Circle 1: Arrogance

A lot of thoughts were circling through my mind as I walked into the cave. First of all, why did I sign up for this? Could Virgil not find another innocent young guy running in the woods to accompany him on his adventures? Second of all, how on earth is this cave so freaking big? It seemed like every tunnel we took led to another, and there wasn't an end in sight. I also wasn't sure what kind of vibes I was getting from this guy. He seemed like a man I could trust. Then he led me into a never-ending death cavern. But regardless of what I thought, I had no other choice but to follow him. Even in the dark, Virgil glowed in a sort of ghostly way.

We carried on for what felt like hours. If I had known that my day would end in a trek that never ends, I would've just escaped from home in my car instead of running. I probably still would've gotten farther in my old, broken down Volkswagen than I will now. Every once in a while, I would ask Virgil if we were ever going to get to our destination. His answer was always the same: "You will know when we have arrived."

But it didn't feel like we were going to arrive anytime soon. With every step we took, my body grew even more tired, until eventually I had had enough.

"That's it!" I yelled as I stomped my feet in the ground. "I'm not moving another inch until you tell me where the hell we're going."

Virgil chuckled. "Hell," he said. "You have no idea what hell is."

I was really confused, but Virgil turned away, and further down the tunnel, I could see a small fire burning and a man keeping warm.

We walked over to the fire, and as I got closer, I got a better look at the guy. He was an older man, with pitch-black hair slicked back and a confident look in his eye. However, I couldn't figure out who he was, and I told Virgil I didn't recognize him.

"Remember your history classes from school," Virgil said. "This man deceived his people and set the stage for years of mistrust in your nation."

I tried to think back to who this man could be. Suddenly, I remembered some of the old documentaries my mom used to watch on PBS when I was growing up. I recognized that fiery glance, as if he knew much more than I did and was fully aware of it. "You're..."

"The 37th President of the United States, Richard Nixon, at your service," he exclaimed rather proudly before slumping back against the cave wall. "Not really. It's just a saying."

I had no idea what to believe at this point. Are random presidents just going to pop up here and there as we walk further into the darkness? I turned to Virgil helplessly, trying to figure out what to make of this mess.

"When you chose to accompany me today, I told you that you would learn the power of sin," said Virgil. "Mr. Nixon here is the prime example of the first big sin: arrogance. When he became president, Mr. Nixon misused his power and hid illegal actions from the entire country. It is important that you do not allow your hubris to overcome your judgment like he did."

Nixon laughed sarcastically. "The way you phrase that makes me sound like an evil man," he said. "It's not like I slaughtered millions or stole for a living."

"Don't worry," said Virgil. "There's more room further down the tunnel for men and women like that. You are right where you belong."

Story source: Dante's Divine Comedy, translated by Tony Kline (2002).

Author's Note: For my first story, I adjusted the first circle of hell from Dante's Inferno (Limbo) in order to present a more relatable version of hell for the audience. While Limbo is reserved for non-virtuous Christians or pagans, my first circle revolves around people who let their arrogance misguide their actions. The original first circle features several prominent political and philosophical minds, such as Julius Caesar, so I translated that theme to this story and featured Richard Nixon as a representation of the first circle. Through my introduction and first story, I'm hoping that I start to build an identity for Dante. While the Dante from the original texts is a rather empathetic character, I want to portray him as the stereotypical Generation Z child who doesn't listen to old man Virgil, which I tried to incorporate in some of his thoughts and actions. I'm really excited to write this next story, where I hope to incorporate Dante a little more as he starts to realize the purpose of this journey. As Virgil prepares to take Dante further into the nine circles to hell, we're starting see Dante's growing trust in his guide. It is becoming clear to him that there is a purpose behind all this, and as the story develops, Dante will start to gain more from his experiences.