Wander for Distraction

The darkness around us was almost complete. Only small flickers of light illuminated the uneven earth below my feet.

We faced each other. At first, I could not look at them directly. My eyes flitted from face to face, resting on each but only for a moment. I chose to come here but still did not want to intrude on this place, their place.

“Who are you?” I thought. Is this your family beside you? Your children, your parents, your best friend? I'm certain none of us had ever expected to end up in a place like this.

My sister stumbled slightly behind me, the delightful local tipples that welcomed her so readily yesterday were laughing cruelly at her now. But we went on. Hushed whispers and scuffling feet echoed around the walls making it seem like more souls had joined us. Lightning flashes exploded every few meters as we made an attempt to reduce our experience into one static image.

The moisture of the rain outside clung to my hair, my skin and my clothes and mingled with the low temperature of the confined space. They continued to stay silent. A sudden shiver shuddered its way over my shoulders and down through me. It was cold.

Their empty eyes gave nothing away. What did they do before all this? I was a baker. I was a butcher. I was a soldier. I was a mother. I made up my own background stories for them, putting meat on the bones of information we had researched before coming. We continued to walk on.

Finally, the tunnel came to an end and we emerged. We were released from the Catacombs and into the dim sunshine of the City of Lights. The Parisian air was new and clean in my lungs. Though the shadow was gone my unanswered questions lingered. Would these souls ever find rest if we, curious spectators, continued to come and scrutinize this monument? Or did we show respect by visiting this sacred place?

My eyes refocused and adjusted to the light as we continued to navigate the streets of the French capital. Only every now and then did I catch myself looking at my feet and wondering what, or who, was below.