09 Book One, Chapter Eight
"Assam & Darjeeling" is the story of two children who set out to rescue their dead mother from the Underworld -- a nightmare place where the mythological desperately tries to keep pace with the world above. The children encounter cell-phone carrying demons, forgotten deities from defunct pantheons waiting tables, and one nasty character called Juniper who takes a particular, personal interest in their quest. In the eighth chapter of our story, the children find their way to the shore of a lonely river. The boatman arrives to ferry them below, but the fare for passage is more than they expected.