Hey Little Songbird-A Hadestown Story

Way Down Hadestown

Fall always made Eurydice sad. It meant that summer was over and winter was right around the corner.
Summer was generous; she gave away her bounty freely. Winter on the other hand, he was a miser.
Persephone's parties at the La Bouffe Mansion came to an end when the lady herself had to return home to her husband.
"Better get your suitcase packed," Eurydice heard Mr. Hermes tease when he ran into Persephone at Hestia's cafe, "I guess it's to go."
"That was not six months!" Persephone grumbled, "I'm going to be bored stiff all winter. There's nothing but machines, smoke, and dust in Hadestown."

Eurydice frequently heard people talk about Hadestown in whispers.
"Either get to hell or Hadestown; ain't no difference anymore," was the saying they all seemed to use.
From what she heard, Hadestown did not seem that bad. People there had work to do, roofs over their heads, and food in their bellies.
"So do the prisoners in the county jail," Orpheus teased when they spoke about the place.
It was said that Mr. Hades, the town's boss, and Persephone's husband, could literally pull gems and metal ore out the ground and consequently was richer than any king. These rumors reminded Eurydice of the precious stones that Marie claimed her daughter Hazel often found while playing outside which she would sell to her clients, claiming they were lucky charms.
Another rumor going around said that Hadestown's mills and mines were run by an army of lost souls who sold themselves to Mr. Hades in exchange for security and sustenance.
Eurydice assumed that all these stories had been greatly exaggerated. Mr. Hades was simply a rich man who put people to work.

One the first day of fall, Eurydice was to meet up with Orpheus at the old yellow house after she got out of work. She began to notice the changes in the season. The leaves on the trees were starting to turn red or orange or yellow and the weather was crisp and a bit chilly, the type of weather that ripened apples.
Eurydice wished she could think of frolicking in piles of fallen leaves or drinking hot cider or cozy evenings curled up by a fire or any other of the pleasant things people associate with fall. Her mind was preoccupied with whether or not her old coat from last winter would still fit her or if she and Marie would be able to afford their heating bill.
To get to the yellow house, Eurydice had to cross through the park where she had first met Orpheus. In the center of the park was a small wishing fountain whose basin was littered with pennies. She thought that it was foolish of people to throw away their money on something as frivolous as wishes.
The back roads along the bayous going towards the yellow house were lined with long, dry, yellow grass and autumn wildflowers: yellow goldenrod and black-eyed Susans, purple, red, and mauve chrysanthemums, and white and blue asters.