and
vapor rub. It was a familiar smell. All the houses of the elderly I
visited smelled the same. The old lady, tucked firmly into her bed
under several homemade quilts that were a mixture of brightly
colored patterns that I had no doubt she’d made herself, stared up
at me through cloudy eyes. She’d lived a long one. This had been a
good life for her. One hundred and five years on this earth was a
gift very few were given. Only the best, most honored souls were
given these lives.
“Well, it’s about time you got
here,” she whispered in a weak voice.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. She’d
been waiting on me. The oldest one always were. They knew when it
was time. These were the easiest souls to take.
“I’m
here on time, cher , you’re just an
impatient one,” I teased her with the endearment her husband had
used when he’d been alive. I remembered him murmuring, “I’ll see
you in the hereafter my cher ,” to her before
he left his body. She’d smiled through her tears. That had been
almost fifty years ago.
“Ah, you heard him,” she smiled and
the wrinkles in her face crinkled even more.
“I did.”
“Well, let’s get on with it, shall
we, I’m ready to see my man,” she whispered and a series of coughs
wracked her small frail body. I reached for her soft cold hand and
she gave me one small squeeze before I drew her soul
out.
* * *
Gee was sitting in the purple chair
that had once been where I spent my nights as I walked into Pagan’s
room. Shifting my gaze to the bed I realized it was empty. I glared
at Gee, “Where is she?”
“Snippy, snippy Dankmar. Do you
have low blood sugar too?” she drawled. What the hell did she mean
by low blood sugar?
“Where is she Gee?”
Gee sighed loudly and stretched her
legs out in front of her. For once she wasn’t wearing the tall
black army boots she was so fond of. Her feet were bare and her
toenails were a hideous shade of bright green.
“She’s in the bathroom,
jeez.”
I turned to stalk out of the room
when Gee stopped me, “Um, Dankmar, I don’t think she’ll appreciate
you barging in on her while she showers.”
She was right of course. I wasn’t
thinking. It had been almost twenty-four hours since I’d seen her
and I was growing more and more frustrated by the minute. Leif was
completely off my radar and I was still at a standstill on how to
deal with him. I’d thought after I disposed of Kendra he’d show up
but I’d gotten no response.
“You missed an awfully fun day,”
Gee’s sing-song voice wasn’t something that I found comfort in. It
meant she was about to say something that was bound to piss me
off.
“What did I miss?
“Well, let’s see, I found out Pagan
has low blood sugar and becomes a complete b--witch if she doesn’t
eat a candy bar during a stressful moment. And I found out that
Miranda does, in fact, love gossip and, quite possibly, Pagan more
than she loves the tall lanky boy she hangs all over,” Gee paused
and then grimaced when she heard my angry snarl. I wasn’t in the
mood for games. “Oh, and Leif has returned from visiting his
grandparents up North. The entire school was abuzz with
excitement.”
He’d returned to school. My
disposing of Kendra hadn’t sent him to me; it had sent him back
into Pagan’s world. I hadn’t expected that.
“Is Pagan okay?”
Gee stood up and threw an amused
smile my way before heading for the door, “Yes, of course. I was on
her like, um... I believe that old woman last week we took after
she’d burnt down her house cooking said ‘like white on rice’,” Gee
laughed. “That was one funny old lady. I hope I get to transport
her soul again the next time around.” Then Gee left the
room.
The pale pink dress hanging on the
outside of Pagan’s closet door caught my attention. The soft fabric
appeared almost precious enough to touch Pagan’s skin. I walked
over to it and picked up the dainty hem and rubbed the silky
texture between my fingers.
“Do
vapor rub. It was a familiar smell. All the houses of the elderly I
visited smelled the same. The old lady, tucked firmly into her bed
under several homemade quilts that were a mixture of brightly
colored patterns that I had no doubt she’d made herself, stared up
at me through cloudy eyes. She’d lived a long one. This had been a
good life for her. One hundred and five years on this earth was a
gift very few were given. Only the best, most honored souls were
given these lives.
“Well, it’s about time you got
here,” she whispered in a weak voice.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. She’d
been waiting on me. The oldest one always were. They knew when it
was time. These were the easiest souls to take.
“I’m
here on time, cher , you’re just an
impatient one,” I teased her with the endearment her husband had
used when he’d been alive. I remembered him murmuring, “I’ll see
you in the hereafter my cher ,” to her before
he left his body. She’d smiled through her tears. That had been
almost fifty years ago.
“Ah, you heard him,” she smiled and
the wrinkles in her face crinkled even more.
“I did.”
“Well, let’s get on with it, shall
we, I’m ready to see my man,” she whispered and a series of coughs
wracked her small frail body. I reached for her soft cold hand and
she gave me one small squeeze before I drew her soul
out.
* * *
Gee was sitting in the purple chair
that had once been where I spent my nights as I walked into Pagan’s
room. Shifting my gaze to the bed I realized it was empty. I glared
at Gee, “Where is she?”
“Snippy, snippy Dankmar. Do you
have low blood sugar too?” she drawled. What the hell did she mean
by low blood sugar?
“Where is she Gee?”
Gee sighed loudly and stretched her
legs out in front of her. For once she wasn’t wearing the tall
black army boots she was so fond of. Her feet were bare and her
toenails were a hideous shade of bright green.
“She’s in the bathroom,
jeez.”
I turned to stalk out of the room
when Gee stopped me, “Um, Dankmar, I don’t think she’ll appreciate
you barging in on her while she showers.”
She was right of course. I wasn’t
thinking. It had been almost twenty-four hours since I’d seen her
and I was growing more and more frustrated by the minute. Leif was
completely off my radar and I was still at a standstill on how to
deal with him. I’d thought after I disposed of Kendra he’d show up
but I’d gotten no response.
“You missed an awfully fun day,”
Gee’s sing-song voice wasn’t something that I found comfort in. It
meant she was about to say something that was bound to piss me
off.
“What did I miss?
“Well, let’s see, I found out Pagan
has low blood sugar and becomes a complete b--witch if she doesn’t
eat a candy bar during a stressful moment. And I found out that
Miranda does, in fact, love gossip and, quite possibly, Pagan more
than she loves the tall lanky boy she hangs all over,” Gee paused
and then grimaced when she heard my angry snarl. I wasn’t in the
mood for games. “Oh, and Leif has returned from visiting his
grandparents up North. The entire school was abuzz with
excitement.”
He’d returned to school. My
disposing of Kendra hadn’t sent him to me; it had sent him back
into Pagan’s world. I hadn’t expected that.
“Is Pagan okay?”
Gee stood up and threw an amused
smile my way before heading for the door, “Yes, of course. I was on
her like, um... I believe that old woman last week we took after
she’d burnt down her house cooking said ‘like white on rice’,” Gee
laughed. “That was one funny old lady. I hope I get to transport
her soul again the next time around.” Then Gee left the
room.
The pale pink dress hanging on the
outside of Pagan’s closet door caught my attention. The soft fabric
appeared almost precious enough to touch Pagan’s skin. I walked
over to it and picked up the dainty hem and rubbed the silky
texture between my fingers.
“Do
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