literature

La Valle Dell'ombra Della Morte

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Literature Text

"La Valle Dell'ombra Della Morte"


Written by

Sara Hervey (aka: IzzyMarrie, or 'The Major' )


Inspired by :

l-e-n-t-e-s-c-u-r-a


Please do not use without my permission


R&R.  Enjoy!


Even though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, 
I fear no evil.


-Psalm 23:1–4

  

            With slow movements, Night had approached the rock-wall at the edge of a cave.  The sound of soft sobs could be heard from behind a boulder, in which the shadow, cloaked in a dusty gray, had stopped for just a moment to listen.  There was a soft light pouring through the Gaia up above down into the depths where monsters dwell, and it all seemed to point here.

            Like a river, the poised silhouette glided across the floor, its cloak bellowing with its careful stride.  Then, as the shadow drew nearer, the cries became louder.  The figure tugged its hood further down and drew out its breath the moment they saw it.

            "A child..."

            The child sat there crying, holding its head.

            "Please don't hurt me..."

            The creature did not speak, did not move, only stared down with an unreadable expression.  A human in the underground, and one so young... there are many a thief of youth around, but to see a child in the flesh was a rare sight... so much so, that the elder did not know what to do.

            As the child looked up, she saw God, hiding away on the surface, the light pouring in from above, seeping inside the cavern and bathing the stranger in what she could only think of as stardust.  She was still scared, but yet couldn't help but think with quiet innocence that Death was somehow pretty.

            "There is no reason to be afraid, little one," the figure said with two voices, practically singing at the same time.  The little girl looked up with caution and could've sworn that Death had stars for eyes.  She was at a loss, mesmerized.  It was a moment unrushed by the current of time, two eyes given light by Chaos but swallowed by Void, completely lacking in anything sensible, anything human.

            The specter loomed over the daughter of man as if transfixed, as if to observe the most rarest of flowers set to bloom only once in a lifetime, here for a moment, gone in the next.  She was like a doll with a shell of flesh whose fragile and glossy orbs were both lit by innocence, yet filled with sorrow.  Green like the grass from above...  Hair tousled and curled with the color of wheat and graveyard soil...

            The child wiped her cheeks and stared up in wonder at the seemingly faceless apparition.  Death wore a cloak that was grey like stone, but yet... there was a kindness that reminded her of something.  When a hand as black as night came reaching out, she took it, and clung to it like Life.

            "You remind me of my mom... and dad," she said, soft as a whisper, gentle as a prayer.

            Death's laugh was like a warm ray of sunshine to her, but yet, she couldn't help but notice, it somehow sounded a little sad.

            "It's okay," she said, and Death closed its eyes.  "At least this way, you can never get lonely."

            Staring up ahead, the shadow was at a loss, acknowledging her words with only a small squeeze of her hand.  The little girl wrapped her arms around what felt like a statue, that is, until Death knelt down and she was able to reach around bony shoulders, stiff, yet familiar enough to her that she didn't want to squeeze too tight for the fear of breaking them.  She started to cry.

            "I'm not afraid.  I'm just sad," she said, tugging a little at the fabric of her savior's sleeve.  She avoided looking up, instead putting her head against the stranger and listening real hard for a heartbeat.  "I was running away, and they'll be mad, I know, but if it's okay, can I stay here with you?"

            The human was warm, trembling, but warmer than they, and so the creature held onto the tiny child as if the cold of this world would permeate their bones.  It was strange, but was it selfish?  Not yet ready to reap the harvest of this small child, even with the masses at large hungry for her soul.

            The little girl waited and waited, finally gathering the courage to look up, but their hood acted like a mask.  She remembered suddenly that if somebody were quiet long enough, that could mean that she was going to be sent away again.  She didn't remember where she came from, and she didn't know where to go.  She was scared.

            Finally, another laugh broke the silence.  The shadow grabbed her by both shoulders and held her out.

            "All who pass will eventually come right back and leave," the creature said, almost sympathetic.  "I should know!  I'm the ferryman.  But on special occasion, there is the ones who don't come back."  Their voice dropped.  "They all lack the coin... or simply"

            "You're a fairy man?" the girl asked.  The stranger “shh'd” her and placed a clawed finger at their lips and grinned.

            "Or am I the ferrywoman?  Doesn't matter.  I like to ride in my boat.  Would you care to join me?"

            The shadow silently watched as the child looked away, staring at their feet as if there was something of interest on them.

            "I really like the water..." the human replied, and the shadow laughed and started to drag the child.

            "Then we're off!"

            But before they could get far, the girl asked, "But wait, does that mean I have to come right back and then leave again?"  The specter held her hand, looked down, those sad eyes were like mirrors...  "Or did I already come here and now I'm coming back?  I don't remember, but umm..."

            "Perhaps... it is not wise to cross over to other side just yet.  Perhaps... you could stay."

            The little girl could hear the sadness in Death's voice, and it made her think of the friends she left behind, of the family she wanted to see again.

            "Perhaps... I have gone blind over the years.  Perhaps I am a fool."

            "That's a lot of things wrong with you mister, but that's the fun of it, right?  I got a lot of things wrong with me, too!  But that's okay, right?"

            The child looked so frail, so... alive, it was hard not to notice the desperation, the pure innocence and naivety of a fool.

            "Right about some stuff, and entirely foolish about the others, but that doesn't mean anything when small children don't have the coin."

            Then again, the underground was rather fruitless.  There was no hunger like that of wanting hope.

            "I'm a small child!"

            "That you are, but you'll be growing big.  I can see it.  I'm a seer."

            The little girl smiled big and held out her hands.

            "The seer of the valley!  The mister trickster sister of all the river and beyond!"

            The specter deadpanned, but then doubled over and laughed.  This child, was so strange, so...

            "That..." the shadow could barely catch its breath, "is very kind of you."

            This child was like an angel.  How did such a precious gift from the heavens fall down below...

            "I'm like a seer myself.  And I can see us being great friends.  That's all you need, y'know?  A friend."

            The monster squeezed her hand and smiled.

            "I am very glad to be your friend, my child."

            The human swung their arms around back and forth.  "I miss my old friends, but I ran away because they were mad at me."  She licked her lips, and avoided looking up.  "But I can see that you're not mad at me."

            "That I'm not, my child."  The shadow sighed, then knelt down for her once more.  She was still shaking, though not as much after the shadow forced her to look.  "There is little here that moves me.  Here among hate, I have moved with the river that carries both the wicked and innocent with little appreciation for either life or death or the hope carried and buried with each little soul.  I'm aware of the stories they could tell.  But I hold no ill will even as I ferry their murderers along with them, but I ask that I hear not of the tales of their deeds, wicked or not.  I am their passing, nothing more."

            The little girl just stood there, not understanding what Death was telling her.  So the child just did what she thought was best and crouched down, patting her new friend's head and saying, "My name is Anna."

            And with that simple act of kindness, the monster replied, "It is a pleasure... Anna... to meet your acquaintance."
I was inspired to write this because of this lovely piece of art: l-e-n-t-e-s-c-u-r-a.deviantart… by the very talented and wonderful artist, L-E-N-T-E-S-C-U-R-A  Again, thank you for sharing your artwork with us on Deviantart, and for continuing to give others inspiration through your work.  It was a pleasure to write this.

As for the writing, I was also inspired by Greek mythology, and so I included some light elements of that and Christainity as well.  I also wrote this so it could be seen as clever fanfiction.  This was partly an excuse to write my back-story for the Riverperson in Undertale, so basically, my idea that the Riverperson was the one who ferried the bodies of the fallen to the capital, and acted like the Charon of the River of Styx.  However, I purposely left it as vague as I could without too many references from the game so that it could stand on its own as well.
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UberChimerism's avatar
I thought I saw some Undertale elements...! Also loved the references to Charon ^^