The Last Commute

By Allen Ashley

Accustomed to long journeys to and from work on stuffy, crowded underground trains, now you are crossing the River Styx where a cold fog masks any evidence of movement. Even the surly boatman Charon can’t be seen. Earlier, he had scooped up your inadequate loose change and then removed all your credit cards for good measure.

Becalmed. Like the boat is a train in a tunnel waiting for a red light to clear.

Commuter life is so ingrained that all you really think of missing is the daily back and forth.

Except the next stop is Hades, where this boat terminates.