PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

16

“I swear if you laugh, I will figure out a way to kill you.”

  I smile. “You look gorgeous Miss Remembrance. I honestly believe that you were born within the late fourteen, early fifteen, hundreds.”

  “You really think so?” She says as she steps in time with me.

  “Yes, but without the bad smells and foul teeth.”

  She laughs. “So are you ready?”

  “Thankfully, yes, I am. I shall just stand in the back, watch as others give their condolences, and then leave for the next part.”

  “Wait, you’re not going to say anything? But he was your friend-”

  “Companion.”

  “It is the same thing.”

  “There is a difference in my eyes, Miss Remembrance. There is only one person that I have ever called my friend and she is,” I point to the beautiful overvescent girl in a Misses Lovette look-alike dress standing by the door to the church wiping her eyes, “right there.” I walk over to her. “Good Mourn Melvie.”

  “Hi Sucky-Ducky.” She sniffles. “How are you?” 

  “I suppose I do not know. It is always hard to decipher how one should feel at such an event as this.” I sigh and urge my weeping friend inside before introducing her to my guest. “Melvie, this is a new acquaintance of mine, Miss Remembrance. Miss Remembrance, this is my old, close, and dear friend Melarvious Myth.” They exchange quick hi’s before the demon’s wife stomps forth. I bow. “Miss, it is a pleasure to see you again.” I turn to Miss Remembrance. “Miss Remembrance, this is Sir Gargilre Ferdinand Ectmech’s wife. Miss, this is a new acquaintance of mine.”

  Miss Remembrance holds out her hand. “Hi, it is really nice to meet you and I am so sorry for your loss-”

  “How much did he pay you?”

  Miss Remembrance is taken aback. “Excuse me?”

  “Did he bribe you? Put a hex on you? What? For I know that a sane girl such as yourself would not be seen with the likes of him.”

  “Miss, is there any other reason why you have come over?” I interject.

  “Yes, against my will my husband has set you to give the encomium. He had also made several large cases full of that bloody potion for you.” 

  I shake my head. “I can accept neither. Is there not someone else that can?”

  “Sadly, no, my husband chose you. It was one of his many dying wishes. You shall do it.” She leaves us.

  “Dark and Handsome, what potion is she talking about?”

  Thankfully, before I am able to answer Miss Remembrance, someone walks up to our group and faces Melarvious.

  “Excuse me Miss, but did it hurt?”

  Melarvious turns to the gentleman in the shadows  in the dark glasses, slicked back golden shadowed hair, and pointed ears. “Did what hurt?”

  He steps from the shadows and smiles. “Baby, when you fell from Heaven.”

  Melarvious squeals. “NexNex!” She jumps into his arms and he twirls her.

  “Hey Marvy, it’s good to see you again.” He steps back and grins wildly at me. “Dark One, ain’t it great to see me again? How long has it been? Two? Three?”

  “Four,” I say uninterested in our newest inclusion of the group.

  “Wow! Four centuries, huh? Seems pretty long dontcha’ think?”

  “I would say that it falls underneath the category of not long enough. What are you here for? You do not know the deceased.”

  My annoyance tsks. “Dark, Dark, Dark, has your mind been slipping? Did you honestly forget that I was one of Ferdy’s closest friends?” He wraps his arm around Melarvious. “And Marvy’s?” He gives her a peck on the cheek and she giggles. He looks at me again. “Plus, I am his brother-in-law.”

  I laugh at that. “That is absurd. Sir Ectmech’s wife is an only child, and she is no older than twenty-six years of age. TO be your sister she would have to within the middle, or close to the end, of her six century of living.”

  He smiles. “Well she is my big sis, six hundred and eighty four years old. Yup, she is six years older than me and never lets me live it down.”

  I shake my head. “That cannot be. Sir Ectmech met her when she was only fourteen.”

  The pointy ears slant. “What? You’ve never heard of youth potions, age spells, et cetera, et cetera?”

  I sigh. No wonder her presence is that of strong power. She has been perfecting it for centuries. I smile. “So is that why you are the way you are? Your sister experimented on you?”

  He shrugs. “Not like I had a choice. She was the oldest. She was the boss.”

  The doors to the church close, the light go out, and flamed torches takes their place. “Come all. We must take our seats.” Miss Remembrance and I make our way to the pew we sat in only yesterday, as Melarvious and the annoyance seat behind us.

  “Dark and Handsome,” she whispers in my ear. “Who’s the guy with the pointy ears?”

  “Stennex Straine. He is an old amore of Melarvious, and an old pain to me. Now shush, we shall have pleanty of time to talk after this part of Sir Ectmech’s funeral.”

  “Wait, this isn’t’ the only part?”

  I shush her one last time before Miss Widow steps forth to the pulpit and begins to speak. “Good noon to you all, I know that for some of you this way beyond your normal waking hour and far from your normal home. I thank you all the same for coming to my husband, and your friend’s, funeral. I will let my husband’s cause of death remain unknown for now, and welcome up here a very close companion of my husband’s up here to give the encomium. It was one of my husband’s many dying wishes, lords know he has many of them.” The crowd lets out a tight group chuckle. Miss Widow holds up her hand. “With that I once again welcome up my husband’s closest companion.” She looks down her nose at me. “Dark One, you may come up now and speak.”

  Murmurs begin to stir throughout the crowd as I stand and make my way up to the pulpit. What was I going to say? I have not seen most of these creatures in centuries. I do not know what to say to them or about Sir Ectmech. All that I know and have found out was because of the paper pixies he’s sent me for after his death. He even sent Relief to ease me of my pain. He has been a true companion. He has been a true… I stand and wait for them to all silence. “Thank you Miss Ectmech for your pleasant introduction.” I look out at all the creatures and see that there has to be no less than five hundred of them out there. This was surely not going to be an easy task. I was never good at speaking in crowds when it came to praising someone. I always ended up saying the wrong thing. “I will be honest with you all. I was caught off guard by this. I knew of the funeral. I knew of the time. I knew of the attire. I knew we were aloud to invite someone along with us that did not know him. I did not know that I would be the one speaking on behalf of him. Yes, I know. I was,”---I sigh---“a close companion of Sir Ferdinand’s. I just never knew how close until a month ago.” I sigh once more. “The day of his death, he sent over a spirit pixie to help ease me of my pain and grief. She named herself Relief. I did not touch her, so the paper pixies began to come. They were pages from his journals. They all spoke and told me of instances in his past, starting as far back to his childhood up unto the times he had after meeting me. He was happier once he met me. In fact, in his final written letter to me, he wrote how Melarvious and I were perfect replacements for a heartbroken child’s parents. He told me of how his father never loved him.” I look down and spot Sir Ectmech’s mother and father’s ghost hanging their heads in shame. “He said that I showed him the love and respect his father never had. He spoke of how he would hope that I would see him in a different light and speak of him differently before his death. The death I caused.”

  The crowd gasps and murmurs of shock and disbelief erupt through the crowd.

  I raise my hand and wait for them to silence before I continue. “I know. I am not proud of it either. I never wanted his death to be by my hands, and the ironic part of it is that I did not lay a hand on him. He had sacrificed himself. He did it so that I may be able to touch and hold Melarvious without causing her pain. I would have stopped him if I had known. He spoke of how he was willing to do anything for Melarvious and me.” I pause and shut my eyes. “I now announce that I shall disown Sir Ectmech as my companion.”

  Roars of astonishment and anger burst forth through the crowd.

  “Silence.” However soft my word may have been, the power behind it was immense and they did as I said. “You did not let me finish. Ectmech shall no longer be known as my companion but as my son. He has always looked up to me as a father and, without me knowing, I had become a father figure to him. I protected him, gave him advice. Melarvious had comforted him whenever he was overcome with a broken heart. He saw Melarvious as a mother, and I know that she saw him as her son. My only regret, as of this moment, is not fully claiming him as my son until now.” I bow forward. “Thank you that is all I have to say.” As I turn and leave from the area of the pulpit, the crowd explodes in applause and whistles.

  Farewell, My Son. I pray that our paths may cross once again, as you a new creature. Even then, I shall love you and claim you as my wacky, bubbly, always smiling son. My Little Ferdinand.