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.
Eurydice decided to stop by St. Louis Cemetery to visit her mother's grave, so she picked a bouquet along the way. When she approached the cemetery, she saw Persephone, struggling to carry a heavy suitcase. She wore a pale green coat elaborately embroidered with all the shades of autumn wildflowers, yellow, purple, mauve, red, white, and pale blue, and an emerald-colored feather boa.
"Think you could give me a hand there, darlin' ?" Persephone called over to Eurydice."
"Of course ma'am," Eurydice replied.
She picked up the other end of the suitcase and jars and tins rattled around inside. It weighed a ton.
"What do you got in here?"
"Medicine, to help me get through the winter."
Persephone gave her a wink.
The two carried the suitcase across the cemetery to an old rundown train depot that Eurydice swore hadn't been there before.
The dark brown metal was rusted and the bright yellow painted wood was covered in mold and mildew. They sat down on the platform and waited for what seemed like an eternity.
"So missy," Persephone asked, "You Orpheus's girl?"
"I'm his fiancée," Eurydice replied.
"The two of you are just kids. You're too young to get married."
"We're old enough to know our own minds."
Persephone shrugged her shoulders.
"Whatever you say."
The silence was broken by an unusually loud train whistle. In a blur, the train chugged up to the platform. A tall, powerfully built man in a dark suit stepped forward. He had short, bristly salt-and-pepper hair and beard and steely grey eyes. His face was lined and stern but he was smiling, a sinister yet seductive grin which both frightened and fascinated Eurydice.
Persephone walked up to him with her hands on her hips.
"You're early," she whined.
"I missed you," the man replied.
He picked up her suitcase as if it weighed nothing and helped Persephone onto the train. With another deafening blast of the whistle, the two of them were off.
A couple of hours later, Eurydice was laying next to Orpheus under a weeping willow tree by bayou St. John, in only her white chemise.
Orpheus was strumming a tune he was working on and singing softly to himself.
"Singing la la la la la la," he crooned.
As he strummed, Eurydice ran her fingers through Orpheus's curls, which had grown shaggy over the summer, and took in the beautiful evening: golden and balmy.
"I think this is the last hot day we'll get for a long while," she said.
Orpheus put down his guitar and rested his head in her lap.
"Shame," he sighed.
"I've been asking around. The jazz band at the club below Marie's apartment is having auditions for a new guitarist. It's good and steady money and with your talent, you'd be a shoo-in."
He took her hand and kissed it.
"What did I ever do to deserve such an angel."
"Absolutely nothing. With you playing at the club and me waiting tables at Hestia's, we should be able to rent a place of our own."
"Then we should set a date for next month to get married."
"I was afraid we'd never get that settled."
She threw her arms around a kissed him. An elvish boy with messy dark curls, pointy ears, and a mischievous grin and a pretty little girl with cinnamon colored ringlets, large golden eyes, and coffee colored skin stepped out from behind some trees, hooting and whistling.
"Sammy Valdez, que diablos crees que estas haciendo?" Orpheus shouted at his little brother.
A/N what the hell are you doing here
"¿Qué, te estoy molestando a ti ya tu novia?" Sammy taunted, making kissy faces.
A/N What, am I bothering you and your girlfriend?
"¡Tú y tu novia deben sacar sus pequeñas colillas de aquí!"
A/N You and your girlfriend better get your little butts out of here...
"Hazel no es mi novia."
A/N Hazel's not my girlfriend
The two children seemed mortified by the idea of being boyfriend and girlfriend. Sammy gagged while Hazel stared down at her dark green skirt and black patent leather shoes.
Eurydice put a hand on Orpheus's shoulder.
"I think we better be getting home," she said.
Orpheus nodded his head in agreement.
"Hazel," Eurydice said to her niece as she buttoned up her white blouse, "Orpheus and I are getting married next month."
The little girl squealed with delight and hugged her aunt, who was trying to put on her yellow skirt.
"Come hermanito," Orpheus said, clapping Sammy on the back, "Let's go break the news to mamá."