Nightmare After Death
Waking up in a grave after five years isn't so bad. But waking up in a grave, where you do not know where you are is very bad. I remember the roses and tulips bobbing gently by my gravemarker. The lone Willow tree with its swaying branches and chittering birds casting shadows over the plot of land I had been lain in. I remember seeing a bird house with a little nest hanging from a high branch. A crystal clear lake simmering off to the north completed everything. This was paradise, paradise after death.
The car crash I was in wasn't that bad, but the fire afterwards at the hospital was. I was whole, with skin. But now I am bone, plain white bone. A flowing blue dress, no longer blue but gray, hung loosely at my ankles. Surprisingly I still had hair, I could of sworn that I had seen it singed and burned in the fire. Five years, what had I been doing all those five years? Surely I couldn't of just laid in my coffin, allowing the bugs to crawl all over me.
A shadow cascaded over my body, and I felt myself lifting. My eyes opened, and I saw a sweet little boy, no older than maybe five or six years old wearing a devils costume, smiling down at me. A little girl, maybe the same age wearing a witches costume, stooped on his side. I saw another boy, maybe three or four years old wearing a skeleton costume, kneeling down by my head. All of their arms were by their sides, so they weren't lifting me up.
I couldn't see very well, my vision was blurred and fuzzy. I felt a chill roll up my arms and a small whisper left my lips. That's when I looked over to my right. A man, clothed in white and in a wheelchair, was ordering a stooped-over, one eyed man that was wearing a patched grey and blue suit. I looked back at the children and I noticed that one of the boys had taken his mask off. He had black hair, cropped short, and black rimmed eyes. My stomach grumbled as I saw him raise a black and white lollie pop to his lips.
"Be careful Igor."
"Yes master Finklestein."
"My is she beautiful."
"For a skeleton."
"Jack'll find much interest in her."
My line of vision had been obscured many times, but I had heard all of them talk. I knew the one that was lifting me up was named Igor, and the man that was in the wheelchair was Finklestein. But who were the other three? And who was this Jack-person they spoke about? So many questions, and yet I was only a few minutes awake. The girl off to the side of the devil costumed boy had taken her mask off. I saw black hair falling in ribbons past her shoulders. The boy beside her had just taken his mask off. He had red hair that curved up, I guessed to match his costume.
"Hurry Doctor, she's waking."
"We're getting her up as fast as we dare Lock."
Lock, the devil costumed boy's name was Lock. What a strange name for a cute little guy. I thought his name was Andrew. He looked like an Andrew. Especially in his eyes, they oozed out the name. Maybe Lock was his nickname, or better yet his last name. Andrew Lock, or Lock Andrew. That sounded good.
"Put her on the buggy Igor."
"Yes master."
The sound of turning wheels, and chains clanging against steel, caused my eyes to close. I slept for awhile, dreaming about lemon drops, horses, roses, tulips and my family. Thundering hooves, gently flowing buds and yellow juice stains made me smile. A laugh of hideous porpotion awakened me hours later.
"She's waking." Corpse Kid said.
"Come on, open those sockets." Corpse Mother cooed.
"She's new isn't she Jack?" The mayor asked.
"Yes Mayor." Jack said.
"Another new arrival." The mayor sighed. "Another mouth to feed."
"Calm yourself, she won't eat much." Jack said.
Eyes opening slowly, I had a chance in seeing a skull, with a errie grin of its face, looking at me. To it's left was a fat woman, her eyes were sewn shut, so was the man's and the boy's that were standing beside her. A barrel sized man stood off to the right of the skeleton. He wore a worried expression on his face. The three children that I had seen earlier, Finklestein and Igor stood at a far off corner. A dollish woman-teenager stood beside a clown that was seated upon a unicycle.
"Sit up my dear." The skeleton said. "My names Jack."
I slowly sat up, I had no clue where I was, and I didn't care. All I wanted was to go home. I felt a tear form and I brushed it away. It was then that I noticed that my hand was bone. A scream erupted from inside my throat, it drove the skeleton man across the room. I jusmped from the table I was on and looked at myself. Blue dress, singed gray at the hem, blue shoes and skeletal features. I felt my hair and tugged it down to where I could see the coal coloured red shade that I had had since my youth.
"For pity sakes, Jack quiet her quick." The mayor barked.
A bag was placed over my head and I fell asleep again. Before I did though, I caught a few heated words between the Corpse Kid, Corpse Mother, Corpse Father, the Mayor, and Finklestein. I didn't like what I heard, I could swear I heard the world flaming pit of insects and blood. Can't be sure though, that's when I nodded off.