Week 5 Story: The Day Rory Went to the Underworld

The Day Rory Went to the Underworld

(Image Information: Image by Criativithy)

Fifteen minutes before her Calculus III mid-term, Rory spent her time fending off an enormous black snake slithering around her dorm room floor. Only a few moments ago, the young geeky brunette had finished gathering up her color-coded notes scattered along her floor. If only she hadn't reached for that last damn paper. Barefoot and scared to death, Rory had leaped atop her messy sheets and black constellation duvet, trying to get away from the hissing snake. Throwing a pillow at the hideous creature only aggravated it more. The serpent rose from its belly and zig-zagging its neck from side to side, snapping at her heels.

What now? Her roommate, a shy, little thing, wouldn’t be back for another two hours. Michael? No, he was in the middle of an exam. So, she was left with the only logical alternative.

She took a deep breath and screamed.

However, her dorm’s fire alarm went off. Today was a fire drill. Unfortunately, the angry beep overpowered her desperate cries for help. Her throat grew hoarse after what seemed to be hours competing with the awful siren, and her arm was sore from fighting off the yellow-eyed reptile. She gave up on the idea of anyone coming to her rescue.

A rapping at the door startled Rory. Her eyes left the dangerous snake to see a young African American man wearing jeans and a gray Berklee's orchestral shirt, featuring his instrument of choice, the violin at the center, entering her room. They met at the beginning of the semester at one of those Freshman gatherings and formed an instant connection. In an hour, they were best friends.

Grinning, Michael teased, “Auditioning for the Rockettes?”

Uh. Did he not see the creepy large snake a few feet from the door?

Rory opened her mouth to snap back when pain shot through her leg. Her fingers drifted to her ankle and met with something wet and sticky. Lightheaded, she sensed body falling and heard Michael’s voice cry out, but everything was black.

***

Moments later, Rory opened her eyes. She was in a dark room lit by wall torches, and a metallic, candlelit chandelier. Blinking a couple of times, she recalled the snake. It had bitten her. And now, she was…

She walked forward and something brushed against her legs, looking down she no longer wearing her NASA sweatshirt and black leggings.  Instead, she wore a lovely blush pink gown. It flowed around her like a flower petal. Speaking of flowers, she hand rose to cradle her head and found several bright yellow daisies weaved in her hair. Daisies were a favorite flower.

A deep clearing of a throat disrupted her thoughts. A fearful Rory took a shaky breath and spoke into the darkness, "Hello?”

"Welcome, my dear." The voice, which she determined was male, said.

A loud clap echoed in the room, and the firelight burned brighter to reveal a throne room. Only a few feet away from her sat the man whom she assumed spoke.

He wore a long, black silk-like robe or toga thing—reminding her of a movie she’d seen starring Russel Crowe. He was handsome, and she tried not to notice his warm muscular arms. While she certainly didn’t prefer the beard look, she liked the way his black scruff grew across his sharp jawline. Altogether, Rory had to guess his age was somewhere in the latter half of his twenties.

The dark and attractive man sat upon a throne with intricate carvings of vines and possibly bones with a metallic finish. An identically made crown rested atop his black curls. He looked like a god. The little g, not the big g. Rory confessed he looked intimidating, but she wasn’t the least bit frightened of him. In the palm of his large hand was half of a pomegranate from which picked out the seeds and tossed them into his mouth as she did with buttery popcorn. He seemed at ease.

Rory widened her eyes and tilted her head. “Excuse me? There has to be some mistake.” Words flew out of her mouth with great speed. “Why am I here? I was just in my dorm…”

“Shh,” the man placed a ringed finger to his lips. “Everything is alright. Relax.” He lifted the pomegranate toward her. “Come, my dear, Persephone, come eat your favorite fruit.”

Rory shook her head. She was not about to take food from this weirdly dressed and albeit handsome stranger. He could've been a serial killer for all she knew. Plus, she had her fill with the gross fruit on Rosh Hashanah a month ago.

Then his words registered in her brain. “Wait,” Rory said, “what are you talking about? I’m not your Per—Perspha– that person." Her hand flew in different directions. "Alright! I am me,” she held her hands out, “what I mean is, I’m just Rory Demara who has a Calculus exam in..." She checked her brown leather-bound wristwatch, and though the light was dim, she still made out the numbers she didn’t want to see. Great!

Rory's face grew hot, and she shouted. “It started thirty minutes ago! God!" She paced back and forth unaware as well as unimpressed with whoever stood before her. "Is some kind of Freshman prank? Because I not laughing?"

While she continued to spew every expletive in her vocabulary, Rory hadn’t noticed he stood from his throne and approached her. It wasn’t until she stopped for air when she was now faced to face with the man. Rory met his eyes. His eyes were a blueish green. The tanned youthful skin he wore was of a late twenty-something year ago. However, something within those eyes told her he was much older than that.

Her voice came out as a barely audible whisper. "Where I am?"

“Home,” He replied with a much gentler smile than before.

Rory sighed and asked once more, “Please just tell me who you are.”

The young man's smile faltered a little but still remained. “Why you really don't remember?"

Deciding to play along with this crazed man, she shook her head.

His arms stretched outward as he gestured to their environment. “I am Hades, ruler of the Underworld. And you, my dear,” he bowed before her, “you are my Queen.”

Of all the things he could've said, Rory hadn't expected that.

Author's Notes:

So, I took my liberties with the original story of Orpheus and Eurydice and combined it with Hades and Persephone. I've had this story idea in my head for over a year now, and I want to explore it. I like taking these stories and giving them extra kicks. This story is about a college freshman named Rory. She's a geek and a nerd– there is a difference– who is somehow oblivious to Greek mythology. However, she is lonely only and meets a young man who is a music major. Hint. Hint. He has fallen in love with her, but she is completely oblivious and only views him as a friend.

The snake and the pomegranate are obvious references to the Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone stories.

I've always loved this story, but one day I had a thought. Orpheus never gets the girl anyway, So... What if this story took place in modern times? And... What if Hades–who appeared to be the age of an older college student– hated the idea of modern clothing and preferred greek togas instead? From there, this idea snowballed, and I created this as a sneak peek into what else I can create.

Please let me know what you think? I want to know if this idea is worth exploring in the future.

Bibliography:

Ovid. Orpheus and Eurydice, translated by Tony Kline, 2000,