The Tenth Circle

This is a project that I did for an English class were we had to write a Dante-an style Canto of a circle of Hell of our creation. The rules were to have yourself as a traveler, your own guide, a circle of Hell designed for punish a specific type of sinner, and a beast guarding that circle. The "Plague Doctor" is a spirit much like Virgil, who was sentenced to Limbo, the first circle of Hell and was called upon to be the traveler's guide. Although characters are changed, this Canto takes place just after the main story line of Dante's ''The Inferno. ''One final rule was that you had to have "stars" be the last word.

Canto XXXV

 And so we climbed down Satan’s scaly back,

And at the tip we found ourselves falling

Into an inky black sea of nothingness.

 The faint light of Cocytus disappeared

From our sight and we were surrounded by

An eternal and perpetual darkness.

 We could not feel the force of gravity here.

We were no longer at the center of God’s

creation. I felt no disgust at unholiness

 As this place was neither holy nor was

it unholy. God was absent from this place.

The dark felt absent of both life and death.

The Plague Doctor shined a light so we could

see better, and before my eyes, countless

Souls were aimlessly floating with us in here

 Most were motionless, some were flailing their

Arms and legs. But every one of them lacked

Any features. Their faces were blank like an

 Unpainted canvas. I, holding on to the

Plague Doctor's hand so that I may not float

Away, asked him why they were featureless.

 “In life, these damned couldn’t afford to be alone

In quiet for even a second. They spent

Every passing moment indulging in

 Any form of entertainment they could

Find so they could quell their boredom. These damned

Couldn’t be with their thoughts, so now their mind

 Is all they have left. Their senses are all gone.

The human mind can deteriorate into

Madness without any stimuli in

 Such a short time, and these souls are denied

It for all eternity. Their minds are left

To rot,” said the Plague Doctor. We floated

 Close to a soul who was completely still.

Just like all the others, its face was gone.

I softly grabbed its hand with my own to see

 If it would react, but it did not stir. It

Couldn’t feel me. Upon realizing this,

I was overcome with a deep sadness

Greater than all that I felt in Hell. These

 Souls were suffering completely and utterly

Alone in their own minds. They likely

Believed they were alone in this place

 As they couldn’t speak, see, or even feel each

Other. The Plague Doctor asked if I would like

To speak to a soul. I said yes. He waved

 A hand in front of the face of the soul

Who’s hand I was still holding. Suddenly

A mouth and ears formed on its face. There was

 A moment of silence, as if the soul had

No idea of what was going on,

Then the spirit erupted into a

 Scream louder and more agonizing

Than any I’d heard in Hell. This realm was

Endless, and its screams did not echo.

 No other soul reacted or changed their

Motion. The wailing continued unabated.

This poor soul had been trapped in its own mind

 For God knows how long. It seemed like the screams

Of a mind that had long since tore itself

Apart would never end. The Plague Doctor had

 To step in. “Silence you damned fool!” I was

Taken aback at the doctor’s harshness

Toward this soul, but it worked. The screams stopped.

 “You may speak to it now,” the Plague Doctor

Said to me. “What is your name?” I asked the

Spirit. “I can hear you,” it spoke. “I can

HEAR you! Am I not alone in this place?

I thought for so long I was alone here!

Oh joy oh joy oh joy!” “What is your name?

 I interrupted. After a moment

of silence it spoke again. “My surname

Is Hsieh. I cannot remember my

 First name.” I proceeded to ask it why

It was damned here. “I wasted my life away

In search of preoccupation with

 Entertainment. Video games, I played

Video games. I remember now. I

Passed away from life in a cafe.

 I played those damn games for so long. I drank

No water nor ate any food. I lived

For the game. It was my purpose. Of

 Course I wasn’t sleeping, and after some

Time I dozed off, only to find myself

Stuck in an endless nightmare. Only this

 Isn’t a nightmare. I know I must have

Died and I’m now in Hell.” Hsieh said. “Not

Hell. We’re past that.” The Plague Doctor replied.

 Hsieh’s mouth made movement as if to

speak again but it suddenly closed up

And disappeared along with his ears. He

 Started flailing around rapidly but

My attempts to calm him down were futile.

Hsieh was back to his numb state. Just then

 A figure floated out from behind him.

It was a dark, tall, foreboding being.

Even before it spoke, I got the sense

 That it was old. Very old. “Who are you?”

I asked. The being responded in a

harmony of voices all mashed together.

 Some voices sounded young, others sounded

ancient. “I am The Void,” it said. I

Felt extremely frightened of this being,

 More frightened by any demon in Hell.

I hesitantly asked The Void just

What it was. “I am the empty. I am

 Nothing. ‘Nothing’ does exist. I existed long

Before your God. Unlike him, I was not

Born. I have always existed. I was

 What all there was before your God and his

Creation. I am neither holy or

Unholy. I just am. I am the Void.

 Without the universe, there is just

Emptiness, and that is what I always

Was.” I pondered for a moment, then I

 Asked why these souls were damned here and not in

Hell. “The Void is most fitting for them. Their

Minds wither away into nothing, as

 They themselves are in nothing. There is no

Hope for them. I am eternal. I have

Existed before God, and I will still

 Exist after God’s death. The Void has always

Existed, and it will always exist.

Therefore these souls will always exist here.”

 I was startled by what it said about

God. “God will die too?” I asked. “Oh yes, God

Will die too, along with all of his creation.

 The Void will be all that’s left in the end.

Only there will be no end as I have no

End,” the thing replied. I shook at the thought

 Of God’s death. Finally my guide spoke up.

“Will you help us great one, we need to get to

Purgatory. Do you know of it?” “Yes,”

 It said. And with that, a light appeared below

Us. “Maybe I’ll see you again someday,”

The Void said to me as The Plague Doctor

 And I floated through the portal. Upon

Exiting this light, we found ourselves at

The gates of Purgatory, and although

 I was still shaken, I was glad to be

Out of that place and to be back in God’s

Creation, where I could even see the stars.