Affliction

“My flesh began unto my soul in pain,
Sicknesses cleave my bones;
Consuming agues dwell in every vein,
And tune my breath to groans.
Sorrow was all my soul; I scarce believed,
Till grief did tell me roundly, that I lived.”
-from “Affliction” by George Herbert

Chapter One – An Advertisement Answered

“I must leave you now. Follow this corridor to its end. You will find the way.”

The words, spoken by one Madame Giry, were not welcomed by my ears. For the past twenty minutes, at the very least, we had been spiraling down into the earth, plunging into ever increasing darkness. The dank environment was not unlike a tomb, and smelled heavily of mold, rot and decay. It was bone-chillingly cold.

My guide held a lantern up to the level of her eye, and had done so since we had first set out on our somber journey. I wondered that her arm was not throbbing from the strain, but then again, she looked like a hard woman, one who could bear more than most. I felt certain that she disapproved of my intrusion to this horrid place, but could not imagine why. Had I any choice in the matter, I would have given up the quest long ago. But I was in dire need of employment, not to mention being homeless and completely without family of my own. The advertisement that I held clenched in my fist promised a meager wage, a cot, and three meals a day. Companionship also seemed guaranteed, due to the very nature of the job; though I wondered at how favorable this particular benefit might prove, given the type of person that was destined to dwell in such a place. I shuddered to think.

“Thank you,” I attempted to say, but my words were choked out by the stale, dead air. The woman seemed to understand though, and she gave a curt nod of her head before turning abruptly and ascending the staircase that led back to the world above.

Summoning a deep breath and all my courage, I resolutely strode off down the corridor. There was a flickering light up ahead, and the faint sound of water, both of which seemed entirely out of place. It seemed to get colder, the closer I got to the light and by the time I reached the end of the passageway, I was shivering and my teeth were chattering uncontrollably.

The confines of the corridor opened on the left to a vast chamber with vaulted ceilings that continued in every direction as far as the eye could see. One corner of the enormous area was aglow with enumerable lit candles, all sizes and at various stages in their lives. They were arranged randomly, candelabrum scattered and grouped in nonsensical patterns, coated heavily with a lifetime’s worth of melted wax.

Between the illuminated corner and myself was a most unexpected feature, an underground lake which sprawled before me, smooth as glass, reflecting the candlelight. I found it strangely soothing, as though the idea that a lake could exist here gave me hope that other things, other good things, might also live in the dismal place.

I could make out various furnishings among the candles, the most ostentatious being a grand pipe organ that covered nearly an entire wall. There were tables and shelves, all cluttered with an array of papers and books. Heavy velvet curtains hung at odd angles here and there, the sad remnants of what could very well have once been an impressive grand drape. The golden fringe and tassels were tattered and discolored by the damp environment. A strong odor of mildew permeated the air.

Seeing no one about, and faced with the obvious realization that I had no means of crossing the body of water before me, I fought back my fears and called out. “Hello?” My own voice answered me back several times over. I listened. “Hello?” I called louder. Hello-ello-ello-ello-ello…came the reply.

“May I help you?” A ghostly voice came without warning very close to my right ear, causing every hair on my body to stand on end.

I whirled around.

He came out of the darkness as though he had been born of it, moving like a shadow, so silently I could scarcely believe he was real.

It was when he came fully into the glow of candlelight that I screamed…and the world went black.