The slight fingers brushed one of the thin cords of the golden instrument. Its slender curve pulled on the thin cords and as the single chord was plucked, it resonated softly. The air vibrated with the single note as the simple mortal parted his lips. . The churning waters of the Styx slowed to a gentle drift. The ferryman stilled his boat; tearful spirits without a means to cross the river, slipped in the dark waters careful not to make too much noise as to disrupt the soft melody. Other spirits ceased their eternal flight and carefully descended to the dark grounds, their very existence being challenged by the breaking of their hearts, the very essence of their souls.

The sound flowed through the murky air. It spread to the edges of Hell and wavered at the black gates of entrance. The mighty beast guarding those very gates lifted its trio of heads. As the heads caught the rhythm of the sad song a booming howl escaped each of the solemn heads. The heads tried to join in on the melody, but instead pitifully ground to a halt as dog-sized tears muffled any other howls.

As the dog’s howls died off, the gloomy Queen of the underworld lifted her ears to better capture the soft noise. As the notes melted against her heart, the bitter cold of her underworld lifted slightly; she briefly smiled. The smile hastily vanished when she turned to her king. His face was stone hard, but cracks of tears were already appearing.

Orpheus’s final note lingered for a second longer before fading into the gloomy quiet. As the song ended, so did the tears. With the sorrow gone, the usual anger and bitterness overwhelmed he inhabitants of the dark underworld. Hades was able to fight back his tears for a minute and seized the chance to exchange tears for words. “Okay.”