My eyes flutter open. Not from sleep, from something else. No dreams haunted my rest- if it can be called that. A respite from existence might be a more appropriate term. Adjusting to awareness I examine my surroundings, or what appears to be a lack thereof. I am already standing, sand beneath my feet. Black, soundless waves lap at a monochrome shore at my front. There is nothing at my back. Grey sand stretches as far as the eye can see and ends in a pitch-black sky.
Looking closer, it's not pitch-black. It's barely even a sky. It's an absence. In my gut, I can tell that trying to find the edge of my island would be a poor idea. In my gut, I can tell that "edge" doesn't carry much meaning here. Speaking of gut, I look down. Huh. I don't seem to have one. My body appears to be composed of nothing more than translucent white smoke in a humanoid shape. I know this should surprise me, but it's hard to feel much of anything here.
Seeing nothing better to do, I stand, watch the waves, and wait for something to happen. There doesn't seem to be much of a current in the ocean here. Again, I question my choice of words- "ocean" feels like too much of a concept for these colorless waves. This "place" feels far from existence. Tired of twisting my thoughts into loops, I stop trying to figure out my surroundings and keep waiting. If time passes, I can't tell how much. Watching the water lap at the shore is distraction enough for now.
Suddenly, a sound. Thunk. I look up and to the side to find a boat. The bow of a wooden poleboat rests in the staticky sand
It would be from a 3rd person pov following two characters: The Sinner and The Ferryman. The Sinner has just died, and finds himself on the banks of a dark lake. He waits there thinking over his life and wondering where he is now until The Ferryman arrives. The Ferryman invites The Sinner aboard the boat, and they set off. The Sinner offers The Ferryman his worldly riches in exchange for the trip which The Ferryman refuses, stating that no payment is needed. They start a conversation with The Sinner, discussing his life, his good deeds, and his misdeeds. This conversation shows us that The Sinner was a bad person in life, and ends with The Ferryman informing The Sinner that he is just that- a sinner. The Sinner asks where he is to go, where the boat is taking them. To Heaven? Hell? Limbo? Rebirth? The Ferryman refuses to answer, and they wait in silence. Finally, they arrive at a stop at the edge of a void. The Ferryman informs The Sinner that he's been brought to his stop- Oblivion. The Sinner asks what this is, and the Ferryman informs him. It's not hell, there's no brimstone. It's certainly not Heaven. It's nothing. The Sinner will cease to exist. At this, The Sinner starts to break down, offering The Ferryman everything he can think of- his money, his soul, his service- to be taken somewhere else. Anywhere else, even hell. The Ferryman shakes their head and pushes him into the abyss. The story ends with The Ferryman starting their journey back to the shore for their next soul.