Dante Book II Canto VII Scene II

 

Scene II

Dante saw then Virgil on the back of Geryson who had its wings spread and was looking to soar. He saw them the mechanical orb had returned when it was thought lost earlier. The orb was hovering before Geryson as if was a playful item to move about avoiding capture by the beast.

“Come forth, poet. I can’t hold the beast down from leaving us. It was the rob of mine that held its feet still planted on the ground.” Virgil called to Dante and then extended an arm towards Dante.

“Hold on well, Poet.” Dante heard Virgil who had offered him the fore seating. He tried to find a gap on the scales of the beast frame. He cringed inside feeling the cold clammy surface of the beast and before he was truly ready, the beast had taken off to dive into the abyss.

“We will descend by stairways such as these; mount thou in front, for I will be midway, so that the tail may have no power to harm thee.” Dante heard Virgil then. “I am too afraid to look what lies ahead.”

The orb was in front as if directing the beast to dive further in. Dante was then with his issue. His nails on his fingers were already blue, and his body trembles. He was seated on the monstrous shoulders. He felt his fear was not his alone for Virgil had taken to embrace Dante’s frame.

“Now, Geryon, bestir thyself; the circles large, and the descent be little; think of the novel burden which thou hast,” Dante spoke to the beast as if he had domiciled it but the beast had taken its flight. He soon found himself lifted on his seat with only his arms around the neck of the beast his grip. He felt his heart had moved to his legs and then back to reach his neck, the beast was relentless in its dive. It went down swift like an eel swimming in its domain of water, its frame extended to elongate with the air stream. It was like when he first took the flight with the squad to the front lines. They were nine then, with the experienced Marcello all crammed into the battle-ridden craft that was to soar the skies as if it belonged there.

“I am telling you, young one. If you survive the flight, you may still go home in this war.” The one seated next to Dante had spoken. “The casualty rate of us ever surviving a crash landing was one in ten, if we ever land.”

Dante had taken air flights but it was during peaceful times, and the craft was bigger and there was no one to shoot it down.

“Krieger you old fool. Don’t annoy the new volunteer.” It was Stefan the Veteran who came to the aid of Dante. The veteran of the war then told Dante that Krieger was a doomsayer on anything that leaves the surface. They did get shelled by the enemy but the craft landed well, despite a faulty engine. Dante had then uttered a prayer for the safe landing.

“Save your prayers, son. We are going to war, and the only prayer you will need is that you don’t die here.” That was Stefan assuring the young volunteer. Since after that in every skirmish or battle, Dante offered his prayer to God for having lived through that.

As in then when Dante was holding on for his life on the beast. He held his breath and took in the small amount to keep conscious, and the prayers he made were not to let him lose hold on the beast.

“How --- do you fare there?” Virgil had the breath to ask of Dante.

“I fear for both of us but I won’t let go. We won’t end up like Icarus when his flanks were stripped of feathers and heard his father cry that his way was ill taken.” Icarus was the son of Daedalus who to escape imprisonment flies employing artificial wings but falls into the sea and drowns when the wax of his wings melts as he flies too near the sun.

“Don’t let go. We will make it.” Virgil called out but fear also reigns in his voice for once he had taken the helm on a project named Icarus; the design of a safety program and it failed when it was tested causing the loss to the owner. Virgil was removed by the owner saying that he had the vision of Icarus when he embarked on it.

“God, don’t let me …” Virgil called on his prayer but was interrupted by Dante then.

“Stop your prayer, Virgil. You were never one ever close to God before. Stay hold on your hands and with my prayers, we might make it.” Dante took to glimpse of the circle in the abyss; he saw sights that he had not missed from his earlier journey. There were the lost souls that were embedded into the side, reaching with their hands for anyone to snatch to accompany them. Geyson had his dive clear of those hands, moving in the dive as if they were in a whirlpool.

“We are going down deep.” Virgil's words again were heard. ‘Oh, God…”

Dante ignored the other for in the perception of his mind, they were descending deep into Hell, and for all, he was told; The Book hints that people in hell will be just like this. As well as “weeping” in hell, there will also be “gnashing of teeth”—a sign of defiance. One reason hell goes on forever is that the people within it simply never humble themselves, say sorry, and admit that God is right and they are wrong. (Taken from https://www.biblword.net/is-eternal-punishment-in-hell-fair/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwytOEBhD5ARIsANnRjVg0N8QFpTGXsGNgEnME1E5xsRge8oU9UmX4abFJ7sJqoJ4sOFtZmPMaAt60EALw_wcB)

“God, I am not to be left here,” Dante called out. It was a call of defiance in him.

It was then Dante saw what appeared to be a falcon who appeared next to the beast, and it spoke that it will ‘"That path no bird of prey knoweth, Neither hath the falcon's eye seen it." (https://www.biblestudytools.com/job/28-7.html). It was a sign from God.

Dante’s felt the stop of the dive, and the beast shook them off its back. Both Dante and Virgil landed on their rear ends, and the beast took off without a glance.

“Where are we?” Virgil asked. “Are we …”

“You have cleared the Circle, creator. I had taunted the beast to bring you here.” It was the mechanical orb voicing to them. “I had it all figured out by myself. You needed to be here and I needed to distract the beast, so I plotted the trail down with the best trying to get me. It was simple logic being set as the bait when I was the predator.”

“You could have to signal me on that beforehand. Do you know the dive was steep and we could have fallen off if not for the poet’s firm grip.” Virgil reprimanded the orb.

“I did my calculations and knew that both of you will be safe with the trajectory. It’s like taking a seat in the roller ride with the safety secured in.” The orb replied. “I did however made some adjustments for any error in my calculations with the deviation factors and fine-tuned the momentum at some points.”

“You did what?” Dante was in a state of disbelieving then. “I –”

“It was needed or you would have been splattered on the side of the gully, and God knows what lurked there.” The orb beeped at the end of the reply.

“Honest with me, Virgil. Did you create that demon for us?” Dante was furious. “I am already in Hell and need not be plagued with more of its other versions.”

“Secured yourself, poet. We are safe for now. And for your remark on my orb, welcome to Hell. It was a helluva fun ride there.” Virgil laughed.

“You are mad, Virgil.” Dante ended the talk there.