CHAPTER ONE

Hello there…. My name is Mykan, and I am a Corpse. That's right, if I am a Corpse, then I am indeed dead.

I've been dead for nearly 20 years now, and I live in the World of After-life.

Among all the corpse's and Skeletons down here, only one has ever been familiar to me.

Emily! Our Corpse Bride as she's known to us as. How do I know her so well and how does she know me?

Well; this may come as a bit of a shock to you but, She happens to be my Sister; my Twin-sister to be exact.

However, she is a little older than I am now because although we were born at the same time, we died in different times.

My sister's friends told you how she died; waiting for her true love to come for her.

But how did my life end you ask?

It all happened a year before Emily died, when we were still Twins… Alive! Bone Jangles sang the old "Remains of the day song" describing me, and how I got here.

I used to make wedding dresses for a living, but was hardly ever appreciated, and often mistreated by my customers. One day, I just snapped, and went on a huge strike. I stood on the roof of my house scaring people away by shooting at them with a musket. Then, after a fatal accident, I fell off the roof and plunged down off the roof, over the cliff, and into he sea!

Yes, that's how I ended up here. The mayor didn't approve of my refusing to make anymore dresses for such little pay.

So, He burned all the dresses I made, destroyed my castle, and worse than that, he tossed me off the cliffs and I died.

Not that I had much to live for in any case. All I ever did with my time was made Wedding dresses, ball-gowns all that stuff.

I lived alone, in my castle all alone. No family, no friends. Mother and Father died in a car accident, but made it to heaven.

My sister Emily had moved away to another town. We separated as Living souls, and we never saw each other again.

…Until we were reunited down here to be exact.

Emily told me of how she fell in love with a stranger who killed her one night in the forest.

One day, a man Victor Van Dort came along, and even thought it was by a misunderstanding… he married my sister.

After taking his final vows, Victor drank the potion that would make him one of us… a corpse.

Victor and I met before, but I wasn't sure if he would learn to like me as his brother in-law.

As if that was hard enough, I hardly knew anybody down here. For my after life is the same as was my living life.

I live an old Dark Castle up on the mountains just near the town, all by myself, designing dresses for the ladies.

Still, that doesn't change much for me. I hardly ever leave my castle as I just design dresses Day in and out, hardly ever stopping.

Well; at least I am dead, so I don't really need to eat or sleep or do many of the things I used to do.

Well, I had to go, there was a wedding taking place down in the town and I was to be there for compliments on making the bride's gown.

Everyone was a lot nicer to me here as my work seemed to please them, but it still meant a lot to me.

Although they did extend thanks to me and even granted me awards, they still had something I never had… a true love to call my own.

I had died when I was only 25; I had never even met any women for they all just want me to make them a dress… that was it.

Never referring to me for help, never relying on me to be there when they needed it, just using me, and casting me aside like an old glove.

I never learned what it was like to be in love, unlike my sister. So I decided it would be alright if just stayed away.

My domain is now the shadow, I must stray from it cautiously when I'm not needed.

If I do, I must quickly perform my task at hand and then fade away without leaving a trace.

Which proves to be quite difficult, as I am a Corpse my body tends to fall apart a bit.

It doesn't hurt me, no; I just keep picking it up and putting it back on again like that.

My skin was gone on some parts of my body, and my bones were visible to the eye.

I wore a tattered black tunic, white gloves over my skeleton hands, and a tattered red and black cape was attached from behind me.

I may not look much like a perfect man. Still… It would be nice if I had someone to relate to, like Emily does, but I supose that will always been in my dreams...