“We have unfinished business. We could not go without saying goodbye to our daughter.”
“But how did you know I would come here?” I asked in confusion. Had Death or Hades known I would be making this journey with Robert? Could they see into the future?
“We didn’t,” my father said. “But that didn’t stop us hoping.” He took hold of my mother’s hand and jealously flared up inside me. They could touch each other, but not me! This was so unfair.
“We love you so much Rachel,” dad continued, “and wish we could watch you grow up to be the strong, independent woman we know you are going to be. You make us very proud.”
“Look after her for us Robert,” my mother said. Robert was too overcome with emotion to reply, so he just nodded his head.
“We have to go now,” dad said.
“No,” I cried out. I didn’t want them to leave.
“We have done all we wanted to,” he said. “There is nothing holding us here now. Goodbye and know that we will always love you.”
“I love you too,” I said as they slowly became transparent, like ‘real’ ghosts, and eventually disappeared. My tears started to flow faster and I began to sob. Robert took me into his arms and held me tight until they subsided.
“Are you alright?” he asked when I had finally stopped crying.
“No,” I said. “But I will be.”
Kris had moved away from us while we had been talking to my parents, presumably to give us some privacy, but now he returned.
“We should keep moving,” he said. “Most of the ghosts hang around the lake, but not all. I suggest we get out of their domain as quickly as we can.”
Robert and I didn’t argue. I couldn’t speak for him, but I wanted to put as much distance between myself and the ghosts as I possibly could.
It wasn’t long before Kris announced that we would shortly be leaving the ‘ghost fields’. He was half way through his explanation as to where the border was when he stopped and stared ahead of him.
“Damn. I was hoping she wouldn’t be here.” I followed his gaze and saw a lone figure sitting under a tree. She appeared to be reading a book.
“Ghost?” I asked. He nodded his head.
“Stay here. I have to go and see her.”
“No way,” I protested. “You’re not leaving us alone and unprotected. What if more ghosts appear? We’re coming with you.” I looked at Robert, who nodded his agreement.
A pained look crossed Kris’s face, but he nodded and led us toward the woman.
“Kris,” she said warmly and stood up.
“Why are you still here Mort?” Kris asked her. He sounded more hurt than angry.
“You know why. Not that he comes to visit me anymore.” Her voice was filled with sorrow.
“It’s too painful for him,” Kris said. “For all of us,” he added. “He still mourns your death.”
“I know,” she said. “Now come and give your aunt a cuddle.”
Did she just say aunt?
To my astonishment, when she hugged him her arms didn’t pass straight through him.
“Son of a demi-god,” Robert whispered to me when he saw the surprise on my face. Oh yeah. I’d forgotten about that.
Kris hugged her back, burying his face into her shoulder. His eyes were brimming with tears when he pulled away. This was obviously someone he loved very much.
“Rachel, Rob, meet my aunt Mortina. We all call her Mort.”
Then it struck me who she must be. “You’re Ankou’s mother, Death’s wife,” I stupidly blurted out.
“I am,” she said, smiling. “And you are not dead.”
“No,” Kris said. “They are on their way to visit your husband.”
“So you’re the one,” Mort said and moved her hand toward Robert as though she was going to caress his cheek. She paused when she saw him flinch. “Problems by the lake?” she asked. Kris nodded. “Then I won’t disturb you any further. You must be anxious to put all this behind you.”
“Goodbye Mort,” Kris said, hugging her once more. “Please give some thought to passing on. Staying here is hurting everyone.”
“I will leave when I am ready. Soon maybe, but not yet. Please ask your uncle to come and see me. I miss him greatly.”
“I will,” Kris said, “but we both know that he won’t come.”
Mort nodded her head sadly then sat down once more and reopened her book.
Kris didn’t speak another word until we reached a river and he announced that as soon as we crossed we would be out of the ghost fields. He then remained quiet for the rest of the day. Neither Robert nor I were in the mood for talking either, so the day passed quietly and uneventfully. We made camp by a stream and all went to our separate beds early. I think we are all tired, emotionally as well as physically. Seeing my parents has completely drained me. I know for certain that I will sleep well tonight.
Day 30
I could not have been more wrong. I fell quickly to sleep, but was woken a short while later by screaming. I raced out of my tent and into Robert’s. He was still fast asleep, but thrashing about violently. Somehow I managed to shake him awake without being hit by his flailing arms and his eyes were bloodshot when he opened them.
It took him a moment to realise that he was awake and as soon as his eyes managed to focus he hugged me tight. He was trembling all over.
“Nightmares?” I asked, somewhat pointlessly.
He nodded. “Ghosts,” he said. He didn’t need to say any more. Just imagining what he had been dreaming about made me shiver.
It took him a while to calm down, but when he had he insisted that he was alright and sent me back to my own tent.
Kris was sitting by the still glowing fire, staring into it, so I decided to join him. I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to get back to sleep and thought that talking with him might ease my concerns about Robert.
“Don’t you ever sleep?” I asked as I settled by the fire.
Kris shrugged. “Sometimes.” He turned to look at me and smiled. “I don’t need as much sleep as you puny humans do.”
Puny! Who was he calling puny? But I knew he was just trying to lighten my mood, so I didn’t react.
“I’m sorry for what you and Rob went through today,” he continued. “But it was necessary.”
“Necessary. Why? Because Death said so?”
“No,” he said, returning his gaze to the fire. “Because your parents wanted to see you. That is the reason Death insisted I take you into those fields.”
I thought about what he had said and decided that he had done the right thing. Being able to say goodbye to them had filled a gap that has been in my heart ever since they had died. It gave me the closure I had been longing for.
“Thank you,” I said. “It was a truly horrible day, but it was worth it.” A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. “I’m not sure Robert would agree though.”
“It’s going to be a long night for him,” Kris said. “And for you probably.”
“How are you?” I asked him. “You have been very quiet all afternoon.”
“Sorry.” Why was he apologising? “Seeing my aunt always upsets me. We were very close before she died. Ankou has come to terms with it and goes to see her often, but Death will never set foot in that field again, not while he knows that she is there. He blames himself for letting her die and seeing her is too painful a reminder of his failure.”
“Could he have saved her?” I asked.
Kris shook his head. “No, but that doesn’t stop him believing there should have been something he could have done.”
“So why does she torture him by remaining in this realm?”
“Because she loves him and cannot bear to be parted from him, even though she never sees him anymore. She keeps hoping that he will visit again and, who knows, one day he might.”
I don’t know why, but I reached out and squeezed his hand comfortingly. He pulled me toward him and wrapped his arms around me. I felt safe a
nd warm. I rested my head on his chest and tears began to flow once more as the pain of seeing my parents resurfaced.
I don’t know how long we sat like that, finding comfort in a shared sense of loss. We pulled apart when the silence of the night was disturbed by Robert screaming once more.
“You may want to stay with him,” Kris said. “I would be surprised if this is the last time he screams.”
“Good idea. You should try and get some sleep as well.”
“I will,” he said and was heading toward his own tent when I entered Robert’s. I shook him awake, then settled down beside him and closed my eyes.
I lost count of how many times I was woken by Robert’s screams and by the time the sun rose we were exhausted. Kris didn’t look much better.
“We are going to take a detour,” he said over breakfast.
“Why?” Robert asked, his voice full of hostility. Lack of sleep always makes him short tempered.
“Because you two look as bad as I feel.” Neither of us could argue with that comment. “There’s an orchard that’s not too far out of our way that has a variety of different fruits, some of which have natural restorative powers. I think it will do us all a lot of good.”
I couldn’t speak for Robert, but I felt like a zombie as I slowly walked along. I mechanically placed one foot in front of the other, paying absolutely no attention to where I was going. If spending the day resting had been an option, I would have jumped at it.
I have no idea how long we walked for. I didn’t notice the sun moving across the sky or the length of the shadows cast by nearby trees change; all of my concentration was taken up with willing my legs to keep moving. Robert didn’t appear to be doing any better than I was.
Eventually Kris took pity on us. “This is ridiculous,” he said in exasperation. “At this rate we won’t get there till next week. Come on. Take my hands.”
We did as instructed. He gripped us tight and within the blink of an eye we went from the open expanse of a meadow to being surrounded by fruit trees. I wish he would do that more often.
The first thing I noticed was the smell. Powerful aromas were assaulting my nostrils. I breathed in deep and slowly released it as my mouth began to water. If this fruit tasted as good as it smelled it was going to be delicious.
Kris reached up and picked one of the white blossoms from a branch above him and handed it to me. “This orchard is split into distinct sections,” he said. “Each has its own variety of fruit tree. I thought it best to start here. This part may be the most appealing as far as smell is concerned, but don’t let that fool you. The flowers are designed to attract insects to help with pollination; the fruit itself is another matter. I suggest you hold your breath when eating it and swallow quickly. It tastes vile.”
“So why are we here?” Robert asked.
“If you can stop yourself throwing it back up, it will quickly restore your energy levels and make you more awake.” He reached up again and plucked a bunch of small bright red berries. He pulled some into his hand, placed them in his mouth and swallowed without chewing, wincing as he did so.
“That bad?” I asked.
He nodded. “Good for you though.”
He handed some to me and I reluctantly copied him. He hadn’t been lying about the taste. They were very bitter as well as sour and left behind an unpleasant aftertaste.
“Water,” I stammered as I fought my churning stomach, begging it not to reject its contents. Kris handed me a bottle and I gulped it down. It helped, but only a little.
Pretty soon a warm feeling began to spread through my body and the weakness I had been feeling evaporated. This fruit really did work wonders, but that didn’t mean I was willing to have any more.
Robert made the mistake of chewing. “These aren’t too bad,” he said and took another mouthful. Is he insane?
“What’s next?” I asked, praying that everything else in the orchard tasted a lot better than the berries did.
“Apples I think.” Apples sounded good. Except they turned out to be blue. Kris picked one and handed it to me, laughing when I pulled a face. “This one is better,” he said.
Better was an understatement. I bit into it and juices spilled down my chin. Without thinking I wiped them away with my sleeve, then went red with embarrassment when I realised I was publicly displaying my bad manners.
Despite being so juicy, the apple crunched when my teeth came into contact with it. It was sweet and refreshing and I quickly finished the whole thing, core and all.
“Another?” Kris asked, passing me one more when I enthusiastically nodded my head. Robert was helping himself and I noticed him filling his bag as he was eating. Good thinking. Have I mentioned that Robert is always prepared and thinks ahead?
“Don’t eat too much,” Kris said, “or you will not be able to sleep tonight.”
Next he led us to a section where the trees all contained fruit that looked similar to black pineapples. “These will guarantee a good night’s sleep,” he said as he took a knife, cut a couple down and stored them in his bag. “That should do us. Ready to get out of here?”
Robert and I both nodded and held out our hands, expecting him to transport us to our next destination.
“Oh no,” he said. “You should both now be revitalised enough to walk. If you’re not, let me know and I will take you back to the berries.”
I kept my mouth firmly shut. Robert, on the other hand, rummaged in his bag and withdrew a handful of the vile tasting fruit. “No need. I have that covered,” he said and popped one into his mouth. Even Kris grimaced as we watched him chew it.
We made our way out of the orchard and into a field full of daisies. I felt wide awake and full of energy and the urge to run came over me. Unable to control myself, I took off. At the top of a hill I tripped over my own feet and ended up rolling down. By the time Robert and Kris arrived at my side to check that I was OK I was curled up in a ball, clutching my stomach and trying, unsuccessfully, to stop laughing.
“One too many apples I think,” Kris said as he looked down at me.
Robert grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet.
The next thing I knew I was back on the ground with Robert lying beside me.
“What the hell was that?” I asked. “An earthquake?” The ground was still shaking.
“I don’t think so,” Kris replied, looking around. “It’s too localised.” The ground began to crack in front of us and Kris smiled. “I think we are going to have a visitor.”
Thankfully the crack was moving away from us, so Robert and I were able to pick ourselves up off the ground. We stared at the widening chasm apprehensively. What sort of visitor lived underground?
We soon found out. Once the gap was large enough, a reptilian head poked out, closely followed by two more. What were those things? Giant snakes?
No. Apparently not. As the monster eased itself upward we saw that all three heads were connected to the same body.
“Is that a hydra?” Robert asked, unable to believe the words that were coming out of his mouth.
“It is,” Kris said. “Want to come and meet him?”
“Hydra?” I stammered. “As in the beast that Hercules fought? Poisonous breath. Blood like acid. That sort of thing?” And Kris wanted us to meet it?
“Not exactly,” Kris said. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but the labours of Hercules are all just myth and while some of the creatures, the hydra being one, do actually exist, Hercules never fought any of them and most are quite friendly.”
“But aren’t hydras aquatic animals?” Robert asked.
“Underground rivers,” Kris said. “Come on. Let’s go see what he wants.”
Robert and I remained rooted to the spot as we watched Kris walk up to the giant reptile. Kris said it was friendly, but we both needed more than words before we were going to believe him.
One of the heads moved downward to intercept Kris and I closed my eyes, half expecting it to bite him in two. Hearing no scre
ams, I opened them again and saw Kris rubbing the creature between its eyes like it was a pet dog.
He glanced over his shoulder at us. “What’s keeping you?” he called out. “He has two more heads that like to be stroked you know.”
And that is how I ended up petting a hydra. It was smooth, like a snake, and I soon discovered that it liked being scratched under the chin. Yes, I know that Kris called it a ‘he’, but it was a huge lizard with three heads; it was and will always be an ‘it’ as far as I am concerned.
Robert didn’t want anything to do with the hydra and its third head soon swung toward me so I could use my free hand on it. Not that I am complaining. It was actually a very pleasant experience, once I managed to convince myself that it wasn’t going to eat me. It kept flicking out its tongues and tickling my face, making me giggle like a schoolgirl.
“Enough,” I finally said when my arms began to ache. It must have understood English because it gave me one last lick then withdrew the two heads.
“What is it doing here?” I asked.
“He heard we were in the area and wants to know if we want a lift anywhere.”
Had I just heard that right? But didn’t Robert say it was aquatic?
“Er, it does know that we can’t breathe underwater, doesn’t it?”
Kris nodded. “He can run almost as fast overland as he can swim through the water.” Oh good.
“You want us to ride on that thing?” Robert asked in disbelief.
Kris shrugged his shoulders. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. “It’s up to you, but it will make up for the time we have lost detouring to the orchard.”
Personally I would have preferred to walk, but this journey was about Robert not me, so I left the decision up to him.
“We ride,” he said, but he didn’t look pleased with the idea.
“How?” I asked.
Kris grinned. “Watch.”
He signalled to the hydra and it lowered one of its necks so it was almost touching the ground. Kris swung his leg over so he was straddling it just behind the head and once he said he was settled it raised up again, keeping the top part of its neck flat so Kris did not slip down.
Diary of a journey through Hell Page 21
