That smell again. The smell of blood, and moist, fresh, death. It was always somewhere around-drawing me endlessly back and forth across the border of the mortal and the dead world. Sometimes, I would wait until the other two came with me. Other times, I went by myself staring thoughtfully ahead of me at the so familiar trees and land. I saw them every day when I came to collect the souls of the fatally wounded. But yet, they were always so far away and cold to me. On this particular day, I decided to wait. The two other women came gliding in the air, the hem of their thin, white, dresses swishing gracefully in an invisible, harsh, wind and their faces partially visible. I knew that those dresses were solid, but those faces were not. I never thought myself as one of them. They made no sound but to whisper someone's name in a mortal's ear. They did not even converse among themselves. But I, the most recently deceased (I am only one century old) still thought, and felt, and was solid. If people were not so feared of me, they would be able to feel the coldness of my skin. There was one thing thought that was the same in all of us. We never blinked. We never did and we never will. Only men and women who die peaceful or satisfactory deaths die with their eyes closed. I don't even remember how I died. But it no longer unnerves me that my dead body somewhere still has her blue, empty, eyes open.

As we entered the world, I immediately knew where we were. Old Capricorn's fort-or should I say ruins. When I got there, there was a big blow in the inside of my chest. Thump. Thump. Thump. It made me want to cry out or gasp, but there was no air to inhale. I twirled around behinde me to find the others. They were staring at me, no emotions, nothing, just staring at me as if waiting for my next move. The smell came to me again of death and despair and I pushed the pain away again. There, lying there, next to a small, quietely sobbing, woman, was a man. He already had his eyes closed and I could barely hear his raspy breathing. The man had had messy, brown hair and clear, big, pained eyes. He was thin and bleeding. I reached out for him but the woman came between me and his body. I withdrew quickly in surprise. "Don't you dare take him away!" she whispered. Of course. Some mortals did this, trying to keep the rightful dying from leaving in peace. I reached out again and was almost touching her...when I saw another maiden on the other far side of the wall. But this girl was younger with light dancing in her eyes and a small smile playing on her lips. She was no mere mortal. She was Love. I sighed. The girl had come to fight again. Fight for the life of this already dying man. But no. As I stared in pure horror and shock, I saw her come slowly towards me with her tender, bare, feet and smiling wilder and wilder until she was inches from my nose. The air was closing in around me. I saw her smile faintly again. The pain was stronger. Boom. Boom. "No..." I whispered. "No..." I looked behinde me for help, but the women were unmoving as if they did not see me. The little girl reached into my body. I could see her hands inside me. I screamed softly, and the last thing before I fell was the man, slowly breathing deeper.

I was in the castle nestled between the scullery boy and another thin, bony, girl. Rubbing my shoulder which I had used to sleep on the paved, stoned, floor, I woke up quietely and went outside into the cold, misty air. Quietely, I stole down the couryard and out of the quiete, open gates where the guards were sleeping soundlessly. Barely daring to breath, I ran and ran without turning back, to the forest. Once in the shelter and shadow of the forest, I couldn't help but giggle. Then, I laughed. I laughed and laughed. Suddenly remembering, I hummed and sang. Softly, at first, like a bee humming and then louder and louder util I was filling the whole forest with the burst of my voice. No one could hear me from the fort. And only one creature was expecting my call. My heart beet faster and faster and I jolted as I heard the lonely echo of my voice but I kept on. I smiled, padding softly on the earth, brushing away branches and going deeper and deeper into the thicket of trees. Until, suddenly, I heard the tinkle of the fairy's laughter in my ear. "You still can't sing it right." mused the tree fairy indgnantly. " Atleast I can do it at all" I twirled playfully as the fairy swung on my ear. "I heard even the legendary fire-eater Dustfinger cannot sing and talk to fairies!" I beamed spreading my arms wide to the vast canopy of dense trees up above. After that, I felt so happy. I played with her, the fairy, my only friend. Just like the day before, and the day before that had been. I was so happy to be alive. I felt free, and wild-like a fairy myself. I soared up to the skies and dove down again. I lightly touched the water fairies and swarming bee-like fire fairies. I danced and danced with my friend clinging desperately to any fart of my dress she could hold onto...I was alive...alive...alive...

I screamed louder as the pain inside me suddenly burst and I was back at the ruins. How long ago that was. When I had played and worked here for the cook. I was so careless back then. I looked around for the girl that everyone called Love, but she was nowhere to be seen. I could see another wrinkled woman hovering over my victim now. If I was correct, she was a healer called Nettle. It was too late now. And I had no intention of staying there a moment longer. I turned around again to look for my comrads but they were already gone. And so , just like that, I left. Many times after that, I saw the white women continuously making trips to that injured man, but I always stayed behinde. Recollecting the memories of the past. That fairy, the fort, the guards. I wondered if my sad friend was still alive. But I know I will never see her again. It was not meant to be that way.