The Helmsman

Published: December 19, 2025 · Updated: January 1, 2026

As I died, I both saw and felt myself hit the river. One second I was in the water, the next I was looking back at myself from under the river, or rather looking at my body in the river from another shore, but not the other shore we saw before. There was much less color. The green pines had lost all their color, and the water no longer shimmered, it had gone from crystal clear to a dull, translucent mauve. The ground had gone from firm, frozen dirt to a loose, gray gravel. I looked for Barry through the water, but I could only see myself, or what was once me.

I stood from the water's edge, quite curious. I hadn't expected this. I hadn't expected this at all. I had planned for a solemn blackness, a complete lack of consciousness, freedom from thought and action. The bitter cold was gone, actually it felt like I was warming up. I stood for a long time, acclimating and pondering my situation. I was so lost in thought that I did not hear the boat approach.

"Hello, James. I am Charon. As it is above, so it is below. I am here to take you from your death place to the fields of Limbo. There you will wait and wander until you decide to enter The Gates of Hell to begin your journey to resurrection." said the tall skeletal figure, clad entirely in tattered black robes.

I started at the words. I hadn't realized that it was entirely silent prior to him speaking. "And what awaits me beyond The Gates, Charon?" I asked.

"That I cannot know. It is different for everyone that passes The Gates. Some endure physical trials, others mental. Many experience both. You're here to learn from the mistakes of your past life, and get ready for the next." He replied without emotion.

"The next? I thought that this was it. I thought this was supposed to be fire and brimstone, eternal damnation for my sins."

"For some, beyond The Gates, it is. We only keep those that are truly evil. The truth is that every soul ends up on this side of the river. What some interpret as 'Heaven' in the Christian mythology are residing within the 'Rings of Pleasure'. Those would be Lust, Gluttony, and Greed. What others perceive as 'Hell' are the 'Rings of Torture'. Violence, Fraud, and Treachery."

"What of the other rings that Dante described? Anger and Heresy?" I asked

"Anger is an emotion, not a sin. One cannot be faulted for what they feel, only what they do. As for heresy, I'm entirely unsure where he came up with that. Humans have had so many gods, it almost seems like a fundamental coping system for understanding their own mortality."

I wasn't entirely sure how to respond to this, so I gave him a smile and nod, then boarded his boat. As we drifted down the strange river, I was overcome with curiosity about the waters beneath us. I stooped down and peered into the water. The trickling of the water as it passed the boat was soothing. My mouth was feeling quite dry, I reached out a hand to try and cup some water, but the water passed straight through my hand. It was warm and inviting, but as the water ran through my hand, I felt a chill run through my spine.

"Hey, Charon, what's the deal with this water? It seems to be singing to me, begging to be drank, but when I try to cup some in my hand it simply passes through."

"That is the River Styx. She is the boundary between the mortal realm and the realm of the dead. She's no normal river, the dead cannot drink or bathe in the river. Her waters do not touch us. She's a defense against mortals journeying here to recover loved ones, or plundering. If a mortal drinks or bathes in the river, they will lose all sense of self and wander the shores until they pass." Charon replied.

We sailed in silence for quite some time after that. This being had seen so much, how long had he been here? Is he immortal, or does time flow differently here? Where is here? Are we still on Earth? Finally, my questions piled up.

"What the hell is this place?" I asked indignantly. "There's no way that we're in some unseen part of Earth, our scientists would have found this by now. It's far too comfortable of a climate for us to be miles inside the planet."

"Where we are is a plane outside mortal comprehension. We exist in a static pocket outside the mortal realm. Time does not pass here, this is where souls are made. This is where consciousness was born. Mortals were given a small taste of what it means to be, to live. I wish I could say it was by design, but it seems to be an artifact of existence." He replied.

I sat and pondered what it means to be, or not to be. It felt like an eternity had already passed since I had landed on the shore. From Charon's words it sounded like there was both a grand design, and nothing but chaos enveloping our existence. Even death isn't concrete.

I was so lost in thought that I hadn't noticed the sprawling field and its inhabitants come into view. I just stared into the water. When Charon reached down and grasped my shoulder, I started.

"We have arrived. From here you can wander amongst the other lost souls, afraid of the retribution that awaits them within The Gates." He said.

"I've spent my life wandering amongst lost souls. I doubt I will find anything new for myself here, where are The Gates?"

"The Gates are at the innermost part of The Plains of Limbo. All you have to do is walk toward the center, if you truly are ready to face your retribution then The Gates will call to you." Charon explained.

Other souls had begun congregating on the river bank, where I assumed we were going to land.

"Well Charon, I suppose this is goodbye. You've given me quite a lot to contemplate." I said to the helmsman.

"This is far from goodbye, we will see each-other again, after your next life. This isn't our first meeting, either. Good luck, and remember that there is a way through this. You will never be given a task you cannot complete."

I gave him a smile and a nod as I stepped off the boat.