Hey Little Songbird-A Hadestown Story

Hey, Little Song Bird/ Friends on the Other Side

The second of November marked the start of winter: the end of the crisp, golden light of October and Indian summers and the beginning of cold and gloom. It was also the Fête Guédé, the feast day of Baron Samedi, Maman Brigitte, and the Guédé, their children, which coincided with the Catholic festival of All Souls.
Yawning and rubbing her eyes, Eurydice walked into Hestia's through the back door. She hung up her coat and put on her apron.
"Are you going to Saint-Louis tonight?" Miss Hestia asked her.
"Yes ma'am," Eurydice answered, "I'm going with Marie and Hazel."
In honor of the Fête Guédé, there was going to be a voodoo ceremony at Saint-Louis Cemetery.
The bell attached to the front door rung and a tall, powerfully built man in a dark suit walked into the dinning room. He had close cropped salt and pepper hair and a short, neatly trimmed beard. His face was obscured by a black fedora hat with red feather.

He was dressed all in black: a black wool suit, silk shirt, and brocade tie.

All of it was well tailored and expensive looking.
"There's our first customer of the day," Miss Hestia said.
Eurydice walked over to his table. He looked up at her over the menu. His face was lined and serious with icy grayish green eyes.
"Can I get you anything?" Eurydice asked him.
"Black coffee," he replied.
His voice was low and gravelly like it came from the depths of the earth.
Eurydice brought over the pot of coffee and filled his cup.
"I haven't seen you before, sir," she said, "Are you from around here?"
"No, I'm not."
"Then what brings you to New Orleans?"
"Getting away from my wife," he gave her a smile. It was the smile of a predator: enticing yet threatening. "She's an ungrateful nag, spends all her time either plastered or doped up to her eyeballs. I give her everything a woman could want, bend over backwards to make her happy, and do I ever get a thank you?"
"I guess not."
He gave her another smile and took a sip of his coffee.
"You remind me of a girl I once knew, years ago."
Eurydice laughed.
"You must think I was born yesterday if you think I'd fall for that line. And so you know, I have a husband."
"A little thing like you? Really?"
"What can I get you to eat, sir?"
"I know it's not on the breakfast menu but could I have the muffuletta?"
"I think that could be arranged. You know, the muffuletta here is one of my husband's favorites."

"Say, little song bird, what's this husband of yours like?"
"He's a boy about my own age. He plays the guitar in a jazz band."
"And he strums tunes for you when the power goes out? I don't imagine he's much of a provider, or else you wouldn't be waiting tables here, little song bird."
"And I don't think it's your place to judge."
Eurydice went into the kitchen to give his order to Hestia.
"Do you know that man?" Hestia asked her.
"No, I don't," Eurydice replied. 
"He looks familiar but I can't point my finger on where I've seen him before."
"Same here." 
When Hestia was done making the sandwich, Eurydice returned to the dining room.
"So how long are you going to be in New Orleans?" she asked the man.
"Just over night," he answered, playing with the silver skull ring on his finger, set with red ruby eyes, "I'm a busy man and there'll be hell to pay if I'm away too long."

"Where are you from?"
"Have you heard of a place called Hadestown?"
"Yeah, I've heard of it."
Another customer walk in the door and Eurydice walked over to take their order. But her eye was drawn back to the mysterious man. Something about his deep, gravelly voice and cold grayish eyes both frightened and fascinated her. He radiated strength and power and seemed to dominate the room.
When he finished his meal, he left her tip on the table. Among the coins was a large golden token carved with the word: Hadestown. Eurydice tapped him on the should before he could walk out the door. He looked looked down at.
"What's this?" She asked him, referring to the token.
"Your ticket," he answered with a predatory grin.
"My ticket to where?"
"You'll figure it out."
He winked at her and then closed the door behind him, causing the bell to ring furiously.

The rest of the day passed slowly for Eurydice. She kept thinking about the mysterious man and what he had said to her:
"And he strums tunes for you when the power goes out? I don't imagine he's much of a provider, or else you wouldn't be waiting tables here, little song bird."
The token he had given her jingled around in the pocket of her apron.

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