The bag of coins was heavy in her hand. Forcing her terror down, Maria walked into DOA Recording Studios. Every eye turned to her as she approached the skeletally-thin man sitting at the desk.
“I request an audience with Lord Thanatos.” Her voice trembled.
The man looked up at her. “Oh, and why should I allow that?”
In answer she poured the gold drachmas out onto the counter between them. The man stopped, staring with greed at the sheer number of them.
“There’s extra sweetening in it for you, if you do.”
Still the man frowned. “If I let you down there, it’ll be my job, not to mention my head, on the line!”
In answer Maria poured more of the coins out onto the table. “I think this should be approximately one year of your salary. And my bag is still pretty heavy. Wouldn’t a five-year salary bonus be enough to convince you to take me across the River? I’m not something to be afraid of. I’m just a little, not-terribly-clever, weaponless daughter of Aesculapius.”
The man pursed his lips. Maria poured a few more coins on the table. Finally he nodded, licking his lips. He swept the coins into his lap and motioned for the bag, which Maria held out of reach.
“Not until you transport me across the river. Then you will get the rest of it. I swear it on the River Styx, and I’d not break that promise, not when that’s the very river you’re taking me over!”
The man grumbled, but rose to his feet. “My lady?” he ushered her with an ironic bow into the elevator and down into the rickety boat. Maria sat down, closed her eyes, and took a shuddering breath. [i]You’re doing this for Mama and Elizabeth and Anna. Not for you, for their happiness.[/i] Over and over again.
The boat bumped against the opposite shore. Maria passed the bag of coins to the ferryman, Charon, his nametag said.
As the man crossed the river again, he said, “A word of advice, young lady. Pretend that you’re dead.” He laughed, and then he was lost from sight.
Gritting her teeth, Maria climbed up the bank, shocked by the sheer number of spirits she saw in the lines of the dead. She walked over to the EZ Death line, getting into it behind a pair of bickering twins, spirits whose words made no sense. She sighed through her nose. [i]For Elizabeth and for Anna, for itty bitty Anna. Let your mother see them again. This is for their sake.[/i]