Page 51 of Mortal Desires

“They can’t get out, can they?”

She already knew the answer.

“They think the fates can do a lot of things. They spend years trying to get a coin and a chance to see them but—”

“That’s sad.”

“That’s hope,” I disagreed. “If you don’t hope for something you go insane, Pilar. Even in hell.”

The boatman took us on a smooth ride until we reached the edge of the underworld, somewhere that even the fates weren’t allowed to go.

I nodded at him and helped Pilar to the shore.

“Wow,” she whispered.

I looked up too, my eyes facing the gates. They seemed brighter than the last time I was here. Impossibly golden and tall with light coming from within.

“Is that… Heaven?”

“Not the Heaven you’re thinking of.”

“What happens?” she asked as we approached the gates. “You asked me if I knew what happens when someone dies.”

“The ones who stay behind are the weak, Pilar. The scared. People who trust they are good don’t want to dwell on Earth, they know something better is waiting.”

We stopped at the gates; my eyes hurt from the brightness.

“Do you know what it looks like behind these gates?” she asked, her eyes eating up the majestic image in front of her.

I chuckled, and she turned to me with a confused expression.

“Nothing.”

“What do you mean by nothing?”

“Acceptance is to ascend and become part of the earth. It’s to be free of your body.”

“So they just…poof?” She made a move with her hands like an explosion. “I thought heaven was a reward.”

“They get peace… fulfillment.”

“By dying!”

“They are already dead. When they ascend, it’s the acceptance of goodbye. It's the peace of being one with a grand plan,” I told her. “Only the lucky few died so enlightened they deserved to ascend. You helped the numbers.”

I looked down at her, and she looked up, her eyes widening.

“Only a couple of souls per year and suddenly… How many have you helped?” I asked her.

She looked panicked. It was funny now to remember why I hated this woman for so long. Since she was born I lost so many souls and I told myself I’d get rid of her.

But now…

“Come here.” I nodded to the side opposite the gates.

“Oh god!” Pilar gasped when she saw it.

Skulls lined the wall from top to bottom. We couldn’t see the top anymore, it extended far beyond our reach. It had a beauty to it, something magical yet full of sorrow.

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