Remembrance of a Death

Chapter 1

People have always thought of others as ill- spirited or as I would suggest, a little too superstitious. Well, this isn't just the beginning of the end but more like the end of the beginning. How could everyone think that one could be so irritating according to the type of distances between life and death? Well, my story begins in the setting of it all. Luck was always common to beliefs around here so no one could tell whether that person is lucky or just praying for something better.

My name is Fault and it is my destiny to tell others about the dark and evil side of this whole idea. I have bright colored hair and a smile that could torture any creature's mind. Why am I here? I don't know. I don't even know my destiny but that is the reason why I'm here. To find out my destiny. It all began when I was in Maslem's yard. Maslem had been my friend for what seems a long time.

"Hey, Fault. Could you give me a hand here? This load of hay is getting really heavy," Maslem tried to carry the bunch, but for a small built figure, he was kind of weak.

"Yeah, sure, Maslem, only if you really need help like the wimp you are!" I said as Maslem had to look at me with his suspicious brow.

"Oh, yeah, like you're the Hercules who would do anything to save the town!" Maslem tried to act playful, but still didn't take sarcasm as a joke. So, I helped him carry the hay, which I had to admit, was fairly heavy according to a big ball of straw.

At the end of the day, I had to go back to the village to where I lived. So, I said my farewells to my friend. Suddenly, a voice came behind me, "Hello, Fault." I turned around stunned. "I see that you do not recognize me, but I can see it in your eyes that you've seen me before." I could make out a little familiarity but still couldn't make it out.

"Who are you?" I asked but still couldn't make out his appearance.

"I am… who you think I am," WHAT? It just didn't make sense. Was he some man of riddles or something? "Alright, I am…"

"Wait! Aren't you… Jeremy Strife?" I suddenly remembered that my father worked with a man with his name. Jeremy had been able to teach me all of the things a skilled boy should learn. "I thought you died a long time ago."

"I did but God forgave me for the wrongs I have done. I have been a horrible man towards his standards. He did take me as a bad person but he's a good God, so he forgave me of my sins," Jeremy wasn't sure what to tell me- I could tell- so I decided to keep my mouth shut.

"I'm glad to see you again, Jeremy. I missed you for all this time. Are you really back to see me?" I asked, hoping for a positive answer.

"What can I do to even try any more?" I was startled as he answered my question in a question form. "Your father can't even forgive me of what I have done long ago. He doesn't even wish to see me like this… a ghost."

I stood on the edge of the road just glaring at Jeremy because of the remembrance of what he has done that no one could forgive. Jeremy had pierced a knife into Amy's skull, on an occasion, but it hadn't occurred to Jeremy if he even cared. Amy was a young woman that was an enchantress of evil. Her long, golden hair would often tumble into a ray of sunlight as she would stress a spell to any creature who defies her beauty.

"I can't believe why you killed her," I had to remind him of how much I loved Amy. She was my auntie, but even though she was a witch, I would love her a million still.

"I killed her because… a spirit told me to. I'm sorry that you might hate me after I say this, but Amy was the evil one."

"Her spirit's out to kill you, Jeremy! She wasn't called an enchantress for nothing, you dope! How could you be so ignorant?" I was furious at this point that I almost spit out a curse.

"Her spirit is not around here any more, Fault! Her spirit left along with those other millions of souls!"

"How come your spirit is still roaming the earth?" Jeremy stood in his place in silence as he knew that nothing could be done.

"There are many things that we don't know, Fault," he sighed. "Only the Unseen knows everything because he created everything. If you asked him why he created humans… he could say anything because we are his creation. You see… I'm not big into religion and all that but God forgives… even the biggest sinners and smaller sinners… he sees us all the same. Yeah, there are worse things, but a sin is a sin… it's still unclean to God whether it appears as a lie or as big as a murderer."

"If you don't believe in this religion stuff, then how can you say that God forgave you to put you back on the earth?"

"It's that…" Jeremy paused as he couldn't understand why he said these things. "I dunno! Maybe he just wanted to brainwash me… I just don't have a clue."

"Well, um… by the way… Maslem's back in town. I just stopped at his place to help him with his labor."

"Well, tell him I said hi!"

"All right… I will!" I walked off wondering how his spirit could roam as Jeremy was lifted into the sky.

It became humid as the temperatures began to rise. I had come back to help Maslem in his labor once again. I was sweating so badly that I had to sit in the shade. So, I went under one of the many cherry trees and rested. "You know what, Maslem! Do you remember Jeremy?" I asked as I remembered about him from the night before.

"Yeah, I remember. What about him?" Maslem asked a little concerned.

"He's back."

"But he died years ago."

"I know but it's like his spirit is back somehow."

"What? But that's physically impossible! His spirit can't come back. You know, I don't believe in ghosts because people's spirits either go to Heaven or down below, not to roam the earth." I had known that what Maslem just said was true but that didn't stop me.

"But I saw him with my own two eyes!"

"Whatever. I'm going back to work."

So, Maslem just continued laboring and didn't realize that I wasn't helping as I finally gave up. So, I went under a shady tree to get rest but ended up sleeping for a while. I slept for what seemed like hours as I didn't dream of anything. My mind had been blank and so was my dream.

"Get up, you lazy bum!" Maslem exclaimed as I realized that I had dozed off to sleep.

"Oh, I'm really sorry, Maslem. Are you too weak to do this labor on your own?" I hadn't meant for this to be taken so offensively so Maslem wrestled me down to the ground with a jolt of energy. "Gees! What was that for?"

"For you being so cavalier! You are so un- helping, Fault! Why don't you just leave me alone if you don't want to help? I don't feel that I can trust you any more. Our friendship is over. You can talk to that dead man if you feel so lonely. Okay!" Maslem went over to his house and opened the door. He gazed at me, and then, he slammed the door.

"So, that didn't really work out as it was planed," I turned around to see Jeremy Strife. "I thought that he would accept me for who I was and not for what I've done."

"You, idiot! My friendship is over! I don't care anymore because I know that some dead guy can't help me. All you are is a figment of my memories. Are you even a real human being or just my mind tricking me?" Jeremy just looked at me as if I were an idiot. "ANSWER ME! You can't be real! Are you trying to rush me? Are you even dead or have you faked your death all this time?"

"You can't just think what you haven't learned yet, Fault," I turned around to see Amy.

"Amy?" I was startled to see her.

"Yes, my young one. I am here to see the man who caused this all!" Amy sounded very angry as she looked at Jeremy. "Why have you killed me?"

"You know very well. It was for your own good and you aren't the only one I killed. I killed many people because I had to. It was for the town's people to learn why death should be a way of revenge!" I couldn't believe what Jeremy just said. He killed other people? In fact, did he say he killed many people? That just makes me feel sick.

"How could you, Jeremy?" I was now yelling through my tonsils at him. "I thought we could trust you, as in family! You are a murderer and that is all you ever were! You killed Amy and now you must kill me since I'm another of those innocent people!"

"Who ever said I killed innocent people, Fault?"

"Silence!" This time, Amy spoke. "We must not falter; we can still win against evil! Just listen to your conscience. It may tell you what you need to win against Jeremy!"

"But that doesn't matter anymore, does it?" I began, quite amused that I would even talk to some spirits. "You're a witch of evil, Amy, so you can't say that we shouldn't falter against evil. I now understand the reason for your death. The death that we shall all remember. But just because evil comes from the masses of darkness doesn't mean that everyone should hold back on their dreams.

"A wise man once told me that no matter how hard you try, you will fail at least once or maybe even up to the millionth time. The only thing that even matters anymore is that we know what there is to seek. Jeremy, it doesn't have to end this way, but you made up my choice." I quickly thought up an idea and examined the face of Jeremy, closely.

"Fault, Fault, Fault," Jeremy slowly gestured a hand motion as he said my name thrice. He walked with his hands behind his back. "I have some answer for your life. How come you're always doing labor with Maslem if you don't really have to?"

"Wait a second. Are you getting off of the topic?" I asked, feeling awkward about something I should have wondered myself. "I don't really know why I'm laboring with such a crackpot such as Maslem."

I haven't even noticed that Amy had left until Jeremy became quiet at the statement I gave. A sudden creak of the door startled both Jeremy and I from a still stance. A small, built figure came out of a small hut. It was Maslem. Jeremy smiled as his hand hid a small knife behind the cloak of his garment.

I slowly realized what was happening. "Maslem! Jeremy came back to kill you." I finally knew why Jeremy came back from the dead as a spirit. He had wanted to kill Maslem all this time. Maslem looked at me clearly as I slowly gave out a faint whisper, "I never wanted this to happen." Everyone immediately understood what I meant as drops of trembling tears came down my face.

You never wanted this to happen, didn't you?

No.

Then why are you here?

Because… it is my destiny.

"Fault!" I quickly looked behind me. "Look out!" All I could feel was exhaustion and blindness as I fell. I can't remember how I fell but all I could see was a red cloak ready to devour me into the air.

Sh! He's still sleeping, you bum! I could hear words but it only mumbled. Wake up, Sleepy- head! I suddenly realized what was going on, so I blinked my eyes a few times to make sure that I was still alive. I slowly stood up as the most gorgeous woman was looking at me straight in the eyes. Whoa! "He…hi," I struggled to catch my words as a man stepped into a hut where I was.

"I see the boy woke up!"

"He sure did, James, and aren't we glad to have him here!" The woman stepped out of the hut.

"So I hear that you met my sister, Kate," James just looked at me with smiling eyes as I determined some characteristics of him. He had long hair that was as black as coal; also, shaggy clothes that were as torn up as a blacksmith's apron. His hands were those of people, who did great work, and he held a rolling pin in his left hand, which I proposed that James had flattened dough with, but in his right hand were keys. Black keys.

Why did he have keys in his hand? I just wonder.

Kate walked in with a huge bowl decorated with little demon creatures. Steam was rising from the container as she presented it to me. "It's made just for you! And we're sorry for kidnapping you in that musty red cloak. By the way, what's your name?"

"Well… I'm Fault. And you?" I obviously already knew her name, but I thought she was so beautiful that I wanted her to say her name… for me.

"Well, Fault, I'm Kate, and I am pleased to meet you!" Kate exclaimed as she cracked her voice at the end of her statement.

"So, am I, Gorgeous," I mumbled to myself.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing," I stood up with my hands behind my back as I looked as if I had some "dirty" secret. I also wondered about why these people kidnapped me in the open public where everyone could see that I was getting held "captive" by a weirdo and a gorgeous beauty. I wanted to ask. "Um… I was wondering about why I'm here."

"You're here because of this!" Kate said as she unveiled the cloth that covered the entrance. A tribe of natives circled the outside of the hut. Oh, crap! The natives had spears and bones sticking out of their nostrils. What world am I living inside of other than earth? The world of chaos?

"Nouci, cle monte se clea tey nou voiche!" The natives chanted this several times. I didn't know what it meant, but I guessed that it meant something like, "God, please eat a happy meal with us and be our king forever," or something that was positive.

"What are you guys saying?" I asked James trying to be unaware of the pointy spears.

"We are saying, 'Brother, you are our God which we shall kill for our life!" James exclaimed.

"And what does that have to do with me?" I ask before a brief gulp.

"You are our God! We must eat your flesh so that we may live!" James told me as his eyes glowed with desperation.

"So, may I have a word of honor before you eat me?" Everyone just stared at me. "I have enjoyed my life and…" I ran as fast as I could. As the natives realized what was happening, they ran after me. I can't be eaten by some carnivorous people! I screamed as a huge spider came up around the corner. It looked at me through its compound eyes. The spider tried to gain speed on me, but I slid into an opening that was just big enough for me to fit through. Whew! That was close. I heard a voice. "Fault…" I looked behind me. Man, what happened to you?

Maslem was covered in blood. I had so many questions to ask that I hesitated for a while. "What happened to you? How did you get here? Did they try to eat you?" Maslem just looked at me and let out a scream of pain. He fell forwards, hard into the rocks. Blood spat from his abdomen as a spear struck his back. I didn't' dare look at his face which I knew would be covered in blood. I screamed "Maslem" but no words came out.

Nouci, cle monte se clea tey nou voiche! I heard the chanting of the monstrous cannibals. I knew that at that moment… I was going to die. I stood still, looking at Maslem's dead body, which was still on the rocky surface. I turned my head over to the natives. One of these natives looked up at me and walked over to Maslem or what was left of him. He came upon Maslem's dead body and took the hand of the corpse and chanted the very words of life: death. He went over this word time and time again with his nostrils flaring with every word he spoke. He held Maslem's hand, bit off the index finger, and he chewed intensely with the bones cracked in the native's mouth.

I couldn't believe what had just happened as my mouth was agape with Maslem's bloody hand just on the ground. I quickly stepped away from the natives and ran to the end of the rocky road. I came across a ditch and fell in. Ugh! I hit my head into mud that was inside the ditch. Oh, God, why me? I looked around as there was no one around to see me. I quickly got myself out of the ditch and wandered through a forest which, for some reason, seemed to have appeared by magic. I walked up to a tree and examined it. The words, "death," were written on the trunk. I tried to read the message under the word, but I was pulled into a small opening and saw the tree disappear, right before my eyes.

"So tell me, young one, why are you here?"

A woman with many jewels asked. I cant' say, but I think she was a gypsy. The way that she appeared as was an elder woman from Jamaica; she also had on jewels that glowed with every ray of all the candles passing through. Her dwelling place was lit with many candles that were scented with a delicious fruit odor. She wouldn't say that she saved me from the natives, but I thanked her anyway. "Well, I don't know. My friend, Maslem, well, I can't really see if you're any better than those natives…"

"I actually can see why you don't trust me anymore than you trust the natives. Isn't this correct?"I couldn't lie, so I agreed with a nod. "Don't worry, you can trust me. The only way we know that we are of the equality of trust is this." She pulled out her arm to show a tattoo of an eagle. I slowly pulled up my sleeve to reveal the same design. "We are in partnership. We can work together to stop the forces of evil. All we need is to trust other people for support. So can you trust me?"

I slowly decided and put my hand on top of her cold, loving hands for a truce in our partnership. All right. I trust you… friend!

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