Rachel Miracle

Block 2

November 18, 2007

Death's Leather Coat

(The Murder of the Royal Advisor)

"Well I didn't kill him," Death frowns, picking her Ang necklace up from the table and sliding it over her curly black hair. "So one of you did." The Ang necklace, as the entire world knew positively, is Death's power. With it she could take the life of anyone she fancied, and too, could bring them back. It is silver, though untarnishable, and about 3 inches long. Last time Death checked, before she took a nap in her bedroom, it was around her neck.

Her brothers and sisters stand around the room leaning in various ways, sitting at various angles, smiling and frowning and being apathetic in various order. All six of them: Delirium, her littlest sister, with bright red hair and happy, delightfully insane eyes; her brother Dream, tall and slim, with messy black hair and dark eyes; Desire, with short hair, changing color with her emotions, tapping her skinny fingers on the coffee table; Destruction scratching his brown beard; Despair despairing; and Destiny, in his dark hood, eyes face in shadow.

"Why are we here?" Desire asks, yawning but not bothering to cover her mouth. "I have things to get out of, people to refuse to see, stuff to procrastinate doing."

"As do I," Despair nods, looking around nervously at her other brothers and sisters. She looked as though she didn't want to be there, although it was a standard sentiment for her; she did not do well around groups of people, and the only sibling she really gets along with is Death. This is true for all siblings, for all share a common interest in there middle sister (for Despair is eldest) who is understanding, well-learned, rounded and an awesome Backgammon player.

"For shame siblings," Death shakes her head. "The royal advisor is dead and you have things to do." She motions to the lifeless form on the floor of the Endless Mansion, where they all live. "He deserves some… Er… Justice, or… Something. I know he was annoying and bossy. And yes, yes, he wasn't attractive. But still."

"Excuse me," Delirium steps forward in her floor length tawny trench coat and brown boots. "May I have some of the chocolate in that vase over there? I'd very much like to have some. Chocolate is one of my favorites, I think, just above the sound of a dog barking."

Death pulls out a chair from the large wooden, intricately carved table in the center of the Great Room. Stretching her legs, clad in fishnet tights and knee-high black leather lace-up boots in front her, she says to her littlest sister, "Okay Del," she smiles lightly, "But you have to be quiet while you eat it."

Delirium's multi-colored eyes light up (one cerulean blue and the other a granny-smith apple green) and she retrieves the candy. Destiny steps forward then, his hands clasped somewhere beneath the fold of his robe.

"Sister," he addresses her, "We all have roles to play, though I do enjoy a visit with my Sister Death, so I'd enjoy it very much if we could get this over with. I know we will, being Destiny. Besides, I know who killed him, along with what you will eat for breakfast tomorrow morning, and what shampoo you will use on your hair tonight."

Dream, who looks very much annoyed (it's common knowledge that he loathes his Brother Destiny) and sort of glowers at him. "You may have all the answers," Dream says "but it's not like you're going to share any of them with us."

Destiny is silent.

"Sister," Dream says to Death, "certainly we could talk about this at a later date when I am not in the middle of crafting dreams and nightmares and setting souls on fire with their brightest and darkest desires. You know I enjoy your company. And you also know you are the most powerful of us all, so if you could just…"

"Brothers, sisters," Death says, calling for attention, "Let me just figure it out. Someone stole my Ang while I was sleeping and killed our royal advisor. Now, while I do not care much for the later happening, nor mind what becomes of him, I do worry about the one of you that has taken my necklace. It is one of the most powerful instruments in this world and the mortal one. Therefore, I kind of, you know, don't want to lend it out."

The brothers and sisters nod in unison, understanding this.

"So," she continues, "I'm going to treat this as a rather important issue and do the detective thing, starting with Dream." He turns his eyes to her. "Did you kill the royal advisor, Brother?"

"No I did not. I was in my part of the castle creating a nightmare for an unsuspecting boy in London. It was one of meticulous planning, for the boy was devoured by llamas, which were of a ruby color and spoke stories of wicked rumor. I have the imagination twine in my pocket if you would like to see it."

"Yes please."

He hands her the twine, holding it delicately between his index and middle fingers, knowing that it is, indeed, a frail item.

"Ah. Yes. This is a nightmare string." Death notes aloud. "And it looks as though you have woven it quite recently." She hands it back just as carefully. "There you are brother."

Dream puts it back into his pocket for safe keeping.

"Now Delirium," Death turns her attention the sister that used to be Delight, long ago, when the world was full of innocence and courtesy. "You're small and crazy. That's it- you're small and crazy. Did you kill him?"

"Mmm," Delirium responds, "this chocolate is wonderful. Like ice that is warm bit still frozen, or a diamond that is the color and texture of gold, but still made of diamond."

"Point proven," Death sighs, running a hand through her hair. "Okay, Del, just try and answer the question."

Delirium nods. "Right. Well, I didn't kill that guy that is dead and no longer alive because I was in my… Um. What do you call the place where you plant things and later if you water and feed them, things grow that have roots and leaves and sometime even fruit that you can eat?"

"A garden."

"Yes… My garden. I was in my garden picking blackberries. And umm… I tried not to eat them, but I may have eaten a few accidentally because they are very tasty. Or perhaps I ate them all. I was going to make a pie…" She draws off, her voice turning into unintelligible muttering. Then she looks at her hands, and lifts them in front of her, revealing stained palms and fingertips. "See?"

Death smiles. "Yes. I see. Good Del." She turns to Desire, who she never was quite fond of due to her incessant vanity. Desire, if any, liked Death the less than her brothers and sisters, though, still, more than the rest. The respect was still very evident. "Desire," Death says, "Did you kill the royal advisor?"

"Why do you care?" she replies evenly.

Death shrugs. "Someone took my Ang, therefore somebody was in my room. I have very important things in my room. Such as my vault of eternal life, my chest of eternal death, and my leather coat. This is also missing. I know you all admire it because I've seen you looking at it when I wear it. It's form fitting after all."

"Right," Desire says, shaking her head, "Your leather. I should have known."

Death smiles. "Well, yeah. It's my leather. And I'd like it back. So whoever took my Ang to kill the royal advisor, for whatever reason I have no desire to learn, also took my leather coat. And considering it's my favorite thing in both realms, I'd like to have it back. So, did you kill him, Desire?"

"No. I was floating in my swimming pool. You know the one, filled with vitreous humor, and thinking about how beautiful I am and how many people want to be me. It's true. They do. And I was trying to figure out how many more days of being a female I have." It was common knowledge that Desire was a hermaphrodite. "My hair's even still wet." She shakes it and vitreous humor lands on Despair's shoulder. Despair doesn't seem to notice.

"Destruction," Death says, finished with Desire. But he is not paying attention and rather watching Delirium who is playing with a plethora of little colorful frogs in the floor. She tries again- "Destruction?"

He looks up. "No. I didn't kill him either, Sister. I was causing havoc in Sidney." He makes a gesture toward the viewing screen on the wall behind him, which is instantly a light with images of fire and smoke. The scrolling marquee along the bottom of the monitor says: "Tragedy strikes Sidney: A train plows through the Prime Minister's office."

"A train?" Delirium says suddenly, looking to Destruction. "What is a train? I cannot remember."

He is amused by his sister's state of mind, and loves her unconditionally. "A big car," he explains, "with many wheels. It follows a track laid by mortals to an assortment of destinations in the human world."

"Oh."

Death grins. "Okay. Despair?"

"Yes?" Despair sounds particularly depressed.

"Did you kill him?"

"No."

The Queen of Life and Death raises an eyebrow. "Mind explaining why not?"

"I was in… Russia. With a family of four, that all, tragically, of course, have… Cancer."

Death regards her sister with curiosity. "What were their names?"

Despair frowns, and then says in her gruff, unflattering voice, "Er. Anne. And… Paul. George… And Ronald."

Delirium says, "I knew a gypsy named Anne once. Except her name wasn't Anne. It was Ruth. And she didn't have any shoes… Or feet."

Destruction chuckles and Death just smiles. "Right. Okay." She says, "Destiny?"

"No Sister. I did not kill him. I was in my tomb, in the midst of my labyrinth. Actually I was awaiting your call, as I knew you would make one."

She nods. "You knew I would call, just as you knew who stole my coat, didn't you?" He bows his head as an answer. "You also knew that who took my coat would be apprehended eventually and that their plan of action was all in vain?"

"Yes."

"Right. Okay. So now, I'm going to wake this guy back up. Forgot I could do that, didn't you?" The room looks around at their selves, trying to find the guilty face. Delirium, who sits not paying attention in the corner waves a hand and turns her little group of frogs into gumballs, which then begin to roll along the floor in random patterns. She scoops up a red one and chews it. "And we'll all find out who it was that took my coat," Death finishes.

Everyone (except for Delirium, who is drawing pictures on the wall) looks to the body then. Death stretches her hands over her head, very positive of who the culprit is. Then she touches her Ang.

Aang

Who Stole Death's Leather Coat?

(Killed the Royal Advisor)

Dream

Delirium

Desire

Destruction

Despair

Destiny

How do you know??? Hmm???