This is a quick translation of a short story I wrote in Spanish, "Caronte y la laguna". I really enjoyed the research that went into this story, and I hope that someone with a background in Greek mythology and history will appreciate it, though the story itself is purposefully confusing at first reading. It received 2nd place at a Literary Competition hosted by the MDC InterAmerican Campus Library, and so I published it in Urbana Literary Magazine, along with the 1st and 3rd place winners.




Kharon and the Lake


“Ferryman!” yelled Kharon from the shore, this time without the ire of years past. Neither did he wave his arms urgently when he yelled, like he did the last time. He knew, like in a dream, that now the boat belonged to him, and this knowledge removed from him the old fear.

The boat moved slowly upon the water. The Old Man no longer rowed. He waited for the boat to arrive to shore of its own volition, following the route marked by the last impulse. From the shore Kharon watched; only the beard of the Old Man could be seen. Beyond the boat, only mist and oblivion.

At last arrived the Ferryman, a gaunt man with dark clothes, perhaps thinner than the last time. The boat still moved upon the shore, trying to cling to the humid earth, looking for its place among the rocks corroded by time and the insignificant waves. The Old Man remained on the boat, with the oar between his hands, watching Kharon through his mask. A solemn silence. A cold wind ran between them, raising the water. When the wind vanished, Kharon spoke.

“A long time ago, you denied me passage, Old Man, for not having a coin. You condemned me to wander the banks of the river with the promise that you would return. A hundred years, you said, is the punishment for not having an obol. A hundred years and you would return for me. A hundred years, then, I wandered with the others, searching for a way to cross. Nothing. A hundred years of oblivion in which I lost my life and my most vivid memories. Even my name began to escape me. Only this I remember clearly, a name and a promise: yours. A hundred years passed, Ferryman, and you appeared. There, in the horizon, you let yourself be seen. But you remained there, far away, like a lost child who does not know how to row. You remained there, far away, and you left, without even approaching the shore.”

Kharon spoke calmly while the Old Man watched. It was difficult to know if he understood behind his mask. Kharon continued.

“Now you have returned, and only I remain. The others are now shadows. Only I remain. You owe me passage. I know it and you know it.” These were the words he wanted to say.

“The only thing I don’t understand, Old Man, is why you never returned to shore. Why so many years?”

Kharon paused to let the Old Man understand his words. The old Ferryman bowed his head and removed his mask. He wanted to speak.

“The river is no longer a river, dead Man. The river is now a lake. I discovered this only recently, after so many years.” A wind once again raised the water.

“The day you saw me in the horizon, I was certainly lost. The place from which I had sailed had disappeared. You see, Man, when I arrived on the other side of the river, all things had changed. The color of the earth, the color of shadow. Even the dog Cerberus was absent. I descended from my boat to speak to the Judges. I expected they would give me answers. But they were not to be found. Neither they nor Pluto. I walked and walked through the yellow earth, and I found nothing. Only a grey wind that began to arise, and a black sky, blacker than ever. Blacker than nothingness. Full of fear I ran to my boat. I found it, and I embarked, ready to return to this side of the river. But as I moved the waters changed. From afar a mist devoured the shoreline, and all things behind me.”

The Old Man took a moment to look into Kharon’s eyes. The face of the Old Man produced a feeling of nostalgia in the heart of that dead Man. He felt as if something important had been taken away and lost forever. Words could not explain it.

The Old Man continued his story.

“At last, I arrived on this side, and I saw all of you on the shore. But by then all things had changed and I feared that upon approaching you the waters would disappear behind me. What then would I do without the waters? So I turned around, to see if perhaps I could learn something. I learned many things.

“Dream and Death explained all things. The gods have died. Hades is no more. Those from above no longer believe. They have destroyed all things. That is why, Man, I did not give you passage. I know not where to take you. All things have changed. The waters, once full of ashes and tears, are now as clear as a mirror. I see my reflection upon the waters and I no longer know who I am, or where to go. Forgive me, if you can. I cannot take you to the other side.”

These last words enraged Kharon.

“You dare deny me passage to the other side! They buried me with a drachma under my tongue, because I was loved above others! But you, you wanted a worthless obol! Perverse Old Man! I curse you though I know not your name! I curse your name forever! I am Kharon, and your boat is mine!”

Then jumped Kharon into the boat and grabbed the oar held by the Old Man. The latter did not fight. He let himself be thrown to shore face up, where he fell upon the cold wet rocks. Kharon pushed off from the boat with his oar and began to move upon the water.

“Where will you go, foolish Man?” yelled the Old Man from the wet rocks.

“To the land of yellow earth, you damned Old Man! I will see you in a hundred years!” screamed Kharon from the water, and his voice soared across all the lake and beyond the mist.

He smiled. In his chest he felt the warmth of victory, but in his loins he felt cold, like damp rocks. The sky truly was black, and the water was exceedingly clear. He put aside his oar and looked at his hands. He barely recognized them. He knelt in his boat, sank his hands in the water and shook them. Too cold, the water, but at least he could feel it. He began to remember. He looked back at the Old Man on the shore, standing, static, like a cave or a broken tree trunk, or the shadow of a broken tree trunk in a cave. Then, smiling, he turned his eyes once again to the lake and saw, at last, his reflection upon the water. The face of the Old Man stared at him from the water.


Here are the chords for I Don't Want to Change You, from the album My Favourite Faded Fantasy (2014). This simplified version was done with the help of carriep63's work.


I Don't Want to Change You


C G D Em
C G D Am
Em Bm C D

Em Bm
Wherever you are

C D
Know that I adore you

Em Bm
No matter how far

C D
Well I can go before you

Em Bm
If ever you need someone

C D
Well not that you need helpin'

Em Bm
But if ever you want someone

C D
Know that I am willin' oh and...

C
I don't wanna change you

G
I don't wanna change you

D Em
I don't wanna change your mind, I just

C
Came across a manger

G
Out among the danger

D C
Somewhere in a stranger's eye

Em Bm
Wherever you go

C D
Well I can always follow

Em Bm
I can feed this real slow

C D
If it's a lot to swallow

Em Bm
Do you just wanna be alone?

C D
Well I can wait without waiting

Em Bm
Do you want me to let this go?

C D
Well I am more than willing oh 'cause...

C
I don't wanna change you

G
I don't wanna change you

D Em
I don't wanna change your mind, I just

C
Came across a manger

G
Out among the danger

D Em
Somewhere in a stranger's eye, oh and...

C
I don't wanna change you

G
I don't wanna change you

D Em
I don't wanna change your mind, I just

C
Came across a manger

G
Out among the danger

D Am
Somewhere in a stranger's eye

Am D
I've never been with anyone in the way I've been with you

Am D
But if a love is not for fun then it's doomed 'cause

G D Em
Water races, water races down

C
The water falls

G D Em
Water races, water races down

C
The water falls

C
I don't wanna change you

G
I don't wanna change you

D Em
I don't wanna change your mind, I just

C
Came across a manger

G
Where there is no danger, well

D C
Love has eyes, it's not blind

Em Bm C D






These are the chords for the wonderful song Keep You Happy from Tift Merritt's 2008 Another Country.

These were transcribed by Adam Schneider at http://adamschneider.net/music/

I love this melancholic song.


Keep You Happy


capo 5
 G    G[intro]
 G            Bm          C                    Bm
  The sky is turning and longing for something far away
G              Bm             C           Bm
  The moon's a tear drop, see slowly as he falls away
C              Bm           C            Bm
  Miles running down a face, everything's bound to change
C              Bm
  It's bound to change
 Em             G           Em          G
  Day breaks of tenderness, so hold me here like this
             Am7            C              G       G
So still and quiet, as if it might keep you happy, oh oh oh
         C      C
Keep you happy, oh oh oh
         G      G
Keep you happy, oh oh oh
         C     Csus9
Keep you happy

 A feeling has me and tells me it will never stay
Your heartbeats miles now, I feel them as they run away
Close gets so far away, close gets so far
 Day breaks of loneliness
I'd weather all of this
If I could find a place where I'd
Keep you happy, oh oh oh
Keep you happy, oh oh oh
Keep you happy, oh oh oh
Keep you happy
 Bm        Em                 C                  Bm
  Why do we pretend there is something to hold onto
Em           C                    Bm         Am7
  See how my world fell in, I was trying to hold you
      Bm         Am7
I was trying to hold you

 Night is a gypsy, he tells me he will never stay
Miles are like heartbeats, I know them as they fly away
See how they fly away, see as I fly
 Day breaks of restlessness, I'm filled with all of this
But deep inside, what will I find to keep me happy, oh oh oh
Keep me happy, oh oh oh
Keep me happy, oh oh oh
Keep me happy, oh oh oh

  [fade on G G C C]    





Below are the correct chords for Werewolf from Fiona Apple's 2012 The Idler Wheel...


G
I could liken you to a werewolf
The way you left me for dead

      Am           G               F
But I admit that I provided a full moon


                    G
And I could liken you to a shark
The way you bit off my head


                  Am          G                          F                    G
But then again I was waving around a bleeding open wound


         F                             C
But you were such a super guy

Am
'Til the second you get a wiff of me

F            D#
We're like a wishing well

D
And a bolt of electricity

F                Am
But we can still support each other

C                  Gm
All we gotta do is avoid each other

F                   C          Dm         Am
Nothing wrong when a song ends in a minor key

F                   C          Dm         Am
Nothing wrong when a song ends in a minor key


C

A#               D#
The lava of a volcano

A#                         D#
Shot up hot from under the sea

D7                 F#m
One thing leads to another

E                              
And you made an island of me

G   E

G
And I could liken you to a chemical
The way you made me compound to compound

          Am
But I'm a chemical too

G          F                    G
Inevitable you and me would mix

G
And I could liken you to a lot of things
But I always come around

             Am        G
Cause in the end I'm a sensible girl

F                     G
I know the fiction of the fix


F                   C
But you were such a super guy

          Am
'Til the second you get a wiff of me

F            D#
We're like a wishing well

D
And a bolt of electricity

F                 Am
But we can still support each other

C                  Gm
All we gotta do is avoid each other

F                  C           Dm         Am
Nothing wrong when a song ends in a minor key

F                  C           Dm         Am
Nothing wrong when a song ends in a minor key





Here are the guitar chords for Wooden Dolls by Nico Vega. I couldn't find the chords online, so I made this quick cheat sheet.


Wooden Dolls


G                  Am          G

We dear are all wooden dolls
                     Am                       G
Plastic hair on my head keeps me small
                              Bm
These matters take more than just a song to see them
G                             Bm
We've got our own souls even if we're buried beneath them
G                      D
We know these roads because we paved them
G                      D
We collapse at once when we cage the rebel
G                      D

G                   Am       G

We dear are all wooden dolls
                     Am                      G
Plastic hair on my head keeps me small
G                              Bm
These walls between men are built off of fear of each other
G                          Bm
We misunderstand, the things that we say to each other
G                   D
When will we see that we are stuck with each other?
G                   D
We collapse at once when we cage the rebel
G                           
When we caged the rebel
D
When we caged the rebel
G
When we caged the rebel
D
Oh oh, when we caged the rebel
D
Oh I feel it in my heart
G
When we cage the rebel
D
When we cage the rebel
G
When we cage the rebel
D
When we cage the rebel
G                  Am       G
We dear are all wooden dolls

So how do I install the new version of Windows 8?
How do I upgrade or update to Windows 8.1?



Before you do anything, go to the official Microsoft Update to Windows 8.1 page (snapshot below), which contains more instructions. If you are not running Windows 8.1, a link should appear at the bottom that reads "Get the free update now".

Simple as that.



Here are the chords for Little Deschutes from the album July Flame by Laura Veirs. No capo necessary! (I'll soon write a post showing how to play songs when the chords ask for a capo...and you don't have one).

Little Deschutes


Am              C
It sure is hard to dance across
Em                              
The room when you've got
G
One foot on the floor
Am         C                 Em      G
And one foot outside the door


         F   Dm   Am
I want nothing more
            F    Dm    Am
Than to dance with you

Am                 C
The peace I've known, floating along
Em                  G
The deep green river with you and a song
Am               C
Is something like the peace I hope
Em               G
To make with you my whole life long

         F   Dm   Am
I want nothing more
         F   Dm   Am
Than to float with you

C          Em          Am       G
Paddling through the hail storm
C           Em        Am        G
Clothes ravaged, the leaves all torn
Dm               Am
A part of me was born

[solo]
Am C Em G
Am C Em G
F Dm Am
F Dm Am

Am            C
Why care about yesterday's haze
Em                  G
When the stars above are all ablaze
Am            C
Why care about the coming dawn
Em                      G
When the moon pours now searchlight strong

       F    Dm  Am
I want nothing more
       F    Dm  Am
Than to dance with you
       F    Dm  Am
I want nothing more
        F    Dm   Am
Than to float with you

Below are the chords for Frozen Creek by Circa Survive, from the album Blue Sky Noise.



Frozen Creek

Capo 4
When you play the intro/verse/solo chords, leave the b-string open and hammer on the 3rd fret (listen to the song to get an idea).

Em            G
Upon a pebble driveway
            C
There sits a house
                         
And it's the loneliest place
Em                   G
I haven't spent much time there,
         C
It wasn't allowed,
                      
It just didn't feel right

Em                           G
'Cause it's all built upon a burial ground,
              C ~~
It just doesn't feel right,
             
It just doesn't feel right

Am   Bm    C    D    Em
On top the frozen creek,
I would love to take you there
I swear it flows through me
On top the frozen creek

Em            G
If I open both of my eyes,
          C                               
I still see an empty space, so empty
Em                 G
But if I keep them closed
                     C
Then there's still a chance that something is out there

Em                            G
'Cause it's all built upon a burial ground,
              C
It just doesn't feel right
              C ~~
It just doesn't feel right


Am   Bm    C    D    Em
On top the frozen creek,
I would love to take you there
I swear it flows through me
On top the frozen creek

C   
I made a promise to you long ago
Em
I'd do the best that I can
~
I'd try and keep it
C
I made a promise to you long ago
         Em
That I'd do anything to keep this home

Am   Bm    C    D    Em
On top the frozen creek,
I would love to take you there
I swear it flows through me
On top the frozen creek

Am      Bm      C    D    Em
I would love to take you there (x 4)

Am      Bm      C     
I would love to take you
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