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I seem to have found myself en route towards the Valley of Death. Again.
Taking advantage of my love for animals, I was lured into saving a drowning dog in the Han River, which turned out to be Hades’ pet hound Cerberus. Needless to say, I now have no desire to ever do a good deed again. And so, I vowed to never do a good deed again.
A boatman pulled me out of the ice-cold waters, and to my unpleasant surprise, I was met by the boatman of Death.
The boatman of Death is silent, as always, never paying attention to me and ignoring the words I say as I try to coax him into turning the boat around. Shrouded by a veil of innocuous-seeming but definite evil, he gently rows the boat toward the Valley of Death using his scythe. Beneath the murky waters, the souls of the dead cry out for help that will never come, since I have sworn off good deeds. The dead souls try to pull on my cloak, but I make sure to kick them away with my shitty leather boots. If this were an Uber ride, I’d give it a 1-star rating.
The God of Death has many faces. Always taking on the guise of my beloved, I seem to constantly be getting tricked left and right. Who knows? The God of Death might be tricking you right now, in the skin of a sweet lover, a trusted friend, or a precious family member. With a strained and unsettling grin, the mimics offer you flowers and chocolates to tie you down to the land of Death forever. I have met the God of Death countless times, every instance being an unwanted and unnecessary encounter.
In this no-man’s land, I’m the only one who’s got my back. I don’t like going to the Valley of Death, but I somehow always end up here. Never out of my own volition and almost always against my will, I’ve been here so often I could probably be a tour guide at this point. The last time I was here, I barely escaped Hades as he tried to force-feed me the land’s specialty pastries and delicacies. But I know better than to accept enticing desserts from foes claiming to be friends. Even though we haven’t reached the Valley of Death yet, I’m already devising an escape plan.
The boat slows to a stop as it hits the rocks at the pier. O’ home sweet home. I’ve become so familiar with the Valley of Death that it feels like a second home. Observing the land, I see how much the state of the environment has worsened since my last visit. Talk about climate change.
Sighing, I tap the boatman’s shoulder and tell him, "Thank you for the unwanted ride." I take one step off the boat, my boots sinking into a puddle of blood and bones. Sucking in a deep breath, I brace myself for what’s to come.
I’ve died countless times—each one an ego death for an ego that I thought had already been long dead and gone. I’ve always managed to rise from the ashes like a phoenix, but I fear that this time around, my death might be permanent. However, one thing is certain: I’m not going down without a fight.
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Tory
Isso esta muito bom. Pode me explicar o significado?
Hello! I'm not sure if google translated it correctly but this prose is essentially about my past/current experiences with sociopathic liars, people with narcissistic disorder, antisocial personality disorder, human trickery, and human betrayal from people you thought would never betray you. These experiences ended up shattering my entire worldview, giving me a type of "ego death" in which I will never be the same person ever again, hence why I speak of death in a figurative sense. I say the God of Death has many faces because all these people were basically the God of Death in disguise; they wore masquerade masks to hide their evil intentions and lovebombed me with gifts and kind actions that led me to trust them. My experience has taught me that you will never see the betrayal coming, hence why the protagonist ends up on a boat to the Valley of Death out of nowhere despite doing something kind/selfless like helping a drowning dog. Kind actions don't guarantee safety and if anything, attract the worst of humanity. This prose is also about the loss of humanity and empathy you experience as you encounter more and more evil, which is why despite helping a drowning dog, the protagonist ignores the cries of help from the souls of the dead. However, there is still a sense of hope as the protagonist, despite having gone through hell and back, still clings onto the last ounce of humanity that they have left. Where evil resides, good stubbornly persists.
Translation/tradução:
Olá! Não tenho certeza se o Google traduziu corretamente, mas esta prosa é essencialmente sobre minhas experiências passadas/atuais com mentirosos sociopatas, pessoas com transtorno narcisista, transtorno de personalidade antissocial, trapaça humana e traição humana de pessoas que você pensou que nunca o trairiam. Essas experiências acabaram destruindo toda a minha visão de mundo, dando-me um tipo de "morte do ego" em que nunca mais serei a mesma pessoa, por isso falo da morte em um sentido figurado. Digo que o Deus da Morte tem muitas faces porque todas essas pessoas eram basicamente o Deus da Morte disfarçado; eles usavam máscaras de máscaras para esconder suas más intenções e me bombardeavam com presentes e ações gentis que me levaram a confiar neles. Minha experiência me ensinou que você nunca verá a traição chegando, por isso o protagonista acaba em um barco para o Vale da Morte do nada, apesar de fazer algo gentil/altruísta como ajudar um cachorro que está se afogando. Ações gentis não garantem segurança e, se alguma coisa, atraem o pior da humanidade. Esta prosa também é sobre a perda de humanidade e empatia que você experimenta ao encontrar mais e mais mal, e é por isso que, apesar de ajudar um cachorro que está se afogando, o protagonista ignora os gritos de ajuda das almas dos mortos. No entanto, ainda há um senso de esperança, pois o protagonista, apesar de ter passado pelo inferno e voltado, ainda se apega à última gota de humanidade que lhe resta. Onde o mal reside, o bem persiste teimosamente.
by Ellen's Playground ★; ; Report
Ah sim, agora eu vejo isso! Você soube transformar isso em uma história figurada de um jeito totalmente perfeito. Você tem muito talento mesmo e eu adorei seu jeito de escrever e sua prosa. (Ps: sinto muito que tenha passado por isso. experiencias nos deixam mais fortes, quanto mais vezes ele morria, melhor ele sabia como escapar da morte)
by Tory; ; Report
Ah, muito obrigado :) Eu realmente aprecio isso, às vezes sinto que estou apenas falando sozinho no espaço, porque ninguém está realmente ativo nisso
Estou feliz que você tenha gostado da minha escrita 
Amor da Coreia
I'm glad you enjoyed my writing 
Love from Korea
Awe thank you so much :) I really appreciate it, sometimes I feel like I'm just talking to myself on spacehey because no one's really active on it
by Ellen's Playground ★; ; Report
this is literally genius and so witty im in awe of ur work
by tily ༊*·˚; ; Report
I absolutely loved this!! You've captured the scene very well and it definitely feels like the protagonist is tired of ending up back in the same place no matter how hard they tried to avoid it. I love how you had the protagonist save the dog but not the people, it feels like a glimpse of the innocence of dogs compared to humans. dogs are protective, they never intend to hurt others unless they need to, while on the other hand, people have a tendency to hurt others just for the sake of it. Overall, I absolutely loved how this story feels
by cl0wn_ey3_s0ck3ts; ; Report
I absolutely loved this!! You've captured the scene very well and it definitely feels like the protagonist is tired of ending up back in the same place no matter how hard they tried to avoid it. I love how you had the protagonist save the dog but not the people, it feels like a glimpse of the innocence of dogs compared to humans. dogs are protective, they never intend to hurt others unless they need to, while on the other hand, people have a tendency to hurt others just for the sake of it. Overall, I absolutely loved how this story feels
by cl0wn_ey3_s0ck3ts; ; Report