The Boulevard of Broken Dreams

I shrieked in pain, as I felt something sharp cut my bare feet.
I was walking along the meandering path, full of curves,
But there were no crossroads.
The way ahead of me was as uninteresting as it could ever be
There were no choices to make;
The path was guiding me towards my destination.
I did not know where I was going or the reason why.
I had been hiking for hours, yet not a creature in sight
The grey sky made the surroundings gloomy.
I bent down to check what it was, what had hurt me.

It was like a piece of glass with jagged edges,
But it appeared that I held solid mist, silvery, glistening
Something smoky swirling between my fingers, as if I was clasping nothing!
Ahead of me, I saw several such pieces
Various shapes and sizes, but all with the same appearance.
It seemed someone had shattered a pane made of mist!
Around me, some figures were materializing,
Some human forms, but crouched like beasts.
Their gazes were blank, apparels shabby,
Was this place the infamous Necropolis I had read about in the myths?
I cried out to them, none did respond,
The hushed silence of the surrounding was choking me now.
In a scared bewilderment, I turned to run.
A hand from behind firmly gripped my shoulder;
The phantom had a pale face, and mute insensate eyes
With his other hand, he picked up a piece, and held it out to me.
No sound came out while he spoke, the lips barely moved
But somehow I could comprehend every word he said.
“You can not return from here, my friend.
See all these beings? They were once human too, just like you.
But now, here they are, devoid of all hope and happiness.
People lose everything and come here,
And there is no escape from this place.”
And then, confirming my darkest apprehension, he mumbled,
“You stand, on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams….”