The moment I fell, I suddenly started wondering about gravity. How does it work in a world like this?

My butt hit the ground before long, and I heard a thump. I looked over to see the Charon, so I got back up and ran.

The ground under my feet was still pitch black, but I could see where it ended. Above my head, the sky swirled slowly like liquid, and emitted a pale light in undefined colors. We were no longer at the entrance to Irkalla.

The Charon kept chasing, I kept running. It was like a silent cartoon. I didn't know where I was or where I was going; Erek gave me no further instructions except not to enter Irkalla. There were no stars to guide me, only a kind of hazy instinct.

The Charon occasionally yelled and cursed. Goddamn lucider, they called me. Must be refering to lucid dreams.

The way it felt, was indeed like a lucid dream. Maybe this had all been just a dream. Maybe Death was just a long dream. Maybe the whole universe was a dream, and I was God.

Once again I reached a dead end. A cliff. I could see in the distant, however, the other side, hiding in the mist. A swift, terrible current flowed between the two sides.

If this was a dream, I could make it to the other side. My feet bounced up from the ground, and I let myself float. It worked. I could try to fly.

"Yer aren't fool enough t' try t' cross the Styx by yerself, are yer?"

A figure, tall, hooded and ancient, emerged from God knows where. He sounded like an old man. He held out a yellow lantern between his bony, darkened fingers, scrutinizing me. A long stick in his other hand.

"How'd yer get to this side anyway? Are yer dead?"

I stared at him, a bit startled by the question. Should I admit I was dead?

"As a human, yes, I am living a new life."

The Charon caught up to me but halted and curiously looked at the old one. He turned and pointed the lantern towards the Charon. Then, totally ignoring them, he turned back to me:

"Good eyes. Yer don't look like yer dead."

"Oh but she is!" The Charon said, walking forth.

"Get back, puny puppet! This is MY water!"

The old one's voice was not loud, but menacing. The Charon seemed to gasp. They asked in frustration:

"Who are you, anyway?"

The old one lowered his lantern and stood straight up:

"Ah, yer know me. They called me Old Man Charon."

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The other "Charon" was dumbfounded. They shook their head:

"You're not in the system."

"Didn't have a "system" back then. Didn't need no puppets. Five gold coins for the other side, young lady." Old Charon summoned a little boat. I fumbled to will five little gold coins into existence. They weren't pretty, but they passed for gold. The "young Charon" protested but the old man continued to scare them away.

"Didn't know you raised the price." I smiled.

"Naw. Still one gold for the way here, five for the way back. Always. But only for the good folks." Old man Charon pushed me onto the boat. "Sit tight."

The young Charon jumped up and down by the shore. They seemed to have been blocked by something.

The old man hit the shore with his stick and the boat flew slowly, slipped through the few gaps in the great current. The current felt terribly powerful, yet it made no sounds. I unconsciously sat as modest as I could in the middle of the boat.

"The Styx is merciless. She'd tear yer apart." The old man laughed. I nervously nodded.

"Living, dead. No one's got a thing against the rivers. They watch us. They watch everything. From Hell to Heaven. Everything. Keep them in check."

Old Charon sounded proud. I didn't understand much, but at least I'd know better now not to jump into currents. The Styx was terrifying up close.

"Excuse me." I decided to ask. "How do I enter the country of demons?"

"Demons!" The old man continued to steer the boat with the stick. "That's what they call them now, isn't it? Well, I wouldn't know. Why'd yer want t' go?"

"I'm... interested to see one of them." I said. Black smoke suddenly came out of the tablet I held - and completely forgot I was holding. The smoke formed a shape and the young Charon sat there next to me, disgruntled.

"Ah. Yer can't be away from the tablet, little puppet?" Old Charon laughed.

"Shut up." The young one said. "Give that back to me!" They demanded. I shook my head. No way.

"Yer'll probably find demons in the old land too." Old Charon suddenly returned to my question. "If that's what yer interested in."

"Not just any demon..." I confided, reluctantly. "I have one particular in mind."

"What gives?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Some stories. Some dreams. Before I knew it I just wanted to see them."

"Some love-struck girl yer are!" Old Charon laughed again. "Bet yer make things like songs and statues. Crafty folks are always like that."

"Is that how it was? You were in love with a demon? More like the idea of one?" The other Charon leaned toward me, trying to snatch the tablet again but failed. "You didn't even have a proof of connection. Talk about being delusional."

"Delusional or not, I couldn't be locked up in there. I'm sorry." I said, scowling. "Where are we going anyway? I just wanted to get away from Irkalla..."

"To yer Mother." Old Charon said. "There she is!"

We had arrived on the other side. I could see right away that it was a vast land. I shuddered because something felt different. The winds. The winds brought smells. I was breathing for some reason, and my heart was beating.

"What is this place..." I uttered.

"Used t' be called Earth." Old Charon shrugged. "Welcome back t' life. Try not t' lose it again!"

"Lucider. The tablet." The young Charon stayed on the boat, holding out their hand. I'd come to like the nickname they gave me. I held out the tablet to them, but stopped halfway.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked.

"Sure what?" They frowned, or that was my impression.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

The Charon froze. "What nonsense-..."

"You don't have a proper name. You're overworked. He called you a puppet and you didn't even retort. Come on, you've never set foot out of Irkalla, have you?"

Not that they had a foot. My bad.

The Charon gazed at me for a bit, then said:

"I'm not like you, Lucider. I don't have choices."

They floated onto the ground to reach for the tablet in my hand, pausing for a few seconds, staring at the brown-red soil, then looked up:

"Go find your demon."

As soon as the tablet left my hand, the Charon faded away. The old Charon tapped the shore with his stick again and steered the boat back into the mist.

The young Charon's words somehow lingered in my head, and tugged at my heart.