“Mommy, why are we here? Daddy is still sick and won’t wake up, we need to go to the medicine man, not the park. Mommy? Mommy why won’t you look at me!”
The child pulled at the numb arm of her mother to no noticed effect. The woman’s eyes were locked on her dead husband’s face. He lay in his uniform, head propped on an embroidered pillow, cut flowers surrounding his stiff body. She wore a plain dark grey dress that matched her daughter’s. The little girl already managed to have grass stains where she had knelt to pick additional dandelions to place beside her father on the wagon. An emaciated mule slowly drew the wagon across the grass. The slow procession approached yet another freshly created funeral tomb. This one bore no fancy detail, it’s outside bleak and smooth. Inside two loculi faced each other from opposite walls, the shelves both empty and awaiting corpses to rest on them.
Vas, who had met them at the roadside, now loosely held the mule’s lead while singing a smooth-voiced dirge about meeting one’s partner in the afterlife. The mule’s ears flickered as the wheel snapped a stick, the girl letting out a short gasp and grasping up higher on her mother’s arm for security. Her mother paid her no attention, now slowly mouthing the words of the song in solemn silence as Vas repeated the chorus.
“Mommy I need to pee,” the little girl whispered in a quiet embarrassed voice, peeking around at Vas. He steadied his amber-colored eyes on her with a smile. She gave a timid squeak and ducked behind her mother’s hips as they all slowly drew closer to the open door. Now without a view forward, she clung with tight fists on the back of her mother’s dress, pulling it askew off of her mother’s right shoulder. The woman neither scolded the girl nor corrected her attire. She was beyond feeling at the moment, letting the song give sound to the memories in which she hid. The wagon came to a halt. The girl began looking inside at the small room but found nothing inviting. She pulled at her mother’s hand, hard enough the woman fought to maintain balance.
“Mommy I want to leave. Let’s take daddy to grandma, she always helps me feel better. Let’s. Go. Now!”
The final words, each with a heave, as much effort as the small body could manage. The last tug was desperate, the small girl’s full weight throw backward as she kicked against her mother’s foot. The woman merely slipped her hand loose in a swift motion, drawing away from her daughter. The girl fell hard to the ground in a heap, a look of surprise on her face as her mother turned away, walking to the door. Vas had already moved inside, straightening the collar on the father’s uniform, where he been placed in one of the spaces.
“Mommy, I don’t like it here!” the child cried. She attempted to stand but her feet were caught up in her dress and she tumbled, her left hand finding a sharp fallen stick which opened her soft-skinned palm. Her loud cries were the only sound across the open lawn, Vas having a whispered conversation inside with the mother who numbly nodded in return. Vas turned on a heel and stepped out, his teeth baring in a cruel smile at the sight of blood. Shaking his head, he looked back at his latest catch. A wave of his hand in a stuttered flourish and the door at once began to close and block both parents from sight.
Without looking at the child the gravekeeper spoke, not in the soothing words he had spoken to the mother but with a harsh and chiding tone.
“Oh, don’t grovel long kid, I have…”
The door came to an abrupt halt.
Vas clicked his tongue against his teeth in annoyance. He glared down at the cause of the interruption, a little innocent door block who stood in the way of his magic. She was still crying, her bloodied hand held out towards her mother.
Vas stepped forward, his fingers curling to snare the girl by her lovely hair and pluck her out of the way.. Before his hand made contact she suddenly faced him, her expression collected, and her eyes full of calm courage as her mouth opened.
“You will not harm her Vas-Tahnoul.”
The words were spoken aloud, but the voice was not of the child. It was one that was all too familiar to Vas.
Vas recoiled, an inhuman snarl escaping his lips. No wonder others liked using kids as tools, it was unsettling to any kind of being to be caught by an unexpected and unnaturally mismatched voice from the tiny bodies. Vas collected himself, straightening back to his height and looked down upon the intruder. He could now see how she had slipped in. What Vas had carelessly mistaken for a child’s charm bracelet was instead a holy symbol. It dangled from her wrist where it had been wrapped multiple times. Likely a necklace discarded by an adult. Now the emblem softly glowed. Vas did his best to put forth a casual appearance of displeasure.
“Of course they would send you to trouble me.” He tilted his head at the small human, who now stood as graceful as a princess. The wound on her hand was already closing.
“I volunteered,” the echoing voice said. Vas thought she still sounded of bronze chimes in the wind, though now as if a storm was rolling in.
Vas shrugged, “Well isn’t possession a bit below you, Sis?”
“I came at her plea.” The wrist, bearing the glowing symbol, rose up with the small hand hovering over the girl’s heart. “And you have no right to call me that, we share no family connection now.“
Vas gave a bow, his arms swinging towards the gate. “Fine then. I yield to thee, you are free to whisk the child away from such a fallen monster as I.”
Vas knew he was pushing her too much by taunting, but he was still displeased that she had found him. Their last encounter had left him weakened for nearly a year. Had it been any other guardian show up he might have tried other options. The sooner she left, the better. He held firm in his yielding bow, waiting for the sound of movement. She didn’t step away from the door. He dared look back, finding the girl had turned back towards the mother again.
“Do you remember what daddy bought me for my last birthday?“
Vas could hear the mother draw breath suddenly, but not answer.
“And that time we all went to see the elven traders go through town?”
A shuffle of sound this time.
Vas snarled and stomped forward. The girl’s hand rose, the symbol held aloft in his direction. The involuntary shudder through Vas caused him to slide to a halt, his body tensing, and dark blood began running out of his mouth where he snapped down upon on his coiled tongue.
“And when you would read to me as we waited for daddy to come home each night?”
The girl glanced back over her shoulder, an expression of sadness at the display of agony Vas held at the presentation of the symbol.
“You have resisted long enough Vas-Tahnoul, end this bitter pursuit.”
Vas couldn’t manage to voice a counter. He simply forced himself backward, spitting out dark ichor that stained the grass at his feet causing it to wilt.
“Anna?” called the mother. Her voice was of one waking from a bad dream. The little girl called out, her voice once more her own. The mother stepped out into the light, taking the little girl’s hand. After a swift prayer of farewell, they left the tomb, never once releasing hands as they crossed the grass and went out the gate. Vas watched them disappear out of sight. He was disgusted at the loss, and once again reminded of his existence.
“Do be a stranger now Meredith,” he muttered.
Still facing the road Vas raised a hand and snapped his fingers, the tomb at once roared in a flash of flame then became still. He paced back to the doorway, a broom appearing in his hand. With slow, spiteful motions he began sweeping the piled ashes off of the stone to make ready for more valuable guests.