If I Had Words

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Chapter 72      Chapter 74

Psyche stepped out of the chariot, looking at a huge crack in the ground. 

This was the entrance to the Underworld??

No imposing columns to mark it? 

It made sense that there wouldn’t be a welcome sign, but for something so significant, she hadn’t expected it to be so simple-looking. 

Psyche turned to question the chariot whether this was the right place. It answered with a flourish of large flowers along its sides, adding to the small and delicate ones. 

It was nice to have something to cheer her, even if it was now disappearing in the distance on its way back towards Aphrodite’s palace.

Psyche turned back to the entrance. Standing alone on the bleak mountaintop, she shivered. 

Psyche stepped closer to the opening in the rock. It could barely fit one person at a time. The opening led into total darkness. 

What was she thinking?? 

This felt so much harder than the other tasks. How could she face the Underworld and whatever unknown terrors it contained? How could she find the powerful Queen of the Underworld and ask for a bit of her beauty?

Didn’t the Goddess of Beauty have enough? What would Aphrodite even do with it?

She stared into the darkness. 

What if she died down there?

Psyche’s natural survival instincts momentarily took over, forcing her to take a few steps back.

Well, I’d already be in the Underworld, she joked to herself. 

Her instincts didn’t appreciate the joke. 

This was the final task, the one remaining thing she needed to do so she could be with Eros. There would be no more hiding, no more conversations limited to total darkness.

But to accomplish it, she would need to face the dark one more time.  

Aphrodite, similar to her previous task, had given her a sack with a few necessary items. It now hung across her chest. She had found food and water, thankfully. She had already consumed some cheese and bread, but she made sure to save some for the journey back. 

She had to believe she would come out again. 

Psyche had also found a single sun-illuminated stone. The Underworld was largely dark to mortal eyes. 

Psyche pulled the stone out of the bag. 

It looked like it barely glowed.

Psyche wondered whether it was another means for the Goddess to torment Psyche. Would it be bright enough to allow her to see anything?

Only one way to find out. 

Taking a deep breath and clutching the dimly-lit stone, Psyche began carefully descending into the crack.

Down and down she went, trying to carefully step her way within the narrow space. She moved around jagged edges and occasionally had to duck down. 

After she had descended far enough to be completely swallowed within its depths, Psyche could see that the stone in her hand was quite bright. It provided enough illumination so that she could see a few steps in front of her. 

Though not much more. 

Psyche took heart with the light and continued following the path. 

She walked carefully for a while, wondering how far down she would need to go and whether she would encounter any monsters or obstacles. She felt her spine prickle at the idea of encountering any golden-haired sheep along the path. 

So far, the path didn’t fork or deviate. There was nothing unusual and the only obstacle was an occasional rock. The path was a little narrow for her comfort, but she seemed to be able to fit through well enough. 

On and on she went, sitting down for a moment on a large rock to rest her feet. She avoided the temptation to eat more of the food, but she did take a few swallows of the water. 

While logic told her she was going the right way, a new thought entered her mind as she continued to walk the seemingly endless path. Could Aphrodite have found another way to get rid of her by sending her on an eternal descent into the depths of a mountain? Would she find herself still walking for days, weeks — or even years — and never find the end? 

Was Aphrodite somewhere in her palace laughing?

Psyche had always been at the mercy of the Gods, but walking along the path in total darkness to unknown depths made her really feel it. 

Psyche looked ahead and noticed she was approaching a wall. 

A wall? 

She faced the solid rock and looked for an indication of a way through.  She couldn’t see anything to push or pull. Psyche looked around but the light couldn’t find anything helpful. It seemed there was no way forward, only the way back. 

A dead end?

Surely the path didn’t end here.

Maybe it was the end of the path for the living and where only the dead could enter. 

The thought made Psyche’s blood run cold. 

Was the only way to the Underworld through death? 

Would she need to die??

Psyche approached the wall and pressed her hand against it. 

Was there a sacrifice required to complete her task? Would she need to sacrifice everything in order to accomplish it? Would she have to let go and surrender? 

Surrender even to death?

Psyche felt the cold of the stone beneath her hand. It felt good. She closed her eyes and pressed the rest of her body against it. 

These stones had stood faithfully guarding the entrance. They must know the way. 

“How?” Psyche whispered. “How am I to pass through?” 

Psyche rested her cheek against the cool stone and slowly opened her eyes, hoping for some answer. 

Through the dim light of her stone, Psyche tried to make sense of what she was seeing. 

Rather than the expected stone wall of the sides of the path she had been following, there appeared to be a separate small and narrow path cut just to the side of where she was standing. It was so small that she hadn’t been able to see with her dim light until she was pressed up against the rock. 

Psyche gave a sigh of relief and quickly hugged the grey rock. 

“Thank you,” Psyche said as she turned towards the small passageway. 

As she stepped onto the even narrower path and uncomfortably navigated the space, she tried to calm her breathing. There was still no guarantee that she would make it, but at least she had a way forward.

As Psyche continued to squeeze herself along the passage, she wondered. 

What awaited her in the Underworld? Horrors? Terrors?

Nothing? 

An endless space? More darkness?

She was grateful for the light in her hand. The dark was a complicated place. 

It had been a place of comfort where she and Eros met in the evenings to talk. She had been free to be herself. She wasn’t intimidated by his extremely good looks. 

He had been right to let their friendship grow that way. She likely wouldn’t have been able to open up to him if she’d known he was a god. 

A god. 

Psyche still marveled that he had chosen to marry her. 

He could have easily made her a diversion or simply given her a place to live. But he had chosen to marry her, make her his wife. He had allowed her power over the elements. He had allowed her to shape their home. 

He had treated her as an equal. 

Except for the darkness and isolation. 

Psyche looked at the light in her hand. 

Did she regret lighting the lamp? 

A part of her felt as if she should greatly regret her mistake. 

But a part of her didn’t.

She knew she couldn’t have remained there forever as things were. 

And now, despite her transgressions, she had a chance to be with him for the rest of her life. 

She’d already completed the other two tasks. 

Only one more remained.  

She had to keep going. 

Down and down Psyche went. 

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