The News From Poughkeepsie – Day 99

A woman gets on a bus…

…of the dead.

Charon smiled and tipped his hat at Yuri as she got on. She paid her fare—two copper coins—and sat down next to the kindly old woman with snakes for hair and gleaming brass hands. A fresh scar that wound around her neck like choker.

The old woman was an easy talker, going on about her sisters, how she couldn’t do a damn thing with her hair and how much polish she went through on any given week to keep her hands shiny. Yuri started to space out, and it wasn’t until the old woman asked where her where Yuri intended to stay that she snapped back into the world of the bus.

“Oh, I won’t be here long. My boyfriend will come and get me. This is temporary.” Yuri brightened. “He’s a singer.”

The old woman feigned being impressed for a moment, and then placed her cold metal hand on Yuri’s knee.

“That’s sweet and all, doll. But if you’re serious about leaving Hades, you best make your own plans. No point waiting on a man, singer or no.”

Yuri hadn’t thought of this, that Orpheus might not be coming for her. So she started to plan…