The two skeletons walked in the dark of the night. Hilda led Ernesto into Shantytown. Ernesto shivered as he observed the area. He always avoided Shantytown, not wanting to be among the forgotten. Now that his reputation is ruined, it seemed like this would be his future. Hilda took him into her shack which was a bit far from the others.

Inside, the room was dark. Hilda lighted a candle on the table where Ernesto can only see her face. "Have a seat," she said, sitting down. "Tea will be ready soon."

Once Ernesto took his seat, he asked her why she brought him here.

"I want you because I heard you want revenge on someone. Who is it?"

"Well, it's Héctor and that little brat of his, Miguel!" Ernesto explained. "Héctor and so used to be friends! We were such good amigos. We both wanted to become famous musicians and become famous! We were popular in Santa Cecilia. Although Héctor was content playing in that old boring little town, I wanted to travel and play for the world! I am meant for great things!"

Hilda told him to wait when she heard the tea kettle going off. She got up and outed tea into two teacups. Once tea was served, the woman sat down and told Ernesto to proceed.

"And then, Héctor fell in love with that obnoxious woman, Imelda! We knew her growing up, but I never dreamed that they would marry and have a bouncing baby brat! All of the sudden, my so-called friend started to spend more time with his family more than with me and I was tired of it!" He inhaled and exhaled before resuming his rant.

"Then I got a marvelous idea for Héctor and me to travel around the world and become famous."

"Why didn't you go by yourself since you wanted to be a celebrity so badly?" Hilda asked sipping her tea.

"Because Héctor was the only one who can write songs, and I can't! He was my ticket to fame! After finally convincing him to come (which wasn't easy), we were off! We hit every town and everybody adored me! I didn't like it when it was small crowds only because what was the point of putting on a performance for three people when I can put it on for sixty people? Everybody adored-"

"Boo hoo, you're boring me to tears!" Hilda interrupted in a sing-song voice. "Get to the part where you killed your former friend! Hurry before I fall asleep!"

"Suddenly, Héctor got homesick and decided to go home. I knew he was going to leave me because he couldn't stop talking about his dumb wife or his bratty kid! So I brought rat poison with me just in case. I poured it in his glass of tequila and watched him drink. As soon as the fool collapsed, I grabbed his suitcase and his songbook and the rest was history!"

Hilda gave him a hard look. "Really?"

"Yes, really!" Ernesto shouted, throwing his hands up. "I was the most famous musician in of all Mexico! When Héctor tried to leave me, he made a mistake! My murder made each of his family pay! Their stupid music ban kept them from finding me out," He chuckled, darkly. "I couldn't believe how easy it was to tell Imelda that her husband abandoned her! Boy, was she stupid or what?"

"Very stupid," Hilda snorted, knowing the woman very well. "Now tell me about this Miguel person."

"I was enjoying my fame, safe from the Riveras. But then one little boy discovered me! He came to the Land of the Dead-"

"He came to the Land of the Dead?"

"Yes! He came here claiming that he was my descendant. Héctor happened to be traveling with him so once they figured out how I got away with murder, they blabbed it to the whole Land of the Dead! And once the boy was sent home, he exposed my crimes to the Land of the Living!" He dropped his forehead to the table. "Now my reputation is ruined and I am in danger of being forgotten!"

"Are you done yet?" Hilda asked, almost falling asleep.

"Yes, I am."

The skeleton woman quickly sat up, as if she had received a shot of adrenaline. "Muy bien, now I can tell you my story!" She took another sip from her tea. "I was once a sophisticated high class lady along with my brother, Francisco. After Francisco married, he had a daughter and two sons. His wife died from illness so I moved in to help with the children. Then when my brother had an…untimely death, I decided it was time to put his children to work as servants-"

"Why servants?"

"Because work is beneath me, you numbskull!" Hilda said, annoyed that her guest interrupted her. "As I was saying, I kept guard of their trust fund that their father left behind for them. I was doing such a good job raising them. But then Imelda complained to Héctor about me. Said I was abusing her or whatever nonsense she was spouting about," she grumbled at the last part.

"Were you?"

"Just a tad," Hilda answered, carelessly. She held her two fingers that are an inch apart.

"So when they got married, Héctor decided to kick me out of the family all because I was too hard on her, boo hoo hoo!"

"And when you died, they didn't put your photo on the ofrenda?"

"Of course not! Héctor or Imelda must have decided on that!" She smiled an evil smile. "Either way, I want revenge on them and I need your help."

"Really?"

"Yes, I will help you get revenge on that little boy and you will help me get revenge on Héctor and Imelda. What do you say?" She held out her hand to shake it.

Ernesto wasted no time grabbing her hand and shaking it.

"I say it is a deal! I'm so glad that you are helping me!"

"Bueno, bueno," the woman smiled evilly. "That little boy is the key to Héctor and Imelda's undoing."

She blew out the flame on the candle and the only thing you could see in the darkness were their eyes, cruel smirks, and light-up markings.