Rivers of the Dead - 6. 1-6 Heaven and Hell

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The wind was cold for June, but everything felt cold to Caleb now. He doubted the world would ever feel warm again, no matter how hard it tried; global warming be damned. Caleb stared down the small hill toward the assembly beside the open grave where Ethan's body would soon spend the rest of eternity.

Only a small crowd had gathered: a few dozen people, mostly people from the community church Ethan's family attended, a few members of the school faculty who'd known and liked Ethan, and, of course, the few friends and family he had. Ethan's parents and his two younger siblings, Darren and Kristine, stood closest to the coffin. Caleb had been invited to serve as pallbearer, but he'd refused. Mrs. Pallet had understood, somehow, and had accepted his refusal gracefully.

But Caleb still felt awkward about being with everyone else at the gathering, so he'd requested that Liz watch with him from some distance away. He'd picked a small, grassy hill with a single maple tree overlooked the gravesite for his vantage point. Caleb's parents were down with the others. They'd offered to stay with him, but he'd made it clear that he wanted to be with Liz and Liz alone. He felt closer to Ethan that way, knowing only the two who understood him best were together and away from everyone else.

The services were just beginning. The priest, Reverend Michaels, stood at the front of the gathering, ready to offer up his eulogy. Caleb didn't want to hear what the reverend had to say; he knew Ethan would've rolled his eyes at the idea of a Christian funeral, and it seemed fitting to reject the notion.

As the reverend started talking about things unrelated to Ethan specifically, making a general declaration about life and God, Caleb let his mind wander to happier times. He started his reminiscing at the beginning, going back to the first day he met his best friend.

It was English class with Ms. Perry. Even though Caleb was a year ahead of Ethan in school, Ethan had been advanced in English his entire life. They'd tested him when he came to the school, and they'd let him take the next year up. It was the only core curriculum class he and Caleb ever had together, even in later years, because Ethan had advanced even further after that. He'd taken an AP English class during Caleb's senior year, and likely would take some other English credit for fun when he became a senior.

Would've taken. Caleb corrected himself. Ethan wouldn't be taking any more English courses, unless they taught them in the afterlife, which, Caleb supposed, would likely be some version of Hell. Though the more he thought about it, the more he realized that Ethan would love studying literature for the rest of his existence.

He'd been particularly fond of mythology: Greek, Norse, Egyptian . . . those were his favorites, though he'd loved everything that pertained to the subject of the metaphysical world. Caleb was less interested in such things, more because he believed the world couldn't be explained, but the subject nagged at him now. Death itself had made him want to question, to unravel the greater mystery. He wanted to know where Ethan had gone, and what had now become of him.

Caleb was momentarily pulled from his internal questioning as he heard the reverend mention Ethan at last.

"Ethan was an adventurous and inquisitive young man," Reverend Michaels said, staring into his notes instead of into the congregation. "He was always asking questions, always wanted to know the truth. I often wondered if he'd end up in the ministry, with how often he asked about God."

Caleb smirked, wondering if Reverend Michaels had somehow read his mind and then interpreted those thoughts in his own way. Questioning god was Ethan's way of going about the world, but he certainly had no intention of following God anywhere. "He didn't know him at all, did he?" Caleb said quietly.

"No," Liz agreed. "Not at all."

Reverend Michaels continued, his voice even. His expression appeared sad and his eyes seemed sincere, but Caleb couldn't shake the feeling the reverend had never met the real Ethan. "I remember the first time we ever spoke. It was shortly after he moved here. He was twelve, but he spoke like an adult. I was always impressed by the way he saw the world, the good he saw in others, and the way he always wanted to help. He wanted to help people, to do good in the world."

But now Caleb had to give credit where it was due. Perhaps the reverend knew more than Caleb thought. "At least that part was true," Caleb said.

"Yeah," Liz replied.

"I have no doubt that Ethan is in heaven now," Reverend Michaels continued, and Caleb snorted at the notion clearly expressed simply for the sake of the gathering. "He's looking down on us with empathy, knowing we feel his loss, and wanting to embrace us with the great love he had for those in his life. But he knows that we will one day be reunited again, through the grace of our Lord."

After hearing Caleb's snort, Liz couldn't help but make a tongue-in-cheek response to this overt religious declaration about the fate of her best friend. "Heaven? I thought Christians believe suicide is a sin."

"You think Ethan is in Hell?" Caleb asked, surprised at Liz's candor.

"It's more fun there," Liz said, shrugging. "The Devil's cooler than God."

Caleb snorted. "He's probably in Hell then."

"The underworld, anyway," Liz replied.

"You think that's why we put him in the ground?" Caleb asked.

Liz sighed. "He wanted to be cremated."

"I know." Caleb wanted to say more, but something Liz had said was nagging at him. He couldn't stop thinking about where Ethan must have ended up, but the notion of the underworld had sparked something deep within him. He opened his mouth to ask Liz a question when he realized he'd stopped listening to the reverend.

" . . . if you'll all bow your heads now, I will offer a final prayer for Ethan's soul," Reverend Michaels said. Caleb rolled his eyes. He definitely didn't need to pay attention to that.

"The underworld . . ." he began thoughtfully, then paused to ensure he had Liz's attention.

"What?" Liz asked as Reverend Michaels started praying.

"Isn't there some Greek myth about someone going into the underworld to retrieve a lost soul?" Caleb asked. He wasn't completely sure if he remembered it correctly, but the more he thought about it, the more certain he became.

"Yeah, Orpheus is the most famous," Liz replied. "It's not the only one like that, though. You have Inanna in Babylonian mythology, too, and I think there's a couple of others I've read about as well. It's actually kind of common."

"It's common for a reason, right?" Caleb asked thoughtfully.

"Yeah." Liz shrugged. "I suppose everyone wants to believe there's a way to bring their loved ones back."

"You don't?"

"I didn't say that."

"You believe in magic. Hell, you practice it daily."

"Yeah, I do."

"Liz," Caleb said firmly, "We're going to bring him back."

Liz gave Caleb an incredulous look. "How?"

"Find a spell," Caleb replied, "I'll go to Hell and get him if I have to."

"Caleb . . ." Liz said, her tone dropping as her expression saddened.

But Caleb wasn't going to be dissuaded. He would have Ethan back, no matter what it took. "Do it, Liz. I won't let one kiss be the end of our story."

"You don't know what you're saying," Liz said carefully. "What you're asking . . . it could kill us both. The magics involved will be tremendous, and we're dealing with a true mystery here. No one knows for certain what happens on the other side. It's all hearsay."

"And what do you think killed Ethan?" Caleb snapped. "Pretty sure it was seeing you and me kissing, wouldn't you say? We owe him."

"Fuck, again with the blame . . ." Liz said, but then she slowly started nodding. "Okay, you're right, it might be possible, and we should explore it. I'll start doing some research tonight. I might already have already filed a spell away somewhere, but I don't know for sure."

"We're going to bring him back, Liz," Caleb said. "I don't care what I have to do."

Liz nodded. "I'll leave as soon as the service is over and see what I can find."

"Keep me posted."

Don't forget to comment and react to this chapter! Also, special thanks to my Patreon Supporters: Michael, Bill, Charles, Amr, Don, James, Joe, Jos, Mark, Mark, Paul, and Steve. Couldn't have done it without them. Ask me how you can help and get access to chapters early!