The Ferryman

by Amy Neftzger

  “Then go,” Karen shouted back with encouragement. She squinted to keep her eyes from drying out in the wind as she looked at him. “You have the choice to go now and make this your last memory of earth.” Scott glanced around at the interior of the car and paused briefly to lock eyes with Karen as he considered her words, but it didn’t take him long to make his decision.

  “I will. Thank you,” he said as he let go of the wheel and vanished slowly. His image melted from the bottom up as it disappeared from view. Karen was relieved that she had accomplished this transition and there had been no hint that Scott had gone to hell. But no one was driving. It was dark outside. She couldn’t see if there were obstacles. She was in a speeding rented Ferrari with no one at the wheel. No one. The car was decelerating without any pressure on the gas, but it was still speeding and nobody was steering. Her mind was on Claude and what he would do if she died in a car crash. She had no family to help him, and he would become a ward of the state. The thought panicked her.

  Karen unbuckled herself and climbed into the driver’s seat to take control of the car. Her hands were shaking as she started to break. It took a few minutes to slow the car down enough to stop safely. Karen pulled over on the shoulder of the deserted road and fell out of the car. Her whole body shook, and she paced back and forth to calm herself. She was parched, but the movement was soothing to her. She continued to pace back and forth even though what she really wanted was to sip from the water bottle she’d left in the car.

  “That was risky,” Fate said, appearing before Karen and further unnerving her.

  “I didn’t know it was risky when I started it,” Karen responded. She wished she had one of those little liquor bottles to help calm herself.

  “That’s what makes it even riskier,” Fate said in a reflective and unconcerned tone. She watched Karen pacing nervously. “Oh, relax,” she said. “You weren’t going to die.”

  “How do you know?” Karen asked as she finally reached inside the car and picked up her water bottle. She took a few deep breaths through her parched lips without opening the bottle. It helped. She felt the tension and panic leave her body as she blew the air out slowly through her papery lips.

  “Do you know who you’re talking to?” Fate asked. “I thought we understood one another.”

  “I think maybe you understand me,” Karen admitted, “but I don’t know anything about you.”

  Fate studied her for a moment as if about to say something important, but she turned around to look at the car instead. She ran a gloved finger over the finish. Karen took a swig of water. It was warm but still refreshing.

  “You did a good job,” Fate announced. “This may be your finest accomplishment so far.” Karen took another swig of water as she felt herself further calming down.

  “Thank you.”

  “I think you’re getting better at this.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  “Nevertheless, you are.”

  “He didn’t go to hell, did he?”

  “We’ve discussed this before. That’s none of your concern.”

  “But it bothers me.”

  “It shouldn’t,” Fate said.

  “Fortune seems to bother you,” Karen said quietly as she looked at Fate sideways. “And maybe he shouldn’t, but he does.” Perhaps it was the rush of driving fast or maybe it was Scott’s influence, but she felt like taking a risk even if it would irritate Fate.

  “It’s not the same thing,” Fate said sharply.

  “Still, I’d like to meet him and see for myself whether or not he’s as annoying as you say.” At these words the dashing gentleman faded in with a sparkling shimmer. He stood behind Fate, dressed in a black top hat, tails, and cane. He smiled coyly at Karen over Fate’s shoulder. His tuxedo was new and while it didn’t exactly sparkle, it gave Karen the feeling that it was secretly twinkling and that only she was aware of it. As Fortune’s smile widened Karen felt the sultry nature of it, as if she had been sunbathing in the nude. It sizzled through her whole body.

  “He’s not worth knowing,” Fate snapped. “He’s more trouble than he’s worth.”

  “A lot of people might disagree,” Karen replied from her dreamlike state.

  “I should hope so!” exclaimed the formally dressed gentleman. His voice had a warmth that reminded Karen of some expensive brandy she had once tasted.

  “No one invited you,” Fate barked when she turned around and recognized him. “You have no business here.”

  “You were talking about me. You spoke my name aloud, and someone mentioned that she’d like to meet me in person to form an objective opinion of my character. That’s an invitation as far as I’m concerned.” He stretched out his cane and tapped the heel of Fate’s left boot as he spoke. She took a step away.

  “Stop flirting with me,” she said abruptly. Karen wanted to volunteer herself as an object of flirtation, but she managed to pull herself together by looking away from Fortune’s vibrant blue eyes. She felt the heat dissipate from her body as she focused on the dirt in the cracked pavement next to her feet. Her own shoes were worn canvas slip-ons that weren’t nearly as stylish as Fate’s gray leather boots.

  “I believe there was some attempt earlier to place blame for this poor chap’s condition,” Fortune replied pleasantly. It made Karen glad to know that he had been watching them earlier. There was something about him that made Karen want him to always be near her.

  “It had nothing to do with me. You know that,” Fate said. She spoke with confidence, but Karen could hear the difference in Fate’s tone. She didn’t talk to Fortune the same way she did to everyone else. She was firm, but ever so slightly softened. Perhaps the attractive gentleman had an effect on Fate, even if it was a small one.

  “People with muscular dystrophy are destined to lose their motor ability. This is your fault,” Fortune said to Fate in an easy tone, as if he were discussing the weather. He turned his cane sideways and ran it lengthwise across his palm. He looked like a dancer when he moved. His motions were smooth and elongated with a sense of perfect timing.

  “You flipped the coin and when it came up tails, he was born with this condition,” Fate insisted. “It’s a product of randomness and genetics.”

  “You destined the condition in the components of the genetic material,” he retorted, tossing the cane lightly from hand to hand.

  “You rolled the dice and the egg was fertilized by the sperm with the gene that brought the condition into existence for him. He didn’t have to be this way, except for your games of chance.” Fate’s temper was rising, and the heat was not a pleasant one.

  “But the genetic material preceded the random union of the sperm and egg,” he said with equal force as his cane settled firmly on the ground, his genteel nature slipping away.

  After a few more verbal exchanges their speech sounded more like a thunderstorm than conversation. Karen thought she felt hot rain whipping her hair about and slapping against her neck, but she was dry. Fate and Fortune were masters of illusion, especially when they fought.

  “Stop it!” Karen yelled.

  Fate laughed heartily.

  “My dear, where are my manners?” Fortune said as he stepped up to take Karen’s hand. When he touched her Karen felt a cozy and yet tingling sensation. It was as if she were experiencing all the positive feelings from every holiday she’d ever celebrated. It was Thanksgiving. It was Christmas. It was the Fourth of July, Easter, and her birthday all at once. These were all balmy sensations, but they also made her shiver, as if she understood beneath the warmth that those holidays were gone. When Fortune kissed the back of her hand she felt light-headed, overcome by visions of all the good things she’d experienced and seen. These weren’t just her memories. Her mind was flooded with happy endings from movies, lottery winners, lost family pets arriving safely home, children being born, cancer being cured, and love being found. She felt the love as if it were all for her. When Fortune released her hand Karen stepped away from him, and
Fate stepped in.

  “You have no business here,” Fate said as she placed her palm firmly on his chest and pushed Fortune away.

  “And you do?”

  “If I do, it doesn’t concern you,” she retorted. She tilted her head to one side as she touched her hair with one of her gloved hands and added sweetly, “So let’s say goodbye for now and arrange a meeting later. Dinner someplace special, perhaps?”

  “Where should we go?” he asked as if they had never argued.

  “You pick,” she replied, grinning.

  “I’ll surprise you.”

  “You always do.”

  He smiled and blew her a kiss as he faded way, leaving Karen with that summery and carefree feeling of bliss. No wonder Fate had married him. If she had someone who could make her feel like that all the time Karen would consider herself the luckiest woman on the planet.

  What a different exit from Fate, Karen thought to herself as she stood there staring Fate in the eye. They were such opposite entities. Karen wondered how she had ever confused Fate and Fortune. If she could choose, she would rather work for Fortune. Who wouldn’t?

  “Why do you always wear boots?” Karen blurted as she attempted to bring herself back. She wanted to break the silence without breaking her gaze.

  “Because I have to walk through a lot of shit.”

  “I’ll bet it helps to be married to Fortune,” Karen whispered as she finally looked away, recalling the gentleman’s face.

  “You think he’s all warm and fuzzy?” Fate asked. “He’s not. He was only trying to make an impression on you. Fortune frowns as often as he smiles, and you don’t want to be in his line of sight when he does.”

  Karen began to wonder why Fortune had appeared. She had spent her whole life without seeing him, but for some reason she had personally met him today. Perhaps his visit wasn’t simply because he’d heard his name. What if he was looking for a reason to meet her? What if he wanted to know what Fate was doing? Maybe he was curious about their relationship. Did he know about the job Fate had given her to move souls between worlds?

  “Don’t trust him,” Fate cautioned in a softer tone. “I don’t.”

  Karen got back into the car and drove it slowly back to the rental agency. She thought about the events of the day and made a promise to herself that she would do her best to help Claude live. What she wanted most at that moment was to hug him and make sure that she didn’t get in his way. She was glad that she had met Scott, and she was glad that he kept smiling and didn’t suffer when he passed into the next life. It had actually been a good day, but perhaps that was due to Fortune’s presence. He was magical.

  Karen now felt more optimistic about finding a way out of her current job, because she knew that Fortune understood Fate and how to get under her skin. If he knew her that well, then he must also know how to break an agreement with her, Karen reasoned. It was clear that Fortune could very well hold the keys to her freedom.

  Episode Four

  Outwitting Fate

  She’d had a few days off from Fate’s interference, and it had been a good weekend for Karen. Earlier in the week she’d found an intramural sports team for Claude and enrolled him. He’d been to several practices and his first soccer match took place on Saturday. It was a good distraction from her contract to move souls, and Karen had temporarily forgotten her obligations to the Universe. The events of the weekend had helped her to forget that she was still a slave to Fate.

  Most of the time Claude forgot which end of the field to kick the ball, but the other children were just as confused, and all of them were having fun. For most of the game Karen stood at the sidelines, holding an inhaler in her sweaty palm, ready to rush onto the field at a moment’s notice. The game was incident free and now that it was over she felt chills every time she recalled the smile on Claude’s face as he ran over after the game and hugged her. It wasn’t one of those short obligatory hugs. It was strong and exploded with Claude’s excitement. Karen smiled to herself.

  During the past week she’d quit her job at the cable company and spent as many hours as she could searching the books in the library and various Internet websites to learn everything she could about Fate, but there were very few facts. Most of what she found were philosophies or myths. The same was true of Fate’s husband Fortune. Nevertheless, Karen decided to continue searching for a way out of her contract with Fate so that she could stop performing the duties of transporting the deceased into the afterlife. After all, even myths had some basis in reality, so the stories on the Internet, as ridiculous as some of them were, might still have been of use to her. All Karen needed to do was locate that kernel of truth which could gain her freedom.

  On Monday afternoon Karen decided to attempt an experiment. She stretched out on the park bench and felt the hot surface through her thin clothing. She was dressed in dingy yoga pants and a torn t-shirt. She was doing her best to appear homeless and felt that it was easy to do when you’d been living on next to nothing for so long. As soon as her head was resting comfortably on the hard wooden surface, Karen closed both of her eyes and placed a highly polished silver dollar on each one. The metal felt cold in contrast to the warm summer air, and it soothed her eyes. Then she waited, feigning sleep on the bench and hoping that someone else would steal the coins from her eyes.

  A half hour went by. Then another. Karen began to wonder if her homeless appearance was bringing about too much sympathy for anyone to attempt taking the coins from her, but she continued to wait. After all, if taking coins from the eyes of a corpse was what brought her into this contract, she reasoned, then having coins stolen from her own eyes may be the key to releasing her from the obligation to serve Fate. So she stayed in position and waited another hour.

  “That won’t work,” Fate said sharply. The sound of Fate’s voice startled Karen, and she sprang upright. She fumbled to catch the coins as she squinted into the afternoon sunlight, but the metal disks slipped through her fingers and clanged on the asphalt pathway in front of her. She scrambled to retrieve the metal dollars before addressing Fate. She’d spent too much time polishing the coins to let them go easily. When she finally looked up, her eyes were still adjusting to the light, and she had to shade them with her hand.

  “How do I know that you’re not lying to keep me in this job?” Karen demanded.

  “You don’t,” Fate said as she adjusted the shoulder strap on her black sleeveless dress. She was wearing a matching wide brimmed hat that was tilted to one side. A small strand of simple white pearls rested against the smooth skin of her collar bone. She had her weight settled on one hip, and with one arm at her side and one adjusting her strap, she looked like something out of Breakfast at Tiffany’s or as if she were ready for a day at the races.

  Sometimes, Karen thought to herself, it seems a pity that I’m the only one who can see Fate.

  “You’re not wearing boots,” Karen commented as she studied Fate’s feet. She looked back into Fate’s eyes and continued, “I guess you don’t have as much shit to deal with today.”

  “That’s what assistants are for,” Fate retorted. “That’s why I hired you, for example. You might want to look into getting a pair.” Fate scrunched up her nose as she surveyed Karen’s outfit. Karen’s gaze drifted down, and she wiped one of her moist palms on her own ragged attire.

  “I’m not really dressed for anything,” Karen said as she slipped the silver dollars into the pocket of her yoga pants.

  “You never know when you’re going to do something, and you never know when you’re going to do nothing. But you should always know better than to leave the house dressed like that. Even when you’re doing nothing you should be well dressed.”

  “There’s more to life than how a person looks,” Karen said as she narrowed her eyes into a fierce expression, but she recalled her situation and bit her tongue from saying any more. Neither she nor Claude had nice clothes, and although she now had some money she had been hesitant to purchase more than wh
at was necessary because one never knows how long a bit of money will last.

  “Go on,” Fate said with a smirk. “Teach me a lesson.”

  “It just shouldn’t matter what a person wears or what people look like,” Karen replied.

  “It shouldn’t,” Fate agreed, “but it does. So you can carry a torch for the cause, but the reality is no one will listen to you dressed like that.”

  “I was going for a homeless look.”

  “I know.”

  “I don’t think it worked.”

  “I know.”

  Karen glanced around the park and inhaled the scent of freshly cut grass mixed with wild onions. It was a weekday afternoon and there were college kids strolling about. She also saw a few mothers with small children, and an occasional businessman in a suit meandered through the park talking into his phone or Bluetooth headset. Karen watched a little girl playing in the sandbox and wished her life were that simple again.

  “So, who am I looking for?” Karen asked as she stood up, faced Fate, and set her mind on the task at hand. “I know you didn’t come here to compliment me on my wardrobe. What’s my next job?”

  “How efficient you are!” Fate clapped her hands together as she grinned, her white teeth too brilliant in the sunshine.

  “I just want to get this over with and get on with my life.”

  “You may be so busy trying to get your life over with that you forget to enjoy it.”

  “I don’t need advice from you,” Karen snapped.

  “Don’t you?”

  “I need you about as much as I need to be handcuffed to a wild rhino in heat. Your lessons aren’t as valuable as you think they are,” Karen barked, and this made Fate laugh.

  “You really shouldn’t be so entertaining,” Fate said as she attempted to catch her breath. She leaned over and placed both her hands on her knees as she breathed in gasps. “If you stay this much fun I may never let you go.”

  Karen resisted the urge to slap Fate. Would anything happen if she did? Maybe. Maybe not. Slapping Fate across the cheek would feel very satisfying, but how long would the satisfaction last? And what could Fate do to retaliate? Karen didn’t know, and the thought left her feeling uneasy. If she wanted to outwit Fate, she would need to learn patience. No strategy would be effective without it.