It had been a few hours since the girl's death . Her mother had cried out in a horrible wail as she breathed her last . It had been painful to watch, so I had left and gone outside to leave her to her sorrow .
I was stood now , under an old tree watching the girl's father , who sat on an old log a few feet outside the shelter entrance . He had not entered the shelter during the girl's illness and he would not enter it now after her death . The mother would prepare the girl's body for burial and after their home had been cleansed could the man enter . It was not the place of common men to deal with the dead , only women who gave life through birth could tend to the dead.
Such beliefs often amused me , as I was the obvious example that death had no particulars when it came to gender . I had collected the souls of the young, old , sick and healthy , both man and woman . I had watched them as they lived and as they died , each one of their last moments , only I was the silent and unseen observer .
The woman came out of the tent and walked to her husband holding a knife . The husband looked knowingly at the knife and picked it from her hand . Then with a quick slash, he cut his wrist until blood flowed, staining the ground. The woman moved her hair back and bowed her head , her forehead forward. The man wiped his bloody wrist upon the woman's head and then his own, making a red streak . This was a sign to show their state of childlessness , another archaic practice .
But something was wrong .
I had felt a pull as the man sliced his wrist with the knife, a very familiar pull in my essence. It was the premonition of death , the man was going to die . The knife was probably infected with disease and used to slaughter animals and fish. Very few things were clean in this society since germs was a concept they did not yet know, which in itself explained the level of sick people and dead people. I was probably going to have to stay and collect the man's soul aswell .
" What are you doing ?" A soft voice said behind me .
I turned around and saw a woman in a white satin and laced dress . She wore a silver white veil and the satin she wore as a dress flowed until it touched the ground . Her face was completely obscured by the veil but as she floated on the ground gracefully and the light touched her veil , it gave the outline of a beautiful face .
A deception .
I had seen her face though and it was not beautiful by human standards , especially since she had no eyes.
" Well Iazel ? Tell me what you are doing ." She said putting her hands on her hips , her voice was like a thousand whispers echoing in a cavern.
This was Bans.
She was a banshee , and my companion , aswell as my assigned Soul vessel . Each widower and widow had a companion to help them in their wandering around and soul collection . Each companion was able to hold the souls they collected until they were given back to the -
" Iazel ? I asked what you are doing . Have you not heard me ?"
" I am observing . " I replied simply, my voice would sound like gravel being scratched by glass to human ears.
" Lies , you are fixating on the mortals again . Have you not been warned against such deep interest . "
I grumbled internally ," This how I observe , I need to watch them up close . Especially with this mortals's death so near ."
At this sour reply, Bans howled with frustration , making the wind rise and a small gale blow , causing a sound like a hollow tree with wind inside it .
" Lies again , but not upon me by yourself . Do you forget as your companion I know all your thoughts ? And how I hate lies . So stop this attempt at deception and speak the truth ." She said floating next to me and she placed a hand on my shoulder.
She was right though , we were linked and she could know what I was thinking all the time.
I smiled behind my mask, I loved aggravating her by trying to lie .
And she knew it.
" Alright, I concede . I was gazing upon the mortals that us truth. It feels nice , gazing upon them as they live their lives . It's different than the dwelling souls at home ."
She sighed and the wind died down . Lifting her finger , she held up my chin , forcing me to look on her veil , to where her eyes could have been.
" I know your thoughts, your feelings and such but this fixation on humans is beyond me . Yet alright , as you please but try not to get too involved in their affairs... again ."
I nodded my head , neither a full yes nor a no. It was the best I could offer and she knew this, so she didn't push for more.
I turned back to the man, the mother having returned inside to tend to the body. The man hadn't moved but was just sitting looking into the distant horizon. The shelter sat upon a mildly high hill, so the distance of the unknown lay for any one to see when exiting the shelter.
What was he thinking ? I wondered .
" Oh Iazel !" Bans suddenly said excitedly , " Did you obtain it ?"
I reached into my visar , a space with in my essence and pulled out the girl's soul . It was a glowing orb that shined with a yellow light , roughly the size of an apple or pear. I held it out to her and it flew out from my hand , as if pulled by an unseen force, and melding into her-self . Bans started to glow and shine , the light intensity growing and if I had been human, it would be so brutal to gaze until I had to look away or go blind.
When the light faded away, I saw the dead girl before me.