Dante Book III Canto XXIX Scene II

 Scene II

 

“If it was Heaven, why are there the screams of souls in pain there?” Dante asked when he heard the wails and weeping. He stepped up past the sign and saw the souls there doing as what he heard. The noise was so loud that he had to cover his ears. He turned to Virgil who shook his head.

“I am deaf and dumb for I am dead.” Virgil said with a smile.

“You are dumb and dumber by the looks of it.” Dante cursed back. “Why do they wail so loud? And what is that stench?”

“I ---” Virgil was to say but when he saw the pained expression on Dante’s expression, he suppressed his wise cracks. “It believed to be ammonia from the smell but I could be wrong. It may be brimstones mixed with flatulence, perhaps of demonic nature. I did fare badly in my chemistry tests.”

“I had that smell once when I carried a wounded to the Infirmary and it was hellish.” Dante recalled the battle where they were outnumbered and had to retreat. He had carried one of the wounded on his back to the rear for treatment.

Dante saw the wailing souls were in pain and some were hurting themselves by hitting their head onto the ground. If more pain may numb the other pain, it was not working for the souls there. He saw two of the souls were busy piking at the scabs on the other frame, and with each pick of the scab, the soul will calling out in the language he could understand.

“Dear sirs, may I know your name and how may I assist you?” Dante asked. “I am no healer but I will try.”

“Crush my head to stop the pain.” One of the souls called out. “The pain came from within and it hurts.”

“I cannot do that for it will ---- increase your agony. Pray tell me what did you do to deserve this?”

“Who are you to ask while we suffered in pain?” The soul Dante was questioning replied.

“I am Dante Al—” The other soul heard the name and cut in.

“Dante, its me, Capocchio. I was in the Academy with you.” The who claims to be Capocchio was unrecognized by Dante. His soul was darkened and burnt at most areas, and with the open wounds from the removed scabs, he was to be seen than even the boiling Ciampolo of the pits.

“Capocchio? You died in the lab explosion.” Dante looked at his old Academy mate. “I remember it was a huge explosion and you brought down the whole building block.”

“Yes, I did and all of you had no chemistry lessons for one full Academy year.” The darkened soul laughed and then cringed in pain. “Tell me why are you here. You are an ardent purveyor of alchemy.”

“I am not. I joined philosophy that year. I was not into making concoctions like you did. Did you make gold from lead? It’s still a mystery to the learned ones.” Dante said.

“Stop them, or rather you are too late. I am here because of my sin in alchemy. I wanted to be God-like to pro-create what was not there.” Capocchio sighed. “A lifetime passion but it ended too abruptly for myself. Here is my friend but he was a foolish one. He was the impression that Man can fly without wings. He thought himself was lie Icarus but the former did fly to a certain height. My friend here, Arezzo fell to a greater depth.”

“I was not foolish. I was defying gravity.”: Arezzo cut in. “Newton Law has to be proven otherwise. I am sure my good pal, Albert had a good laugh. I heard he is here but with our pains, we hardly move around to socialise.”

“Yes, when you are here, beware of the Evil Impersonators. They will ---” Capacchio words drowned out into more pain when Dante saw the soul was snatched before him but a winged soul that resembled the demonic ones he had encountered earlier.

“Capacchio!” Dante called out and then saw his friend was dropped when another winged soul fought with the one who took his friend.

“Wow! A catfight.” Virgil roared out. “Who is she? Look at the claws she holds. I am telling you that my bet is on her.”

“That’s Myrrha. She was banished here as the Evil Impersonator. She lain with her own father when he was unaware. She was caught and escaped but she sued alchemy to hide herself as a tree before it was cut down by the ones who pursued her. To forest. She had committed the sin not of sin but the greater sin of deceit.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrrha#:~:text=Myrrha%20appears%20in%20the%20Divine,dreadful%20diseases%2C%20Myrrha's%20being%20madness.).

“She was a student of metamorphosis. She read everything on Ovid and Homer hence her act of escape was to metamorphosise. That was seen by the pursues as a form of witchcraft at that time.”

“Myrrha fought with Gianni, who had impersonated a dead man to benefit from the family wealth. He was a deceitful man to take on the identity of another named Buoso Donati. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianni_Schicchi#:~:text=Gianni%20Schicchi%20de'%20Cavalcanti%20was,in%20the%20Inferno%2C%20Canto%20XXX.&text=Dante%20had%20several%20reasons%20for,was%20of%20pure%20Florentine%20descent.).

“I thought I had seen all of the sinners but it looked like we will never see how far a person will do even though they know its sinful.” Dante sighed. He bid farewell to his darkened friend who was probably lying on the ground ahead in more pain, but his role was never to judge.

“I am the narrator here.” Dante moved on with Virgil.

“Hey, I have a bet on the battle. Can we wait for a while?” Dante ignored Virgil’s request while he moved ahead.

“Betting is a sin. Have you heard of the tale about the Sienese who were a part of the Spendthrifts Brigade. One member of the Spendthrifts’ Brigade was Niccolo de’ Salimbeni. At the time, cloves were very expensive. He introduced the use of this spice to Siena, and he used to set a bed of cloves on fire and roast pheasants over them.