Death Or Eurydice by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Chapter 22- Sunset

Sometime in her late twenties Eurydice got the urge to be a mother. She said; “It’s now or never.” Orpheus and D had no objections, in fact liking the idea of having a little one around to watch and take care of.

Patti Christopher emerged with brown skin, lots of blond hair and the blue eyes of D. She was a crying baby, possibly because whenever she wailed one of the three would run over, pick her up and cuddle her. They considered the possibility that they may be unconsciously training her to cry, but couldn’t resist Patti’s tears. She called everyone “Mamma,” though Orpheus looked forward to the day he could expand her vocabulary. In the meantime he managed a pained smile when called that name by a giggling Eurydice or D.

The little one kept the three bigger ones busier than they had become accustomed to being. They really didn’t mind, even when one was running and exclaiming; “Patti, no, no, no, no, no,” as at the bottom line of what was going on, was that their time with Patti equaled how much less time they spent painting tins. They could catch up with that whenever they chose, but Patti was only going to be a joyful baby once.

Patti had a fascination with the open paint cans left on the floor and would often crawl over to them and smear them on

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herself. At first the trio tried to stop and admonish her, but after a while they let her do as she wished, primarily because she seemed to like it so much. When she smeared herself with a dark color, Eurydice would say; “Are you trying to look more like mommy?” and when she chose a light color, D or O would get close to her and say; “Are you trying to look more like daddy?”

Patti would just giggle at all of them and keep smearing the paint.

By the time she was three Patti was drawing flowers competently. She was given her own tins and she liked depicting the things her mind conjured up, no doubt resulting in the invention of countless new forms. The group considered her work good and sold it as they did their own, only saving her first, which depicted a bright red rose with three petals and a short green thorn-less stem, half in a yellow sunny background and half in the shade. In fairness to her, they thought her name should be included in their golden logo. “DOE” became “DOPE”.

When Patti was 18, Eurydice started experiencing severe abdominal pains. She first hoped they would disappear, but after she had suffered with them for a month, the trio took a horse ride, each on their own steed, to the doctor’s office in the western part of town where Eurydice had once shortly resided.

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They took little note of any changes in Sudbury, the sky, the trees, or anything else for that matter. Orpheus and D kept their eyes on Eurydice, who grimaced regularly. This was completely evil and unfair. She was only 46 and they feared for her life. Orpheus recalled when he first met her, their early happiness, marriage, her death, his trip through Hades to get her back, Aazaziel’s tricks, her leaving, coming back and the wonderful few decades since. It couldn’t be over. No kind of good god would allow this. D was thinking about the past, too and hoping this was not the end, but knew a bit more of the inner workings of the eternal machine and fully accepted that as cruel as it may be, the powers that be don’t really care. She could never think of them in terms of good or bad. They were beyond that, capricious and dominated by rules given by something no one had ever seen. D knew that for the next 54

years only she had the ability to end Eurydice’s life, but she had never before considered the possibility of protracting a severely painful illness.

The doctor detected growths in her abdomen and frankly said that “It’s only a matter of months.” The group quietly rode back east. After ten minutes Orpheus said; “How bad is it?”

Eurydice said; “Bad.”

Orpheus said; “Constantly?”

Eurydice nodded and grimaced; “Constantly.”

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Orpheus and D watched Eurydice bump along, closing her eyes in pain. Eurydice said; “I can’t take this anymore.”

D said; “I can’t either. I know a way.”

Orpheus said; “There’s no way this time.”

D said; “You two don't know that when I quit being death, I retained the right to still be the grim reaper for the three of us.”

Eurydice said; “Then do it for me. I’m begging you. I have no more life.”

Orpheus said; “I’m not staying here without you.”

Eurydice said; “Don’t be stupid. You two can have a great life together for decades.”

The exact words simultaneously came out of Orpheus’ and D’s mouths; “I don’t care.”

Orpheus continued; “We belong together, wherever that is.”

Eurydice stopped Pie and dismounted. D and Orpheus followed suit with Penelope and Pot.

Eurydice said; “Maybe it will hurt less, if I don’t get bumped around.” She took Pie’s reins and slowly walked ahead of her. In deep thought, they all walked silently a few minutes, oblivious to their surroundings, Eurydice looking at the ground, Orpheus and D looking at her.

When they got to the bridge, Eurydice stopped to watch it’s never ending flow and the birds flying over it, perhaps bringing

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the sustenance they found there to somewhere no one else could see. She said; “What about Patti? We all shouldn’t leave her at the same time.”

After some thought Orpheus responded with; “We probably shouldn’t. We’re being selfish.”

D said; “It’s inevitable that we all will die. Maybe it’s better for her to have the experience of loss once, instead of three times.”

Eurydice said; “She’s been so sheltered. She knows nothing of the world.”

D said; “Who does?”

They walked on, their minds deep in their own thoughts and feelings, trying as best they could to think and feel as the other three. Whatever the imagined solution it seemed unfair to at least one of the group. They didn’t need Aazaziel’s lies to produce a conundrum. Disease had taken his job.

Eurydice screamed and fell to the ground, holding her stomach.

Orpheus said; “That’s it. We’re going.” He picked her up as he had once before, this time with D’s assistance. He kissed Eurydice and said; “I love you so much. I learned to almost live without you once. That won’t work again. I’m going with you.”

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When they got back to the house, Patti was on the kitchen floor painting. She flipped her long black hair around, hearing their entrance and saw Eurydice in the arms of Orpheus and D.

Patti was aware of her mother’s month long suffering, but tried not to think about it, hoping that if she ignored it, it would go away. Orpheus and D put Eurydice down on a dark cushion.

Patti said; “What’s going on?” fearing the answer she expected.

Orpheus said; “Your mother is dying a horrible death.”

Patti went to her mother in shock, kneeled by the cushion and said; “Tell me no.”

Eurydice said; “I can’t.” She pulled Patti’s head to her bosom and held her and deeply sighed. Four eyes moistened the immediate area.

Orpheus and D watched, holding hands. Orpheus said to Patti; “D and I are going with her.”

Patti looked up with pained wide wet eyes.

Orpheus said; “We can’t live without her. Do you want to have two morbid crying fossils around all the time?”

Patti tried to see things from their viewpoint and understood, but the suddenness of the events made her focus on herself and she said; “What about me?”

D saw everyone else’s position. She felt it and decided to be the sacrifice, saying; “I’ll stay.”

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With everyone else displaying open mouthed surprise, D

seized the moment and said; “Patti, you stay here. I promise I’ll be back. You two come with me and I’ll do what I became an expert at.”

Eurydice and Patti got up and the whole group started exchanging hugs, kisses, tears, “I love you’s,” “I’ll miss you’s,” and goodbyes. D took charge, not wanting to wait for any complications and said; “Let’s go.”

She led the couple out of the house. She stood in the middle and took their hands. The full moon and stars lit the cloudless night sky. They walked out the gate they had left open, closing it behind them. They slowly strolled a few minutes through the old woods; the light breeze rustling the leaves was the only sound. They came to a rusted black iron gate and stopped.

D said; “This is it.”

Orpheus said; “What’s on the other side?”

D said; “I don't know. This is as far as I’ve ever gone.”

They again hugged, kissed and expressed their love for each other. Eurydice said; “I can’t leave without you.”

D said; “I’ll catch up some day. I still have work to do.

Now, Orpheus, open the damn thing.”

Orpheus pushed the gate open. He and Eurydice held hands and stepped through it. They looked back in hopes of seeing D

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one more time, but she was gone. They climbed the grassy hill noticing only a few very old huge willows. Eurydice no longer felt any pain. They immediately saw images which got their complete and enthusiastic attention. The northern sky displayed streams and plumes of every imaginable color. The images would last only a few seconds and disappear, to be replaced by others, one making the shape of an orange and brown baby’s head, something undeniably new. They looked at each other and smiled gently with wide curious eyes.

They turned their heads back to try to get one more glimpse of D, but instead they saw the southern sky display quick moving streams and plumes of Reds! Blues! Greens! Yellows!

Mixtures! Northern lights ahead and Southern lights behind.

The couple kissed, sighed, held hands and again faced the north, slowly walking, looking straight forward at a seemingly endless stream of brightly colored plumes in the dark sky. They made no more backward glances and wondered what they would see when they got to the top of the hill.

Orpheus woke up in bed with Eurydice and D, who were also just rousing. They looked at each other curiously and made faint smiles. The smiles widened and they pointed fingers at each other. All started to speak at the same time, saying; “Did you.......?” Eurydice looked at the crib across the room and

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was relieved to see a one year old Patti still asleep on her back.

The unfettered morning sun shed its brilliance on the trio.

Wide open windows allowed the golden rays to stream into the room. Orpheus wondered if he had remembered to close the gate the previous evening. He quickly decided that the answer was irrelevant, didn’t care one way or the other and put the question out of his mind.

His pharyngeal phallus patiently played and portrayed the prominent, parted, Parisian, pulpous, panda-like panaceas persistently and perfectly from practice, a protracted process pointedly providing his paramours prolonged pleasure. Puck public perjurers popular personal politics permanently.

Paradise re-possessed perpetually. This art work would never be sold.

Over, Until Lunch

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