A Graveyard of Stars
Lea stared at Death's Gate. If anything she was disappointed. It was small and red with rust, the lock looked useless mainly because there was a hole where the lock should be and the hinges squeaked as she opened it. Not an ominous, horror movie squeak but the kind that makes you think about gate maintenance.
Beyond the gate lay more empty space. Lea stepped through it. The space remained frustratingly empty. Lea closed and opened the gate again just in case she had done something wrong and when that did absolutely nothing, she walked around it. Empty, white space laughed at her as she stomped one foot in frustration.
It turned out getting into the afterlife was a tad more complicated then Lea had thought in the way that she was meant to ring the bell instead- it may be the afterlife but manners are still appreciated thank you very much.
Like Death's Gate, Death's Bell was rusty and it stained Lea's hand as she tugged the bell pull. It gave a single pathetic ring, which was bullied into silence by the howling wind that appeared out of nowhere. Lea tugged her coat around her and tried to keep her hair out of her face. She failed spectacularly.
Suddenly two figures appeared in front of her, emerging from a swirling cloud of black that blossomed like a spring flower. One was tall and shrouded in a black cloak whilst the other was short and wore a simple t-shirt and jeans. The t-shirt had a adorable cartoon of a grim reaper on it and the girl who wore it looked way too happy for her current job occupation.
'Hi! and welcome to the afterlife.' she said cheerfully like an overzealous tour guide, 'Please leave all preconceptions of death, heaven, hell etc behind you.' Lea stared at her, unsure of what to say.
'For God's sake Mara, this is not an introduction to a holiday camp. Tone down the cheerfulness.' A deep voice erupted from beneath the hood of the cloak. Lea couldn't help but notice the enormous scythe in his hand. The staff seemed to be made of shadows that moved like a stormy sea. Unconsciously, she reached out her hand to touch it. The tall man turned sharply towards her and moved the scythe out of her reach.
'What the hell do you think you're doing?' He thundered, appearing to grow several inches as he loomed over Lea. She shrank back, startled by his proximity.
'Sorry.' She muttered, looking directly into the hood of the cloak. The man's skin was the colour of caramel and his eyes were dark pools of irritation and righteous anger. Lea had to admit, he was terrifying.
Mara's hand slapped his shoulder and he moved backwards. 'Rohan! That's no way to treat a guest.'
'A guest?' Rohan removed his hood and examined Lea. He saw the ornate black ring on Lea's left hand, a token from the median she had visited. He gave a begrudging humph and turned back to Mara. 'You going to let her in then?'
'Wait.' Lea exclaimed, incredulous. 'You're just going to let me walk into the afterlife, even though I am still living?'
Rohan rolled his eyes, 'Well you have a medium's ring, which automatically grants you access to the dead.' His eyes narrowed. 'Surely you should know that if you are a medium.'
'Uh, sure.' Lea said, too afraid that they wouldn't let her in if they knew the truth. Mara smiled and turned towards the gate, removing the glove from her left hand, revealing a hand without any skin or muscle. The ivory bones blended into the harsh white background. Lea stared at them, unaware that her mouth hung open like a complete idiot.
Rohan smirked, 'You can't be a very experienced medium.' Lea quickly shut her mouth and glared at him. Mara shot him a filthy look and inserted her hand into the hole where the lock should have been. The space around her hand instantly turned pitch black and the darkness spread as Mara pushed open the gate. It took all of Lea's willpower not to let her mouth hang open again. Surrounding them in the darkness were hundreds upon hundreds of pin pricks of light, glowing like stars in the night sky.
Lea touched one that hovered next to her head and it twisted, expanding like a plume of smoke before reforming as an old man. He was bleached white and lifeless, dressed in generic inpatient clothing from a hospital. The picture was completed by a tube running from his nose that wasn't attached to anything, it tapered into nothingness as it strayed too far from his body. Lea removed her hand and the old man returned to a single speck of light. Her fingers felt like they had just been dipped in a bucket of ice.
'Is there a particular soul you are looking for?' Mara inquired. Lea blinked, confused but then she realised why she was there.
She nodded, 'Janene Priest.'
'And how did she die?'
Lea's breath stalled and she desperately tried to keep the tears at bay. The words got stuck in her throat but she forced them out anyway. 'In her sleep. The cause is unknown.'
Mara's brow furrowed. 'Can you not be more specific? It will help make her easier to find.'
Lea shook her head, unable to say anymore from fear of crying. She heard Rohan let out an irritated sigh. 'What a waste of time.' he muttered. He turned to her. 'If you cannot tell us the cause of death, it will take us ages to find her, even if we do have her name. We can't help you.' He reached for Lea's arm, intending to take her out of the afterlife.
'Wait!' Lea cried desperately, a few hot tears running down her cheeks. 'She's my mum. I need to find her.'
Mara's expression softened, pity clouding her eyes. She rested a reassuring hand on Lea's shoulder. 'We can probably find her quicker if you have something of importance that belongs to your mum.' Lea quickly scrabbled under the layers of her clothing and yanked out the necklace that had been buried underneath. It was a plain silver disc with a deep groove in the centre of one side. It wasn't impressive or expensive but that didn't matter, what did was that Janene Priest had worn it everyday and had treasured it more than anything else she had ever owned.
Lea removed it and placed it in Mara's open palm. In response, Mara closed her eyes and spoke out into the mass of glowing lights. 'Janene Priest, owner of this item, come forward and be received by this medium.' At the mention of medium, Rohan pressed Lea's hand into Mara's skeletal palm. The bones glowed with blue light that greedily curled around Lea's hand and Lea had to fight to urge to run away. The light was painful like being stabbed by thousands of needles.
Suddenly through the darkness, Lea spotted a prick of light that was heading towards them at remarkable speed. As it got closer it showed no signs of slowing down and Lea closed her eyes, tensing her body for the oncoming impact. But it never came. Lea opened her eyes and saw that the light was hovering over their connected hands. For a moment nothing happened but then the light started to expand, just like the old man.
Lea started crying again, her body shaking as she let out a heaving sob. Before her, as white as snow and dressed in the oversized top and cotton shorts that she always wore to bed was Janene Priest, her mother. 'Mum!' Lea cried.
Janene turned to her, her eyes lifeless but full of love, 'Lea.' Her voice was as soft as Lea remembered but it was like she was speaking through toughened glass, her words muffled but not incomprehensible. 'I'm glad you came.' Lea wished more then anything that she could hug her mum but if she let go of Mara, she would disappear.
'How did you die?' Lea's voice was hoarse and it shook as she spoke.
'I don't know.' Janene frowned and extended her wrist. On it was a bruise no bigger then a penny. In the centre was a tiny wound, the perfect size for a needle. 'But I can guess it wasn't of natural causes.'
Lea stared at the bruise. 'Who would do such a thing?' Janene stiffened. 'Who mum?' Janene refused to look at her. 'Mum!'
'Bad men.' She was so quiet that Lea nearly missed what she said.
'Bad men? What bad men?'
Janene looked directly at her, her expression full of urgency. 'Don't go looking for them.'
'Don't go looking for who?' Lea was shouting now. Janene said nothing. 'Mum! Please!'
'Spiders.' And with that, she disappeared, returning to a speck of light and sped away. Lea watched her go, helplessly and sank to the floor, unable to hang on to a single fragment of composure.
