is not the best time to jest about your current condition. Have you found any sort of token to give you the ride towards the next life?”
    Charity fumbled for the coin in her gown’s tarnished pockets. Pulling out the coin she studied it, “It is nothing like the currency held in England. I have found it between my teeth. I daresay you should tell your...people to find a better place to give to the dead.” The coin was silver and rough due to the carvings of a head on top of the coin. The head wore some sort of headdress with large Egyptian looking eyes. On the flip side of the coin held a carving of a parrot like bird that filled the whole surface.
    Charity then placed the coin in the palm of Mathias’ hand. She watched as he took the coin between his index and middle finger and brought it to his lips and kissed it. He then dropped it into a pouch tied near his waist. He then smiled at Charity and said, “You are fortunate to have had maids that respected and loved you; for they must have put the coin in your mouth. It is an ancient coin from Greece I should say. If you were not given this coin, you would be damned to aimlessly walk the earth for hundred years before you were allowed passage on my gondolier.” He then hesitated for a moment then said, “Now we have spent long enough contemplating your current affairs. Will you step aboard my abode?” He then held out his hand and waited.
    Charity took one last glance at the fortress that plagued her last year. In the darkness it was menacing, showing the evil that corrupted a kingdom of privilege and power. A chill swept down her spine and she shuddered as she climbed into the boat.
     The wooden boat rocked as they descended into the abyss of the water. The moon swept behind a cloud dimming all light to a faint gleam. The ravens circled the tower of London mockingly and their cries turned into a faint whisper. Charity watched as the scenery changed and as her former residence soon disappeared behind thrift of fog. She was not such a person to succumb to fear so easily, yet moving into the unknown shattered all courageous demeanors. To break the silence she asked, “Mathias, how did you become a slave to such a fate as this? You mentioned having a life before you took the dead to their fates.”
     Mathias face turned cold and hard. His eyes drifted to a faraway place as if fighting all memories. Finally he said, “No one had ever cared about how I became what I am. There was a former oarsman by the name of Charon who would transport the dead to the rivers of Lethe. I menaced the gods I once doubted and was cursed with this fate. I held a family which I cherished beyond measure. I had a wife who bore me a son and a daughter. The house was simple and nothing to exclaim over but it was filled with generosity and laughter.” Charity smiled as he recalled the memory. Yet darkness dimmed his eyes and sadness overtook as a tear fell down his haggard cheeks.
     “It was a cold winter that overtook us. The crops would not grow and we were poor to begin with. We had nothing to feed our animals and we could not eat since they grew sick from hunger. A disease swept the villages, harming various residents. It overtook my children of ages four and eight. My wife being the giving mother that she was, refused to stand by and watch them die.” He hesitated then said, “The doctor did not know how to treat the illness and told people to avoid others infected; to wash all clothes in boiling water and rest. He told us to pray for a miracle and for salvation to save us from death” he then looked towards Charity.
     Charity held compassion and sympathy in her green eyes. She nodded her understanding and her consent for him to continue. Mathias cleared his throat and choked on a sob, “My wife got infected. I begged her to keep away from the children, to wait till the doctor had time to come. I watched as they suffered and felt chilled with the cold. Each night I cut lumber for a fire to pass heat and keep them warm. Fevers and sweat poured down their cheeks and I felt helpless. Ten days later my children passed away and two days after that...my wife.”
     Charity’s tears stained her cheeks as she imagined the loving mother caring for her children, sacrificing her heath to save them. Her hand reached and laid on Mathias’ arm in condolences and she whispered her deepest regrets. Mathias pulled his arm away and his countenance turned grim, “I cursed the fates and I cursed the gods above! I swore my vengeance against them for taking my family and not myself. That night was a storm. The lightning and thunder pierced the skies and the wind moved the poor foundation of my home. I came outside in the rain and reached my fists in the air and promised I would find my family and bring them back towards the living. I got part of my wish that night. The gods gave Charon his leave and peace and made myself hold the power of moving from the living to the dead.” He then grew silent and moved the oars with a deadening speed.
     Charity sat still, too paralyzed to move. Her heart went out to the bitter man who lost all he loved. As she was about to comfort him, her eyes widened in disbelief. The waters erupted and the currents grew dangerous. The sea pulled back like a boomerang and showed a land of rocks on each side. As the fog soon parted, she witnessed a large cave. Her arms crossed over her chest and she darted her eyes towards the large structure before her. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she heard the moans and cries of souls around her. She could not find where it came from but she felt tugging on her sleeves and the pulling of her hair. The air chilled dramatically and the sadness over took her. She found herself reaching towards the waters, striving to help the lost souls. Her mind lost all reason. Mathias realizing what was happening pulled her further back into the midsection of the boat. He grabbed her arm roughly and said, “Do not let the cries pull you into the deep. They are lost souls forever wandering. We are almost towards Lethe and my deed would be completed.”
     Charity stared at him defiantly, “I know of Lethe and I read its stories. It is the river where one forgets one’s past life. How can you subject a person to losing the one aspect that holds them into the living world? You of all people who held a family so dear cannot wish such a fate on someone!”
     Mathias’ voice rose in anger, “Do you not wish to live again? To drink from the river and be given a second life?!” The boat rocked furiously as he yelled and stood before her. “I lost all that held meaning in my life! I have realized they are no more! I shall not find them, for their souls are in another carcass. Their memories are forgotten about me, yet I am still haunted by their faces each time I close my eyes. So child, I bear you to drink from that river as we are descending upon it now. Accept this fate as a new beginning as a gift from the gods, you have not offended them as I have done!”
     The boat moved into a circle of river lighted by a silver gleam. A weeping willow surrounded the water on the sides as the strings of its leaves fell into the deep waters. Charity gave out a cry as she saw flesh of people lying on rocks near the tree. They appeared to be alive yet one can tell by the paleness of their skin that life fled from their eyes. Some were in the water with their hands folding into a cup as they brought the liquid to their lips and fervently drank its contents. Others reached out and grab the boat holding it within their grasps as their soulless eyes reached towards Charity. She heard their faint whispers but their lips would not move, “Have you seen my child? I cannot find him! Where am I? The night took my life.” The woman’s cries pierced her ears as she tried to pull away but the cries persisted. “Bring me back! She is alive, more alive than any of us! Find me my child!!”
     Charity gave out a scream and pulled her arm away. Her arm held bloody scratch marks where the woman dug her nails. Mathias took the oar and swung it around warningly as the bodies moved away. His eyes moved to the water and desire swept his eyes. “My dear this is your salvation, drink from this substance. Have your chance to make your life fulfilled. Do not let this opportunity waste.”
     She stared into his eyes and obeyed. Her hands fell into the cold water as held it in her hands. She then turned her head and looked at Mathias. “I cannot drink from this water. I am not ready to forget my parents and the love which they shed upon me. I wish to reflect on my past life before I descend into a new one.”
    She then took the water in her hands and lifted them into the air. Her hands went in a sweeping motion as she threw the water at Mathias’ face. He staggered back astonished as the liquid seeped into his lips. He cried out, “What have you done?! I cannot just drink a few sips; I must drink it all to forget. You have plagued yourself with the fate of the dead. I hold pity for your future here.”
    Charity just smiled and replied, “I will hold your place and bargain with the gods. You have held tragedy in your life. Such an event of losing one’s family does not give the gods a right to punish you to eternity of transporting lost souls. You must now live again, I will tell Persephone, Queen of the Dead of my tale. I am not worried, for I wish not to forget my life.” She then grabbed the oars from his hand and watched as he was compelled to drink more of the liquid. His body lost his solid form as his soul drifted from his body. It moved swiftly towards the opening of the cave and soon vanished into the night. She could have sworn she heard the soul whisper, “Thank you, may you live at peace again.”
    Later on for her heroic decision and giving the gift of life to the oarsman, Charity was given the gift of new beginnings as well from the Queen. However, for her gracious compassion of love, she held all memories of her family as if it were something of a dream. All nightmares were soon forgotten from her mind as she was able to live once again.

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