Chapter 10 Banaecia With The Ghoulish Face

Banaecia was who Fina and Nina saw, who had no similar face to that seen by them before. Except for the face of the skeleton man, who barely had a nose. Otherwise she looked about their age, but she was skinnier. So much skinnier that Fina wondered if the girl was of the same people. She had her bones protruding from her skin, although Fina was not sure whether it was skin that covered her thin bones. Or if it was the illusion from the glow of the reddish-orange sea, flowing like thunder. “Why have you come back, sir skeleton man.” the girl said. It was the sharpest screech that Fina and Nina had ever heard, and they hopped back.

“Banaecia, lives us alone for just this once.” Grim’s father said. “Or I will more than happily cut your head off off, and toss it into the ocean.” The skeleton man knew this was an even greater threat than what the girls knew. Nobody really died here ever, they simply stared into eternity in the dark.

“It’s to late old fallen King.” Banaecia said.

Her eyes became a more flaming red, a fire that was hot enough to burn any shed. She then bent down, and touched the ground. And then she began to convulse a specific convulsion. She seemed to be in a great amount of pain, screaming evidence. Her film that covered her bones, began to rip. Any chance for a friendship, was nipped .. when something began to rip out of her back, a growing rip. She heard the sound of cracking, the sound of growing bone. A sound of sharp points cutting, and what came forth were wings like that of a starving bird out of Banaecia’s back. She screeched a screech, that was silence ... not quite silent. But the sound of a baby crying, that was never a baby at all. “Go now children, I will deal with the fallen King.”

Fina stood behind, feeling like it was a battle between two different kinds of monsters. The skeleton man, so far, was somewhat of a kinder type of monster. He crouched his crouch. And then took out his scythe. You would normally think it was Grim first had a scythe. Well not really, the skeleton man lent him his used one. Why do you think the souls of the dead, complains of a ripping throat. “Get out of the way now.”

“We have business, you know that.” Then she pounced.

And he struck back, Scythe on scythe, metal clashed. Fina and Nina had to hold their ears from the nose, and were screaming. Where is mother when I need her, I want to be with her now Fina thought, yet Nina was -- whether out of absent mindedness, or a peculiar type of bravery out of youth -- sprang forth and tossed the rock at the both of them. “Have you lost your mind.” Fina said. Her grabbing Nina’s arm made her miss, and the rock instead only hit the skeleton man.

“Ahhh!” the skeleton man said.

The action was lucky for Banaecia. She took the chance to duck quickly. And then the scythe missed her skull by two feet. Gave her a nice haircut. She then tried to strike him with her scythe, but instead his scythe broke into two pieces. Banaecia did not want to stick around, and she fled into the sky -- choking from the rancid air on the way up. “Girls girls, we need to talk now. But quickly, to the next settlement.

Banaecia was lucky, but the skeleton man promised to himself he would get her eventually.

It was roughly a walk later, they arrived in the village settlement.

“Girls, you going to stay with this wonderful lady here.” the skeleton man said. Then quickly went of the door, and he never came back that next day.

“Where is he going?”

“You should just relax here.” the inn lady said.

“It feels late Nina, we should sleep.” Fina thought: Cold fiery night, sleeping in the dark, like rats in a prism, everyone stays awake. Personally waiting to close their eyeless sockets, no sleeping, good night.

Fina and Nina were becoming tired, despite the fact that they did not want to sleep that point in time, which felt like night -- yet gave the feeling of early morning, the point when some people were awake. Fina wondered if the spirits of the dead ever slept, wondered if they ever became tired. Somehow she -- at least at one point -- thought they never did. She wondered as they slept, if the souls of the dead would pop out of existence. Fina wanted it all to end, like it was some sort of bad dream. But as she began to drift off on the demon leather sleeping bag, she could not even get to sleep. It was that particularly stench of ash and dust, that not only gave her sinuses, but also reminded her a feeling of burning. She looked over at Nina, who seemed to be sleeping ok. At least she hoped, and she decided to rely on this hope. But things were much different, as Nina was sleeping.

Sleep was like a night horse, marching to the rhythm of the beat of death. It was its sound of screeching non-silence and flames of hell that made her wake up. Nina wondered how Fina had not woken up when she did, wondered how she did not hear her scream. But soon she found herself only in the company of the bed, but the sleeping bag was of no comfort. Yet she still tried to cling onto this sleeping bag, for dear love. She held onto it for a couple of reasons: It kept her warm, and it was a form of affection she never recieved from her mother. And she tried to keep her eyes closed on the world without the glow from the sun. But it was not long after, that she began to feel herself choking -- it was like some vile air, come up wafted into her nose. Smoke from the windows, gave her a feeling of chills.

Nina had enough. So she got up, slowly eased off of the sleeping mattress. Then she walked over to Fina, and shook her in much the same she had done earlier. She wondered if Fina lived in her own personal house, something that would toss her into her own mess of wants and needs. Nina gave up, and then walked to the door. She then slowly opened it -- the warm air went inside. She quickly closed it. Where was the inn lady, why did she not decide to see what was going on? But it did not matter, Nina walked outside. The house was a small wattle and daub home. Something she had only learned from history books, but not exactly something she had ever seen. On one level it was fascinating, but on another... she crouched, had her hands over her face.

And then she wept silent tears. She then heard a voice, and it sounded familiar. It reminded her of the voice of the skeleton man, that they had met earlier. It sounded like he was in trouble, so she decided to go and see what the source was. Surely this wouldn’t take long, she thought.

She walked into the world of molten lava sea.

Fina felt like she was choking, and she wondered if her sister was in trouble. She got up, and then walked over to her bed. She then leaned over, tried to shake. But found that she was not there. Because of this, she went to see where the lady was, she was sleeping. Fina decided not to bother would trying to wake her up, as she did not even trust the lady to begin with -- really she did not even trust anybody. The skeleton faces said so. So she exited the door, and went to go retrieve Nina.

It was like some bizarre moment, when ...

A series of images, flashed before her eyes. She pictured various types of demons trying to take Fina, but found that it was an hallucination. She walked over to Nina, and then grabbed ahold of her. “Nina, its time to go back to the cottage, and sleep.” Fina did not feel comfortable there, but at the moment it was the only option that she had, after all... -- she briefly wondered if her mother would remember her. Put the thought out of her mind, and began to speak, but was interrupted by Nina.

“I heard a voice.”

“A voice?”

“They are in trouble.”

“Who? Come on, let’s go back.” Fina thought: Our home as it is now, ulcers out of the ears. Reeling from the stench, of horrid screams of demons. Only the sound of silence, is some source of comfort. No night of lullabies, no sounds of mother's cane on the floor. Only the kisses of ash from the cold wind, that try to break us.