The shelter was warm and comfortable.
Was it all for her? I wondered.
Probably. It was.
I looked around the room, taking in its simplistic design.
The shelter was made of fastened sticks and tied logs, pulled together and held by strips of bark, vines, and plastered mud. A lonely fire burned at the center on a sand hearth, bordered by fresh, moist logs.
It provided sufficient warmth in summer and kept the occupants alive in winter. The rising smoke escaped through a small opening in the roof, cleverly covered to prevent rainwater from entering.
All of this held very little significance to me at the moment.
My focus was on the young girl lying on the bed near the fire.
She had been placed under thick blankets of wool and animal fur, causing her to sweat profusely. The blankets had once been white and pale, but now they were blotched with vicious red.
Next to her sat a woman—her mother, unmistakably—slowly wiping her daughter's face whenever she wasn't coughing up blood.
The girl was dying.
She wheezed and spluttered, blood spilling from her mouth and nose. Breathing was clearly a struggle. The mother cried heavily, her tears rivaling the sweat dripping from the girl's forehead.
It would hurt any human to watch.
Each tear felt like a cut to my core.
Grief.
Despair.
Helplessness.
I could end it all.
I had the power.
It was my duty—as a Widower.
I was an emissary of Death, and taking the last breath was my purpose. The girl I watched, hidden within my shroud, unseen… was my next soul to collect.
She coughed once more and clutched her mother's hand tightly—so tightly I thought bone might snap.
Then her eyes began to roll back.
It was time.
I moved closer and leaned over her, peering deeper than any human ever could. Her eyes locked onto mine instantly.
I held her with my gaze as I looked beyond flesh… into the soul within this fragile vessel. It hovered loosely, no longer bound—on the cusp of freedom.
With my satin-gloved hand, I reached for my mask, never breaking eye contact.
And slowly… I lifted it.
...
It had been a few hours since the girl's death.
Her mother's wail had been unbearable as the last breath left her body. I had left soon after, granting her space for her grief.
Now I stood beneath an old tree, watching the girl's father.
He sat on a log just outside the shelter.
He had not entered during her illness.
He would not enter now.
The mother would prepare the body, cleanse the home—and only then would he return. It was not the place of men to tend to the dead. Only those who gave life could care for it in death.
Such beliefs amused me.
I was proof that death cared nothing for gender.
I had taken the young and the old, the sick and the strong—man and woman alike. I had watched them all.
Their lives.
Their deaths.
Always unseen.
Always silent.
The woman came out of the tent and walked to her husband holding a knife . The husband looked knowingly at the knife and picked it from her hand . Then with a quick slash, he cut his wrist until blood flowed, staining the ground. The woman moved her hair back and bowed her head , her forehead forward. The man wiped his bloody wrist upon the woman's head and then his own, making a red streak . This was a sign to show their state of childlessness , another archaic practice .
But something was wrong .
I had felt a pull as the man sliced his wrist with the knife, a very familiar pull in my essence. It was the premonition of death , the man was going to die . The knife was probably infected with disease and used to slaughter animals and fish. Very few things were clean in this society since germs was a concept they did not yet know, which in itself explained the level of sick people and dead people. I was probably going to have to stay and collect the man's soul aswell .
"What are you doing?" a soft voice said behind me.
I turned.
A woman stood there, draped in white satin and lace. A silver veil covered her face, the fabric flowing down to the ground as if untouched by gravity. Though her features were hidden, the light tracing along the veil suggested the outline of a beautiful face.
A deception.
I had seen her true form.
And by human standards, she was far from beautiful.
She had no eyes.
"Well, Iazel? Tell me—what are you doing?" she said, placing her hands on her hips. Her voice echoed like a thousand whispers in a cavern.
This was Bans.
A banshee.
My companion… and my assigned Soul vessel.
Each Widower was paired with one such being. They carried the souls we collected, safeguarding them until they were returned to—
"Iazel?" she snapped. "Have you not heard me?"
"I am observing," I replied simply. To human ears, my voice would sound like gravel dragged across glass.
"Lies," she said instantly. "You are fixating on mortals again. Have you not been warned against such… interest?"
I grumbled softly. "This is how I observe. I must watch them closely—especially with this mortal so near death."
At that, Bans let out a frustrated howl. The wind stirred violently, a small gale rising around us, echoing like air rushing through a hollow tree.
"Lies again," she hissed. "But not to me—to yourself. Do you forget? I am your companion. I know your thoughts… and I despise deception."
She floated closer and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Stop this," she said. "And speak the truth."
She was right.
We were bound. My thoughts were never truly my own.
Still… I smiled behind my mask.
Aggravating her was something I rather enjoyed.
And she knew it.
"Very well," I said at last. "I concede. I was watching them. Closely."
I paused, glancing back toward the shelter.
"There is something… different about them. About living beings. It is not the same as the souls that linger at home."
Bans sighed, and the wind stilled.
Lifting a finger, she tilted my chin upward, forcing my gaze toward her veil—toward where her eyes should have been.
"I know your thoughts," she said quietly. "Your feelings. But this… fascination with humans… I do not understand it."
She hesitated.
"Still… as you wish. Just try not to involve yourself in their affairs."
A brief pause.
"Again."
I gave a small nod.
Not quite agreement.
Not quite refusal.
It was enough.
And she knew better than to press further.
I turned back to the man, the mother having returned inside to tend to the body. The man hadn't moved but was just sitting looking into the distant horizon. The shelter sat upon a mildly high hill, so the distance of the unknown lay for any one to see when exiting the shelter.
What was he thinking ? I wondered .
" Oh Iazel !" Bans suddenly said excitedly , " Did you obtain it ?"
I reached into my visar , a space with in my essence and pulled out the girl's soul . It was a glowing orb that shined with a yellow light , roughly the size of an apple or pear. I held it out to her and it flew out from my hand , as if pulled by an unseen force, and melding into her-self . Bans started to glow and shine , the light intensity growing and if I had been human, it would be so brutal to gaze until I had to look away or go blind.
When the light faded away, I saw the dead girl before me.
Another deception of course.
This was just Bans in the girl's physical form . She now wore animal skin and a veil of white beads that covered her eyeless sockets , which was the only thing that never changed about her . Pale skin, a complexion of a walking corpse, but in an ethereal way was her countenance, her core feature remained.
Her veil.
There was a spot of dry blood on the corner of her mouth though, making her appearance ghastly too.
" How do I appear ? " She asked merrily floating around the tree .
" Deceased " I said and she laughed , and the wind seemed to bobble up and down with sweet scents of flowers and moss.
" Do we have any unfinished desires ?" I asked and Bans closed her eyes (figuratively of course) and put a finger on her chin . She seemed to be deep thought, but then she smiled wickedly, her teeth were blood stained and she giggled .
It was a sight that could make an infant cry.
" What is it ?" I asked curious but she shook her head , she had a mischievous look about her .
" You'll see ." She said then she disappeared like steam in air.
I looked around for her, knowing trouble was coming. She could be very mischievous when she chose to be .
" Ahhhhh!"
I turned to the shelter and found Bans .
She had appeared in a physical manifestation , instead of our corporeal states, and was floating towards the man like a vengeful spirit. The man , who had seen her and who probably thought he was seeing his dead daughter , had fallen of his log and cried out in horror .
" What are you doing ?" I asked Bans appearing next to the man but Bans didn't answer me .
I folded my hands and shook my head , I was not getting involved in this .
Bans moved slowly to the petrified man , she was swaying along to the wind and her beads moved in unison to her movements . The air held the palpable tension and apprehension, making it hard for the man to breath. His fear was so profound that his heart beat at a speed not healthy for any human . He was going to have a heart attack at this rate and even though that would speed up his death , we would get into alot of trouble for causing it .
But Bans didn't seem to think this at all , she was still moving on to her target . I swear the man was close to wetting himself if he hadn't already . Then Bans reached up to her veil and moved it aside , showing her full face (Well the child's face).
As expected the man fell into petrified hysteria and screamed like he was gazing upon a Hybolisk . His face an image of pure fear and terror ,mouth so agape it was something memorable. If I had a normal sense of humour I would have laughed, sadly my humour was scarce and this reached the edge of 'funny' in my book. Only when the man fell down in a dead faint did Bans vanish and appear next to the tree I had been standing by in her corporeal state once more.
She was laughing uproariously and I soon joined her (I had lied) . It had been very amusing, I had to admit that ." What was that all about ? " I asked her when my laughter had subsided .
" That was one unfinished desire , the mortal girl sought revenge upon the man ." Bans said simply , but I felt like she was holding something back .
" Is that all ? " I asked her ,my eyes narrowed . She nodded her head and then shifted her form back to normal . The dead girl was gone and Bans stood in her white satin dress and silver veil .
" Bans what is it ? What are you not telling me ?" I asked frowning , she looked down and then turned her head back to the shelter .
I followed her eyes and saw what she saw .
The man had gotten up now , for his wife had come out of the shelter to see what the man had been screaming about . From the few mumbling words her spoke , he said he saw their child's spirit . The woman looked around but not finding anything she claimed maybe her husband had just seen nothing . But the man continued to claim he saw something , the woman didn't believe him though .
In an instant the fear was gone and anger took hold of the man as he continuously tried to make the woman believe him .
Then he ...hit her .
It was a strong blow on the face that sent the woman spiralling to the ground . But he didn't stop there , he started beating the woman hard , blow after blow . The woman lay down on the ground begging him to stop but he didn't listen . I saw this... this perverse display of strength by a bully and a boiling dark anger consumed me . I stood shaking, my soul festering with murderous wrath but I still held myself in check .
Bans placed a hand on my chest , " Be calm Iazel , you know it is not our place to interfere unless charged by the dead ."
I turned away with a look of self-loathing and disappeared from there .
I appeared in a dark spot of the forest . I felt my rage burning like the tar from Gehena . All because of that man , that brute , that ...
Worm!
" How dare he !" I shouted and a dark shadow like energy passed out from my cloak and flowed outward, killing all the shrubbery and plants around me . The ground became charred black remains, a fifteen meter radius of dead fauna and flora.
Bans appeared and sat on a rock , watching me as I tried to control my anger .
I could sense her empathy and that doused some of my rage and after a while my anger turned to frustration .
That woman ...and her daughter . I could have helped them . I could have saved them from that man . It was one curse of being a widower . Having the ability to help but being unable to .
" You know had you killed that man , you would only have made the woman's life worse ." Bans said suddenly .
" What ?" I said turning to her .
She had gotten off the rock and was swaying around the trees on air . She stopped by a dead tree and leaned on it before answering me with a dry voice.
" Yes , indeed . Had you killed that man , the woman's life would only have become worse ." She said folding her arms " You forget that in mortal societies or atleast that mortal society , a widowed mother with no child especially a son has only two choices ; sell her body or sell her soul ."
I looked down at this and grunted heavily . She was right , if I had killed that man , I would only have made the woman's life worse . I hated it , I didn't want to let such a man live but ...ugh !
Bans twirled next to me gracefully , " Iazel we are not meant to interfere in mortal affairs for good reasons ." Then she placed a gentle hand on my shoulder ," but remember pain is not forever . "
I felt slightly reassured by this , " Alright , but until he dies we are permitted to frighten and harrass the man as the girl desired , correct ?"
Bans smiled and chuckled , " Yes , we are . It is a charge by the dead after all ." I felt even better after hearing this .
As we turned around ready go back , a dark shadow appeared from nowhere and swallowed the place where we stood . The sun seemed to vanish and a shallow wind blew through the trees carrying the scent of ash, fear and misery.
CRACK!
A crack sounded nearby and on the ground a hole seemed to open up a few metres from us. It was bubbling with black liquid like tar or crude oil , and the stench alone was more toxic than chemical waste.
A skeleton began forming from the liquid, grisly grey bones assembling by some unseen will and it floated up until it was looking at us .
It wasn't a complete skeleton though , but it was the upper torso of a human skeleton . Across its body the black liquid dripped down into the hole . It's eyes were empty eye sockets dripping black liquid like tears.
It was a Whisp , a messenger used commonly in the underworld .
We had no reason to fear it but Bans quickly went behind me as soon as she saw it . She loathed the things with passion and never wanted to be near them . She wasn't scared of them, but was rather disgusted by their appearance.
" Whisp " I said walking up to It " what message do you bring ?"
The ugly skull opened its jaw and a squiky yet gruff voice spoke ," Widower Iazel , you have been summoned by the Weeper Widower . He expects your attendance at his castle in Frimo , by midnight ."
After saying this , the wet pile of bones collapsed into the hole . The bubbles swallowed the bones and the hole closed , leaving only a black spot of shiny soil .
Bans moved up and looked at where the Whisp had been , " I hate those vile things !" She said passionately , then realisation hit her ," Did it say the Weeper wants to see you? Why?"
She sounded concerned and she had good reasons to be. The Weeping Widower or Weeper Widower , was one of the main members of The Death council and incharge of punishment for all disobedience performed by widows and widowers . If anyone was summoned by him it only meant they had broken the law and punishment was about to be dealt .
But we hadn't done anything .
" I don't know ." I answered honestly ," it's been decades since I received any summons at all ."
" I worry danger might lie ahead " Bans said and i was about to answer when I felt a tug in my core .
A death pull ?
I concentrated and sought out the souls who had snapped ties with their mortal coils . When I found them I felt a mixture of surprise, dark satisfaction, remorse ...and alittle bit of pity .
" Come on let's depart ." I said to Bans turning back on the village .
" What ? But what of the Weeper ?" Bans said floating next to me .
" We can discuss that after collecting the souls." I said emotionlessly.
" Which souls ?"
I stopped and looked at Bans with a sad smile . " Remember when the woman gave the man something to drink ?"
Bans nodded her head .
" Well apparently it was poisoned . The man is dead " I said simply .
" Truly ?" Bans said " well then vicious retribution has been served . I only worry about the woman though , how will - Iazel what is it ? Why do you stare so dejectedly like that?"
I brushed a hand on the dead tree next to me , " Because ...after killing the man , the woman herself drank poison and ..." I didn't finish my sentence but let it trail off .
" Tell me not truly " Bans said sadly , despite the impression she gave , she cared as much as me about mortal affairs sometimes.
" It is. Now let us go and collect their souls ." I raised my hand and Bans lifted her hand placing it in mine . In a dark flash of shadows we disappeared , off our duty once more.