RESCUCITATE
This is where I will post RESCUCITATE. I will only post up to the first 10 chapters, so if you are dying for more.... deal with it. A couple of reasons: 1- I don't want someone to repost the whole book, taking my work!!! 2- I would never spoil it for you }:) 3- If it does get published, then I need the moo-la, so you would need to buy it.
PROLOGUE- RESCUCITATE
As the silence of the dead night rang on, a being swept into the land. The silence was in no way disturbed, only a raven noticed the change. With absolutely no sound, he passed through the halls, no one even knowing of his presence. Except for one raven, who lifted his head from his wing as he noted a distinct alter in the over world. All the lights were off in the house, everyone asleep. Except in one room. For days, Tom had been sick, and not a single doctor in the village could diagnose him. So every night his mother sat by his bed, praying for his recovery.
The being laughed, without a sound coming from him. All of the sudden he was in the room, with the young boy and the weeping mother. The being drew closer to the boy, to neither of the humans knowledge. He lifted a long, ghostly, pale hand and gently placed it on the boy’s heart.
The raven knew something from the otherworld was here. For ravens are the messengers, the sign of the deadly afterlife. The creatures superstitious folk believed carried dead spirits to their resting place. Little did they know that was a former human’s job.
The being felt the boy’s heart, the boy’s soul. Lifting his chin, he began to pull the soul towards him. He could feel the essence of Tom’s soul; a happy boy, ready to give to others, hoping only for a nice, peaceful life. He would never get that life.
As the boy’s soul drew colder, and colder; losing the warmth of Tom’s body, the being’s hand neither wavered, nor did his heart well up in grief. He felt nothing, not a change, he had done this so often.
The last wisp of the soul entered the being, and Tom’s mouth fell open in a last sigh.
His mother looked up from her arms to look at her son. She leapt up and felt his forehead- ice cold. Frantically she pressed against his heart- still as the night.
She cried in despair and fell against his chest.
Abruptly the household was awakened, a flurry of people moving uncover the cause of the grief. The being lowered his hand and drifted into the shadows, disappearing once again, to the underworld.
The raven took to the air, flying into the clouds.
CHAPTER 1: _________________
Samon walked through Yenta’s chambers. Each footstep echoed against the lavishly adorned walls, covered with every luxury of fabric, metal, art, and gems known and never to be known to man. The rooms belonging to the current God changed quite often, always making room for another gift or sacrifice Yenta collected from the human folk in the overworld. He never stopped in wonder, staring, trying to take in the beauty of her wealth. Not once, even though he walked these halls daily, did he feel any change.
As he reached the final door, leading to the Room of Judgment, or less formally known as God’s throne room, he held out his arm and whistled once. A sleek black raven landed swiftly on his arm- wearing a strange amulet.
Samon pushed open the grand, elegantly engraved, pure golden door and stepped inside. Yenta sat comfortably on the single handedly most comfortable chair ever known. She smiled brightly as he walked in.
Out of custom, Samon kneeled to the ground and bowed. He did this not out of loyalty, or love- only for politeness.
Yenta knew this, and once again the knowledge hit her with a wave of grief. To be death must be horrible in so many ways. It robs you of all your emotion- especially Samon. Never had I seen a boy so filled with expression! And alas, it is gone… she thought to herself not for the first time.
“Your share of my quota,” Samon stated dully. He looked into her eyes as he said these words, the ones he said everyday. His eyes were beautiful, even without expression. The heavenly light showering the room glanced off them in amazing ways, making the blue sparkle and dazzle, even when the man who possessed them did neither of these.
“Thank you Samon, would you like to stay?” Yenta asked hopefully as she did every day.
“I would wish to, but I cannot. Thank you for the offer,” Samon answered with a bow, just as dull as the days before.
Yenta sighed and stared above her. This was a habit she picked up from watching her humans. They always looked to her when they sighed, but of course, she couldn’t.
She sat up and rested her head on her hand.
“Samon, have you met a woman yet? Someone to marry?” she asked him, searching him for a flicker of a change she so desperately wished to see.
“No, I have not. When I meet someone, you will be the first to know,” he replied with another short bow.
She sighed more deeply this time and stood up. She walked to the man and lifted his chin with her perfect hand.
“Samon, you are in little hurry to find her of course, but wouldn’t you be more happy with a woman?”
He stared her down, but not degradingly and answered coolly, “I do not believe a woman would make me happy, I beg you pardon.”
Yenta looked away almost angrily. Of course she could not let it show that even though she was new to being God, (only 2 centuries in the post) she had trouble controlling any unhappy emotions. This control she should have mastered by now.
“Samon, it does hurt me. You unknowingly taking away any chance at love. I wish you not of course, to seek out Jacinta, but can you not even try to heal?” she asked pleadingly, gazing into his eyes. She was putting herself up to him, leaving him to decide what to do.
Samon merely stared right back to her. “I really must be going, thank you.”
He lifted his arm and unclasped the amulet around the raven’s neck. He snapped the medallion on the end in half and pressed the white half into the God’s palm. Inside the pure crystal held the souls of those who had died that night. She clasped it tightly and looked down at it, trying to hide her hurt. You put yourself up to that Yenta, you knew the answer but you did it anyway- it’s your fault, she told herself, trying to block the pain.
She was vaguely aware of the man leaving her room, but didn’t look up to watch him go. It would only make the pain that much worse.
Dejectedly, she fell into her throne again, closing her eyes and trying not to think of the handsome man who could not get over his past.
CHAPTER 2: __________________________
Jacinta opened the doors as the current Death lightly stepped in her chambers. She smiled coyly, not hiding the slightest bit of the happiness she felt as she saw him.
“Samon, what brings you here tonight?” she said in a silky smooth voice, appealing enough to trouble the most sober of a man.
“I am here to deliver you share of my quota… as always,” he replied, showing no reaction to her obvious attempt for his attention.
Her face turned sharp and she turned away.
“Can’t you just pretend to be interested! That really hurts my ego you know!” she growled at him, glaring. She fell to the ground dramatically, onto a floor covered completely with silky cushions, and all the most comfortable of pillows possible. “the only man who refuses me is the one I want most! Can you believe it? Mere Death is higher on the list than Satan! What a world… At least when you reject Yenta you do it with politeness… with me it’s just cold! And you know how I hate the cold!” she glared even deeper.
“My apologies Jacinta. Perhaps it is because of the uncomfortableness-”
“UNCOMFORTABLENESS!” the Satan screeched. “ALL YOU WOULD HAVE TO DO IS FALL TO BE MORE COMFORTABLE THAN EVER IN YOUR LIFE!”
He responded as coolly as ever. “I was only referring to the heat Hell’s fires send throughout your rooms- it is very uncomfortable.”
She smiled and walked up to him, stroking his chin. “It is not hell’s fire you feel in here- it is me, I make it hot!” she laughed, walking to her throne. “It’s too bad you are ‘busy’ tonight, my schedules empty,” she hinted, raising her eyebrow.
“I am afraid I cannot stay with you tonight,” he replied.
Jacinta’s face turned into a scowl. “I really hate you Samon! You play with me like a child’s toy! Its completely unfair!”
“As you do with every person alive and dead! I really should be going now,” He tried again, getting exasperated from her mood-swings.
“Can you not stay for just a little while longer! Please! I promise a fun time!” She said with a mischievous glint in her crimson eyes.
“Once again my apologies, but I must go,” he inched toward the door.
“Just because you’re Death doesn’t mean you cant have any enjoyable time! You should feel honored to be even in the presence of Satan! And will you never get over her! One failed love doesn’t ruin a man’s heart forever! If you tried you’d get over her…” she trailed off, seeing his eyes harden and face transform into a hurt scowl.
“Goodnight Jacinta,” he spat and threw the amulet on the cushioned ground. He stormed out, not even bothering to be quiet.
Despite herself, Jacinta grinned. I cant wait to tell Yenta! I got an emotion from him! She thought to herself walking to the amulet. She lifted the obsidian half of the medallion to her eye and measured the souls trapped inside.
She sighed and walked lithely to her soul pool where she gently poured the souls into the water. They washed down the drain. She would deal with them in the morning. The raven Samon had brought in with him was still waiting on the bird post by the door. Jacinta clasped the ends around it’s neck and sent it to the God, who would reattach the missing white of the ying-yang. The medallion would be re-filled by the Death, Samon, then the cycle repeated.
I’ve had enough of this monotony! She thought to herself. Time for something out of the ordinary…
She smiled and settled into her cushions, awaiting a new lover to enter her room.
CHAPTER 3: ________________________
As Samon awoke, he walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. He saw Twyn by the window, probably watching the sunrise as she always does, he thought. He smiled and walked to her, sliding his hands around her waist. Unexpentantly, she jerked away. He saw a piece of elegant paper in her right hand, she was almost shielding herself with her left, staring at him with…. Terror.
Samon held his hands open, watching with confusion.
“Twyn? Twyn what’s wrong?” he asked slowly.
She shook her head, the look of terror fading into one of accusation.
“What does this mean!” she threw the paper at him, backing against the wall.
Wondering what had happened, he bent to retrieve the note.
It was Yenta’s perfect, elegant calligraphy, telling him his quota for souls had been raised for the night…
Samon’s face hardened as he read the words. Of course, she now thought me a monster! He gazed at Twyn with pleading eyes.
She took it as a guilty plea.
“So it’s true?” she asked, her voice choked up with horror. “This is your job? To kill people? Souls? What does that mean? You have a quota to fill?!” her face twisted in grief, and she ran from their small cottage, tears streaming down her face.
Samon was too stunned to stop her, and he wouldn’t have anyway.
He watched her sprint down the dirt path, past the forest streaming by her.
He stood and watched her run until she was out of sight. Watched her run- from him. His true and only love was scared of him.
He fell to the ground, covering his face in his arms. The pain he felt was like no other, but the pain he discovered two days later was so much worse.
Death jerked upright, gasping for breath. He leapt out of his bed and splashed cold water from the basin on his face.
“Damn Jacinta,” he hissed through his teeth.
He could do nothing but stand there for a moment, letting his grief wash through him.
Emotions, when you haven’t felt them in a decade, can overcome you.
After being in such tight control of himself for so long, he couldn’t believe how he felt.
He looked to the sky, closing his eyes, praying for his control again.
His body stood rigid, as he fought to control his anger and grief.
But his mind was not so easily tamed.
Frinde landed next to Samon, folding his massive angel’s wings. Samon knew him well, he was Twyn’s guardian angel. Although why he was here, Samon couldn’t fathom.
“Samon, horrid news has reached me, concerning Twyn,” the angel spoke gravely.
The Death looked away, preparing to hear a repeat of his pain.
“Twyn has died,” Frinde stated solemnly, ignoring the loud intake of breath from Samon and the look of raw self-hate on his face. “She killed herself… thus killing the child she carried.”
The Death stared at the angel, unable to think, knowing the pain that would follow allowing even a single, errant thought to work through his mind.
“I am extremely sorry to be the messenger of this news, I know of what she means to you…” Frinde said softly. Frinde and Yenta were the only people who could ever fully understand his loss, it was true.
The Death looked at the angel, an obvious question in his eyes.
Frinde started to answer, then sighed. This was the question he had so desperately not wanted to answer.
“Twyn committed suicide, so she will labor in hell for eternity… and you will retrieve her soul to take her there.”
