Pluto Underworld - Narrative Essay

        Those who reside in the Underworld, though it often may seem so, have not always lived there. They were once mortal, lived regular lives, but somehow through a series of events landed into the depths of the universe below us.         

        The population of this dark world is made up of the cruelest and most awful individuals, who typically gain their intimidating reputation over time. Pluto, a resident in the underworld, has lived there a very short time in comparison to the others. But his short time spent there has not stopped him from gaining a reputation as merciless and menacing. His home is far out into the darkness, away from everyone and everything. No one dares to disturb him, and those who do enter his domain never return.  

        The story of how Pluto gained a seat down in the underworld is not a scary one, it will not haunt your dreams or make you afraid to fall asleep at night. However, it does tell a tale of merciless deception, and it will make you think twice about who you trust.

        When Pluto was a young boy, he lived in a village outside of Athens, Greece. The population of this village was moderately large, it was easy enough to blend in, which is what Pluto and his family did for most of their lives. Their village had a leader, who answered to and consulted with the small group of elders. But of course, the elders eventually died, and the village voted for who would take their places. This system remained in place for as long as anyone can remember. As the years went on, the leader of Pluto’s village eventually became ill and died. His son, Aristomache, took his position as leader, and at first, everything remained the same.

        And then, before anyone had time to realize it, change set in. More guards in the streets, more citizens being imprisoned. Strict laws were set into place, as well as the sudden death of the entire group of elders. New elders were brought in, specifically by Aristomache, without voting by citizens. Many felt outrage at this right being taken away, and some gained the repercussion of voicing their opinions. The village’s guards and elders took over many businesses belonging to families - bakeries, vegetable stands, and any other merchant business in the marketplace. Deriving from this, families began to go poor, as they weren’t receiving much money.

Pluto’s family was among the families to go poor, and they felt the loss much harder than most. There were many nights and days meals were not an option, and soon Pluto’s father was not able to find work at all. They only managed to make it by due to handouts from those close to them and from Pluto’s mother and sister’s begging in the streets. Even these actions only lasted a short time, as both were now strictly prohibited. Things were difficult, extremely difficult, and they only worsened when Pluto’s oldest sister Alexandra received a fine when a guard heard her begging for bread from a baker.

“I cannot believe you, Alexandra!” Pluto’s father was enraged. “Our family cannot afford this fine. We can’t even pay for food, let alone a fine for your foolishness! Do you know what will happen if we don’t pay this? They will take away our home, if not worse. Then what will we do!”

And weeks later, they did just that. Early in the morning, before the sun had even rose, guards ordered Pluto’s family out of their home. They grabbed as much of their belongings as they could in a panic, and were sent out to the streets. Pluto’s parents and his youngest sister were taken in by family friends, and his oldest sister took a job as a maid for the village’s leader. Pluto was the only one without job or shelter, and this soon lead to him stealing from the merchants in the marketplace. Small things that would go unnoticed, halves of loaves of bread, bruised vegetables and fruit, blankets sewn wrong by seamstresses. It was enough to get him by and leave him in the shadows, but he began to get too confident. He craved more things, pillows, ribbons for his sister’s hair, more food to give to his parents. He knew his behavior was dangerous and wouldn’t work for long, but he didn’t stop.

He eventually grew tired of living in the street, and longed for his home again. He had spent many, many days searching for work without luck. He decided to visit the elders in hopes for mercy and receive his home back.

Pluto traveled to the center of the village where the elder’s meeting place was. He waited outside in a line made up of many people, as citizens often visited or were sent to the elders. When he finally entered, he was overcome with nervousness. Their placement was intimidating, a long, marble table, reaching from one end of the room to the other. All 6 of them were sitting on one side, while whoever was speaking to them stood in the center of the room. It made especially difficult for Pluto to bargain with them, but nonetheless he did, he knew he had to.

“Why do you come to us today, Pluto?” The elder to the farthest left spoke first. The others sat quietly, blank stares on their faces.

“I’ve come to ask for your mercy and kindness. My family has gone poor, we were thrown out of our home. We’re separated now, and I have nowhere to go.”

The same elder who spoke before chuckled lightly, “What exactly are you asking us, Pluto?”

“Well, for my home back I suppose. And possibly work for my father and I. We’ll take anything, please.” Pluto dropped to his knees before the elders, desperation evident on his face.

Now, all the elders laughed. Redness spread to Pluto’s cheeks, and he felt foolish for even begging before the elders.

“We do not assign work here, Pluto. And unfortunately we're not in control of you receiving your home back. That is up to the village leader.”

Pluto nodded as they spoke, realizing he shouldn't have come to them. He knew then he needed to accept his circumstances and manage. He thanked them for their time and turned to leave. But just as he reached the entryway, one of the elders spoke.

“What was said is true, we cannot grant you your home nor work, but perhaps we can provide a solution to both of those problems. Our guards have made us aware that their is a thief among our village. He's stealing from our businesses and an end needs to be put to it.” The elder paused before continuing, “if you catch the thief, and bring him to us, your family will receive a great reward.”

Pluto felt his heart pounding in his chest. With a flushed face and wide, frantic eyes, Pluto nodded, thanked them once again, and quickly left the room and ran as far away as he could.

...