The Osiris Theory *A Strangetown Story*
SpeedSpin_88:
There are supposed to be pictures but they're not here
I was afraid.
Why lie about it?
I was staring onto the face of death. I’m not being figurative here. I was literally talking to Death himself. Not many were blessed with the sixth sense did see Death but I apparently I was. He looked just like the Grim Reaper of yore, scythe and everything. His long black robe made him all the more menacing as he towered over me. And there I was, a bloody ten year old that just dragged her mother from the burning wreckage of the trashed SUV. Some idiot ran my mom and me off the road and into a ditch. I can’t remember how many times we rolled over. My leg was broken and I was bleeding badly but my mother was the one Death came for.
“Trisha Black.” He announced. “Your life is at an end.” My mother was too disoriented to reply.
“My daughter…my daughter…” she gasped out. She touched my face tenderly. “Orchid…” My heart ached sending bitter tears streaming down my face. Death gazed down at us. No…it wasn’t supposed to be this way…it was too soon, I could feel it.
“Remove yourself child.” Death said to me. “Your mother must come with me.” I shook my head vigorously.
“No!”
“I will have her, child.” Death’s hand stretched toward my mother. Nevertheless, I remained fiercely obstinate. There was no way I was letting him get near her. She was my mother. I didn’t want to lose her. “Do not deny me.”
“She’s my mom!” I retorted.
“I do not have time for this.” He remarked.
“Like you should talk about time!” I hollered. “It’s not her time to go yet. You know it!” I couldn’t see his face but I pretty sure Death was scowling at me. He was impatient. He reached for my mother.
“Trisha Black it is time to…” I dashed to his feet and feel to my knees before him.
“No! Please! This isn’t it! Please she can’t go yet! I can feel it!” I clutched his robe and begged for her life. I didn’t know that touching Death resulted in (duh) death. He was shocked.
“You lay your hands on me child?” He tore my hands from his robe and took them into his own. “Your soul does not leave you?” It was more of a statement than a question. He knelt down to me. Now I was shocked.
“Wh-what are you doing?” I stammered. I peeked under his hood a saw a more pleasing form. A gentle face, fair skin, He was beautiful. I stared in awe. He caressed my face.
“You are the one I‘ve been waiting for.”
“What?”
“You are the one who will find my son.” He said. “I will spare your mother, child. In turn, you must do something for me.” I leapt at the chance to save my mother’s life.
“Anything!” I replied eagerly. Death humbled himself before me. I was too young to understand the supernatural magnitude of this experience.
“You must carry out a task for me. You must find my son. He would be your age. I will come to you again when you are ready. To remind you of your task I place a gentle reminder. Mortals call it my “curse”.” He touched my head. “I will see you again, dear child.” I felt a surge of pain over take me and Death was gone.
My mother sat up in the bloody dirt and shook her head. Save for a few cuts and bruises, she was fine. She saw me doubled over and vomiting from the pain Death had bestowed upon me. She took me in her arms and I began to sob with happiness.
“Orchid? Orchid!” I smiled and lay in my mother’s arms. My mother was alive and nothing else mattered. I lost consciousness to the sound of sirens. My mother never knew exactly what happen that night; she just knew she was alive because of it.
Sam the T-man:
Ooh, interesting! Very well written too :)
Okay... *surveys Strangetown* I take this end, you take the other, right? ;) *ambles along to Grunt residence... again...*
Astral Faery:
Wow! This is great! Gripping story, very interesting content. I look forward to reading more.
steelguy:
Ooh. Interesting.
Another little Strangetown quirk I've always liked.
Intrigued to see how this one goes...
Damn. Now I'm hooked to another story. :)
SpeedSpin_88:
Still no pictures. Sorry!
After that day, the world seemed stranger. I felt at home in the darkness. At night, I’d wander around the graveyards. Spirits would bow to me. Sometimes I’d speak with them. The sky would call to me. My dreams consisted of death, blood, and strangely enough joy. I was able to look through the eyes of death. Whenever I went to a funeral I would watch that person’s spirit standing beside the casket approving or, in some cases, disapproving of their final sending. Then Death would take them by their hand and lead them away. He’d steal a glance at me and nod. I would acknowledge him accordingly and he’d walk into the light. The reluctant fought him and ran from him or he’d drag them to The Abyss. Busy as always, Death let them run or dealt with them quickly. Oddly enough, he never had much patience.
Perhaps the biggest part of Death’s curse was my skin. It would crawl with supernatural rot. My rancid flesh would expose my bones and cause me a lot of pain. I covered my skin and called the decay a skin condition. I stressed that it was rare and painful and preached that I could only wear certain fabrics. It got a lot of sympathy.
My teachers were worried about my ‘morbid behavior’. At first, they asked my sisters. I’m the youngest of six girls. By my guess, they assumed that they could get plenty of information from them but they failed. Then they asked my mother. She simply replied. “Orchid’s just special like that.” My high school years were weird but I enjoyed them.
I went to Sim State University and got a BA in English and Education. My dream was to teach just like my mom and my Aunt Gina. After that, I became an English teacher and taught for four years at the local high school. My students described me and “Weird but sooo cool” much to my relief. My “skin condition” sometimes got in the way of my teaching. The pain would get so unbearable I’d have to stay home or leave in the middle of the day.
However, in the middle of my fifth year of teaching, my mother fell ill. This time I could feel it. Her time was up. I sat with my sisters in the Supportive Care Unit. We all stood around her waiting for the end. She was too weak to even speak. She gave me a meaningful look with her dying eyes. She gazed up at my sisters. There were no words needed. Death was kind. He stood quietly in the back corner. I looked over and sighed. I couldn’t stop him this time. My sisters couldn’t see him so they all gazed at me for answers.
“Is he here?” Taishe, my oldest sister, asked. I nodded.
“Yeah, he’s here.”
“Can we say good-bye at least?” Aurelius inquired. She’s the second oldest. I glanced over at Death. He nodded wordlessly.
“Yeah…” Was all I could say. One by One we all planted one last kiss on my mother’s forehead and said our final good-byes. I watched as Death laid a hand on my mother’s and removed her soul from her body. The heart monitor flat-lined. He led her gently across to her final destination. She was at peace and smiling.
“Is she happy?” Aricia and Alannia, the twins, looked at me expectantly. I could only nod.
“Yeah…” Tears choked me. I could barely answer. Mom turned to us and smiled warmly.
“I’m so proud of all of you. I love you.”
“We love you too, Mom.” I choked out.
“What’d she say?” Aries asked already crying. She’s the third child.
“She said she was proud of all of us.” Mom waved and disappeared from sight. Death nodded once more to me and vanished as well. I sobbed freely. All of us lost it that night.
My mother went to her own funeral. She was elated with the turn out. She was only there for a minute. It was painful to see her but knowing she was happy put me at ease. She waved at me, knowing I was the only one who could see her and took her leave.
“Was she happy?” Aricia asked me. I abated her concerns. After dinner at the church, I stood at my mother’s grave. The wind tore at the ends of my trench coat as I stared at the headstone.
“Is someone about to die?” I asked. Death was standing behind me. He let out a dark laugh. He thought I was joking.
“Thank you for giving her peaceful passing.” I said.
“You are welcome, child. She is quite at peace. Your father sends his love.” My father died when I was five.
“Tell him the same.” My eyes were still transfixed on the gravestone. “Why me?” I felt like I was going to cry again. “Why choose me?”
“You could touch me without dying. My touch, before one’s time, could completely dissolve a mortal’s soul. You are the mortal I’ve been searching for. My lover has grown old and cannot search for our son. You two may be the only mortals on this earth to ever lay their hands on me. Your Sixth Sense is also astonishing more so than my lover. You are unique. Your mother and father say so as well.” He spoke to me like a father. I could feel the emotions rise up in my chest. I began to cry for the hundredth time that week. Death laid his hands on my shoulders, and turned me around to face him. His beautifully flawless face was exposed. He then took my face in his hands and wiped away my tears. Death was comforting me. Maybe he found some solace within me too. “Do not cry, child. I too know what is like to lose a love so close to your heart.”
“Why come now?” I inquired. He looked into my eyes with an intense gaze.
“Because now you have nothing holding you back.”
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