Chapter 2 Banaecia

How many weeks has it been, since Banaecia went without her tool set? Was is about a week, or was it longer she did not know. What she knew was that she wanted to make a small wooden toy for her neighborhood boyfriend. She could barely fit over the work table. But she was determined to be able to see the activity through. Every night, she had to hide her block of wood and her tool set. She wondered if her father knew what she was doing, and that was why she could not find it every so often during the week. Her never really wanted her to craft anything, instead wanting her to take over the family business. He worked as a “magic” dealer, and there was no magic for that lifestyle to her.

She exited the cottage, that resided in the sands of grey. The trees few tress that were still left were deader than dead, wilting in the cold wind. Walking to go the tool shop, she could here the worlds echo’s and groans from the spirits now transitioned over to the other side between life and death. Her father's narrative was always like this: If we can't carry on the business, we will have to live in skull-city.

The shop was filled with your regular customers, each one coming in various shapes and sizes. One was a tall lanky skeleton, the other was a short and stocky skeleton. And others with a certain curvature gave someone a sense of a violin. Slightly thinner in the middle, larger in the top and bottom. Banaecia walked over to the counter, and then greeted the cashier. “I’ll take another chisel.” she said. Purchased it, and then exited the shop.

A few minutes later, Banaecia was once again sitting at the desk. She had her wooden chisel out hammering away at a dead block of wood. The thoughts of her father finding out about her craft was on her mind that moment. Earlier in the week, she had knocked down a tree by accident. Banaecia was surprised she wasn’t haunted by the spirit of the tree, the revenant snatching her away in her dreams. Baenacia carefully put the thought out of her mind. After a while of carving, the wood had begun to take on some form of shape. It was bangle, large enough to around the wrist. He'd probably still have to crack his finger bones in order to get it completely on.

She then took another hour to finish what she wanted to do. Walking outside, it had become late. Late enough for her father to be home.

When she was outside, she met up with her boyfriend -- the only other skele-boy in town, then exchanged a few words before getting to the point she wanting to make. “Hey Yunacio, what do you say we get married and leave this town. I’ve heard great things about skull-city in the north.” But he simply shrugged her off, though he happily took the gift. Banaecia wasn’t sure what to think, had she spent all week trying to avoid the fury of her fathers birch, all to waste on a boy that would toss it into his fireplace? “Fine, but don’t expect me to make you anything else.”

She then walked back home.

As she got to the door, the room glowed with the glow of dead soul lamps. She opened the door, and then found ....

“Banaecia, where have you been tonight. I wanted to ask you about the family business. Your not going off with Yunacio are you? I want to know what is really going on, what is that tool set on the table doing here. I thought my tossing that thing about, would have pounded that message into your skull..” father said.

It was later in the evening when Banaecia got up, saw that her father was sleeping -- she took the opportunity and pounced. Nothingness, silence, un-death. The undying flower wilted into the world of ash.

She tried to be quiet about it. But Tanucio would not shut up. “You seriously were not trying to kill me were you? Wait a minute, wait. Wait. No.” But it was to late. She had already took the knife, cut off the tiny little bit of cartilage from his nose.

Then took off his head. But he was still alive, these creature cannot die ever. “How dare you, now I’m going to have to stay with you for an eternity. Now carry my skull with you wherever your going.”

“Give me a break, what are you going to do if I leave you behind?” Banaecia said.

Banaecia walked outside, and found Grim’s guard waiting outside of the villages gate. “Why hello there Banaecia, we meet again. Where is your father Tanucio?” the grim reaper said. Then took out his scythe. “I have a proposal for you, my darling.” Banaecia did not like the sound of his non-voice, which sounded like nothing like death, his voice was something else ... it was that silence not quite silence. “Guards, grab a hold of the prisoner.”

The guards took out a block, and placed her skeleton neck on it.

“You have a choice, Banaecia” He slammed his scythe down upon the chard dirt of the world of wilting dead trees, that cried during the night if only they had a voice to cry with. “Work form me, gain untold riches. Refuse, and never move again.” It was at this moment, that she knew what to do.

She loved the son of Grim, like a new father.

It was a month later, that she became a guard. She was awarded with the class of top torturer. She could find ways to get information out of even the must sewn mouthed skeletons. Because even death could not always keep their secrets. But there was one person, still in the world of the living. She wanted to find him, get a reward from Grim's son.

Grim had a plan of his own. Who was already climbing into his coffin, and sang himself a tune. Could you spare a peace of brownie for the skeleton man. Who returns to the living world. I have no thrown, and I rely on you. I need my brownies, he thought.

Not in your shins.