Ferryman

The journalist stayed over an hour with Magdalena, double the time usually allotted to DTL (Discredit The Looney) pieces. He found her to be intelligent and kind, well-spoken and practical; Magdalena took great care to explain the origins of the Cult of the Ferryman all of the way back to ancient times with tender simplicity and remarkable attention to detail (no loss of logic in translation). "So, you put coins on the eyes of the dead?" the journalist asked, going right to the heart of the matter for his readers. She laughed. "Uh ... no, we don't. We put a coin - the largest found in the pockets or purse of the family members, into the pocket of the deceased. We do not sell special tokens or set a fixed price - nothing like that." He shifted uncomfortably, suddenly aware that she had seen the YouTube piece at some point. "It is the intention to travel safely - the generosity in the gesture - that grants peaceful passage. Really, in the vast panorama of heavens and hells, limbos and half-life hauntings, what is it about a final boat ride that seems far fetched? Especially now, when everything is about the fastest possible transport to the destination-of-choice: Uber, Lyft, GrubHub, DoorDash, etc.?" He shook Magdalena's hand very respectfully at the end and she wished him well. The journalist took that warmth into his day, digging a fifty-cent-piece out of his jeans as he sat at the cafe for lunch, and putting it in his jacket pocket (just in case something happened).