The Charon Sessions
Title: The Charon Sessions
Author: Keppiehed
Word Count: 1118
Prompt: Charon
A/N: Written and submitted to Neos Alexandria for a Devotional about all things Charon. Any and all feedback welcome.
ETA: Accepted, less than 6 hours after submission. Go me!
Transcript of first session, #0205329-098 between Andrea Shelling, M.D. and Charon, Tuesday, July 23, 1996 at 7 pm.
Dr. Shelling: Are you comfortable? Is everything all right?
Charon: No, it’s fine. My robe was just caught, there.
Dr. Shelling: Oh, okay. Because it looks-
Charon: It’s just that sometimes this fabric catches on things. I’m a little self-conscious about the hood. But it’s okay now.
Dr. Shelling: That’s fine. Take whatever time you need. While you’re getting settled, I’d like to remind you that this session will be recorded. Is that still all right with you?
Charon: [indistinct]
Dr. Shelling: Could you please speak up?
Charon: Yes. I signed a form about that with Dr. [REDACTED] last Tuesday, I think. Or, wait, it was Thursday, because Survivor was on. I love that show.
Dr. Shelling: Okay. We’ll talk for about forty-five minutes or so-
Charon: Forty-five minutes? Why not an hour?
Dr. Shelling: That’s the typical length of a session. Of course, if you feel the need for an extended session, we can always re-evaluate and make changes to the schedule for next week.
Charon: Forty-five minutes just doesn’t seem like a very long time, that’s all.
Dr. Shelling: I’ll do my best to address your concerns, Mr. (pause) may I call you Charon?
Charon: Yes.
Dr. Shelling: I was a little (laughs) confused, I guess, by the form you filled out. You have a lot of titles. Can you tell me about that?
Charon: Uh (pauses) I guess I haven’t really thought about it that much. Do you mean you want me to talk about my work?
Dr. Shelling: If you’d like to start there, yes. What do you do for a living?
Charon: (laughs) It’s not much of a living.
Dr. Shelling: What is your job? Your line of work?
Charon: I’m the steerer of the black-sailed ship. It’s right there on the form. Not like Blue Cross recognizes that or anything, though.
Dr. Shelling: So you’re a sailor?
Charon: Kind of.
Dr. Shelling: Do you work in management?
Charon: I guess. I’m my own boss, if that’s what you mean.
Dr. Shelling: Mr. Charon, do you like your job?
Charon: I don’t know. I mean, I used to. It’s just the same old thing now, night after night. And the pay really sucks.
Dr. Shelling: So you work the night shift?
Charon: Yeah. I mean, that part’s not so bad. But the people. I don’t like the people at all.
Dr. Shelling: Tell me about that. What is it that bothers you about them?
Charon: Oh, it’s all, (high-pitched voice) please don’t take me there, I don’t want to go. And then there’s all these sob stories. Well, I don’t very well have a choice, do I? It’s my job, isn’t it?
Dr. Shelling: You always have a choice, though, don’t you, Charon?
Charon: [indistinct]
Dr. Shelling: That’s a good point. What’s your family like?
Charon: We aren’t that close.
Dr. Shelling: Can you tell me about your mother?
Charon: Mom? She was lightness. Dad was darkness.
Dr. Shelling: So you grew up in a chaotic household, it sounds like.
Charon: No. Grandpa was chaos. I still see him, the ornery bugger.
Dr. Shelling: Mm.
Charon: [indistinct]
Dr. Shelling: Can you please speak up? We’re taping the session.
Charon: Oh. I forgot. Can I smoke in here?
Dr. Shelling: No, I’m sorry. This is a nonsmoking facility.
Charon: Oh.
Dr. Shelling: Are you feeling nervous?
Charon: No.
Dr. Shelling: Mr. Charon-
Charon: Just Charon. Or one of the titles I wrote down.
Dr. Shelling: Does anyone ever call you (rustles) He Who Guides the Deeply-Sounding Ferry?
Charon: Sometimes.
Dr. Shelling: Do you like that?
Charon: It depends.
Dr. Shelling: On what?
Charon: I don’t know. On my mood, I guess. Listen, are we almost done?
Dr. Shelling: It’s only been about ten minutes. I’m wondering about your accent, Charon. Are you Irish?
Charon: I’m from the Underworld.
Dr. Shelling: So you’re Scottish.
Charon: South of there. My parents were Greek.
Dr. Shelling: You mentioned your mother and father, but do you have any siblings?
Charon: No.
Dr. Shelling: A wife? Children?
Charon: No.
Dr. Shelling: How does that make you feel?
Charon: Honestly? I’m okay with it. I’ve seen how it is with Hades. I don’t think I’d want to get hitched.
Dr. Shelling: Hades? Is he is a friend of yours?
Charon: He’s all right. Anyway, his wife is always back and forth and (long pause) what a scene with her. She’s one of the ones who gets free passage, and let me tells you (snorts). Takes advantage, that one.
Dr. Shelling: So in your opinion, she isn’t a good wife to your friend?
Charon: Well. I wouldn’t say that. It’s not my place to judge.
Dr. Shelling: It’s okay. This is a place where you can feel free to voice your opinions without fear of repercussions. Is this woman your idea of a good wife?
Charon: I don’t know. I just don’t really want to get married. You know? I can’t see myself having kids or anything right now. Maybe ever.
Dr. Shelling: That sounds like a lonely life, don’t you think?
Charon: No.
Dr. Shelling: I’m noticing that you sound sad when you say that. Are you sad, Charon?
Charon: No. I’m not sad.
Dr. Shelling: Can you remove the hood so I can see your face?
Charon: No!
Dr. Shelling: Why is it so important for you to have your face covered?
Charon: I don’t know. It’s not.
Dr. Shelling: Then you can take it off.
Charon: I don’t want to.
Dr. Shelling: Okay. I see that we’re almost out of time this week. But you’ve done a great job of talking about some important things. I think we have a lot to discuss. Would you be willing to keep a journal?
Charon: I don’t really have time. I’m pretty busy.
Dr. Shelling: It doesn’t take much time. You could do it after work.
Charon: I don’t know. I’m not really into that kind of thing.
Dr. Shelling: Okay. Well, you think about it for next time, okay?
Charon: Yeah. I guess.
Dr. Shelling: Do Tuesday nights work for you?
Charon: Yeah. But next week the River Styx is undergoing its annual maintenance dredging, so can we do it on Monday instead?
Dr. Shelling: Uh (pause, rustles) yes, I have a cancellation. I’ll see you then.
Charon: Not if I see you first, Doc. (laughs) That’s just a joke. I’ll be here. I wrote it in my Franklin planner so I won’t be late.
Dr. Shelling: Okay, then. It was nice to meet you. I’ll see you next week. (click)
END TRANSCIPT
Author: Keppiehed
Word Count: 1118
Prompt: Charon
A/N: Written and submitted to Neos Alexandria for a Devotional about all things Charon. Any and all feedback welcome.
ETA: Accepted, less than 6 hours after submission. Go me!
Transcript of first session, #0205329-098 between Andrea Shelling, M.D. and Charon, Tuesday, July 23, 1996 at 7 pm.
Dr. Shelling: Are you comfortable? Is everything all right?
Charon: No, it’s fine. My robe was just caught, there.
Dr. Shelling: Oh, okay. Because it looks-
Charon: It’s just that sometimes this fabric catches on things. I’m a little self-conscious about the hood. But it’s okay now.
Dr. Shelling: That’s fine. Take whatever time you need. While you’re getting settled, I’d like to remind you that this session will be recorded. Is that still all right with you?
Charon: [indistinct]
Dr. Shelling: Could you please speak up?
Charon: Yes. I signed a form about that with Dr. [REDACTED] last Tuesday, I think. Or, wait, it was Thursday, because Survivor was on. I love that show.
Dr. Shelling: Okay. We’ll talk for about forty-five minutes or so-
Charon: Forty-five minutes? Why not an hour?
Dr. Shelling: That’s the typical length of a session. Of course, if you feel the need for an extended session, we can always re-evaluate and make changes to the schedule for next week.
Charon: Forty-five minutes just doesn’t seem like a very long time, that’s all.
Dr. Shelling: I’ll do my best to address your concerns, Mr. (pause) may I call you Charon?
Charon: Yes.
Dr. Shelling: I was a little (laughs) confused, I guess, by the form you filled out. You have a lot of titles. Can you tell me about that?
Charon: Uh (pauses) I guess I haven’t really thought about it that much. Do you mean you want me to talk about my work?
Dr. Shelling: If you’d like to start there, yes. What do you do for a living?
Charon: (laughs) It’s not much of a living.
Dr. Shelling: What is your job? Your line of work?
Charon: I’m the steerer of the black-sailed ship. It’s right there on the form. Not like Blue Cross recognizes that or anything, though.
Dr. Shelling: So you’re a sailor?
Charon: Kind of.
Dr. Shelling: Do you work in management?
Charon: I guess. I’m my own boss, if that’s what you mean.
Dr. Shelling: Mr. Charon, do you like your job?
Charon: I don’t know. I mean, I used to. It’s just the same old thing now, night after night. And the pay really sucks.
Dr. Shelling: So you work the night shift?
Charon: Yeah. I mean, that part’s not so bad. But the people. I don’t like the people at all.
Dr. Shelling: Tell me about that. What is it that bothers you about them?
Charon: Oh, it’s all, (high-pitched voice) please don’t take me there, I don’t want to go. And then there’s all these sob stories. Well, I don’t very well have a choice, do I? It’s my job, isn’t it?
Dr. Shelling: You always have a choice, though, don’t you, Charon?
Charon: [indistinct]
Dr. Shelling: That’s a good point. What’s your family like?
Charon: We aren’t that close.
Dr. Shelling: Can you tell me about your mother?
Charon: Mom? She was lightness. Dad was darkness.
Dr. Shelling: So you grew up in a chaotic household, it sounds like.
Charon: No. Grandpa was chaos. I still see him, the ornery bugger.
Dr. Shelling: Mm.
Charon: [indistinct]
Dr. Shelling: Can you please speak up? We’re taping the session.
Charon: Oh. I forgot. Can I smoke in here?
Dr. Shelling: No, I’m sorry. This is a nonsmoking facility.
Charon: Oh.
Dr. Shelling: Are you feeling nervous?
Charon: No.
Dr. Shelling: Mr. Charon-
Charon: Just Charon. Or one of the titles I wrote down.
Dr. Shelling: Does anyone ever call you (rustles) He Who Guides the Deeply-Sounding Ferry?
Charon: Sometimes.
Dr. Shelling: Do you like that?
Charon: It depends.
Dr. Shelling: On what?
Charon: I don’t know. On my mood, I guess. Listen, are we almost done?
Dr. Shelling: It’s only been about ten minutes. I’m wondering about your accent, Charon. Are you Irish?
Charon: I’m from the Underworld.
Dr. Shelling: So you’re Scottish.
Charon: South of there. My parents were Greek.
Dr. Shelling: You mentioned your mother and father, but do you have any siblings?
Charon: No.
Dr. Shelling: A wife? Children?
Charon: No.
Dr. Shelling: How does that make you feel?
Charon: Honestly? I’m okay with it. I’ve seen how it is with Hades. I don’t think I’d want to get hitched.
Dr. Shelling: Hades? Is he is a friend of yours?
Charon: He’s all right. Anyway, his wife is always back and forth and (long pause) what a scene with her. She’s one of the ones who gets free passage, and let me tells you (snorts). Takes advantage, that one.
Dr. Shelling: So in your opinion, she isn’t a good wife to your friend?
Charon: Well. I wouldn’t say that. It’s not my place to judge.
Dr. Shelling: It’s okay. This is a place where you can feel free to voice your opinions without fear of repercussions. Is this woman your idea of a good wife?
Charon: I don’t know. I just don’t really want to get married. You know? I can’t see myself having kids or anything right now. Maybe ever.
Dr. Shelling: That sounds like a lonely life, don’t you think?
Charon: No.
Dr. Shelling: I’m noticing that you sound sad when you say that. Are you sad, Charon?
Charon: No. I’m not sad.
Dr. Shelling: Can you remove the hood so I can see your face?
Charon: No!
Dr. Shelling: Why is it so important for you to have your face covered?
Charon: I don’t know. It’s not.
Dr. Shelling: Then you can take it off.
Charon: I don’t want to.
Dr. Shelling: Okay. I see that we’re almost out of time this week. But you’ve done a great job of talking about some important things. I think we have a lot to discuss. Would you be willing to keep a journal?
Charon: I don’t really have time. I’m pretty busy.
Dr. Shelling: It doesn’t take much time. You could do it after work.
Charon: I don’t know. I’m not really into that kind of thing.
Dr. Shelling: Okay. Well, you think about it for next time, okay?
Charon: Yeah. I guess.
Dr. Shelling: Do Tuesday nights work for you?
Charon: Yeah. But next week the River Styx is undergoing its annual maintenance dredging, so can we do it on Monday instead?
Dr. Shelling: Uh (pause, rustles) yes, I have a cancellation. I’ll see you then.
Charon: Not if I see you first, Doc. (laughs) That’s just a joke. I’ll be here. I wrote it in my Franklin planner so I won’t be late.
Dr. Shelling: Okay, then. It was nice to meet you. I’ll see you next week. (click)
END TRANSCIPT