Introduction: My entry for the January 2025 Community Magazine Contest.Kaelith, the seasoned ferryman of the dead, rows his boat through the misty, eerie waters of the Styx, carrying another soul on its final journey. His latest passenger, Aric, proves to be unlike the others鈥攕ilent, cryptic, and unsettling.As Kaelith pushes him for a story to pay the toll, Aric's warnings about the dangers he carries grow more ominous. The river itself begins to react, its waters agitated as if something unseen is stirring beneath the surface. When a deep, menacing growl rises from the depths, Kaelith realizes too late that Aric鈥檚 tale is one that could cost them both everything. And it鈥檚 already too late to turn back....