Dull and rotten

Dull and rotten. The pungent scent of my body no longer disgusted me. More specifically, I tried to let it, but I couldn’t though I knew it was the correct way to feel at that time, including now.

My hand felt cold from keeping it wrapped around my dead, dry one. The moment I rose from my passing and realised what had happened before, I found solace in me almost immediately. The presence of my corpse being like one of a teddy bear. Fun and joyous.

I had felt that last drop of sadness escape me.

My back rested on the wall of the small cabin, my eyes darting to the door as I heard a light knock.

“Hello! Is anyone in there?” A young women spoke lowly.

Another pair of footsteps walked towards the door too and knocked again.

Dropping the stony hand onto the floor roughly, I wiped my palm on my shirt. The large torn wooden gapes that were once placeholders for windows were my only way of seeing outside the cabin. The glossy light that seeped through drew me in and so I moved towards them.

The sights of tiny chirping birds flying about in the forest caused my heart to swell even more in joy.

Some of them had long colourful tails and shiny feathers, though it had been the thousandth time being graced by such beauty, it all felt the same. Joyous and fun.

The door slowly turned on its rusty hinges.

“Its a child, Jace,” she sounded out of breathe in shock, her words ringing out in a prolonged gasp.

My pupils were drawn in to the birds mainly, but I couldn’t fully concentrate on them. After a whole 5 years my body was finally discovered, why wouldn’t I listen in.

My mouth stretched wider than before, my teeth peeping through between my lips.

“Don’t be sympathetic, she deserved such a death ,” the man sounded disgusted. I wasn't sure if he was by the policewoman for asking such a question or me, but that did it.

I turned around, my bare feet pressing into the weak boards of the floor audibly. But they continued to move towards my corpse, unaware of me being here, watching them.

The woman nodded quickly in submission and knelt beside my body with a black bag grasped in her hands.

Her glove covered hands reached for my body and dragged it into the bag cautiously, the remaining spread apart strands of my black hair rubbing against the floor. The deep slash in my neck causing my head to hang.

I reached into my scalp and gently caressed my full, soft bunches of hair, grateful that I was granted that and a healthy body in the afterlife.

“Where should we bury her then, with her ancestors right?” The woman asked, her eyes drooped low in blue.

I gaped my mouth in awe. The woman was so beautiful, especially her skin. Pale like the colour grey itself, it glowed with no scar or blemish in sight. Oh how the gods blessed her with such rare features.

“No, you will understand with time Grace but she deserves to be burnt.” The man answered simply, as if he was right, as if he was justified.

The woman, completely irked off by this zipped up the bag quickly and turned to the man as she stood.

“What did she do to deserve such cruelty? What?”

“She dishonoured her family,” The man’s olive eyes glared in unrelenting anger, but when he noticed that short explanation wasn’t enough he continued on, “She was to marry but refused hence her father and uncle killed her. Now pick up the bag and let’s leave before any other foreigner becomes suspicious. We’ve had enough reports of this putrid mess.”

Anger is the emotion I was supposed to feel, but happiness was only emotion my heart let out . I really believed that I would go straight to God after dying not to be trapped in this cabin till my body was found.

I didn’t deserve such a fate, my father and uncle did. I should've been heartbroken, crying my lungs out in anger and sorrow and yet I stood there silent and happy.

I knew that the Grim reaper explained everything, but it didn’t make it easier to stomach. That since I was so miserable in my old life, I then got to feel the opposite till my corpse was found. If it didn’t I would stay here until it did or for eternity. If it did which I always hoped for I would go and live with the other spirits.

Those who were evil in their past lives were plagued with depression till they were sent to hell , that was if their bodies were found. Those who were neutral were given control on how they chose to feel.

That was really weird and basically a flawed reality. Many people like me then would never go to heaven or hell.

Those who lived righteously like me deserved good conclusions to their souls that were better than being trapped with their body till the end of time.

The rest of my family would never miss me, they helped planned this. My two sisters and mother, its obvious. That’s how killings like these happen successfully with almost no repercussions. Even if my murder would happen to get in the hands of the court, the judge would most likely let it slide cause they too believe in tradition.

They can’t get away with this.

Beside me the wood began to break apart, ripping and churning upwards from the ground, forming a gaping abyss tall enough for basketball player to walk through. The Grim reaper came forward, her multiple tiny red spider like eyes surveying the cabin, including me simultaneously.

Her thin twig like hands reached down towards my own, the rip in her lower face stretching wider in love.

I gripped them back softly, and spoke, “I don’t want to leave. Not when they’re going to burn my body.”

She gazed fully at the police officers that were now searching the dilapidated furniture for anything that was out of the ordinary to get rid of.

“If you were fated to do so, you wouldn’t have died Abby. Your time is up.” Her arms tightened around my wrists as she said those words. They felt restrictive, but not painful.

Her thick literal branches of hair stretched out of her scalp. Green, dark and dry they floated down towards my sides. Like silk they wrapped softly around my back and waist, reeling me in. Moving closer to the woman she let go of my wrists and hugged me.

I felt the softness of her slender humanoid physique. It was warm and comforting.

“But how? Your gods or god never actually intervenes, it’s the humans that have the responsibility and usually most of them don’t. Sometimes the bad guys die before their time, unpunished and happy. I want to avenge myself.” My voice sounded friendly and low.

The door busted open, followed by the two officers leaving. We both took a step towards the dark hole, now ignoring them fully.

“You’re right.” The woman’s tiny red eyes looked away from me so I wouldn’t see it. The tiny glimmer of sadness that showed for a split moment. Before I could say anything back she pulled me in the darkness. The light from the cabin disappeared in a blink, the blackness of the portal consuming us both. The air was still and reeked of rain.

“The afterlife isn’t perfect I know. They were watching, I’m so sorry but there’s nothing I can do.” The woman spoke one last time before we were both back in the presence of light seconds later.

Her branches kept me still as we soon were no longer standing on air, but on warm sand. The sadness in her eyes was completely gone, her plain face of joy had returned.

The woman detached herself from me and sunk into the soil, leaving me alone in an empty desert. Just like that.

Not even a scent of frustration or anger formed, I still didn’t have control over all of my emotions. But that wasn’t going to stop me from finding out what was happening.